kpix 5 ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: tonight, the two major stories as we come on the air-- the hurricane that has over hi million people in its path and could hit wednesday as a category 3. plus, the second night of protests in wisconsin, following jacob blake's shooting. his family saying tonight jacob may never walk again. hurricane laura, predicted to be a beast of a storm with life- threatening storm surge and dangerous winds. law enforcement going door to door as more than half a million are ordered to evacuate. a family's anguish. >> they shot my son... seven times! s o'donnell: jacob blake's parents ask for justice as his mother denounces violence. and basketball superstar lebron james condemns the police shooting. >> we are scared as black people in america.

>> o'donnell: 2020: america decides. tonight's republican national convention will feature first lady melania trump from the rose garden, and secretary of state mike pompeo shatters lady melania trump from the rose gard tradition with a political speech from jerusalem. only on cbs: the f.d.a. commissioner backtracks. why dr. stephen hahn now says data he shared was misleading. and, some experts are experts are concerned the administration may politicize a vaccine. nationwide laptop shortage. as kids go back to school remotely, why schools are having trouble buying computers. jerry falwell, jr. embroiled in scandal. the man who helped deliver trump the evangelical vote in 2016, tonight speaks to cbs news. what he says about the pool s about the poolleges a seven- year-long affair with falwell and his wife. and finally, meet a man who went from security guard to medical student, at the very

same hospital. >> this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening to our viewers in the west and thank you for joining us. we're going to begin with breaking news on two major stories tonight. the growing anger nationwide over the police shooting of a black man in wisconsin, and the growing threat of a powerful hurricane slamming into the gulf coast tomorrow night. now, as we come on the air, at least 20 million people are in the path of that storm, and half a million more have been ordered to evacuate immediately. hurricane laura, which is currently gaining strength in the gulf of mexico, is expected to be a monster, crashing into the louisiana and texas coasts as a category 3 or even a now, forecasters say the storm is unique because it is gaining strength so quickly and it could unleash a surge of sea water more than 10 feet high when it makes landfall. texas' governor says he expects

laura's high winds will create devastating damage and is declaring a disaster area across much of the eastern part of that state. now, at the same time tonight, wisconsin's governor is declaring a state of emergency as his state braces for another night of violent protests over the shooting of jacob blake. protesters set fires and police fired tear gas in kenosha, wisconsin overnight, after video emerged showing blake being shot seven times in the back at close range by a police officer. tonight, blake's attorney says the 29-year-old is paralyzed from the waist down, and that it will take a miracle for him to walk again. there's a lot of new reporting to get to tonight. and ou ocorrents is staing by to cover it all, and we're going to begin tonight ast. cbs' mireya villarreal coast.vening, mireya. >> reporter: good evening, norah. right now, it is eerily quiet here, but that will all change in about 24 hours. people are on edge, and that's because three years ago, to the

day, hurricane harvey hit this part of texas, leaving absolute devastation in its wake. >> sheriffs office! >> reporter: in the low-lying neighborhoods around beaumont, jefferson county deputies are neighborhoods around beaumoer an urgent warning for people living in hurricane laura's path. sheriff zena stephens just got back to her own house after being flooded out during tropical storm imelda last september. >> my story is a lot of people's story. and so we understand how fast things can go really bad. > reporter: the civic center is now a staging area for residents who need help getting out, but even with mandatory evacuation orders in place, some residents are refusing to leave. >> if something were to happen to the roof or something, i would want to be here to fix it to the roof or something, i while i could. >> reporter: i mean, but that's pretty dangerous. >> ( sighs ) i know. we've been fortunate so far. we've made it. it's just scary to leave your

stuff behind. >> reporter: more than half a more than hale in texas and louisiana are being ordered to evacuate. space is limited, and evacuations are more complicated with covid-19. >> remember, just because a hurricane is coming to texas, does not mean that covid-19 either has or is going to leave texas. >> o'donnell: experts predict hurricane laura's winds could mimic what we saw with hurricanes ike and rita. right now, officials are warning people that this area will take a direct hit and they should be that tg for the worst. norah. the donnell: mireya villarreal, thank you. now let's get the latest storm track from cbs' lonnie quinn. lonnie. >> reporter: well, norah, the latest from the national hurricane center has us with an 80-mile-per-hour category 1 hurricane. it's right now about 100 miles or so from galveston, texas. but take a look at where this is 's aategory 1 with nothing but open water in front of it. norah, that water is so warm, it's going to get stronger with each passing hour.

we think it's going to make landfall as a major hurricane, a category 3, winds 115 miles-per- hour, and the circulation around that storm, wherever the landfall is-- and this is the third model run in a row that puts it right on the texas- louisiana border, so our confidence is high on that's where it's going-- if you're on the left side of the track, you're going to get the water heing pushed away from shore, but if you're on the right-hand side, you're getting storm surge up to 13 feet. right now it's saying for portions of western louisiana, but the whole thing could wobble by 15 miles and then galveston, you could be catching the worst of it. in terms of what will happen if with the storm surge, we think the worst of it will be tomorrow night into early thursday morning, that's when it really gets bad out there. again, 13 feet of storm surge, norah, that's halfway up the second story of people's houses. it's a lot of water and for folks who don't need it. >> o'donnell: that's incredibly dangerous. lonnie quinn, thank you. the f.b.i. is now assisting%-pie police shooting of jacob blake in wisconsin. blake was shot in the back by police, and his attorney says he's now paralyzed.

the governor has declared a state of emergency in kenosha, following violent protests and double the number of national guard troops deployed there. cbs' mola lenghi reports tonight from kenosha. >> they shot my son... seven times! seven times. like he didn't matter. but my son matters. >> reporter: jacob blake sr broke down while talking about what happened to his son on sunday. new cell phone video shows the moments leading up to the shooting that left 29-year-old jacob blake seriously wounded. blake, appearing to struggle with at least one officer next to an s.u.v. before police opened fire, appearing to shoot blake in the back while his three children were in the car. >> can you imagine what his eight-year-old son, who was celebrating his birthday, is going to think about every time he has his birthday? >> reporter: police say they were responding to a domestic

disturbance call when the shooting happened. tonight, family attorney benjamin crump says blake is paralyzed. >> it is going to take a miracle for jacob blake jr. to ever walk again. >> reporter: the shooting sparked another night of protests in kenosha. cars and buildings set on fire, police firing tear gas into crowds, defying the city's 8:00 p.m. curfew. athletes are also using their platforms to call for challenge. amid the n.b.a. play-offs, lebron james is speaking out. >> we are scared as black people in america. black men, black women, black kids. we are-- we are terrified. because you don't know, you have no idea, you have no idea how that cop that day left the house. >> reporter: tonight, blake's mother, julia jackson, is calling for peaceful protests. >> as i pray for my son's healing, i also have been praying, even before this, for

the healing of our country. >> reporter: the wisconsin department of justice is investigating the shooting and plans to have a report out within 30 days. federal investigators are assisting in that. but jacob blake's father told me today that he already has no confidence in that investigation. the family is calling for the immediate firing of the officers involved in the shooting. norah. >> o'donnell: mola lenghi, thank you. and tonight at their convention, republicans are expected to keep up their "law and order" theme while trying to portray democrats as agents of chaos. but the speeches from president trump's family and loyalists are drawing attention, not just for what they're saying, but for where they're saying it. cbs' weijia jiang is at the white house tonight. good evening, weijia. >> reporter: good evening to you, norah. first lady melania trump will make live remarks as tonight's marquee speaker, making waves because her venue is right here at the white house. and the secretary of state is defending himself for supporting

president trump's reelection campaign while on a work trip overseas. with the white house as a backdrop for this week's republican convention, the trump administration is breaking the decades-old tradition that separated governing and campaigning. tonight, first lady melania trump will speak from the newly refurbished rose garden, while president trump will give his acceptance speech thursday on the south lawn. mike pompeo will also shatter precedent with his remarks tonight from jerusalem, becoming the first secretary of state to address the convention in over 75 years-- in doing so, violating his own department's policy banning diplomats from engaging in political activity. >> to me, it's reckless. it is counter to the traditions of our country. >> reporter: ahead of the convention kickoff last night, campaign officials touted an optimistic tone to celebrate a land of promise.

>> it's a horror film, really. >> reporter: but many speakers delivered dire warnings. >> biden's radical left-wing policies would stop our economic recovery cold. >> reporter: campaign adviser kimberly guilfoyle was a former assistant d.a. in california. >> and the democrats turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets, and blackouts in homes. >> reporter: meanwhile, the president's f.d.a. commissioner is apologizing for overstating the benefits of convalescent plasma as a covid-19 treatment, something he and the president hailed as a breakthrough on sunday night. >> as i mentioned, i could have done a better job of explaining that at the press conference yesterday. >> reporter: hahn originally claimed the treatment improved chances for survival by 35%. >> there was a 35% improvement in survival, which is a significant clinical benefit. >> reporter: but that number has been widely disputed. former f.d.a. official peter lurie called the walk-back

embarrassing. >> the government has not been relying on sound science throughout this pandemic, and to see somebody put forth something that is so clearly inaccurate tends to reinforce that perception. >> o'donnell: dr. lurie said he's mostly worried that americans will be skeptical about getting a covid-19 vaccine if the f.d.a.'s credibility is shot. commissioner hahn will have the final word in approving one. tonight, dr. anthony fauci is warning against pushing one out too fast. norah. >> o'donnell: that's why the f.d.a. commissioner apologized today. weijia jiang, thank you. and this programming note: we'll have live coverage of the republican national convention beginning tonight at 7:00 pacific, and hope you'll join us again. now to breaking news in the coronavirus pandemic. seven students at florida state university face discipline tonight for violating covid regulations when they hosted an open house party. and tonight, texas a&m is reporting an outbreak of more

than 400 cases. today, the death toll from covid in the u.s. topped 178,000 with more than 5.7 million confirmed cases. we get more now from cbs' manuel bojorquez. >> reporter: colleges are battling both the virus and students' behavior. bars near the university of alabama have been ordered closed for two weeks. >> fall in tuscaloosa is in serious jeopardy. >> reporter: five colleges alone are reporting more than 2,100 cases since the end of july. at the university of north carolina, last week's positivity rate was more than 32%. ohio state university has suspended 228 students so far for violating covid rules. but remote learning for the nation's k-12 students is proving challenging, too. how many computers short are you? >> at least probably between 1,000 and 2,000. >> reporter: tom baumgarten, superintendent of california's morongo unified school district east of los angeles says this

affects lower-income students. >> it's almost like i'm taking the pencils and paper away from them, and i don't have a computer for them. >> reporter: an associated press investigation found computer companies may be five million laptops short, in part due to trade restrictions with china. in te meantime, new york city is looking at outdoor classes, just like it did during outbreaks in the early 1900s. >> we can close off streets for a period of time. in certain cases, we can make space available in local parks. >> reporter: here in florida, >> reporter: here in florida, the battle continues between the state and the largest teachers' union. the state is now appealing a judge's ruling that prevents it from forcing most school districts to reopen to in-person instruction. norah. >> o'donnell: manuel bojorquez, thank you. tonight, jerry fwe cbs news he is stepping down as president of liberty university in the wake of salacious allegations involving his wife, a young pool attendant, and falwell, the evangelical leader and son of the university's

founder. here's cbs' jericka duncan. >> reporter: today's news comes amid allegations that jerry falwell jr., while president of one of the nation's largest christian universities, used to watch his wife, becki, have sex with another man. giancarlo granda told reuters that he was about 20 years old and working as a hotel pool boy when he began a years-long sexual relationship involving the falwells. granda shared evidence with reuters that he says supports his account, including this phone call. orter:doalwell'sof donalump in 2016 was the first by a major evangelical leader. >> we must unite behind donald trump and mike pence. >> reporter: falwell tells cbs news the reuters article was 90% false and, "i didn't sit and watch anything. that's stupid."

but he says his wife did have an affair with granda, while also alleging that the young man was engaging in extortion and threatening behavior, like something out of the movie "fatal attraction." falwell's resignation brings an end to a tumultuous august. earlier this month, he took an indefinite leave of absence after posting this instagram photo. he is seen with his arm around a woman, while both had their pants unzipped. falwell tells cbs news he believes he was targeted because of the number of evangelicals he was able to bring over for donald trump in 2016. he told us today by phone, "bottom line, it's an election year, and i expected this." norah. >> o'donnell: cbs' jericka duncan, thank you. and there is still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news." a wave of arrests stemming from those deadly fires in california. and this-- not even the fastest man in the world can outrun the

pandemic. and later, he traded in his badge for a stethoscope. one man's incredibly inspirational story.

>> o'donnell: calmer weather is helping thousands of firefighters battling two of the largest wildfires in california's history. but officials warned today of the continuing threat of extreme fire behavior. lightning on monday sparked lightning on mo 10 new fires. more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed and at least seven people have died. more than a dozen people have been arrested for looting edacuated home. home. now this story, track legend usain bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to jamaica's health minister. the eight-time olympic gold medalist, who holds world records in both the 100 and 200 meters, celebrated his 34th birthday last week at a party where few wore masks. bolt is asymptomatic and ext, how thi at home. coming up next, how this security guard-turned-medical student is using his platform to

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guard is now training to be a doctor at the same hospital, and he's working just as hard to help others follow in his footsteps. here's cbs' nikki battiste. >> reporter: when russell addai stepped out of his security uniform and into his white coat, the moment was not lost on him. >> there was a time when black aeople couldn't be a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, o doctor, an engineer, or anything. they were just property. >> reporter: one night in 2010, while working as a guard at louisiana's baton rouge general medical center, laddai was escorting a surgeon to the emergency room when he found some courage. >> and i was like, "do you think i could shadow you?" he looked at me and he was like, "well, yeah, why not?" >> reporter: today, the 34-year- old is a third-year medical student in rotation at that same hospital. and if and if that isn't impressive enough, the father of two is also a u.s. navy veteran with a ph.d. in molecular oncology. he founded the "15 white coats" with black medical students seen in viral photos, posing in front

of former slave quarters. they're raising scholarship money for aspiring med students. so, dr. laddai, how does it feel to wear that white coat? >> oh, this is just the highest honor. to be here is-- it's heart- jolting. and me and a whole bunch of others can be a beacon of light to be like, it's okay to dream and be here because we're going to be here to help you get here. >> reporter: nikki battiste, cbs news, new york. >> o'donnell: and russell plans to specialize in pediatrics. we'll be right back.

>> o'donnell: on tomorrow's "cbs evening news," celebrating pioneers. prominent women tell the stories of the first women in their families to vote. and if you can't watch us live, don't forget to set your dvr so you can watch us later. that is tonight's edition of the "cbs evening news." i'm norah o'donnell. coming up soon, our coverage of night two of the republican national convention at 7:00 see you then. captioning spon red by cbs want restaurants to open?

and schools? want the economy to get back on track? you're not alone. and you can help make it happen. stay 6 feet apart. wash your hands. wear a mask every time you leave your home. choose to join the fight against covid-19. do your part. slow the spread.

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