you are on with scott macfarlane. caller: good morning. over the last two weeks, trump and the gop have not said a word out the economy, not a word about lowering inflation, not about stopping price gouging, nothing about affordable housing for the american people, nothing about lowering rent. just as trump did during his campaign, he never had details about these things. all he told his suppters was "i'll fix it." i am just cares about your opinion on that, all these issues of why i think the american people voted for him. guest: nancy is picking up a point a number of democrats have alerted me to. if this is it -- if this is a priority in mandate, and deal with those food prices, housing prices, you want to note the order he has will that his potential nominees for cabinet. he talked about his attorney general candidate, his u.n. ambassador, secretary of state. but there have been no moves publicly to name somebody for the secretary of treasury or the consumer watchdog groups or the housing and urban development department. it would seem,

this week, we are joined by scott macfarlane with cbs news. last week, we were focused on republican leadership elections pay this week, democrats have their turn. what are we expecting? guest: at this moment of unique stability in washington, these leadership elections are actually quite stable. democrats may that seachange when nancy pelosi and steny hoyer stepped back after a generation of leadership, and the new generation of years to still have the galvanized support of their membership. hakeem jeffries of new york will be the house democratic leader. they've been in place the last two years. what house democrats have been telling us repeatedly is they did not suffer losses overall in this election, unlike the senate, unlike the white house. there is stability coast-to-coast and how house democrats performed. they wanted to get the majority, they came up short, but they did not suffer the wounds suffered by the rest of the party nationwide. they are quite bullish in some spots. house democrats did really well in new york state. they foot

cbs's scott macfarlane joins us now to explain. good evening, scott.amongst the fate of 1500 plus defendants in the capital siege could change immediately too. trump has pled pardons for those convicted of the attack on the capital and there are hundreds who have yet to even go to trial. and tonight is increasingly likely donald trump will go on trial either. >> cbs news has learned special counsel jack smith is expected to shut down the federal criminal case in which former president trump is charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. and capitalizing on the chaos of the attack on the capital as part of the scheme. a justice department policy blocks prosecutions of sitting presidents. >> history will record that the trump prosecutions were resolved not in the court of law, but at the ballot box. that's for better or for worse the way that our constitutional system works. >> shutting down the prosecutions would also end smith's revived to illegally storing and mishandling records at mar-a-lago. trump has blasted and pledged to fire

cbs's scott macfarlane traveled to the hudson valley in new york to hear from voters there. >> reporter the leaves change color along the hudson river in new york, the question here is will key new york districts change color too in some of the most hotly contested congressional battlegrounds? even woodstock, the community of peace and love, is now part of the rough and tumble. >> well, we're not having a very lovng year. we're so divided right now. ♪ just one ♪ >> reporter: janice hargrove say former professional singer who now runs a cupcake shop in a house that once belonged to bob dylan in new york's 19th congressional district. women's reproductive rights have been her top issue since a health scare more than a generation ago. >> i needed to have an abortion. and if that hadn't existed back in the 1990s, i wouldn't be talking to you right now. >> reporter: 40 minutes south in the college town of new paltz we visited mud puddle cafe. here in the heated 18th district race voters know the stakes, including democrat terry dolan. >> what's the thing that's mobilizing people or motivatin

. >> scott macfarlane caldwell, new jersey. >> well, now to another museum, this one revving up a whole of excitement in los angeles. the petersen automotive museum is celebrating its 30th anniversary. and it's a favorite hangout for one of america's most famous car buffs, jay leno. he gave cbs carter evans a very special look inside >> let you in. >> that's unusual. it's probably because of the car. >> and this is not just any car. >> it belonged to now worth more than $30 million, mcqueen's 56 jag is one of the crown jewels in a collection of more than 400 classics at the petersen automotive museum in los angeles. and chief mechanic dana williamson is one of the only people in the world trusted to drive it. >> jay leno said once he goes, how can you not look cool in that car turns out jay leno is one of the museum's biggest fans. these cars aren't just sitting here. you got to run them right. >> yeah, that's. i mean, i drive all of mine. >> oh, she's starting to get some heat in her now the comedian's lifelong obsession with cars is no secret. how many do you have now? >> i got 208 on

cbs' congressional correspondent scott macfarlane took a look at which race can tip one way or the otheruch is at stake not just for control of the white house but the u.s. senate. as we begin the evening, one-third of the senate is up for re-election. two-thirds keep their seats but the battlegrounds look very familiar, the same battlegrounds as we see in the presidential race, pennsylvania, michigan, arizona, nevada, they're competitive states for the presidential race, but also for the u.s. senate seats. and let's talk about the blue wall for a minute. in pennsylvania, three-term democrat bobby casey is trying to win a fourth term running against businessman dave mccormick who is trump-endorsed. tried to win the nomination in 2022, he has it in 2024. let's look at michigan, elissa slotkin and mike rogers. both represented the same area in the u.s. house. the lansing michigan, area, mike rogers around the turn of the century, elissa slotkin now, they're competing for a vacated u.s. senate seat held by a democrat. in wisconsin, tammy baldwin trying to win as a democrat independent eric

cbs' scott macfarlane reports from the hill. >> reporter: u.s. house speaker mike johnson took aim at assembly sarah mcbride, the first-ever transgender member elected to congress. with his decision to bar transgender people from using those capitol complex bathrooms that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. mcbride said she didn't come to washington to fight about bathrooms. republican nancy mace has led the charge to bar mcbride from women's rooms here and does not acknowledge mcbride is a woman. >> we have rights as women, and we have the right not to be bombarded by men in our restrooms. >> reporter: mcbride spoke "cbs sunday morning" in october. >> i can't believe i'm asking this, but i'm going to. what bathrooms will you use in the capitol? >> the bathrooms that i've used in the state senate. the bathrooms that i use when i'm going out to dinner here in wilmington. i'll continue to use the bathrooms that i've used for the last decade plus. >> reporter: and that's the ladies room. >> yeah. >> reporter: president-elect donald trump

scott macfarlane, cbs news, new york. >>> and be sure to join us on election night for real-time resultsanalysis, and exclusive polling. coverage begins at 4:00 p.m. eastern on our cbs news 24/7 streaming channel and 7:00 p.m. eastern on the cbs television network. >>> and turning overseas, the u.s. election is being closely watched throughout the middle east as the fighting there rages on. rocket barrages from hezbollah in lebanon killed seven in northern israel, four of them thai nationals. cbs' holly williams spoke with israelis about their take on the u.s. election. >> reporter: in the west bank, many israeli settlers who have built their communities on occupied palestinian territory believe a second trump presidency would be good for israel. >> we have a nice university at the end of the road. >> reporter: one of them is tamar marshall. >> the former administration had a stronger bond between the u.s. and israel. now the bond is more questionable. it's not -- not clear are you with us, are you with us until a certain line? >> reporter: in a major shift in u.s. policy, the first trum

scott macfarlane has details. >> reporter: after 12 years of what the state department calls wrongful detention in china, texas businessman mark swidan is finally returning home. he was on death row in china in what his congressional supporters say were bogus charges. he suffered brutal abuse and neglect according to john kamm, a human rights leader who advocated for swidan's release. >> he is a shadow of his former self. >> reporter: mistreated, malnourished, and physically damaged. >> absolutely. he has been shackled, hand and foot, he has suffered a great deal. >> reporter: two months ago swidan's mother told congress her son's absence has left a gaping hole in our hearts. also released, american john leung, accused of espionage and held since 2021, and ky lee accused of espionage. his son pressed for his father's release. >> it's been so long that the absence of my dad, it feels like a permanent void. >> reporter: no announcement of what america gave china in return or any statement from china about why it agreed. >> i think they want to say a fond farewell to president biden. it'

cbs' scott macfarlane has more on the busy week in congress. >> reporter: trump loyalists descended on washington poised to take control with a promise from the speaker to move quickly. >> we will be ready on day one. we are prepared this time, and as we wind down the 118th congress we'll be ready to take the ball and run full speed in the 119th congress that begins in january. >> reporter: a welcome back for democrats who survived the storm. [ cheers ] training sessions began for the newly elected including new jersey democrat andy kim, the first korean american ever elected to the senate. >> i think we're up to the task. >> reporter: his opponent hasn't conceded, but republican dave mccormick who leads in the pennsylvania senate race, was invited to orientation. in the u.s. house, some races remain undecided, but republicans are on a trajectory to the magic number of 218 seats to win the majority. democrats are regrouping. >> i think we're going to have a family conversation that needs to be clear eyed, candid, and comprehensive. >> yeah. >> to figure out what happened on election ni

in the race for the united states senate, scott macfarlane is here. what do you know? >> magic number has been 50 for republicans to get control of the u.s. senate. now that donald trump has prev prevailed, they are at 52 with this development. cbs news is projecting in montana. the republican will prevail. the military veteran and political newcomer, tim sheehy ousting three term democratic incumbent, jon tester. he has been a survivor in the seat but never shared a place on a ballot with donald trump, and he seems to have lost by a significant margin based on what we see so far. watch the number, though, in the top right of your screen. 5 52 for now. every number that ticks up gives donald trump more leverage over the senate. >> scott macfarlane, we'll check in with you later. >>> despite long lines and phony bomb threats, the 2024 election was free, fair, and safe. cbs news election law expert and political contributor, david becker is joining us now, the executive director of the center of innovation and research. david, good to see you this morning, ahead of the 2

cbs' scott macfarlane has that story. >> reporter: cbs news has learned special counsel jack smith is expected to shut down the federal criminal case in which former president trump is charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. and capitalizing on the chaos of the attack on the capitol as part of the scheme. a justice department policy blocks prosecutions of sitting presidents. >> history will record that the trump prosecutions were resolved not in a court of law but at a ballot box. but that's for better, for worse, the way that our constitutional system works. >> reporter: shutting down the prosecutions would end smith's attempt to revive the prosecution of trump for allegedly illegally storing and mishandling classified records at mar-a-lago. trump has blasted and pledged to fire smith if he won the election. >> we've got immunity at the supreme court. it's so easy. i would fire him within two seconds. >> reporter: the special counsel had hoped to bring trump to trial by jury in washington, d.c., earlier this year and even seated a new grand jury and secured a n

cbs' scott macfarlane on the confirmation process ahead. >> reporter: for the first time in 18 years, a new republican will lead the u.s. senate. he's john thune, a longtime senator from south dakota. chosen by his republican colleagues by secret ballot to succeed mitch mcconnell. and immediately indicating the senate will stand its ground and insist are reviewing trump's nominees. >> the senate ads you know -- as you know, by the founders' design is a place where the minority has a voice. >> reporter: some senate republicans were vague in their responses to some of trump's choices, including for attorney general. >> well, it was a surprise to me. it's an interesting pick. >> reporter: some of congressman matt gaetz's colleagues applauded it. >> matt gaetz picked by president trump is a strong statement that the weaponization of government, you know, and the biden administration using government against their political enemies is coming to an end. >> reporter: democrats are spoiling for a fight. do you think this republican senate might be a blank them for all confirmations? >> benefi

cbs's scott macfarlane leads us off tonight with the latest development from the justice department. evening, scott. so what do we know about this plot? >> reporter: yeah, norah good evening. prosecutors say the iranian national guard, the revolutionary guard of iran tasked a man named farhad shakari to target and kill u.s.-based figures deemed to be enemies of iran. shakari is at large right now and believed to be in iran. in the meantime, federal agents say they have arrested two new york city men believed to have been recruited to help prosecutors released images of some of the guns the new york-based men allegedly had in their arsenal. the three are accused of surveilling and targeting a u.s.-based dissident of iran and other critics of the regime living in other countries. but in charging documents prosecutors allege last month iranian officials urged shakari to focus on killing trump. defense say shakari claims to have not actually formulated the plan, norah. >> norah: and scott, iran has been after donald trump and other officials for a while right? >> reporter: yeah, iran has

we have a team coverage tonight, beginning with cbs's scott macfarlane with more on that. scott?reporter: his critics say there is a political ticking time bomb next to matt gaetz, the man trump wants to be the nation's top law enforcement officer and who is fresh off of a visit to mar-a-lago last night. but tonight, his republican colleagues are trying to pause the clock, or just diffuse it. a house ethics committee meeting about their investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by gaetz didn't happen today. but after gaetz's surprise resignation from the house wednesday, the house speaker says releasing the findings of the committee's investigation to the public would be a mistake. >> i do not believe that that is an appropriate thing. it doesn't follow our rules and traditions, and there is a reason for that. it would open a pandora's box. >> reporter: democratic senators who would be part of a confirmation hearing for gaetz said they would want to read the investigation's findings first. maryland congressman glenn ivey is a democratic member of the

scott macfarlane, thank you so much. and be sure to join us on election night. have full coverage on cbs beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern. turning overseas now, the u.s. election is being closely watched throughout the middle east as the fighting there rages on. rocket attacks by hezbollah from lebanon killed seven people today in northern israel. tonight, cbs's holly williams speaks with israelis about their take on the u.s. election. >> reporter: in the west bank, many israeli settlers who've built their communities on occupied palestinian territory believe a second trump presidency would be good for israel. >> we have a nice university up at the end of the road. >> reporter: one of them is tomer marshal. >> the former administration had a much stronger bond between the u.s. and israel. right now, the bond is more questionable. it's not clear, you know, are you with us, or are you with us up until a certain line? >> reporter: in a major shift in u.s. policy, the first trump administration declared that israeli settlements were not illegal under international law

cbs's scott macfarlane now on the confirmation process ahead. >> reporter: for the first time in 18 yearsnew republican will lead the u.s. senate. he's john thune, a longtime senator from south dakota. chosen today by his republican colleagues by secret ballot to succeed mitch mcconnell. and immediately indicating the senate will stand its ground and insist on reviewing and confirming trump's nominees. >> the senate, as you know, it is a, by the founders' design, a place where the minority has a voice. >> reporter: some senate republicans were vague in their responses to some of trump's choices, including for attorney general. >> well, it was a surprise to me. it's an interesting pick. >> reporter: but some of congressman matt gaetz's colleagues applauded it. >> matt gaetz being picked by president trump i think is a strong statement that the weaponization of government, you know, and the biden administration using government against their political enemies is coming to an end. >> reporter: democrats are spoiling for the fight. do you think this republican senate might be a blank check fo

scott macfarlane, thanks so much. a u.s.ked cease-fire between israel and hezbollah in lebanon appears to be holding tonight. the hope is that this diplomatic breakthrough will propel israel and hamas back to the bargaining table, as israeli hostages and palestinian civilians continue to suffer in the gaza strip. today, residents of southern lebanon and northern israel began to return to their homes. cbs's debora patta was there. >> reporter: israel and hezbollah exchanged heavy fire until the very last moment. but from earlier this morning, the skies were quiet for the first time in more than a year. despite official warnings that it's still too dangerous to go home, thousands of displaced lebanese strapped their belongings onto their cars and headed south, almost as quickly as they'd fled the violence. mohamed al awney returned with his family to this. peace in his city and the knowledge he's lost everything. "as long as we are safe," he said, "possessions can always be replaced." across the border, israelis evacuated from

cbs's scott macfarlane reports from the hill. >> reporter: u.s.mike johnson today took aim at democrat sarah mcbride, the first-ever transgender member elected to congress, with his decision to bar transgender people from using those capitol complex bathrooms that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. >> we have single-sex facilities for a reason. >> reporter: mcbride said today she did not come to washington to fight about bathrooms. south carolina republican nancy mace has led the charge to bar mcbride from restrooms, and she does not acknowledge mcbride as a woman. >> we have rights as women and we have the right not to be bombarded by men in our restrooms. >> reporter: mcbride spoke with cbs news sunday morning in october. >> and i can't believe i'm asking you this, but i'm going to. what bathrooms will you use when you are in the capitol? >> the bathrooms that i have used in the state senate. the bathrooms that i use when i'm going out to dinner here in wilmington. i will continue to use the bathrooms that i've used for the last deca

>> norah: all right, scott macfarlane with those new development, thank you.are season of autumn wildfires is raging across northern new jersey. and longtime firefighters there say it is like nothing they have ever experienced. cbs's tom hanson is embedded with them as they tackle flames across very difficult terrain on the new jersey-new york border. >> reporter: stubborn flames continue to burn in new york and new jersey. >> i've been doing this, i guess about 30 years, and this is a completely different type of firefighting. very -- all new to us. >> reporter: it's a nonstop, seemingly endless fight. and it's taken a toll. >> they are getting worn out. our folks over in new jersey have been running crazy since late august. >> reporter: fire crews led us up slippery rugged hillsides. >> it's a lot of rock. it's hard on our feet, and it's hard on our tools. >> reporter: through mangled trees and dried brush, fuel for the blaze. teams here are clearing paths, crating fire breaks, and looking for hot spots. see this smoldering hillside? this is what they are tr

scott macfarlane, thank you.ederal judge today sentenced a former massachusetts air national guardsman to 15 years in prison for leaking sensitive military information. jack teixeira admitted to posting dozens of classified documents, including some marked top-secret, social media platform discord. the data involved a range of sensitive issues, including detailed information about russia's war in ukraine. there is breaking news from louisville, kentucky, where a neighborhood was rocked by an explosion at a business this afternoon. nearly a dozen people were injured. we get details now from cbs's dave malkoff. >> battalion two, we got a report from plant personnel, unknown persons are still missing. unknown what the substance is that's blowing out. >> reporter: a loud explosion rocked this louisville neighborhood just before 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, leaving a gaping hole at the givaudan sense colour plant, a company that produces caramel coloring for soft drinks. >> we need to understand this is not only a fire r

you are on with scott macfarlane. caller: good morning. he last two weeks, trump and the gop have not said a word about the economy, not a word about lowering inflation, not about stopping price gouging, nothing about affordable housing for the american people, nothing about lowering rent. just as trump did during his campaign, he never had details about these things. all he told his supporters was "i'll fix it." i am just cares about your opinion on that, all these issues of why i think the american people voted for him. guest: nancy is picking up a point a number of democrats have alerted me to. if this is it -- if this is a priority in mandate, and deal with those food prices, housing prices, you want to note the order he has will that his potential nominees for cabinet. he talked about his attorney general candidate, his u.n. ambassador, secretary of state. but there have been no moves publicly to name somebody for the secretary of treasury or the consumer watchdog groups or the housing and urban development department. it would seem, i

scott macfarlane, cbs news, the capitol. >>> it was a terrifying afternoon in louisville, kentucky onghborhood was rocked by an explosion at a factory. more than two dozen people were injured, and at least 11 were sent to the hospital. we get details now from cbs' dave malkoff. >> we got report from plant personnel, unknown persons are still on the scene. unknown what the substance is that is blowing out. >> reporter: a loud explosion rocked this louisville neighborhood, leaving a gaping hole at the givaudan sense colour plant, a company that produces caramel coloring for solve drinks. >> this is not only a fire run, this is a structure collapse run, and this is a hazardous materials run. >> reporter: parts of the building collapsed. one person was pulled from the rubble, and 11 injured employees were taken to area hospitals. tyler mcclain lives a mile away. >> i was just in my house and just heard a huge explosion. the whole house shook. >> reporter: the blast was so powerful, it blew out windows of nearby buildings. residents in a two-block radius were told to evacuate. >> they did

scott macfarlane, cbs news. >>> another big reaction to donald trump's presidential victory came fromstreet, where markets surged on wednesday. investors are betting a second trump presidency will boost the economy. here is money watch correspondent kelly o'grady explaining what trump's win could mean for your wallet. >> reporter: years of economic pressure spurred trump voters to the polls, hopeful the election could mean relief. >> every day. i will work with $20, just waiting for my paycheck. and honestly, when it was trump in office, i wasn't having that issue. >> i think his economic plan benefitted all of us americans. >> reporter: president-elect trump shared numerous proposals on the campaign trail, but few specifics. one such policy is a sweeping tariff of at least 10% on all imported goods, 60% for those coming from china. what could a trump tariff mean for the american consumer? >> usually when you have a tariff, it's basically a fee on an imported good. i think any sort of reemergence of inflation would be a real shock to the system of consumers. >> reporter: the former pr

that's very important. >> reporter: scott macfarlane, cbs news. >>> a u.s.nd hezbollah in lebanon appears to be holding. some residents of southern lebanon and northern israel returned home on wednesday. the fighting between israel forces and the iran-backed militant group forced more than a million people to flee. white house national security adviser jake sullivan says he believes the ceasefire will last. >> we believe that we have learned from the past and we have designed this deal to be long-standing and to stay in effect, to continue to sustain the peace and also to ensure the security of the state of israel. >> in gaza, where palestinian civilians are suffering after more than a year of warfare, the hope is this diplomatic breakthrough will propel israel and hamas back to the bargaining table. >>> straight ahead on "cbs news roundup," with many of america's school districts facing a future with fewer students, we'll tell you about new efforts to repurpose some of those repurpose some of those abandoned school buildings. over the last hundred years we'

scott macfarlane, cbs news, new york. >>> in overseas news now, a developing threat from north korea new and powerful intercontinental missile on thursday, one that could reach the united states. the launch came as south korea's foreign minister was in washington for meetings with secretary of state antony blinken. blinken says he is concerned that north korea might receive russian missile technology in exchange for sending troops to help moscow fight the war in ukraine. cbs' tina kraus has more from london. >> reporter: for the first time in almost a year, north korea launched a new and more powerful missile that could potentially reach the u.s. mainland. south korean and japanese officials say the missile was fired almost vertically thursday, traveling upward for 86 minutes, reaching a height of more than 4300 miles before falling into the sea that would be north korea's longest flight time and highest altitude ever. north korean leader kim jong-un said it shows, quote, our will to respond to our enemies. air forces from the u.s. and south korea staged joint aerial drills in respon

scott macfarlane, thank you. scott, i'm sorry.crats net a gain of four seats. they have the majority. they will have the speaker of the house likely to be hakeem jeffries for january 6, 2025, the next two years but the battleground races are not splitting one way or the other. watch for california. it's going to take a while. could take days to measure california. there are a half-dozen competitive races, many held by republicans. democrats have a big night in california, they can offset losses elsewhere. this is going to take days to figure out the u.s. house but republicans are bullish on their prospects. spew an important point. scott macfarlane, thank you very much. want to bring in gayle king. we've been here for several hours and we are getting a sense of how the night is going. >> gayle: if you are a donald trump supporter you're feeling confident and encourage and if you are a kamala harris supporter you are feeling a little worried at this particular time although we keep saying there's still a lot of votes to be counted.

scott macfarlane has been working long hours keeping track of all of this, and joins us now to bring up to date. scott, good morning, what are your thoughts on what capitol hill is going to look like come january? >> gayle, good morning, trump's going to have some muscle in the u.s. senate. i want to bring up the u.s. senate and show you where we are as this morning begins. republicans hit that magic number. they needed either 50 or 51 seats. democrats were trying to nurse this very narrow majority. they stepped in quick sand early in the evening, and they sunk deeper and deeper in the quick sand as tuesday evening progressed. west virginia's democratic senate seat is going to go to the republican contender. two-term governor jim justice, he wins, and as you can see from those numbers, he won big. in ohio, the neighboring state, democrats were trying to nurse their senate seat there with three-term incumbent, sherrod brown, who served in the u.s. house previously, and literal lir ly wrote a book about congress, projected to move to bernie moreno. arizona is a spot democrats were able

cbs news correspondent scott macfarlane has more on what to look out for, including some competitivees right here in california >>>>another cliffhanger in the control of congress. a future president harris or trump will need the u.s. senate to confirm their cabinet, their supreme court justices get policies enacted only the white seats you see behind me are up for election tonight. it's one third of the senate. but look at the numbers. you can see democrats are playing a lot more defense than republicans. and the trouble is, for democrats, they're playing defense in some difficult spots. the evening will begin when polls close in west virginia, likely early in the evening. the republican governor, jim justice, is trying to swing this state from blue to red, and he is a prohibitive favorite. if he were to win. puts democrats with zero margin for error in a very tight corner. the entire u.s. house all 435 seats are up for election tonight. an early indication could come in the virginia seventh district, where polls closed early in the evening. this is a battleground race to succeed a r

scott macfarlane reports. >> reporter: for anybody taking a new job with a lot of out-of-town travelan be intense. but for the new members of congress of all different backgrounds, different ages, big cities, small cities, they're entering the capitol at a moment that's already pretty intense. settling into her new role representing california's 12th congressional district is just one of many things on latifah symmes' mind this week as she arrives in washington. simon, a single mother of two, has just located a new school for her 13-year-old daughter, layla. >> you told me one of your biggest concerns is your eighth-grader passing that french class. >> you know, i believe and i'm hopeful that every parent in government thinks about their children first. our jobs, if you're a public servant, is to deliver for the people you're representing. but the best job that i have is that of i apparent. >> reporter: born legally blind, simon is a civil rights advocate who helped victims of sex trafficking and became a protege of vice president kamala harris years ago. >> she believes so deeply, e

cbs' scott macfarlane is here to break down that part of the story for us. scott? >> another cliff-hanger. the next president will need a senate to confirm his or her cabinet and potential supreme court nominations and help get all those promised policies passed. the final days of the control of thearily divided house has shifted heavily to new york. republican speaker mike johnson rallied through competitive districts there, trying to salvage republicans' narrow majority in three of his embattled first term new york republicans. tomorrow the house democratic leader hakeem jeffries is expected to make a last-minute push through a district for a two-term democrat trying to preserve a seat near west point. the playing field is so small, our cbs news review shows roughly 30 battleground districts in the u.s. house naionwide. that's fewer than 10% of all races, and you can see a group of potentially vulnerable republicans in california and three competitive races in pennsylvania. in the race for control of the senate, democrats can lose a net of just one, maybe two sea

you told my colleague scott macfarlane that it was your personal experience as a caregiver for your husbandith terminal cancer that enspire d -- that inspired you to run. do you think the health care policy will be the focus of your work here? >> well, i certainly am glad to be back here in delaware after two weeks of orientation and to have the privilege of serving this state that i love in congress. i ran to bring down costs facing workers, retirees, and their families. that means bringing down the cost of health care, but also housing and childcare and everyday expenses like gas and groceries. i did run for office after my experience as a caregiver to my husband, andy, during his battle with cancer. and throughout that experience, while andy ultimately lost his life, we both knew how lucky we were. we knew how lucky andy was to have health insurance that would allow him to get care that would hopefully save his life. and we both knew how lucky we were to have flexibility with our employers that allowed andy to focus on the full-time job of getting care and me to focus on the full-time jo

cbs's scott macfarlane has more u.s. >> house speaker mike johnson today took aim at democrat sarah mcbrideess, with his decision to bar transgender people from using those capitol complex bathrooms that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. >> we have single sex facilities for a reason mcbride today said she didn't come to washington to fight about bathrooms. >> south carolina republican nancy mace has led the charge to bar mcbride from women's rooms here, and does not acknowledge mcbride is a woman. >> we have rights as women, and we have the right not to be bombarded by men in our restrooms. >> mcbride spoke with cbs news sunday morning in october, and i can't believe i'm asking you this, but i'm going to. >> what bathrooms will you use when you're in the capitol? >> the bathrooms that i've used in the state senate the bathrooms that i use when i'm going out to dinner here in wilmington. i'll continue to use the bathrooms that i've used for the last decade plus. >> and that's the way these rooms. yeah. >> president-elect donald trump attacked democrats for supporting transgender

cbs scott macfarlane has more. >> reporter for the first time in 18 years, a new republican will lead. senate. he's john thune, a longtime senator from south dakota chosen by his republican colleagues by mcconnell and immediately indicating the senate will stand its ground and insist on reviewing and confirming trump's nominees. >> the senate, as you know, is a by the founders. design a place where the minority has a voice. >> some senate republicans were vague in their responses to some of trump's choices, including for attorney general. >> well, it was a surprise to me. it's an interesting pick, but some of congressman matt gaetz's colleagues applauded it. >> matt gaetz being picked by president trump, i think, is a strong statement that the weaponization of government, you know, and the biden administration using government against their political enemies as coming to an end. >> democrats are spoiling for the fight. >> do you think this republican senate might be a blank check for all confirmations? >> benefit of doubt? yes. blank check? no. i think they'll be limits and trump is t

macfarlane from donald trump has >> as we head to the final weekend before the u.s. thanksgiving holiday. among them is trump's anticipated pick for treasury secretary scott bessent. experts say he is a safe choice, but trump has also chosen a more controversial figure from his first term to lead the office of management and budget. cnn's elena trinh has more. reporter. >> well president elect donald trump made nine new announcements friday evening for top roles in his second term, including some of the biggest cabinet roles we had been waiting to see. and that includes scott bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager being named to run the treasury department. and this is really ended. what has been a two week battle behind the scenes at mar-a-lago. one of the most contentious fights, we're told that had played out for a role in his second term. part of that is because one of donald trump's transition chairs howard lutnick, had wanted this role for himself. he ended up getting the top role at the commerce department. however, this really became a protracted battle behind the scenes now. one reason, though, we're told, that donald trump liked scott bessent, which i