evening news" is next. have a great night. ♪ ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: tonight, making history. president biden promises to nominate the first black woman to the nation's highest court by the end of february. supreme court justice stephen breyer at the white house today, handing in his letter of resignation. tonight, the top three candidates, and the debate within the democratic party on who should be the next nominee. a powerful winter storm targets the northeast, bringing heavy snow, strong winds, to places like new york and boston. breaking news-- three officers shot in houston, as the n.y.p.d. salutes the fallen. hundreds of mourners pay tribute to jason rivera, one of the new york officers killed in the line of duty. ukraine prepares for war.

president biden speaks with ukraine's president zelensky, as russia sends in more troops. teacher shortages. the state taking extraordinary measures to deal with the lack of staff inside schools, calling in the national guard. >> i really like her uniform, because i like how it has, like, the patches and stuff. >> o'donnell: "eye on america." the innovative ways ranchers are trying to maintain their way of life after two decades of droughts. >> hello, tiktok. >> o'donnell: and, on this holocaust remembrance day, how a 98-year-old survivor and her great-grandson are using tiktok to make sure the next generation never forgets. 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. it's history in the making as president biden vows to make good on his campaign pledge to nominate the first black woman

to the supreme court. if you look back-- of the 115 justices, all but seven have been white men. the president said today he will name his choice to replace justice stephen breyer by the end of february. breyer today formally handed in his letter of resignation to the president, and will step down at the end of the court's current term this summer. there is already a short-list of potential candidates to fill the seat, and the biggest battle in the confirmation process may be within the democratic party before a nominee is even announced. cbs' ed o'keefe joins us now from the white house. good evening, ed. >> reporter: good evening norah. the president said today he plans to make his choice by the end of february, but as a former chairman of the senate judiciary committee and a vice president who once helped interview supreme court nominees, he has been preparing for this moment for decades. president biden today, flanked by retiring supreme court justice stephen breyer, says he's already reviewing potential choices to succeed him. >> the person i will nominate will be someone of extraordinary qualifications, character,

experience, and integrity, and that person will be the first black woman ever nominated to the united states supreme court. it's long overdue, in my view. >> reporter: cbs news has long overdue, mind you learned top contenders include federal appeals court judge ketanji brown jackson, a harvard law school graduate and former clerk for breyer, who spoke about that experience in 2017. >> it was an incredible experience just to be in the room while the justice grappled with some of the most difficult and consequential legal issues of the day. >> reporter: another candidate, california supreme court justice leandra kruger, a yale law school graduate, placed on the court with the help of then- california attorney general kamala harris. and federal judge michelle childs, a university of south carolina law school graduate, backed by the state's senior congressman jim clyburn, who said a non-ivy league background would be refreshing. >> i am very, very concerned that we take on this elitest kind of atmosphere, when we

pretend that the only way you can demonstrate listed qualifications is to go to certain schools. >> reporter: celebrating justice breyer today, the president reminisced about sharing his confirmation hearing in 1994, saying he had high hopes then... >> and he's exceeded those hopes in every possible way. >> reporter: breyer says he's stepping down, optimistic about the future of what he called "the american experiment." >> my grandchildren and their children, they'll determine whether the experiment still works. and of course, i am an optimist, and i'm pretty sure it will. >> reporter: so, once the president makes his pick, the democratic-controlled senate is vowing to quickly confirm her, and barring some unforeseen circumstance, mr. biden's nominee, at least for now, is all but assured to be confirmed. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, ed o'keefe, thank you. well, we want to turn now to the powerful winter storm moving along the eastern seaboard. cities are bracing for blizzard conditions and hurricane-force

wind gusts that could knock out power to millions. cbs's lonnie quinn joins us now. good evening, lonnie. >> good evening, norah. you're right, the seaboard is preparing for a big storm, but right now, it's not there. if you look at the radar picture, a little bit of snow, like, around kentucky, but i showed you yesterday where we believe this is going to emerge somewhere off the coast of the southeast, and was going to travel offshore, affecting the big coastal cities. 70% chance it stayed offshore, there was a 30% chance it could come closer, and put bigger numbers for the bigger, more inland cities. but today, the best projection is, it's going to kind of split the difference. so let me show you how that looks on the computer models. you put this into motion and you're going to see that it ramps up all the while, once it hits that energy from the atlantic ocean. so by the time you get to 1:00 on saturday, you've got heavy snow coming down, 2 inches an hour, anywhere from boston to the east end of long island. and the snow totals are looking like this-- not a big change from where we were yesterday: philadelphia, 3 inches; new york city, around 6 inches or so, hartford, a foot or more, and in boston-- south of boston, two feet or more.

and if you think the northerners can escape to florida for warmth or get away from the storm? they'll escape the storm, but it's 31 sunday morning in orlando, sub-freezing around disney world. that's the way we see it, norah. it's all yours. >> o'donnell: lonnie quinn, thank you. we have some breaking news out of houston. police captured a suspect tonight following a citywide manhunt after he allegedly shot three houston officers. the officers were taken to an area hospital in stable condition. and in new york, 22-year-old n.y.p.d. officer jason rivera received a hero's farewell today. a procession for the officer, killed while answering a domestic disturbance call, wound through the city, ending at st. patricks cathedral for his wake. here's cbs's elaine quijano. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: he was a rookie in their ranks, just 22 years old. all saluted, as the casket of officer jason rivera was carried inside st. patricks cathedral. >> i felt so bad. it's so sad.

so young. >> reporter: the wake comes after an emotional vigil held last night, where officer rivera and his partner wilbert mora were remembered by their brothers in blue. >> sorry for not being there. ( breaking up ) >> reporter: rivera was the son of dominican immigrants, and he joined the n.y.p.d. in 2020, calling it the "greatest police force in the world." he'd hoped by serving he could help ease tensions between the community and police. >> when he was a little boy, he'd say "i want to take care of the people," and that's why he wanted to be a police. >> reporter: on friday, rivera and mora were shot while responding to a domestic violence call. rivera died that night. mora, who was 27, died four days later. nationwide last year, gunshots killed 61 officers in the line of duty, a 36% increase from 2020. >> it really hurts. >> reporter: carmen quinones, the mother of a n.y.p.d. officer herself, says she's familiar with the fear.

>> every day, you know, you're holding your breath, that you don't know if your kid is going to come through that door. every freakin' day. >> reporter: now, rivera's wife faces profound loss. online, she wrote, "i love you till the end of time." officer rivera's funeral will take place tomorrow here at st. patricks cathedral. officer mora's funeral will take place next week. president biden will also be coming to town next week to meet with mayor adams to discuss how to combat gun violence. norah. >> o'donnell: and we're learning today that officer mora's organ donations saved five lives. a true hero. elaine, thank you. well, tonight is the deadline for more than ten million healthcare workers to get their first covid vaccine. and, while some are happy about the mandate, others are worried it could worsen severe labor shortages. and it's not just hospitals experiencing a lack of staff. as cbs' kris van cleave reports,

some schools are taking drastic measures to keep classrooms open. >> reporter: reporting for duty: teaching fourth grade. new mexico air national guard lieutenant colonel susanna corona is now on the front lines of the battle to keep schools open. >> i'm from new mexico, and i want to help my fellow new mexicans. it's being part of the community and bettering the community. >> reporter: the estancia school district serves a rural community of about 1,800. all available substitutes are coving for staff out sick, or are sick themselves. >> i'm going to do some reading. >> reporter: if colonel corona wasn't here, this class would be practicing reading remotely. is it a harder job than you thought it would be? >> it is. and it's action-packed, and it is one stop after another stop after another stop, another subject. it's very dynamic. >> reporter: superintendent cindy sims says the covid surge hit estancia harder than ever. >> we've lost parents of students in our school--

i'm sorry. we've lost spouses of our staff. we've lost grandparents. >> reporter: new mexico has seen over 22,000 new covid cases since the weekend, forcing about 60 school districts and charter schools to switch to virtual learning. the governor not only brought in the guard-- she did double duty, too, by teaching kindergarten in santa fe. >> we did math, we learned about syllables, we did a water color art project. >> reporter: and while it's the first time these kids have had a sub in uniform-- >> that's green, and purple. >> reporter: --they do seem to like their new commanding officer. >> she's a very good teacher and she's very kind. >> reporter: all new substitutes go through a background check and online training course. colonel corona tells us she has a newfound respect for teachers. she calls them real heroes. and norah, we can confirm, the colonel did not forget to give out the homework assignments. >> o'donnell: ( laughs ) of course she didn't. all right, kris van cleave, thank you so much. and we learned today that in the

last 24 hours, there has been an increased russian buildup of troops on the ukraine border. also, the u.s. military naming the ten u.s. bases where some 8,500 troops are on heightened alert to deploy to eastern europe. cbs's holly williams reports from ukraine's capital of kyiv. >> reporter: the u.s. says the ball is now in russia's court. and today, moscow continued its buildup near ukraine's northern boarder in belarus for what it says are military drills. russia is demanding security guarantees, including the rolling back of n.a.t.o. forces from eastern europe, and a ban on ukraine joining the alliance. the u.s. and its n.a.t.o. allies say they cannot agree to either. the american ambassador to russia hand-delivered a written response yesterday. today, the kremlin said the u.s. had not addressed its main concerns, and likened the current situation to the cold war.

ukraine has lived with russian aggression for years. these essential services employees are getting military training. and these school children in the capital, kyiv, are learning about bomb threats. ( bells ringing ) at st. michael's golden-domed monastery, the faithful have been worshipping for over 900 years. at this early-morning service, some ukrainians told us they were praying for peace. "i hope god talks sense into russia," said this woman, and this 60-year-old man told us he'll willingly to take up arms to defend his country. >> o'donnell: and holly williams joins us now from kyiv. so holly, what are we learning about president biden's call with ukraine's president today? >> reporter: well, norah, a source tells cbs news tonight that ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky, asked the u.s. to dial back its rhetoric on an "imminent invasion," because he does not want panic here in ukraine.

>> o'donnell: holly williams with that new reporting. thank you. in tonight's "eye on america," two decades of drought conditions have taken a heavy toll on america's ranchers. cbs's jonathan vigliotti reports on the innovative ways they are trying to save a centuries' old way of life. >> reporter: daniel sinton's family has raised cattle on this 18,000-acre ranch outside paso robles, california for 140 years. >> when you get so little rain, we're ot able to grow grass and we're not able to feed the cattle. that means we ended up having to sell them off. >> reporter: how many of them did you have to sell off? >> we sold off about 40% of the cattle this last year. >> reporter: his story is tied to the nostalgia and the changing legacy of american ranching. but putting steaks on plates has gotten more difficult, with 87% of the west currently in at least moderate drought. >> in a typical year, you can run about one cow per 40 acres. in a drought year like this,

it's more like one to 100. >> reporter: industry analysts say a majority of california ranchers have had to sell at least some of their cattle because of the drought. but on a ranch in winkelman, arizona, one cattleman's herd is growing. what are you trying to accomplish? >> i'm trying to raise cattle without killing the earth. >> reporter: langdon hill, a retired automotive safety engineer, is now trying to engineer-- ( cow moos ) >> reporter: --a breed of cow better suited for the drought-ravaged west. >> these are the brahmas. they have a hump, and that's part of their water storage characteristic. >> reporter: almost like a camel? his goal is to breed brahmas with herefords, an english variety that's proven to be climate-adaptable while producing quality beef products. the result? >> when these two cattle cross, we're going to be creating a hybrid animal-- they're going to be a more drought-resistant and a better animal for an arid part of the world. >> reporter: so they can produce food while consuming less. >> yes. >> reporter: the success of this

cross-breeding will take years to measure. back in california, sinton took us on horseback to see his family's plan b. >> the vineyard is a great source of revenue, and it's a low user of water. >> reporter: in 1972, sinton's grandfather set aside 120 acres to grow and sell grapes to wine-makers. today, the family produces their own. >> this is a 2019. >> reporter: it's delicious. do you ever see your plan b taking over your plan a? >> no, because the purpose of plan b is to generate revenue to sustain plan a. >> reporter: ranching in america has always been a profession of faith... >> we're stewards of the land. >> reporter: ...but it will also take ingenuity to preserve this american way. >> what happens with livestock and the earth? >> reporter: for "eye on america," jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, paso robles, california. >> o'donnell: well, there's still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news."

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a delta airlines charter took off from l.a.x. with about 100 athletes on board. remaining team members are going to leave over the next few days. usually, these u.s. olympic teams don't travel together in large numbers, but-- yep-- the charter was in response to those covid restrictions. and we wish them the best. all right, a story of american kindness and good sportsmanship. fans of the kansas city chiefs are donating in honor of the buffalo bills and quarterback josh allen. after last week's nail-biting playoff win over the chiefs-- bills, rather-- chiefs fans started donating money to a buffalo children's hospital. so far, kansas city fans have donated more than $300,000. how great is that? don't you love that? all right, up next, a holocaust survivor's use of social media to reach the next generation.

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years since the liberation of auschwitz, and that's why we mark holocaust remembrance day, to make sure that the world never forgets. cbs's charlie d'agata introduces us tonight to a 98-year-old auschwitz survivor who is sharing her story with the younger generation, thanks to her great-grandson and tiktok. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: at 98 years old, lily ebert is not your typical tiktok star. yet, she's got 1.6 million followers and 23 million likes, sharing stories of how she survived the holocaust. >> in auschwitz, you were not afraid of death. you were afraid to live. i promised myself, hold on, there will be a better life. one thing is for sure, i will tell my story. >> reporter: her story begins with watching her mother, brother, and a sister taken away to the gas chambers the moment

they arrived in auschwitz. >> hello, tiktok! >> reporter: taking it to tiktok was a mission she and her 18-year-old great-grandson dov came up with during lockdown. >> so i said to my great- grandmother, if they can go viral for dancing, why can't we go viral for sharing these really important messages? >> reporter: they were right. >> my number is a-10572. >> reporter: that video alone got more than 20 million views. by reaching out to the tiktok generation, lily has kept that lifetime promise alive. >> i thought, single-handedly, i will tell my story and i will change the world. >> reporter: changing the world, one tiktok at a time. >> and this story should not, and cannot be forgotten. ( laughs ) >> reporter: charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. >> o'donnell: lily has three

children, ten grandchildren, and 34 great-grandchildren, and she says that is proof that the nazis did not win. well, you could learn more stories like lily's during a cbs primetime special on saturday night, "undeniable: the truth to remember." it airs saturday at 8:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. central time. we'll be right back. everything will be fun and nice. but i still have bad days... flare-ups, (cough cough) which can permanently damage my lungs. my lungs need protection against flare-ups. so it's time to get real. because in the real world... our lungs deserve the real protection of breztri. breztri gives you better breathing... symptom improvement, and flare-up protection. it's the first and only copd medicine proven to reduce flare-ups by 52%. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems.

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>> o'donnell: tomorrow, a look at the microchip shortage, and what it means for you.

and that's tonight's "cbs evening news." od night. right now at 7:00 -- sa, and that is a big step forward. >> one bay area city days away from easing and/or mask restrictions, but there is a twist. you could see the second floor building patio on fire. >> people saved from balconies. a fire rips through a senior apartment complex. her neighbors helped each other escape. looking to bring back campus police officers. the looming school district strike that could impact tens of thousands of east bay students as soon as tomorrow. they seemed pretty cool, then i would call them and text them, just going back and

forth, and i kind of realized it was fake. >> hoping to score tickets to sunday's big matchup? some niners fans are falling prey to big-ticket scams. beat l.a. >> bowl season means nothing unless we get this win. >> vern glenn sit down with the mayor of severn san francisco and chats with niners players ahead of the big showdown. right now on kpix 5 news at 7:00 and streaming on cbs news bay area , san francisco just days away from dropping and/or mask mandate for offices and gyms, but there is a catch. >> tonight, california's test positivity rate is headed in the right direction. here are the latest state numbers. the positivity rate is now 18.8%, down 2% from the 7 day prior. there are nearly 60,000 new cases. a live look now at san francisco.