We are still in crisis mode, still in search and rescue mode still in search and rescue mode. Norah: battleground blitz liz cheney hits the campaign trail with vice president harris while donald trump is in michigan. Plus our interview with a top justice department official tasked with protecting the u. S. From foreign election interference. Iran, russia and china are trying to strike at the heart of democracy. I think that's a very fair statement. Norah: and tonight's eye on america. The major city that has seen an unprecedented drop in homelessness, how the mayor is combating the crisis with an unprecedented solution. Cbs evening news starts now. Good evening i'm norah o'donnell and thank you for joining us. We have some breaking news tonight out of memphis. There are verdicts in the federal trial of three police officers accused in the fatal beating death of tyre nichols during a traffic stop last year. Elise preston was in the courtroom, what can you tell us? reporter: norah, all three officers were found guilty of trying to cover up what happened the night tyre nichols was beaten. But not guilty on other crimes including the most serious ones like violating his civil rights. All three officers were taken into custody. 29yearold tyre nichols worked for fedex, was an avid skateboarder, lived with his parents, and wore a tattoo with his mother's name on his shoulder. My son loved me to death, and i loved him to death. Reporter: but after police stopped him, body cam footage shows what happened next. Nichols runs off. But that officers apprehend him. This took place less than 80 yards from his mother's home. He called out for her to help him. Mom! mom! reporter: for some 3 minutes, memphis police officers punched, kicked, and are seen hitting him with a baton, even after he was restrained. Mom! tyre nichols death won't go unaccounted for, that is critical. Reporter: now two other officers pleaded guilty before the trial even began and actually testified. Now nichols' family just walked out moments ago. They said even with the mixed verdicts, they feel like the officers, all five officers have been held accountable, and they feel like they have received justice for tyre nichols' death. Norah? norah: elise preston with that breaking news, thank you. Tonight, the race for the white house runs through an unusual stop for the democratic nominee. Actually the birthplace of the republican party. That's ripon, wisconsin, where vice president kamala harris appeared with former congresswoman liz cheney. Remember, cheney is a lifetime republican and a former member of the january 6th committee. At the same time, there was a campaign surprise from former first lady melania trump signaling her support for abortion rights, in spite of her husband boasting many times he proudly overturned roe vs. Wade. We get more now from cbs's nancy cordes. Reporter: a big moment in tiny ripon, wisconsin, former republican congresswoman liz cheney, the daughter of a former vice president, making her first appearance with the democratic nominee. I am proudly casting my vote for vice president kamala harris. [cheers and applause] reporter: cheney first announced her support last month, but she has been a critic of former president donald trump for years. [gavel sounds] and was vice chair of the january 6 committee which examined trump's role in the capitol insurrection. He is unfit for any office. Reporter: the harris campaign has been working to highlight the growing list of republicans who now oppose trump. I cannot in good conscience endorse donald trump this year. Reporter: those defections rattled steven michek, a former wisconsin sheriff who is switching to harris after voting for trump in 2016. All of the changes in administrative staff, just constant turnover of people the, just, unusual things of having all of your children employed in the white house was i, i would not do that in the sheriff's office. Reporter: in a court filing released yesterday special counsel jack smith alleged that trump ignored threats to his vp's life during the capitol riot allegedly telling an aide so what? we won. We won. We did win. It was a rigged election. Reporter: in saginaw michigan, today, trump repeated his false claims about 2020 and warned of an apocalypse if harris wins next month. Instead of a golden age america will instead be plunged into a dark age. Your family finances will be permanently destroyed. Reporter: he did not address the new comments from his wife, melania, who unexpectedly came out in favor of abortion rights in a video promoting her upcoming book. There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right. Reporter: in an interview after the speech, trump said he actually had spoken to his wife beforehand and told her she should share what was in her heart, even if they disagree. Here in wisconsin, cheney just said harris is standing in the breach at a critical time in this nation's history, and she urged conservatives to vote for her. Norah? norah: it's so interesting that melania trump is saying that now. Nancy cordes, thank you so much. Now the latest on the destruction from hurricane helene. Tonight, the death toll continues rising, now past 200. Nearly half of those are from north carolina. Cbs's skyler henry is in devastated asheville. Good evening, skyler and i know you spoke with the city's mayor. What did she say? reporter: hi, norah. Good evening to you. We are here at one of the distribution centers giving out supplies to people here in this region. The mayor told us that the city is still in crisis mode and that she expects the death toll to climb. We are still in a crisis mode. We are still in the searchandrescue mode. Reporter: six days after the flood, the search for the missing continues, as the death toll rises in asheville north carolina. There are people that died in the storm, that lived in homes in areas that had never before experienced flooding, so when you are thinking about, you know, do i need to evacuate? there were a lot of people that thought, well, i am probably fine where i am. Reporter: we met mayor esther manheimer in the city's decimated biltmore village. She surveyed the damage with president biden wednesday. He understands that this is going to cost billions, and it's going to take a long time and a sustained effort to rebuild our community in western north carolina. He understands that, and that commitment is there to stay with us until the end. Reporter: fema has more than 1500 people on the ground in the southeast distributing supplies. The president has deployed 1,000 soldiers to help, and there are countless volunteers. There are people saying how many people they have, what kids they have, what ages they are and so then they come and pack them up, so it's basically like a little grocery store. Reporter: we are in the shiloh neighborhood here in asheville at one of the distribution points where the community is coming together to bring all sorts of goods here. You see the essential water food, supplies. There's even dog food down here to try to make sure that everyone, and even all the pets have everything that they need. Yeah, take whatever you need. Take what you need for your neighbors. Reporter: the nonprofit beloved asheville is brimming with donations. Of course, you guys just getting water and paper goods? yes. Yeah? water. How bad is it where y'all are? we still don't have no lights or water, but it is a blessing for the help. You see how the community come together? we are a strong community and we are being put to a test but i think we are rising to that challenge. Reporter: and the mayor also told us that even the newer structures that were built above the flood stage were flooded anyway. She says as the city considers rebuilding, climate change should be a factor. Norah? norah: skyler henry doing double duty, not only reporting but helping out the people there. Thank you, skyler. Well, the united states is now organizing flights out of lebanon for american citizens trying to escape the intensifying bombardment, as the conflict between israel and hezbollah ratchets up. The state department says at least 250 americans and their family members are now out catching a ride on two flights to turkey. There are thousands of americans that still remain in lebanon including those staying by choice, as israel amasses more troops along its northern border. Cbs's imtiaz tyab reports from the strike zone. Reporter: israeli warplanes are striking beirut's southern suburbs relentlessly reducing entire buildings to smoldering mountains of rubble. But in the city's central bachoura neighborhood, a rare overnight is really missile strike, one building blown to pieces, killing at least nine. To give you a sense of where we are, lebanon's parliament is just down the road, and for israel to strike the center of the city like this, so many people are afraid that more is to come. In southern lebanon, israeli strikes are only intensifying as israel continues to mobilize its forces along the border and as the number of dead and injured across lebanon continues to skyrocket. At this hospital in the southern city of sidon, we met abdulaziz hammoud, who suffered a traumatic brain injury from the force of an israeli air strike. His friend, karim karim shows us his own head injury. Israel is killing women and children who are innocent, he says. Children are not carrying weapons and rockets. It's wrong. According to the w. H. O. at least 28 health workers have been killed in isreli strikes across lebanon over the past 24 hours alone, as the country's already frail health system strains from so many casualties. Says emergency doctor ziad abu al enaen. Our greatest fear is to receive the very big number of the patients, and you cannot deal with them. Reporter: as a doctor, that must be very painful. Yes, yes. Because we saw what happened in gaza, and we don't want it happening here. Reporter: are you afraid that that is what is going to happen? yes. Reporter: and tonight those israeli evacuation orders are stoking fears its military will move from limited ground incursions to a fullscale invasion and potentially occupy large areas. The last time israel occupied southern lebanon, it lasted for 18 years. Norah? norah: imtiaz tyab thank you very much. Up next, why top u. S. 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