Thank you for joining us. We are going to begin tonight with breaking news. With the election just five days away, zeta, the storm that roared ashore on the gulf coast as a hurricane wednesday night is wrecking havoc up and down the east coast tonight, and throwing a wrench in the final days of the campaign. As we come on the air, at least six people are dead and millions are without power after zeta ripped through homes in louisiana overnight, reports tearing across the south today. Wind gusts in North Carolina are forcing President Trump to postpone a planned rally in that battleground state. Power outages in georgia pushed early voting sites in 17 counties to shorten their hours or shut down. And, louisianas governor now says he is making restoring power at polling places there a priority. While the weather didnt stop President Trump and joe biden from holding headtohead rallies in a sunny tampa, florida, today, going after each other and the few voters who still havent made up their minds in that mustwin state. And tonight, with the u. S. Closing in on nine million infections, the candidates are focusing their closing arguments on their very different views of how the president has handled the pandemic. There is a lot of new reporting to get to. We have our team of correspondents standing by. Danya bacchus is going to lead off our coverage from the hurricane disaster zone in mississippi. Good evening, danya. Reporter norah, the power of this storm could be seen in this long beach, mississippi, parking lot. The storm surge so strong, it pushed this boat here from a marina at least a quarter mile away. The force of hurricane zeta was felt from the gulf coast as far north as virginia, killing at least six people in four states. The storm left a trail of destruction, ripping roofs off homes and tearing down trees and power lines as it raced through the south with winds up to 110 miles per hour. Tonight, nearly two Million People are in the dark. Dark. Biggest challenge we have the big is restoration of electricity. There is significant damage to homes, to businesses, to infrastructure across southeast louisiana. Reporter First Responders struggled to reach hardhit grand isle, where at least three levees were breached. And the fastmoving storm prompted rescues in mississippi. We woke up and the house was flooding. We were all scared. Because the water was coming in really fast and we didnt know what to do. Reporter the fierce winds and rains downed trees and power lines throughout atlanta where there was a Tropical Storm warning for the third time ever. The steeple of pastor dan munces billoxi Mississippi Church was toppled by wind. It looks like it fell in the right direction, which is good. We were very fortunate. It nudged our sign a little bit but it could have taken it out. Reporter tonight, the cleanup continues. Crews are working to restore power, but it could be days before everyone has electricity again. Norah . Odonnell danya bacchus, thank you. Now to the other breaking news tonight. Record early voting turnout is not slowing down. More than 80 million americans have already voted. And tonight, both candidates are fighting for the dwindling number who havent yet cast their ballots. Tonight both have their focus on florida and its 29 electoral votes. Here is cbss ed okeefe. Reporter headtohead today in one of the most important states on election day, and each candidate with their own take on the outcome. Five days from now, we are going to win florida. Florida goes blue, its over. Its over. Reporter biden may be right. If he takes the sunshine state, President Trump has a much harrower path to victory. Right now he is trailing biden, but only slightly. With a record 7. 3 million votes already in, the split shows democrats with an edge. But the president is counting on his supporters to flood the polls on tuesday. Esday. You have to get out and if you have to get ou vote. We are creating the greatest red wave in the history of our country. Reporter once again the president s rally was packed with thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder with few masks. You know the bottom line, with few m though . You are going to get better, you are going to get better. If i can get better, anybody can get better. Reporter and as the president again downplayed the virus some members of the audience fell sick and were escorted out because of 87 degree temperatures and high humidity. Thank you for wearing your mask. And thank you for social distancing and thank you for being here. Reporter meanwhile biden held a smaller, more socially distanted event, where he addressed the president s boast about the record g. D. P. Number announced this nmrning. Nobody has ever seen the nom like this. Reporter but the record growth in the Third Quarter still hasnt brought the economy back from its prepandemic high, and many economists argue it wont in the pandemic recession. When barack and i left office, we left donald trump with a strong economy, stronger than the one he handled. And just like Everything Else he inherited, he blew it. Now he is squandering that economy, like he squandered Everything Else. Reporter the president s handling of the pandemic has helped propel biden in the polls in florida, and he stuck to that message today. President trumps super spreader events, he is spreading more virus around the country, and here in florida today. Hes spreading division, in addition. Division and discord. We need a president who will bring us together. Reporter with covid limiting the biden campaigns ground game in florida, they have taken to the air, with more than 300 million spent on ads in florida alone. Odonnell and ed okeefe joins us now. Lets talk about that early voting it is smashing records nationwide. Reporter thats right, and several states are now on pace to exceed their 2016 turnout total. Hawaii has already done it. Perhaps that is not surprising, they do all their voting by mail in hawaii. But texas is a far bigger surprise. Already at possibly as soon as tomorrow they could exceed their 2016 turnout with 8. 2 million votes already cast. 82 of the 2016 total is in already in georgia. 81 in North Carolina. All of this a reminder, we are on the verge potentially of the biggest turnout for an american president ial election in more than 100 years. Odonnell as a texas girl, it doesnt surprise me that texas is going big. Thank you, ed okeefe. Reporter yeah. Odonnell if florida voters hold the key to the white house, the race hinges on three important groups who could decide the winner. Here is cbss manuel bojorquez. Four more years reporter the final days of campaigning have reached a fever pitch in the sunshine state. From the polls to the streets. We were just canvassing in the neighborhood to get the vote out. You know, there are five days left until this election. Every day people should treat it like it is election day. Reporter 23yearold amalia clarke lost her job as a restaurant cook during the pandemic. She joined her Workers Union in rallying votes for joe biden who according to our latest Battleground Tracker has a lead among the States Latino voters like her. We cant afford another four years with donald trump, period. Reporter and while biden appears to have chipped away at President Trumps support among the states sizeable senior population, the president still leads. Jean reeves told us why he got her vote. All these years, trump has done very well for me. So i know that people that it hasnt, but it. Reporter it has done well for you in what way. Financial, investments. Reporter now there is a push for young voters. And it seems to be working. One Analysis Shows more than three times as many florida voters under 30 have cast their ballots early, compared to a similar time period in 2016. I think that this president has pedaled in the worst kinds of rhetoric and appealed to the worst parts of our nature. Worst parts o and i think joe biden is the exact opposite of that. I voted for President Trump, i felt he did a before covid hit, he was doing well. And i feel like there if something is working, not to change it. Reporter it has been lively outside this polling location in pembroke pines, florida, you can see all the signs and banners. There is even music. We should point out in 2016 our Battleground Tracker had both candidates tied leading up to the election. President trump won the state by just over 1 . Norah . Odonnell manny bojorquez, thank you. Tonight, we are seeing an alarming rise in new coronavirus cases from coast to coast. New infections are up in 45 states over the past two weeks. Nearly 95 of the u. S. Population lives in a state where cases are rising. The u. S. Within hours will surpass nine million confirmed cases. There have already been more than 228,000 deaths. And in some areas, hospitals are overwhelmed with covid patients. Heres cbss janet shamlian. Reporter with much of the nation reeling, this is what it has come to in el paso amid a relentless covid surge mobile medical units with tightly packed beds, set up in a parking lot. It is frustrating. Reporter dr. Jose virgo says hospitals are overwhelmed. El paso county now has more hospitalized coronavirus patients, 934, than 33 states. And additional doctors and nurses sent by the state arent enough. We have never seen a situation like this. Reporter is there enough happening for el paso . We are on a constant request for staff. Reporter utah also facing an increasingly desperate situation. We are in the middle of a very, very serious spike, and we need to take every precaution to avoid the worst case. Reporter that could now be happening in wisconsin, where hospitals say they could run out of i. C. U. Beds in two weeks. The numbers are stunning. Were going to have many more hospitalizations. And that will inevitably lead to more deaths. Reporter but theres a bright spot in miami tonight dr. Jacob gozi finally going home to his wife and five children after battling covid in the hospital for 120 days. When i was down, they would always cheer me up and try to tell me that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Reporter with the pandemic exploding here in texas, tonight the Largest Union of registered nurses in the nation is calling on el Paso Hospital to increase safety precautions, saying Health Care Workers there are having a high rate of infection. Norah . Odonnell janet shamlian, thank you. Tonight, france is more than doubling the number of troops on patrol and raising its security alert to its highest level, after a suspected terrorist attack left three people dead in the Southern City of nice. Cbss imtiaz tyab reports from paris. Reporter france is on edge tonight. The target . The inside of a catholic church, where three people were stabbed to death. Investigators say one victim was virtually beheaded. The attacker, a 21yearold tunisian national, was shot and is in police custody. President Emmanuel Macron rushed to the area. speaking french reporter telling reporters france is under attack by islamist terror, and sharply increasing the number of troops on the street to 7,000. This is a nation already tense after a series of Violent Attacks all in a matter of weeks, and all connected to the published cartoons depicting the prophet muhammad, considered blasphemous by muslims. Macrons defense of the images as an extensions of frances secular tradition sparked outrage in muslim countries with say accuses him of antimuslim agenda for political gain. Tonight, the streets of paris are almost empty as france goes back into a strict monthlong covid19 lockdown. With many here hoping it will also put a stop to any further attacks. Norah. Odonnell imtiaz tyab, thank you. Now to this story two suspected members of a White Supremacist Group known as the base were arrested today, including an alleged leader. They were accused of trying to intimidate a michigan family by shining lights and taking pictures on their front porch. Now, authorities believe a Left Wing Group of antifa was inside. Turns out their target never lived there. It comes after militia members were accused of plotting to kidnap michigan governor. As senior Officials Say it is days after polls closed when americans might be most vulnerable to misinformation. We spoke exclusively to dan coats, President Trumps first director of National Intelligence in his First Television interview since the president abruptly replaced him in july of 2019. The nightmare scenario is that on election night, people will draw conclusions or days after, will draw conclusions that their candidate has been denied the victory. And that public riots will result and violence might result from that. Odonnell the president says the only way he is going to lose is if the election is rigged. He also keeps saying this will be the most corrupt election in american history. Is this going to be a corrupt election . The president says things, counter says them, sometimes, the next day. But i think if we adhere to the principles that are necessary for a legitimate election, and the American People understand that, and demand that, i think that is where we will end up. Odonnell have you seen any evidence of widespread fraud or anything that leads you to believe this will not be a Fair Election . No, i havent. And the people i have talked to who are looking at this have basically said they have not seen this, at least at this point. Odonnell what the Intelligence Community has seen are efforts by china, iran and other nations to disrupt tuesdays election. But the country that concerns coats the most is russia, and what he is calling the super bowl of elections. They are the new England Patriots of messing with elections. I think they do it better than anyone else. Odonnell President Trump has continuously referred to russian interference in our elections as a hoax. Are they a hoax . I have absolutely clear that, by the intelligence we have gathered, that we have full confidence that the russians are going after our elections. They are trying to undermine our confidence in democracy. They are doing it now, they are going to continue to do it, and the American People need to know that. Odonnell the president s personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, has openly admitted openly admitted to seeking information that could damage the bidens. And one of his sources is someone who the u. S. Government has said is a active russian agent. Isnt that a National Security threat . We need to get to the bottom of that. Absolutely. Odonnell what is your advice to the average voter, democrat or republican, whos anxious, nervous, about this election . Lets stand up together and say im a republican, im a democrat, were going to stand together, at least do this. If we dont, joe biden and donald trump will not be the winners. The Vladimir Putin and xi jinping and Supreme Leader ali khamenei will be laughing, and saying we got them. We cannot let that happen. Odonnell such a serious message. And coats is now working with a bipartisan effort called the National Counsel you will on election integrity. You can find more information at counteveryvote. Org and see much more of our interview with dan coats, at cbsnews. Com or on the cbs news app. And there is still much more news ahead on tonights cbs evening news cybercriminals target u. S. Hospitals, potentially disrupting patient care. The urgent warning from law enforcement. Plus, he was forced out in a scandal. Well, now, jerry falwell, jr. Is hitting back at the university he once lead. Lead. A nose in need deserves puffs indeed. fisherman vo ce how do i register to vote . Ential election. Hmm . Hmm . Hmm . woman on porch vo can we vote by mail here . grandma vo youll be safe, right . daughter vo yes four girls vo the polls voted grandma vo go out and vote its so important man at poll vo woo grandma vo its the most important thing you can do who trust in our performance and comfortable, longlasting protection. 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Is suing liberty university, the school he once lead, for breach of contract and defamation. He says liberty relied on false claims about his role in an affair between his wife Becki Falwell and a former pool attendant and the couples business partner, when it forced him out last august. Falwell says his ouster was antithetical to the teachings of christ. Up next, why a 101yearold woman waited in the rain to vote, and what she hopes for the nation. For bathroom odors that linger try febreze small spaces. Just press firmly and it continuously eliminates odors in the air and on soft surfaces. For 45 days. Anyone making less than 400,000 a year wont pay a penny more, and im going to ask the very big corporations to pay their fair share. Were going to invest in creating millions of goodpaying jobs. Were going to ease the burden of the major cost in your life health care. Were going to protect Social Security and increase the benefits for millions of seniors. When i announced i was running, i said thats the reason, to rebuild the backbone of this country hardworking folks of the middle class. Im joe biden and i approve this message. And at fidelity, youll get planning and advice to help you prepare for the future, without sacrificing whats most important to you today. Because with fidelity, you can feel confident that the only direction youre moving is forward. Is often unseen. Because the pain youre feeling could be a sign of irreversible joint damage. Every day you live with pain, swelling, and stiffness. You risk not being able to do the things you love. Especially in these times, its important to keep up with your rheumatologist. Schedule an appointment today. Odonnell you want to see what inspiration looks like . This is anna belfield. She is 101 years old, and waited patiently on a rainy day in queens, new york just to cast her vote. Its not something she takes lightly. It is her way of honoring those who fought so hard to give her that opportunity. Annas first election was in 1952. She voted for dwight eisenhower, and has voted in every election since then. Were not sure who she voted for this time. She said she just hopes her vote will make a difference and help bring this nation together. Anna, thank you, for showing us the way. And well be right back. Ht back. Hmm . Hmm . Hmm . woman on porch vo can we vote by mail here . grandma vo youll be safe, right . daughter vo yes four girls vo the polls voted grandma vo go out and vote its so important man at poll vo woo grandma vo its the most important thing you can do who trust in our performance and comfortable, longlasting protection. Because your strength is supported by ours. Depend. The only thing stronger than us, is you. Who takes care of yourself. So when it comes to screening for colon cancer, dont wait. Because when caught early, its more treatable. Im cologuard. Im noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92 of colon cancers. Even in early stages. Tell me more. Its for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. Ask your prescriber if cologuard is right for you. Im on it. Thats a step in the right direction. Im on it. [phone rings] sore throat pain . Try new Vicks Vapocool drops in honey lemon chill for a fastacting rush of relief like youve never tasted in. Honey lemon ahh woo Vicks Vapocool drops now in honey lemon chill odonnell on tomorrows cbs evening news, we go on the road with cbss Steve Hartman for a mystery. Why are so many people visiting this cemetery after voting . And if you cant watch us live, dont forget to set your dvr so you can watch us later. That is tonights edition of the cbs evening news. Im Norah Odonnell in cbs news election headquarters here in new york. We will see you right back here this is the the cbs overnight news. Thanks for staying with us, covid19 continues to cripple the airline industry. Domestic air travel is down 50 since the start of the pandemic and International Travel is down 80 . As many countries ban americans for fear of the virus. United airlines is working to jump start its overseas business. Next month, the airline will be begin rapid covid tests for passengers hoping to fly from newark to outide of londolondon. Only those testing negative will be allowed to fly. Meanwhile, theres a focus on finding ways to clean the planes. As we report, the results are promising. Reporter university of arizona researchers working with boeing is applying a live virus that is harmless to humans but harder to kill than covid19. They then roll out disinfectant, and antimicrobial coatings and this light wand, all of the processes killed covid. All of the processes and technologies together can give us a virus free airplane. In each test, the dummy spewed out 180 million particles that is the equivalent to millions costs. When the dummy wore a mask, they found 00. 3 reached another passengers breathing zone. Specifically can i say sit in seat x, y, z . They all performed well. Reporter seven months in to the pandemic, people strongly recommended that they wear a mask when flying, in a transit hub or in a ride share. They found that if a passenger wears a mask, the droplets are lower than what it would be on the ground because of the fil r filtration systems. Its addsing all the Different Things that a makes plane travel safe. Reporter airlines say there have been 44 documented cases of a passenger getting covid in a flight and all but two of those happened before mask mandates were in place. Now, critics say that its hard to get a firm number because so many people can be asymptomatic anac