defy state rules. plus, christmas without the rockettes for the first time in nearly 90 years. racing to a cure: could antibodies mass produced in the lab be the next best thing to a coronavirus vaccine? plus promising early results in one of those vaccine trials. the president on the staggering death toll, 1,000 deaths a day from covid-19. >> they're dying, that's true, and you had-- it is what it is. >> o'donnell: the stunning interview tonight. and we'll end tonight with the magical moment when a little girl hears her mom's voice for the very first time. >> this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening, and thank you for joining us. tonight, at least five people are dead dozens more are injured, and millions are without power after tropical

storm isaias lashed the east coast today. the powerful storm spawned at least 20 tornadoes, unleashing powerful winds and heavy rains on nearly a third of all americans. from new york to north carolina the storm downed power lines and sparked fires, leaving in its wake flash flooding and destroyed homes. in maryland and in queens, two people were killed when their cars were crushed by falling trees. tonight, what's left of the storm is racing through new england as the cleanup begins. at the same time, halfway around the world, nearly 80 people are dead after two explosions rocked beirut, lebanon, sending what looked like a mushroom cloud into the sky. tonight, thousands are injured, and the death toll is expected to grow after the blast flattened much of that city's port. and while those explosions and the storm are reminders of the destructive power of man and mother nature, as we come on the air, there is new evidence of

the devastation being caused by the coronavirus. there's new government data that shows in the past week the death toll has risen 24% nationwide. and nowhere is that hitting home harder than in florida, where tonight hospitals are once again running out of i.c.u. beds. there's a lot of new reporting to get to and our team of correspondents is standing by to cover it all. cbs' mola lenghi is going to lead off our coverage tonight in connecticut. good evening, mola. >> reporter: good evening, norah. this is the aftermath of the tropical storm that clocked winds up to 70 miles per hour here in coastal connecticut. as you can see toppling trees, tangling them into power lines and causing damage really throughout the northeast where wind was the main event today. tropical storm isaias slammed int the northeast today, still packing near-hurricane-force winds... >> oh, my god! >> reporter: ...at 70 miles per hour, killing at least two people who were crushed to death by toppled trees. here in norwalk, connecticut,

it's the wind that's being felt more than any other part of the storm. wind is just howling out here. you can see it playing out here the water is extremely choppy. these boats that are docked in this marina are rocking, they are shaking. another tree destroyed this mail truck, but the mail carrier survived. winds ripped the roof right off of this house in ocean city, new jersey, and an apparent tornado uprooted trees in pennsylvania. other tornadoes were reported in maryland and new jersey, where the governor declared a state of emergency. >> we urge all residents to stay off the roads and stay at home today. >> reporter: heavy rains flooded this maryland neighborhood, washing out roads. rising waters brought traffic to a halt in delaware as major flooding trapped drivers in their cars. mola lenghi, cbs news, norwalk, connecticut. >> reporter: i'm chip reid in suffolk, virginia, where isaias tore a trail of destruction through the south. >> there's very little left. >> reporter: in bertie county,

north carolina, a tornado decimated this mobile home park. two people are dead. >> it's bad. it doesn't look real, something you see on tv, like nothing is there. >> reporter: in ocean isle, north carolina, beach homes smolder after fires broke out overnight. in oak island, the national guard arrived to help with the cleanup. here in suffolk, virginia, dozens of large trees came down. this huge one fell on a house. you can hardly even tell there's a house underneath there. 12 people lived in that house. thankfully, no one was injured. >> look how big this tree is. >> reporter: just down the street, a terrified mimi pierce thought a tornado in her backyard was slamming this tree onto her house. luckily, it landed in the street. >> you could hear it coming. it just started going-- >> reporter: and were you worrying about your two kids at that moment? >> of course, they are right on my heels. we were down the stairs. i just started yelling, "tornado!" >> reporter: even with a tornado and all those trees falling down and scenes like this all over

town, city officials here in suffolk tell us that not a single person here was killed or even injured by this storm. norah. >> o'donnell: pretty extraordinary. chip reid, thank you. two enormous explosions shook beirut, lebanon, today. nearly 80 people are dead and more than 3,000 wounded but the death toll has been rising by the hour. and tonight, lebanon's prime minister is vowing to hold responsible whoever is to blame for the explosions. moments ago, president trump said it was a bomb of some kind without giving details. here's cbs' chris livesay. >> reporter: just after 7:00 p.m. local, the enormous explosion rocked the port city, sending shockwaves miles away at sea. ( screaming ) the u.s. state department is warning about toxic gases released in the blast, telling all to stay indoors. the source of the catastrophe? explosive material seized years ago and stored at the port,

according to the lebanese government. but what sparked it is yet unknown. terrorism has not been ruled out. >> houses, buildings, dead bodies in the streets, injuries. hospitals couldn't accept more injuries and bodies because they were full. beirut is a destroyed city. it is like a real war zone. >> reporter: and tonight, the prime minister vowed that those responsible will pay the price. chris livesay, cbs news, rome. >> o'donnell: we turn now to the coronavirus pandemic. as of tonight, more than 156,000 people have died in this country from covid, and more than 4.7 mills confirmed. and with schools starting to reopen, the national debate over protecting students and educators is intensifying. we get more now from cbs' manuel bojorquez. >> reporter: this photo shows the first day back at one school in paulding county, georgia.

complaints of crowded hallways, few masks, and packed buses. >> my daughter, she actually sat beside a girl whose brother has just tested positive. >> reporter: in nearby cherokee county, students crowded around each other for a senior photo. no masks here. the images reveal just how difficult it could be for schools to enforce new safety measures. ( cars honking ) some teachers in arkansas protested. >> i don't want there to be a misconception that teachers don't want to go back to work. we're working now. we work every day. we're willing to work. we're not willing to risk ourselves, our families, and our children. >> reporter: though new covid-19 cases dropped by just over 8% nationwide compared to the previous week, deaths jumped 25% during the same time period. while cases across the sun belt states appear to be plateauing, there is renewed concern about rising numbers elsewhere. at least 17 states are reporting increases in coronavirus cases, including new jersey, where average new cases spiked 108% in

the last two weeks. yet, some continue to ignore the precautions. there appear to be no masks or social distancing at this l.a. mansion party that became so rowdy, a shooting left one housbeca the largest u.s. city to announce fines for violating its mask ordnance-- $250. in new york, the rockettes' christmas spectacular has been canceled because of the virus, the first time since the 1930s. today, florida reported its third-highest one-day total of new covid-19 deaths-- 245 residents. in the meantime, the governor here said he wanted to explore the idea of allowing relatives to visit their loved ones in the state's long-term care facilities, once again, something that has been forbidden for months due to the virus. norah. >> o'donnell: manuel bojorquez, thank you. there is encouraging news tonight on two fronts in the search for treatments for coronavirus. peccucedland company says its

people, whi othercompany eo crec antibodies to treat patients who already have the virus. cbs news chief medical correspondent dr. jon lapook continues our series "racing to a cure." >> reporter: tonight, eli lilly in collaboration with the national institutes of health, announce they're trying something new. a lab-engineered treatment called monoclonal antibodies to stop the virus spreading in the body. n.i.h. director dr. francis collins: >> the monoclonal antibodies sticks to the part of this spike protein that represents other part that binds to the human let's the virus get inside. so you cover that up, and the virus has nowhere to go. >> reporter: in contrast to convalescent plasma taken from survivors' blood, monoclonal antibodies can be manufactured in large amounts in a lab. in a similar effort, regeneron is working on its own antibody treatments.

dr. mezgebe berhe is running the trial. >> if i treat you now, can i prevent the possibility of progression in hospital admission? can i improve your recovery time? can i also prevent transmission to other people? >> eporter: meanwhile, tonight, maryland-based novavax says two studies of its experimental vaccine are showing positive results. in a phase-one vaccine trial, all 131 participants had antibodies and no serious side effects. and in the other, the vaccine protected baboons from the covid-19 virus. dr. jon lapook, cbs news. >> o'donnell: tonight, president trump is drawing fire for his comments about the rising death toll from coronavirus. with more than 1,000 americans dying every day, the president said, "it is what it is." democrats have already turned that phrase intaidto lambaste h eid at the white house. >> reporter: with the virus costing over 1,000 american lives per day, president trump continues to maintain the

pandemic is under control, most recently in an interview on hbo. >> mr. president-- >> yeah, under control-- >> it's giving them a false sense of security. >> i think it's under control. >> how? 1,000 americans are dying a day. >> they are dying, that's true. and it is what it is. >> reporter: in the interview, taped last week while representative john lewis laid in state in the capitol, the president dismissed the civil rights leader's legacy and touted his own. >> how do you think history will remember john lewis? >> i don't know. i can't say one way or the other. he didn't come to my inauguration. he didn't come to my state of the union speeches. and that's okay. that's his right. >> right. >> nobody has done more for anack americans than i have. >> i understand. >> he should have come. >> reporter: today, during a white house signing ceremony for a conservation bill, the president oddly flubbed the game of one of the country's most- popular tourist destinations-- yosemite national park. >> when their eyes widen in amazement as old faithful bursts

into theky, when they gaze upon yo-semite, yoseminite's towering sequoias. >> reporter: after weeks of criticizing efforts to expand mail-in voting ahead of the november election, president trump actually endorsed it today, but in one state only-- florida-- where elderly voters, key to his reelection, regularly vote by mail. the president's attacks on the security of mail-in voting have concerned republican leaders across the country. they're worried that by doing this the president may actually be discouraging g.o.p. voter turnout in november. norah. >> o'donnell: paula reid, thank you. tonight, not much progress to report in negotiations over a new covid relief bill. among the sticking points: republicans insist in order to fully reopen, businesses need to to be protected from lawsuits if employees or customers are exposed to the virus. workers say that puts them at risk, and our cbs news investigation found that at one

company, the consequences have been deadly. here's cbs' nancy cordes. >> reporter: 45-year-old mike jackson was working a mandatory overtime shift at this milwaukee engine plant in may, when a coworker saw him slumped over. >> no one told us that he had passed out on the job. >> reporter: but he was back at work two days later. he went to work even if he wasn't feeling well. >> they would fire you. he got four young kids he has to take care of, so he go to work sick. >> reporter: jackson collapsed again and was sent to the hospital where he tested positive for coronavirus. hurts soen days later. >> it hurts so bad. i wasn't with him when he passed. he died by himself. >> reporter: six currentkers cthe coany, briggs and stratton, required them to work face to face on the assembly line and the managers rarely wore masks. >> the company doesn't care

whether we live or die. >> reporter: briggs and stratton declined an interview, but in a statement said, "we don't force anyone to come to work if they aren't feeling well. nor, do we penalize them." the company said it follows c.d.c. guidelines and workers can apply for paid leave to self-quarantine. the company also provided this photo requiring plastic barriers between workers. but another photo provided by an employee a day later appeared to show the same barriers rolled up. fighting back might soon become more difficult. senate republicans have a new bill that would shield companies from some coronavirus lawsuits. workers have already filed suits against walmart, amazon, mcdonald's, and tyson foods. what do you say to workoliity protections basically give their employers license to avoid taking the kinds of precautions that would keep them safe?

>> this is mainly to protect them, because the employers would only be liable if they were grossly negligent. >> reporter: a month before his death, mike jackson and his coworkers protested the lack of safety equipment at the plant. federal safety regulators are now investigations the workers' complaints. >> if they would have protected the workers, i think my son probably would still have been here. >> reporter: nancy cordes, cbs news, capitol hill. >> o'donnell: and there is still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news." charges are filed against a district attorney's husband after he pointed a gun at protesters. forget a message in a bottle. the message in the sand that led to the rescue of three stranded castaways. later, how a two-year-old's life changed in one remarkable instant.

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three misdemeanor charges. video from march showed david lacey pointing a gun and threatening to shoot black lives matter protesters who gathered outside the couple's home. jackie lacey apologized at the time and said her husband was just trying to protect her. a message in the sand led to the rescue of three castaways stranded on a tiny island in the pacific ocean. their boat ran out of gas, and they ended up on an island in micronesia, where they were stuck for three days. well, they wrote s.o.s. on the beach, rescuers spotted it from the air. crews gave the men food and water and took them to safety. very lucky. coming up next, the incredible moment a noisy world opens up for a little girl. like to tell t my great-grandmother. -my grandma. -my cousin. my great-great grandmother.

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few can compare to this: >> can you hear momma? momma? yeah. i think you can hear me. >> i think that is it! ( laughs ) >> reporter: it's almost too much for mavis malone. she can hear for the very first time. >> t was almost as if she couldn't believe it. >> there's just that split second right before she covers them that i felt like she wanted to cry, like-- oh! i heard it. you know? >> reporter: the two-year-old was born with profound hearing lost. hopes were high a four-hour surgery could change that, doctors putting cochlear implants in both ears, the device directing sounds to the auditory nerve. now, without her mom signing, mavis understands. >> grandma. >> grandma. >> reporter: and a trip to the pa with her older rs a whole new world. >> i'm happy that my sister can hear, and i love her. >> reporter: an end to the silence. >> oh, sweetie, it's okay. ( laughter ) >> oh, big girl!

>> reporter: and a life forever changed. janet shamlian, cbs news, houston. >> o'donnell: mavis was in speech class just today, and her family says they look forward to when she can join in singing, something the malones love to do. we'll be right back. alerts... ...remind us... ...and forewarn us. but if you have type 2 diabetes... ...and risks for heart disease,... ...damage to your heart may have already started. up to 50 percent of you may be at risk for heart failure. and there's a chance you could land in the hospital. farxiga does... ...more than help... ...lower a1c. if you have type 2 diabetes... ...and risks for heart disease,... ...farxiga can help prevent hospitalization for heart failure. do not take if allergic to farxiga. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling, difficulty breathing... ...or swallowing.

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this is the "cbs overnight news". >> i'm jeff pegues in washington. thanks for staying with us. with the coronavirus pandemic still raging in much of the country, employers are grappling with how to get employees back to work safely. one large company in the midwest is taking flak for what workers call strong arm tactics. epic systems is the largest private employer until dade down wisconsin. epic has told thousands of workers that it wants them back in the office, some as early at

monday morning. >> some major tech companies with keeping their employees working at home. this giant medical records software company says all the employees need to come back to the office and now some of those employees are speaking to us. nearly ,000 people work that the software business on the sprawling camp out outside madison. in mid match most shifted to working at home but now the company said they must come back. the ceo. >> we have this responsibility to health care workers around the world and our patience to make sure we're at our very best. we can't do what we do without being together at the absolute >> he said to enhance safety on p.i.c.s' unique theme park camp out visitedly cbs late last year. they took steps, including

enhanced heating and filtrations systems and a take out-only cafeteria. >> we are not taking this lightly. we will do so in a mindful and careful way and make sure that it's vaf. >> but some employees say they don't feel safe and worry about spreading infection. we've concealed these two employees' identities because they fear being fired. >> i am deeply morally outraged by our response. i feel like we are not evaluating the risk that we are taking. i don't want us to be the epicenter of the next breakout. >> they're reacting to an e-mail sent to staff earlier this morning by the ceo obtained by cbs news. she tells employees that staff working at home is not as good as staff working at epic. even if work is getting done, we lose big time the culture. even wor