Reporting from the nations capital. Odonnell good evening, and thank you for joining us. Were going to begin with breaking news. Tonight, a new wave of coronavirus cases is now crashing across the country, taxing intensive care units and threatening to roll back months of progress in the fight against covid19. As we come on the air, more than 60,000 americans are now hospitalized with the virus, an alarming new high. Bracing for asis climbing, too. The c. D. C. Is now bracing for as many as 20,000 more americans to die in just the next three weeks alone. The countrys top Infectious Disease expert saying hes hoping pfizers new vaccine may help change that. Dr. Anthony fauci says the new shots could get emergency approval as soon as next week and could be available to most americans by april. Well, tonight, well take you inside the complex plan to make that happen. President trump took credit for the Vaccines Development today on twitter while continuing to uilsely allege Election Fraud and without providing proof. President elect biden called mr. Trumps refusal to concede the race an embarrassment, saying republicans who wont acknowledge his win are intimidated by the president. He says that wont stop him from taking office in january, even though tonight the Trump Administration is still refusing to start the transition process. Theres a lot of new reporting to get to. Weve got our team of correspondents standing by to cover it all. Cbs Janet Shamlian is going to lead off our coverage tonight from el paso. Good evening, janet. Reporter norah, good evening to you. Coronavirus is out of control in so many parts of the country tonight. Here in el paso, at hospitals like this, they set an alltime record today, not just for hospitalizations but for the number of people in i. C. U. Also tonight, there is a new development on the search for a vaccine. Breaking news tonight the nations top Infectious Disease expert, dr. Anthony fauci, says he expects the Pfizer Vaccine to go through the f. D. A. s emergency authorization process in the next week and a half. By the time we get into december, well be able to have doses available for people who are judged to be at the highest priority. Reporter the latest covid hot spot is the entire nation. Theres no question that our hospitals are about to be overrun. Do not be at all surprised when we hit 200,000 cases a day. Reporter thats dr. Michael osterholm, newly named to president elect bidens coronavirus advisory board. How bad did it get for you . It felt like a bad flu. Reporter dr. Julio novoa is an el paso o. B. g. Y. N. Who got the virus and passed it to his wife. Its something scary. Its your life. It could be life or death. Reporter in the chicago area hourslong waits for testing. More than 100,000 in illinois tested on monday alone. 15 states have seen coronavirus hospitalizations double in the last month, including new mexico, where hospitalizations tripled in a month as des moines hospitals are at capacity, even the childrens hospital. A stark warning in oklahoma if our current rate of infection is not curbed, we will run out of beds and of staff. Reporter and dire predictions in minnesota. The fear is, once you lose control, this line would go off the top of the Television Screen here. Reporter in idaho, one of the states largest hospital had to temporarily send patients away the last two weekends, no room. Amid covid fatigue, some scenes of defiance, including in el paso today, where we found this Clothing Store open, despite a lockdown on nonessential businesses. Dr. Novoa says he learned the consequences can be severe. As a dad, as a husband, when you were sick, did you allow yourself to think about how bad it could get . The first day, i really worried what happens if i die . That was the only day i allowed myself to really think about it, the first day. Reporter and tonight, the city of newark, new jersey, has imposed a mandatory curfew on more than 130,000 of its residents. They wont be allowed outside after 9 00 on weekdays, unless its for work or an emergency. And, norah, that curfew will stay in effect until december 1. Norah. Odonnell really interesting. Janet shamlian, thank you. Today, president elect biden discussed plans for his presidency with the leaders of four of americas closest allies. Mr. Biden says hes moving forward with his transition plans, despite President Trumps refusal to cooperate. Cbs ed okeefe reports tonight from wilmington, delaware. Reporter president elect joe biden today briefing reporters three days after he declared victory, but forced to address the fact that President Trump refuses to concede. Well, i just think its an embarrassment, quite frankly. The only thing that. How can i say this tactfully . I think it. Will not help the president s legacy. Reporter mr. Biden spoke out as the Trump Administration continues to block the president elects Transition Team from accessing federal agencies and funding needed to conduct the traditional transfer of power. And as many of the president s congressional allies refuse to dispute mr. Trumps baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. The whole Republican Party has been put in a position, with a few notable exceptions, of. Being. Mildly intimidated by the sitting president. Reporter mr. Biden is getting support from several World Leaders the heads of germany, france, ireland, and the united kingdom, all making congratulatory phone calls today. Once he takes office, the president elect says he wants to reenter the Iran Nuclear Deal and the paris climate agreement, both of which the president famously withdrew from. In a normal transition, mr. Biden already would be receiving classified briefings from top intelligence officials about global concerns. But the Trump Administration is so far refusing to let them do so. Today, the president elect said he isnt worried. But theres only one president at a time. Hes president. Reporter in another example of how this transition is going differently, cbs news has learned the state department is playing no roles in those calls between the president elect and World Leaders. Usually diplomats would be listening in to protect national security. Norah. Odonnell ed okeefe, thank you. Tonight, president elect bidens margin in pennsylvania is growing. Hes also slightly adding to his lead in georgia, while in arizona, President Trump is chipping away at mr. Bidens lead. Tonight the electoral vote count stands at 279214 with four states still too close to call. Heres cbs ben tracy. Reporter President Trump tonight still refusing to concede, firing off baseless tweets from behind the walls of still win anuse, claiming hell still win and alleging ballot counting abuse, twitter flagging that, noting voter fraud of any kind is exceedingly rare. Today, secretary of state, mike pompeo backing the president s false narrative that he actually won. There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump Administration. Reporter President Trump has played two rounds of golf, but lisnt spoken publicly since last thursday. If you count the legal votes, i easily win. Reporter and for the fifth day in a row, there are no Public Events on his official schedule. According to his public schedule, the president hasnt attended an intelligence Briefing Since october 1. Mr. Trumps last revealed call with a foreign leader was more with a foreign leader was more than 10 days ago, and he hasnt met with his Coronavirus Task force in months. Try to facilitate a transition that ensures our president elect is successful. Reporter four years ago today, thenpresident obama welcomed president elect trump to the white house, but sources say mr. Trump has no plans to return the favor for joe biden. Many republicans on capitol hill arent acknowledging bidens win, either, as my colleague nancy cordes found. Reporter have you spoken to Vice President biden yet . I have not. You believe heo you believe he won the won the election . Senator . Have you congratulated Vice President biden yet . No. Reporter why not . Theres nothing to congratulate him about. Reporter the race was closer in 2016 and republicans congratulated President Trump then. I can tell you, you know, we still theres still a lot of challenges out there still, so i think we need to get all the votes. Reporter meanwhile, the trump campaigns lawsuits are going nowhere. Some white house officials privately admit the effort is mainly to delay the president having to admit defeat. But now, in a highly unusual move, attorney general william , rr is suggesting federal prosecutors quickly investigate any substantial allegations of voting irregularities, but even he doesnt seem convinced, cautioning against fanciful or farfetched claims. Odonnell ben tracy joining us now. Ben, whats the strategy behind the republicans decision to stand by the president . Reporter well, norah, the president has now received more than 71 million votes, and certainly republican lawmakers dont want to get on the wrong side of his supporters. O thehen theres also the two Senate Runoff elections in georgia in january that will decide control of the u. S. Senate, and the republicans desperately need President Trump to energize his base to make sure those folks get out and vote. Norah. Odonnell ben tracy, thank you. Today a man was arrested in staten island, new york, after allegedly posting extremist threats on social media. 54yearold Brian Maiorana was the 54 threatening to throw pipe bombs at the people celebrating joe celebrating joe bidens victory and blowing up the f. B. I. Building. Maiorana was charged with sending interstate threats. Investigators found a igators found aun and ammunition at his home and now he is in custody. Alright, now to the highly anticipated Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care act, former president Barack Obamas signature piece of legislation. While republicans believed the court would kill it, tonight it appears likely to survive. Heres cbs jan crawford. Reporter its the first challenge to the Affordable Care act for this newly conservative Supreme Court 18 republican led states, joined in part by the Trump Administration, arguing Congress Decision in 2017 to eliminate a key provision in the statute, the buy insurance or pay a buy pe insurance or pay a penalty, means the entire law must be struck down. Because we got rid of the date. Idual mandate. Reporter but bas reporter but based on their questions, over two hours of ority of the majority of the justices seemed unwilling to go justices seemed unwilling to go along, indicating they will not set aside a law that reshaped the insurance marketplace and provides healthcare protections for more than 20 Million People. Chief Justice John Roberts i think its hard for you to argue that congress intended the entire act to fall. Reporter Justice Brett kavanaugh it does seem fairly clear that the proper remedy would be to sever the mandate provision and leave the rest of the act in place. Reporter a majority of americans support obamacare. More voters who cast ballots in the election want the justices to keep it as it is than to overturn it. Today, new Justice Amy Coney barrett gave few clues on how she sees the law. Her questions and comments were focused and highly technical. That would be odd for us to construe the statute as congress saying, well, were going to change the statute in a way thats going to render it constitutional or this provision in a way that will render it unconstitutional. Reporter now, i do have a caveat it can be very hard to read these justices because theyre hearing arguments by telephone because of the coronavirus. But based on these questions today, it seems a majority is clearly poised to leave the bulk of this law in place with a decision as soon as this spring. Norah. Odonnell jan crawford at the court tonight. Thank you, jan. Today, a scathing vatican report said top church officials, including late Pope John Paul ii, knew for decades that there were allegations of sexual abuse against former Cardinal Theodore mccarrick when he was a Rising Church leader. But john paul ii apparently believed mccarricks denials and appointed him archbishop of washington, d. C. And elevated him to cardinal in 2001. Pope francis removed mccarrick from the priesthood last year after the church found him guilty of sexually abusing adults and minors for decades. Tonight, dr. Anthony fauci, the nations top Infectious Disease expert, said vaccines will likely be available for most americans who want it by april. In our series racing to a cure, cbs david martin has a thos at what it will take to distribute those first doses. Reporter the pfizer plant in michigan is now the leading edge of the Crash Program to inoculate america. Its vaccine stored in 350 ultra cold freezers waiting for f. D. A. Approval. Dday is the first round. Reporter army general gus perna, in charge of delivering the vaccine, has been counting on pfizer to be the first and the most difficult to distribute because it requires two shots. Second dose has to be targeted to the people that already received the first dose. Its essential to our success. Well have the needles and syringes. Reporter marion whicker, one of pernas deputies, showed 60 minutes the Pfizer Vaccine kit, complete with a card telling you when to come back for your second shot. How many of these are going to get lost . Probably quite a few, which is why we are recommending to all the administrators to tell people to take pictures of it. Reporter the Pfizer Vaccine has to be stored at minus 94 degrees fahrenheit. To new Jersey Health commissioner judith persichilli, that means the shots will have to be given in hospitals already swamped by covid. My biggest fear is that were dealing with a surge at the same time that were trying to vaccinate. Reporter healthcare workers are likely to be the first to get shots, and general perna estimates that alone could take tin, cbs new. David martin, cbs news, washington. Odonnell well, there is still much more news ahead on tonights cbs evening news. A new record for storms in the atlantic, and where the u. S. Could soon be hit again. And a tradition unlike any other. John rahms trick shot makes a splash at the masters. Masters. Personalized advice. Unmatched value. At fidelity, you can have both. New vizinc and elderberry mmies are fortified with to sustain a healthy immune system plus melatonin for restorative sleep because being run down, is not an option. Recharge your nights to take on your days with new vicks immunity zzzs. Birds flyin high, you know how i feel. Breeze drifting on by you know how i feel. Its a new dawn. If youve been taking copd sitting down, its time to make a stand. Start a new day with trelegy. 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