that is high enough to expe ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> garrett: tonight, with new infections of the delta variant skyrocketing, health officials say fully vaccinated people do not need a third shot-- at least not yet, as the c.d.c. issues a new guidance for children going back to school. mixed messages, the biden administration pushes back after pfizer said protection from its vaccine may fade after six months. they want approval to give booster shots. tonight the growing confusion and what the science shows, dr. ashish jha here to answer your questions. plus: full reopening, the c.d.c. says all children should be back in the classroom this fall. the new guidance just out. will your child need a mask this school year? oppressive heat, a third of the country now facing another dangerous heat wave, 75 high

temperature records expected to be shattered. new warnings the situation could turn deadly and urgent calls to conserve water and power. emotional toll-- after more than a dozen bodies are found in the rubble of the collapsed condo building, we talked to a rescuer looking for the missing. >> i think one of the most difficult was to find our firefighter's daughter. >> garrett: threatening putin: after more ransomware attacks president biden calls the russian leader, promises to take any necessary action saying there will be consequences. >> m-u-r-r-a-y-a. >> garrett: spelling success, the 14-year-old prodigy breaking down barriers at the national spelling bee after breaking records with a basketball. and steve hartman is on the road with a tailor-made act of kindness for an american hero. this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> garrett: good evening to our

viewers in the west, and thank you for joining us. i'm major garrett in for norah. we begin tonight with growing concern and confusion over whether vaccines provide enough protection against the dangerous delta variant of coronavirus. tonight the c.d.c. and f.d.a. say they do, and americans who have gotten their recommended doses, two for pfizer and moderna and one or johnson & johnson don't need to do anything else. this rare pushback comes after pfizer surprised the government and said its vaccine begins to wane after six months and wants authorization to give out booster shots. but the biden administration says there's no evidence those boosters are needed, at least not now. at the same time tonight the c.d.c. is issuing new guidance for millions of families, urging all children to return to school this fall, and the agency says masks won't be necessary for fully vaccinated teachers and students. it is a lot to sort out, so dr. ashish jha is standing by to

answer your questions. but first, cbs' nikki battiste is going to lead off our coverage from new york. nikki, good evening. >> reporter: major, good evening. the javits center here in new york city has served as one of the world's largest massd's lars vaccination sites, but tonight it's shutting down, just as cases of the delta variant are rising and less than half the country is vaccinated. tonight, pushback from two top federal health agencies on the need for a booster shot, the c.d.c. and f.d.a. telling americans who have been fully vaccinated in a written statement they do not need a booster at this time. it comes after pfizer and biontech officials announced they were seeking emergency use authorization for a booster because antibody levels in the blood may decline six months after immunization. independent studies have suggested that immunity from full vaccination is likely to remain robust for years even against variants. is there some sort of scientific evidence they should look into a booster?

>> not at this time. >> reporter: doctor celine gounder is an infectious disease specialist at bellevue hospital in new york. >> i think the headline here is that if you have received both does of the pfizer or for that matter the moderna vaccine, you are fully protected against severe disease, hospitalization and death even with the delta variant. >> reporter: gounder says the j&j vaccine is also holding up well, but cases are rising in 26 states, and hospitalizations rates are up in 17 states, 27% in florida, almost exclusively among the unvaccinated. this as the c.d.c. released new guidance urging schools to fully reopen in the fall, saying vaccinated students and staff do not have to wear masks, and that social distancing isn't a requirement for in-person learning even in areas with high case rates. >> i think that new guidance is essentially meaningless unless you have a way to track who has been vaccinated and who hasn't. >> reporter: 21-year-old emma jenks is one of the last peoplee to get a v

to get a vaccine dose at the javits center before it shuts down. >> i feel that the people i'm around are much more protected because i'm now vaccinated. >> reporter: pfizer tells cbs news tonight it regularly discusses its research program with public health officials around the world, but dr. fauci said in an interview tonight they were not given a heads up and pfizer's c.e.o. even apologized to him. major. >> garrett: so many complexities. nikki battiste, thank you. for more on all of this, let's bring in dr. ashish jha, dean of brown university school of public health. doctor, pfizer claims its booster shot will bolster immunity. the federal government says boosters aren't necessary now. can you please help us clear up this confusion? >> right now the science and evidence says that two shots of the pfizer or moderna vaccine is more than good enough to protect you against all the variants out there including the delta variant. so until we see better data that says a third shot is necessary, i remain very comfortable saying we should stick with the two-

shot regimen and see where things unfold. >> garrett: does the spread of delta variant that we keep reading about accelerate the timeline? >> the delta variant is by far the most contagious variant we've seen. definitely important everybody get the two shots. if we start seeing data that says the vaccines are not holding up as well as they did initially, i think that's probably the motivation at that point to think about a booster shot. i would say talk of boosters is premature. >> garrett: if infections reach a certain level should vaccinated individuals become concerned and look for otherok options? >> the delta variant is spreading in unvaccinated communities and causing a lot of unvaccinated people to get hospitalized and even die, that's who's really getting sick and dying right now. anytime you have large outbreaks, you have opportunities for more variants, and that is an unfortunate mix that we've got to try to avoid. >> garrett: data shows the johnson & johnson vaccine offers a lower degree of protection.

should people who received j&j have new concerns? >> yeah, you know, i don't. i have a lot of colleagues and friends who have gotten the j&j vaccine and my recommendation to them has been hold tight, and the reason is while the headline number of infections is a little-- protection against that is a little bit lower, protection against severe illness, hospitalization, the stuff we really care about is absolutely terrific with the j&j vaccine. >> garrett: dr. ashish jha, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> garrett: tonight much of the west, including nearly all of california is under excessive heat warnings. june was the hottest month on record in the u.s., but some places, including las vegas, could hit all-time highs this weekend. death valley, california, coulds weekend. death valley,ra cal hit 132, approaching the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth. here's cbs' david begnaud. >> reporter: tonight there is another dangerous heat wave scorching the west. salt lake city, which hit a record high of 104 degrees, is

expecting several days more of triple digit temperatures. doctors are warning residents to watch for signs of heat exhaustion. >> muscle cramping, nausea, dizziness. >> reporter: there were nearly 200 heat-related death in oregon and washington states last month. >> most of these patients are older, they live alone without air conditioning. >> reporter: there's a new report out that says this heat would be virtually impossible without human-caused climate change. >> if you don't believe it because you don't believe science, got to believe your eyes. >> reporter: california governor gavin newsom has declared a drought emergency for nearly the entire state, urging people to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%, that means cutting back on watering lawns, running dish washers only when full and a taking shorter showers. in the desert of palm springs, the triple-digit heat is keeping search and rescue teams busier than usual, saving stranded hikers like james. so, is this guy lucky? >> he's very lucky. >> reporter: still had a cell

phone signal. >> still had a cell phone signal, but look at the way he's dressed, pair of shorts. the sun will cook you out here. >> reporter: james lives locally, but the vast majority of people who end up getting rescued from the mountains with a heat emergency are out-of-ut towners, tourists who come to play in the desert and get in trouble. firefighters say nobody should be hiking in these temperatures at any point in the day after 9:00 a.m. major. >> garrett: david begnaud, thank you. crews working in the rubble of that collapsed building in florida have recovered additional victims. 79 are confirmed dead, 61 still missing. for those with the task of bringing them home, the work is taking a toll. here is cbs' manuel bojorquez. >> reporter: the scope of this disaster continues to be revealed with each victim recovered from the rubble. for crews, it's backbreaking work. two have been injured. they removed 13 million pounds of debris. >> we know that there will be long-term impacts as well for those on the front lines

following this tragedy. >> reporter: scott dean, a miami urban search and rescue urban team leader has been here since day one. >> plenty of rebar sticking out, we're using heavy machinery and saws that could easily cut through somebody. >> reporter: dangerous work with an emotional cost. has there been a difficult moment for you so far?>>ost ulto find our firefighter's daughter. >> reporter: that seven-year-old girl. >> yeah. >> reporter: her name was stella. stella i don't know if you have children, but i imagine you put yourself in his position. >> absolutely, i have three kids, and i don't wish none of this on anybody. it's a terrible thing. >> reporter: dean says this disaster is unlike any he's worked, including in new york, after 9/11. this happened to families in their homes. the personal belongings they recover are a constant reminder. during the moment of silence marking the transition from rescue to recovery, some victims' families took the time to personally thank him and his team. it's heartbreaking, but that's

what keeps them going. >> it's extremely difficult because we feel-- we feel the pain, we feel the agony that they're feeling, there's nothing good about what happened here, other than trying to proviitosue that are left behind. >> reporter: officials today made a point to stress that mental health resources are available for crews here at thee collapse site and they vow to keep that going in the long term as well. major. >> garrett: as was said, it's a terrible thing. manuel bojorquez, thank you. president biden called vladimir putin today and issued a warning, saying the u.s. will take "any necessary action" to stop russian hackers. more on this from cbs' weijia jiang at the white house. >> reporter: tonight, president biden is urging vladimir putin to rein in the ransomware attacks emanating from inside russia.

>> reporter: that's also what the president told putin last month in geneva, but since then russian-based cybercriminals attacked a florida firm impacting up to 1,500 small businesses and a russian entity may have hacked a contractor for te republican national committee. >> it's time to articulate to president putin that the consequences on russia will be severe. >> reporter: administration officials say they will take action against moscow in the days and weeks ahead. president biden was asked if that should include an attack on the servers the hackers used. >> yes. >> reporter: though putin has denied any responsibility, he has the power to stop the attackers. >> he can take them off theof streets and put them in jail and make sure that they don't conduct any further operations. >> garrett: on another topic, the biden administration said it will help the haitian government following the assassination of the country's president.y's pre. weijia, what can you tell us?

weijia, what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, we know that the white house says the u.s. is sending senior f.b.i. and homeland security officials to port-au-prince right away to help with the investigation. the haitian government also has requested u.s. troops be deployed to help stabilize the country, but tonight a senior administration official tells cbs news there are no plans to provide military assistance at this time. major. >> garrett: weijia jiang at the white house, thank you. tonight the f.d.a. is calling for an investigation into its approval of a new drug for alzheimer's patients. it says the probe should look at any communications between agency staff and biogen, the drug's maker, that might violate f.d.a. rules. biogen said it would cooperate. the drug, called aduhelm, has come under fire from medical experts who question its effectiveness. tonight a pentagon spokesperson admits there is a deteriorating security situation in afghanistan, as the taliban rapidly gains ground. cbs' charlie d'agata is in kabul

where he spoke with a top u.s. diplomat about u.s. embassy security. >> reporter: a surprise declaration from the taliban today, the group has now taken control of 85% of afghanistan. the afghan government dismissed the claim, but no one disputes that the taliban's rapid territorial gains are causing shockwaves in the capital and increasing concerns at the u.s. increasing embassy. it's only a few short miles from the u.s. embassy to the airport, but long before the u.s. drawdown, american diplomats have been shuttling back and forth by helicopter. the roads are too risky. the situation has prompted comparisons with the rooftop rescue of americans from saigon in 1975. >> there's going to be no circumstance where you're going to see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy. >> reporter: yet, the u.s. embassy has been upping its security protocols. the top u.s. diplomat in afghanistan is ross wilson.

>> we have added some additional quick reaction capabilities in the event that something happens. >> i mean, worse case scenario, evacuation plans in place? >> at this point, i don't think it's imminent. planning for evacuations at any post like this is serious is ses business. >> reporter: serious business that can't be ruled out. now, the taliban say the group have no intention of storming the u.s. embassy, but any foreign forces left behind will be considered invaders, and, therefore, legitimate targets. major. >> garrett: charlie d'agata, thank you.yo there is still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news." the billionaire space race heats up. richard branson now ready for takeoff. and she made history at the national spelling bee, but that's not her only claim to fame. ted your own style. and you - yes, you! turned a sourdough starter into a sourdough finisher.

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louisiana, is celebrating tonight one day after winning the 93rd national spelling bee. >> murraya, m-u-r-r-a-y-a. >> that is correct! ( cheers and applause ) >> garrett: zaila avant-garde is the first african-american to win the competition and its $50,000 first prize. the eighth grader also holds three guinness world records for dribbling, bouncing and juggling basketballs. zaila has big plans, harvard, then nasa or maybe coach an n.b.a. team. steve hartman is next with a story of a dream come true for a 97-year-old navy veteran. eran.

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[♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost today. >> garrett: now, an act of kindness, tailor made for an american sailor. here is steve hartman "on the road." >> reporter: it was just another day at causeway alterations in dunedin, florida, when out of the blue this elderly man walked in. >> morning. >> reporter: and asked if someone could make him a navy uniform. why does a 97-year-old need a navy uniform? >> i love the uniform and i love my country and i'm so happy i was able to serve. >> reporter: is that you?

>> that's me, yeah. >> reporter: joe hall served in world war ii as a navy petty officer first class. is that your ship? >> yes. >> reporter: he was on a destroyer escort where he made some of his best friends of his life, and lost a few too. they are all gone now. which is why he wanted the uniform, for when he sees them again. susan williams is the seamstress who waited on him. >> i've made everything from underwear to wedding dresses, but to have a world war ii veteran come in and say i want to be buried in my uniform, i was like, this man is not leaving the store without me making the uniform because it is the most important thing i'll ever do in my life and it became a strong obsession for me to make it right. >> reporter: for the next three weeks, susan poured herself into this project, binding every seam, satin lined cuffs, button holes by hand. she spent at least a hundred hours. >> i love this. >> reporter: and charged almost nothing.

>> oh, beautiful. >> reporter: joe actually got his uniform a few months ago but came on to try it on again at our request. he hardly seemed bothered. >> i feel like i'm back in the service. >> reporter: in fact, though he wanted it for his death, but you get the sense it's what he lives for. >> can't beat it, right? i wanted to be with my friends, be part of them, and this uniform kind of brings them close to me, you know. >> reporter: they say the suit makes the man, but not in this case. joe hall was a loyal friend seven decades before he got these dress blues. he just needed someone to sew his heart to his sleeve for that long awaited reunion. >> you've done a wonderful job. >> thank you. >> reporter: steve hartman on the road in dunedin, florida. >> garrett: this uniform. and we'll be right back.

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i created a black business accelerator at amazon. and now we have a program that's dedicated to making tomorrow a better day for black businesses. ♪ ♪ i am tiffany. and this is just the beginning. ♪ ♪ >> garrett: sunday on "face the nation," john dickerson's guests include dr. anthony fauci the nation's top infectious disease expert, former homeland security secretary jeh johnson and the c.e.o. of united airlines, scott kirby. if you can't watch us live, set your dvr so you can watch us later, that's tonight's "cbs evening news." norah will be back on monday.

i'm major garrett. have a great weekend, and good nigh right now at 7:00 -- >> breaking news in the south bay. a child hit by a car, critically hurt, between two schools. what a witness told us minutes ago. >> it seems like consistently there's more higher temperatures going on. a brutal heat wave baking much of the bay area and state, and if you thought it was bad today, just wait. >> heat wave is going to intensify for inland portions of the bay area tomorrow. i'm tracking the advisories and warnings in effect through the weekend. a stage one power grid emergency has been called. we break down what it means and when we could potentially see rolling blackouts, coming. after more than 100 aftershocks in the sierra,

quake experts are telling us our focus should actually be closer to the bay area. but first, breaking news in san jose. a child is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car. it happened about two hours ago near puzhou and camden. that's right between a swim school and a middle school. it's unclear if the victim was headed for either of those places, but a biker who was nearby told us the juvenile seemed to come out of nowhere. >> there's no way that driver could've seen him. right before the light i saw something standing right in front of her, and she just hit her, because that person jumped out of that car right there, that was going left, and that was it. i saw her going in the air like five feet. >> police say the driver stayed on scene and is cooperating. we will have an update for you tonight at 11:00. more breaking news in oakland, where a large fire is burning near the railroad tracks at 16th and east 12th. this is at 16th avenue.