the phone data would likely not contain a record of what was said in possible phone calls but would show who trump called and when and also who he didn't call at key moments on january 6th. former joint chiefs chair mark milley said this to the house select committee. >> he's the commander in chief. you've got an assault going on on the capitol of the united states of america. there's nothing? no call? nothing? zero? >> reporter: all this comes as the special counsel pushes for the supreme court to weigh in on whether trump is immune to prosecution and readies for next year's trial. >> increasingly we see jack smith cutting off every available defense to the president. >> reporter: this new phone data could help fill in the more than seven-hour gap in the official records of trump's phone calls on january 6th. trump maintains he is innocent. norah. >> very, very interesting. robert costa, thank you.

four women offered deeply disturbing testimony at a senate hearing in sexual assault and harassment at the u.s. coast guard academy. in the words of one former lieutenant, faith in the coast guard within its own members is destroyed. cbs's scott macfarlane reports current and former officers and cadets say a culture of abuse at the academy has been covered up. >> reporter: the u.s. coast guard charged with protecting america's waterways has failed to protect its own women according to caitlyn mar row, who says she was sexually harassed and assaulted repeatedly at the coast guard academy in new london, connecticut, in 2004. >> he would assault me during swim class. he would swim up underwater, grab any part of my body that he pleased. >> reporter: a series of former coast guard service women -- >> the abuse becomes so unrelenting, so omni present, and so insufferable, we seek relief in suicide. i survived my attempt. >> reporter: and a current

cadet. >> we are always told that you just have to say no. but no to him was an invitation to try again. >> reporter: told a senate committee this afternoon it happened to them too. >> we were paralyzed with fear. >> reporter: in an internal coast guard survey last year, more than half of women reported suffering sexual harassment, and nearly 1 in 7 reported unwanted sexual conduct. >> it is a culture of cover-up that the coast guard has spawned and sustained for decades. >> reporter: coast guard admiral linda fagan, who took over last year, recently told congress progress is being made. but in a new report on sex misconduct, the coast guard acknowledges a history of a lack of transparency, broken trust, and reports of retaliation against victims. marrow left the academy after just half a year, saying she was ostracized. >> the bullying and the retaliation is -- it's crushing. my main perpetrator is currently

a lieutenant commander in the coast guard. he is thriving in a career that i had hoped for. >> reporter: in a statement to cbs news tonight, the coast guard says it's urging members past and present to report any sexual misconduct, but the scrutiny is going to grow. the senate talked about possible subpoenas for records and emails as it investigates the size of any alleged cover-up. norah. >> this is infuriating. it has to end. scott macfarlane, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. sometimes, the lows of bipolar depression

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faculty members signed a petition in defense of president gay, and the university's governing body said she's the right leader to help the community heal. we turn now to part two in our new serious, the covid generation. math scores of u.s. students hit a historic low on an international exam. the first measure of how the u.s. compares to other countries since the pandemic. well, cbs's meg oliver reports tonight on how one state right here at home is fighting back against academic decline. >> reporter: it's 7:00 a.m., an hour before school officially starts at cambridge elementary in nashville. >> good morning. >> reporter: and hundreds of students are ready to crank up the learning. small groups meet three days a week, before, during, and after school for what's called high-dosage tutoring to combat pandemic learning loss. >> crocodile. >> crocodile? >> reporter: tennessee republican governor bill lee

called a historic legislative session back in january of 2021 to address his state's failing test scores. while many students across the country were still attending school virtually. >> it's kind of one of the redemptive stories of the pandemic for me is we implemented things that we weren't doing before that will produce better cooutcomes than had before the pandemic. >> reporter: combining federal funds with a grant matching program allowed the state to pay for three years of tutoring, four years of summer camps, and an enhanced literacy program. >> where would you students be without that high dosage tutoring? >> low. they would be very low acade acade academically. they probably would not be ready for middle school. >> can you start reading this for us. >> reporter: english teacher kelly koejer has been tutoring three sessions a week since the program started in 2021. >> in the future there's going to be one person.

>> reporter: helping kids like 10-year-old ra kaia woods. >> i got two fs in ela. but then i fixed those scores and i got bs or as. >> is that because of the tutoring? yeah. >> reporter: before the pandemic, about a third of tennessee third graders were reading at grade level. now two years after intensive tutoring began, statewide test scores among third to eighth graders have increased by eight points in english and almost ten points in math. >> it's working, and the evidence is showing it. we'll likely continue it, and we hope it's a model for others. >> reporter: a lesson worth repeating. meg

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with a dreamy honey taste. nyquil honey, the nighttime, sniffing, sneezing, couging, aching, fever, honey-licious, best sleep with a cold, medicine. now to a story of determine nation of not just following your dreams but introducing those dreams to others. in tonight's "profiles in service," we introduce you to a pilot who's inspiring a new generation to take to the skies. major kenny thomas has loved airplanes since he was a kid. >> i used to get the books from the library that just had pictures of airplanes. the airplane encyclopedias. >> reporter: the air force reservist was 28 when he first flew a plane, but he wished he had started flying sooner. >> i remember on one of my first flights, i flew up to the atlanta motor speedway, and i remember seeing a bunch of kids out there flying. and i was like, man, how come i didn't know about something like this when i was their age? and that was one of the things that sparked me. all right. i've got to find a way to be

able to give kids who were me that same experience and exposure. >> reporter: now thomas leads the nonprofit legacy flight academy. >> we want to make sure that people in all communities have the same access to being able to get jobs as pilots. >> reporter: only 2% of pilots in the u.s. are black. thomas and his volunteers want to change that by getting kids in planes and teaching them history. >> the foundation of legacy flight academy is the tuskegee airmen. we want to live the legacy, which is what we're doing, by having excellence, having integrity, by setting goals. we're living the legacy. and in growing the legacy is when we go out and we find these students and we help them get to where they can reach their goals and reach their dreams. >> i never thought of it as more than a childhood dream. >> reporter: shania marshall is a pilot today thanks to thomas. >> legacy flight academy gave me my first scholarship for $7,500, which allowed for me to finish my private pilot's license.

>> when you get to the end of the runway. >> when do you usually pull it? >> repor >> when you're flying a student and you're trying to teach them something and all of a sudden they get the aha moment, it makes you feel all the work you're putting in with them and all the energy and all the time is worth it. >> how about this? legacy flight has helped hundreds of kids, and they hope to help hundreds more. great program. nasa gives (female) i grew up in a home that didn't have running water. my shoes always had holes in them. i know how it is to be poor. i listened to a message of dr. stanley's, talking about, you know, how you never really live your life until you actually give it away.

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a mysterious man accused of sneaking aboard a flight from denmark to los angeles is due in court later this month. the accused stowaway insists he has no memory of taking the flight aboard scandinavian airlines last month. but flight attendants say he sat in multiple seats, ordered double meals, and tried to eat chocolates that belonged to the crew. authorities say he gave false and misleading information about his travel to the u.s., and he was carrying identity documents

from russia and israel. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. finally tonight, nasa's james webb space telescope has done it again, giving us a stunning new view of our universe. take a look at this. the most detailed image of the supernova remnant cassiopeia a and its expanding gases within its inner shell. the highly advanced telescope was able to capture these breathtaking colors of pink, orange, and blue. the remnants of the star

stretches some 60 trillion miles wide. nasa says these images will give astronomers new clues about the universe and our very small place in it. truly incredible. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." you can follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from here in the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the sarasota, florida, school board has voted to request a resignation of board member bridget ziegler, a co-founder of the conservative group moms for liberty. the vote comes amid sexual assault allegations against ziegler's husband. she's given no indication that she plans to step down. the house is expected to

vote today to authorize an impeachment inquiry into president biden. the president's son, hunter biden, is scheduled for a deposition today as part of the impeachment investigation. it's unclear if he plans to attend. and actor andre braugher has died at the age of 61, his publicist said. braugher was best known for his roles on "brooklyn nine-nine" and "homicide: life on the street." for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for being with us on this busy night here in washington, especially busy for president biden and his national security team, who is handling a number of foreign policy crises. one of those critical global security issues, the israel-hamas war.

and today the president's harshest words yet, saying privately what many of his own party have been urging to say publicly. israel needs to change how it's fighting this war because the country is losing international support. but israel shows no sign of slowing down today, reportedly beginning an effort to start flooding tunnels. more on that in a moment. first the big news here in washington. ukraine's president zelenskyy in town, making the case that ukraine needs billions more in military funding, or russia will win the war and push even further into europe. republicans say their focus is the u.s. border. without policy changes there, more money for ukraine won't happen. lawmakers leave washington friday for the holidays, so time is running out. there's certainly a lot to get to tonight, so let's start with cbs's ed o'keefe. he is at the white house. good evening, ed. >> reporter: norah, good evening. president biden personally invited president zelenskyy to come to washington and directly urged congress to act quickly on the war funding. but tonight it looks like the face-to-face sales pitch didn't

work. tonight a plea from ukraine's volodymyr zelenskyy to the united states. >> we are working to turn our battlefield success into this, and we are heading there together with you. >> reporter: the ukrainian leader praised his country's battlefield success, noting it's taken back 50% of land seized by russia. and in a bid to win over republican skeptics, 90% of american security aid is being spent by the defense industry in the u.s. standing by zelenskyy, president biden blasted republicans for slowing the aid. >> if you're being celebrated by russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you're doing. >> reporter: but the ukrainian leader's visit did little to win over republicans, who say the aid likely won't be approved by the end of the year, despite the pentagon warning it's running low on funds for ukraine. >> there won't be a deal until joe biden and republicans reach an agreement, and that hasn't happened yet. >> reporter: the gop has said it

will only support new ukraine aid in exchange for the biden administration agreeing to changes in southern border security amid a record number of illegal crossings in recent weeks. >> our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security first. >> reporter: cbs news has learned the white house is telling lawmakers it might be willing to support new policy to expel migrants without asylum screenings. >> i'm ready and offered compromise already. >> reporter: what to do about the border is part of a bigger negotiation to provide another $61 billion to ukraine through next fall, plus more aid for israel and taiwan. in russia, a kremlin spokesman said it would be watching the biden/zelenskyy meetings very carefully, and mr. biden said failure to act now could lead to russian success later. >> ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free, and firmly rooted in the west unless we walk away. >> reporter: president zelenskyy also said while his country has made gains on the ground, it now wants to beef up the air war, something the u.s. has been

reluctant to do. but zelenskyy warned, quote, whoever controls the skies controls the war's duration. norah. >> really interesting, ed. i also want to ask you about that news about israel. is there a growing rift now between president biden and israeli prime minister netanyahu? >> reporter: well, norah, earlier today in a private fund-raiser for his re-election campaign, the president criticized the israeli leader saying, quote, he has to change and that netanyahu's government is making it difficult for israel to accept an eventual palestinian state. this is the first time mr. biden has publicly questioned netanyahu since the october 7th attacks, and it comes as the president is facing domestic political pressure for supporting israel's ongoing offensive that's led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. norah. >> talk about losing support internationally. harsh words from the president. ed o'keefe, thank you. adding to the pressure, the u.n. general assembly today overwhelmingly voted to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in gaza.

as the intense fighting continues, israel said it recovered the bodies of two hostages who were kidnapped by hamas during the october 7th terrorist attack. cbs's ramy inocencio reports tonight from tel aviv. >> reporter: tonight an israeli air strike killed nearly 10 people and wounded dozens more, rushed in the darkness to a hospital. the bombs hit a few hundred yards from cbs news producer marwan al ghoul, who was sheltering in one of the so-called safe zones of the southern gaza strip. >> netanyahu, what do you say? nowhere is safe. >> my baby. >> reporter: in rafah, different generations are mourning the loss of their families' futures after intense israeli strikes this morning killed at least 20 people according to the hamas-run health ministry. the israeli military is consolidating control in the north, demolishing a u.n. school

allegedly used by hamas in beit hanoun. israeli soldiers cheering. israel's defense minister says fighting may still last for months, but u.s. pressure is rising for israel to end its offensive sooner. new pressure is also rising against israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, with anger growing over an alleged decade-long agreement in which qatar sent up to $30 million in cash to hamas every month, a strategy known as buying quiet. >> they knew that the money was going directly into purchasing of rockets and building of tunnels. >> why didn't they stop the money? >> obviously this concept will blow up in everybody's face on october 7th. >> reporter: tonight in jerusalem, protesters braved the rain to march on the knesset, demanding netanyahu bring all hostages still in gaza home and calling for his resignation. >> he knew what hamas is doing with this money, so he created some monster.

someday the monster came out. >> reporter: and israel's military has reportedly started to pump seawater into hamas' tunnel complexes in order to destroy them. one concern, though, is there may be hostages in some of them. but president biden said tonight, quote, there are assertions being made there are no hostages inside. norah. >> ramy inocencio, thank you. harvard university announced today that president claudine gay will keep her job despite calls for her to resign. ms. gay and two other university presidents drew criticism at a congressional hearing last week when they refused to answer yes or no when asked if calling for the genocide of jews would violate their schools' codes of conduct. more than 700 of harvard's 2,400 faculty members signed a petition in defense of president gay, and the university's governing body says she's the right leader to help the community heal. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight

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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." i'm jan crawford in washington. thanks for staying with us. the transportation department has announced $6 billion in grants for high-speed rail projects. most of the money will go to link los angeles to las vegas

and l.a. to san francisco. when complete, the trains are supposed to be able to travel between 125 and 210 miles an hour. so far, the u.s. has been slow to adopt high-speed rail. existing projects have been plagued by long delays and massive cost overruns. kris van cleave has the latest. >> reporter: hoping to fire up the engine on high-speed rail, the biden administration is announcing $8.2 billion for projects on both coasts. >> folks, we've been talking about this project for decades. now we're really getting it done. >> reporter: $3 billion goes to bright line west, linking the los angeles area to las vegas in about two hours. the 218-mile line will run along interstate 15. it's a faster version of bright line service currently connecting orlando to miami, the nation's only privately run passenger rail system serving multiple cities. >> is there a world where the u.s. gets true high-speed rail? >> the world is going to get true high-speed rail with our

vegas project. >> reporter: some 50 million travel the l.a. to vegas corridor annually. brightline hopes to capture 10% of them. but rail has been a hard sell. while california will get 3 billion toward construction, it's years behind and billions over budget. >> we will never see high-speed rail without substantial public investment to build it, and we will never see it without a substantial public commitment to operate it. >> reporter: grants will fund improvements. >> corridors as we build them out will naturally attract people out of their cars. >> reporter: a fast train future that could soon leave the station. kris van cleave, cbs news, washington. while high-speed rail is still in its infancy here in the u.s., one of the most scenic rail lines in the world just turned 100 years old. conor knighton hopped on board the alaska railroad. >> all aboard!

>> welcome aboard. >> reporter: most of the passengers taking this train are tourists. >> let's go! let's go! >> reporter: known as the coastal classic route, this section of the alaska railway travels the 114 miles between the cities of anchorage and seward in style. along the way, riders are treated to stunning views of mountains, glaciers. ever ready cameras capture sightings of mountain goats and moose. this is the alaska people travel to see. >> where are you folks from? >> mississippi. >> mississippi? a long ways from home. well, welcome. >> reporter: conductor warren red fern has been working on the railroad since he was 19 years old. >> thank you so much for joining us today. >> it's still spectacular because it's different every day. the clouds are different. the sun hits the glaciers different. the wildlife is different. >> reporter: a lot has changed since the alaska railroad was completed a century ago.

today the tracks parallel the highway for large portions of the route. rail was once the only reliable way to travel across the state by land. in 1923, president warren harding traveled to alaska, then still a u.s. territory, to celebrate the opening of the federally funded railroad. in this footage, colorized by smithsonian channel, harding can be seen driving the golden spike in the town of knee nana. officially connecting seward in the south all the way up to fairbanks in the north. gold was on everyone's mind back then. >> it really was to open up the interior of alaska for commerce. so coal, gold, oil, they hoped. freight. >> reporter: aaron leggett is the senior curator of alaska history and indigenous cultures at the anchorage museum, which is currently featuring an exhibit on the 100th anniversary of the railroad. >> so this 1985 to present,

these pictures were taken by my dad. >> reporter: leggett comes from a long line of railroad employees. he worked for the railroad back in high school, but his ancestors were also displaced by it. he's the president of the native village of aclut na, the only federally recognized tribe inside afternoon rajts, a city which used to be a small fishing town. >> i was made very aware from a very young age that anchorage would not exist the way we know it today were it not for the alaska railroad. >> reporter: today anchorage is by far the largest city in the state. but the federal government eventually found that maintaining the railroad, which winds through some pretty treacherous terrain, wasn't cost effective. >> i would say railroading in alaska is not for the faint of heart. >> reporter: bill o'leary is the president and ceo of the alaska railroad corporation. in the 1980s, the state purchased the railroad with the provision that it would operate like a self-sustaining business. >> i think the recognition at

the federal level was that we have this asset that we can't care for anymore. the recognition at the state level this is too important to alaska not to have it operating. >> reporter: the railroad currently makes around 60% of its revenue from freight. sure, there are roads to the major cities now, but it's still more cost effective and reliable to use rail. but one section of the line remains a lifeline for people who live in the entirely rogueless wilderness north of tal keet na. the service is the last flag stop service of its kind in the country. at any point along the route, you can flag down the train and get picked up. >> thanks for picking us up. >> if you've got to go into town, if you've got a doctor's appointment, what do you do? >> well, you just plan. >> reporter: jack demar chi asked the conductor to drop him off at his cabin in the woods.

he staked a claim out here in the 1980s and built a place for himself. during the summer months, the train does one round trip a day. it's a mix of locals heading to and from their cabins and tourists out for some sightseeing. >> oh, wow. >> reporter: one sight they're almost certain to see is shannon cartwright. >> this is one of my favorites. >> reporter: cartwright, a children's book illustrator from michigan, has lived off grid in alaska for 46 years. >> i thought it was crazy. then especially when i'm getting older, they say, shannon, you've got to leave. >> how do you feel about that? >> every time i think about leaving, i don't. you know, i want to live here as long as i can. >> how often do you take the train back into town? >> i try to go in just every couple months. >> reporter: cartwright has illustrated more than 30 books, which have sold more than a million copies. she says the solitude allows her to focus. >> any book that you've got, you know, to illustrate, it's a lot

of work. and so living like this has been wonderful. >> reporter: cartwright built a shop of sorts right along the tracks. at some point each afternoon -- she never quite knows when -- the train will come by and briefly stop to allow passengers a quick visit. >> thank you all so much. >> thank you for letting us stop by. >> one time people left about 15 minutes. the train comes and then the train goes. >> reporter: the trains here don't go to any other state. the railroad's primary mission is to connect alaskans with alaska. as part of that charge, the railroad offers a tour guide training program for local high school students like ella ray mackenzie. riding the rails each day has helped her reconnect to alaska. watching visitors marvel at the place she calls home. >> i think a little bit of anchorage, you get desensitized to how beautiful the state we live in. you see mountains and glaciers,

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millions of americans will be putting up christmas trees this holiday season. janet shamlian found one tree that draws crowds from miles around, all year-round. >> reporter: on her ten acres in bartonville, texas, barbara has a couple of horses. >> come on. >> reporter: and a wide-open field with a craggy old tree. >> in the daytime, it's just about a 60-foot, 150-year-old pecan tree that has really good pecans. >> reporter: other than that, there's nothing special about it, she thought, until a landscaper suggested lighting it up. >> and he was out here one day and kind of went, you know, i could make that pecan tree spectacular. we asked about the price, and i said, well, we're not going to be that spectacular. >> it was expensive. >> it was. >> reporter: but her dad's terminal cancer led to a change of heart. she wanted to surprise him. the tree was soon surrounded by

heavy equipment and workers and a ridiculous number of lights. >> and imagine every branch, every limb, every little bit of what you see is totally lit up with 65,000 l.e.d. lights. >> reporter: as the sun was setting that thanksgiving night, now 16 years ago, they flipped the switch. >> it was breathtaking, and nobody said a word. it was just silent. and then this happened. >> reporter: but her dad was too sick to come. he died the next night. >> your dad was not here to see it. >> he wasn't -- well, not down here exactly, but he saw it. >> reporter: so did her neighbors. word spread quickly in the small town of bartonville, and then beyond it. >> did you ever think that doing this for your dad would turn into this sort of mass attraction in bartonville? >> no. heavens no. >> reporter: people started

sending her glorious photos of the tree, and there were other souvenirs, from the questionable -- >> all these are exactly the same, nine of hearts, and they were strewn about all under the tree. >> reporter: -- to the quintessentially romantic. >> it began with this initial letter. >> so this is a young man who left a note asking if he could propose under the tree. >> reporter: over the years, the question has been popped here at least seven times, which nonethelessly calls -- >> ironic. i made my living as a divorce lawyer. >> reporter: but no one doubts this is an act of love. >> what happens if a light goes out? is it like your christmas tree? you have to replace the whole tree? >> gratefully, know. >> reporter: grateful is a word often used by fans of the tree. >> i like just the beautiful light. >> reporter: as night darkens, the crowds grow. >> what i find is that we've had so much darkness in the last four years with covid, with ukraine, with so many things

going on, that i wanted the kids to see light, and it's kind of a reminder that there is light in the world. >> reporter: it's that sentiment that inspires barbara nunnelly. >> is there any circumstance in which you would not light the tree? >> i can't think of one. it's too special, and it's only special because we get to share it. >> reporter: a simple texas tree becomes a holiday cinderella. this one no fairy tale. >> it's so awes e. >> r

the 81st golden globe nominations have been announced. naomi ruck reports. >> reporter: the summer's "barbenheimer." barbie with nine and "oppenheimer" with eight. >> this year's golden globes. here we go. >> reporter: cedric the entertainer announced some of the top categories live on "cbs

mornings." on the drama side, "oppenheimer" will face off against martin scorsese's "killers of the flower moon" as well as the thriller "anatomy of a fall." bradley cooper's "maestro," the romance "past lives," and the nazi drama "the zone of interest". >> it's "killers of the flower moon" versus "oppenheimer." >> right. >> two titans. martin scorsese versus christopher nolan. >> reporter: "barbie" is up for best musical or comedy along with nods for stars margot robbie and ryan gosling and director greta gerwig. it goes up against air, american fiction, the hold over easy, may december, and poor things. the color purple failed to make the category, but it did earn two acting nods including one for star fantasia barrino. o the television side, "succession" led the field, racking up nine nominations in its final season. the golden globes is under new ownership after the hollywood foreign press association was

disbanded following a scandal involving its lack of diversity. the show will air live on cbs sunday, january 7th, and stream on paramount+. naomi ruchim, cbs news, new york. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. be sure to check back later for "cbs mornings." reporting from the nation's capital, i'm jan crawford. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the sarasota, florida, school board has voted to request a resignation of board member bridget ziegler, a co-founder of the conservative group moms for liberty. the vote comes amid sexual assault allegations against ziegler's husband. she's given no indication that she plans to step down. the house is expected to vote today to authorize an

impeachment inquiry into president biden. the president's son, hunter biden, is scheduled for a deposition today as part of the impeachment investigation. it's unclear if he plans to attend. and actor andre braugher has died at the age of 61, his publicist said. braugher was best known for his roles on "brooklyn nine-nine" and "homicide: life on the street." r more, download the connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york . tonight, president biden's stark new warning to israel that it's losing global support over what he calls their indiscriminate bombing of gaza. plus, the high-stakes meetings with ukraine's president right here in washington. the tough sell as time runs out. president biden says not giving ukraine aid is the best christmas gift vladimir putin could get. >> putin is banking on the

united states failing to deliver. the bombshell new court filing. how special counsel jack smith could use donald trump's cell phone records against the former president. our series about the pandemic's lingering effects on america's children. tonight lessons on how to battle learning loss. >> we'll show you how high-dosage tutoring is helping students get ahead. i got to find a way to be able to give kids who were me that same experience and exposure. >> and we'll introduce you to the air force reservist showing kids the sky's the limit. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for being with us on this busy night here in washington, especially busy for president biden and his national security team, who is handling a number of foreign policy crises.

one of those critical global security issues, the israel-hamas war. and today the president's harshest words yet, saying privately what many of his own party have been urging him to say publicly. israel needs to change how it's fighting this war because the country is losing international support. but israel shows no sign of slowing down today, reportedly beginning an effort to start flooding tunnels. more on that in a moment. first the big news here in washington. ukraine's president zelenskyy in town making the case that ukraine needs billions more in military funding, or russia will win the war and push even further into europe. republicans say their focus is the u.s. border. without policy changes there, more money for ukraine won't happen. lawmakers leave washington friday for the holidays, so time is running out. there's certainly a lot to get to tonight, so let's start with cbs's ed o'keefe. he is at the white house. good evening, ed. >> reporter: norah, good evening. president biden personally invited president zelenskyy to come to washington and directly

urged congress to act quickly on the war funding. but tonight it looks like the face-to-face sales pitch didn't work. tonight a plea from ukraine's volodymyr zelenskyy to the united states. >> we are working to turn our battlefield success into this, and we are heading there together with you. >> reporter: the ukrainian leader praised his country's battlefield success, noting it's taken back 50% of land seized by russia. and in a bid to win over republican skeptics, that 90% of american security aid is being spent by the defense industry in the u.s. standing by zelenskyy, president biden blasted republicans for slowing the aid. >> if you're being celebrated by russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you're doing. >> reporter: but the ukrainian leader's visit did little to win over republicans, who say the aid likely won't be approved by the end of the year, despite the pentagon warning it's running low on funds for ukraine. >> there won't be a deal until joe biden and republicans reach

an agreement, and that hasn't happened yet. >> reporter: the gop has said it will only support new ukraine aid in exchange for the biden administration agreeing to changes in southern border security amid a record number of illegal crossings in recent weeks. >> our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security first. >> reporter: cbs news has learned the white house is telling lawmakers it might be willing to support new policy to expel migrants without asylum screenings. >> i'm ready and offered compromise already. >> reporter: what to do about the border is part of a bigger negotiation to provide another $61 billion to ukraine through next fall, plus more aid for israel and taiwan. in russia, a kremlin spokesman said it would be watching the biden/zelenskyy meetings very carefully, and mr. biden said failure to act now could lead to russian success later. >> ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free, and firmly rooted in the west unless we walk away. >> reporter: president zelenskyy also said while his country has

made gains on the ground, it now wants to beef up the air war, something the u.s. has been reluctant to do. but zelenskyy warned, quote, whoever controls the skies controls the war's duration. norah. >> really interesting, ed. i also want to ask you about that news about israel. is there a growing rift now between president biden and israeli prime minister netanyahu? >> reporter: well, norah, earlier today in a private fund-raiser for his re-election campaign, the president criticized the israeli leader saying, quote, he has to change and that netanyahu's government is making it difficult for israel to accept an eventual palestinian state. this is the first time mr. biden has publicly questioned netanyahu since the october 7th attacks, and it comes as the president is facing domestic political pressure for supporting israel's ongoing offensive that's led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. norah. >> yeah, talk about losing support internationally. harsh words from the president. ed o'keefe, thank you. adding to the pressure, the u.n. general assembly today

overwhelmingly voted to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in gaza. as the intense fighting continues, israel said it recovered the bodies of two hostages who were kidnapped by hamas during the october 7th terrorist attack. cbs's ramy inocencio reports tonight from tel aviv. >> reporter: tonight an israeli air strike killed nearly 10 people and wounded dozens more, rushed in the darkness to a hospital. the bombs hit a few hundred yards from cbs news producer marwan al ghoul, who was sheltering in one of the so-called safe zones of the southern gaza strip. >> netanyahu, what do you say? nowhere is safe. >> my baby. >> reporter: in rafah, different generations are mourning the loss of their families' futures after intense israeli strikes this morning kills at least 20

people according to the hamas-run health ministry. the israeli military is consolidating control in the north, demolishing a u.n. school allegedly used by hamas in beit hanoun. israeli soldiers cheering. israel's defense minister says fighting may still last for months, but u.s. pressure is rising for israel to end its offensive sooner. new pressure is also rising against israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, with anger growing over an alleged decade-long agreement in which qatar sent up to $30 million in cash to hamas every month, a strategy known as buying quiet. >> they knew that the money was going directly into purchasing of rockets and building of tunnels. >> why didn't they stop the money? >> obviously this concept blew up in everybody's face on october 7th. >> reporter: tonight in jerusalem, protesters braved the rain to march on the knesset, demanding netanyahu bring all hostages still in gaza home and calling for his resignation. >> he knew what hamas is doing with this money, so he created

some monster. someday the monster came out. >> reporter: and israel's military has reportedly started to pump seawater into hamas' tunnel complexes in order to destroy them. one concern, though, is there may be hostages in some of them. but president biden said tonight, quote, there are assertions being made there are no hostages inside. norah. >> ramy inocencio, thank you. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight

♪honey baked ham and potatoes au gratin♪ ♪tasty glazed turkeys that won't be forgotten♪ ♪their warm mac and cheese has us feasting like kings♪ ♪these are a few of my favorite things♪ every bite is a celebration with the honey baked ham company >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." we're getting the first look into how special counsel jack smith will try his january 6th case against donald trump. a new filing revealed three witnesses, all experts in cell

phone or location data, were likely to be called in the trial. one of those experts plans to show how people moved from the ellipse to the capitol during and after trump's speech. cbs's robert costa tells us now about expert number three, who will focus on the former president's cell phone data. >> reporter: in a filing late monday, special counsel jack smith said he plans to call an expert witness to testify about data extracted from cell phones used in the white house by the former president and another unnamed individual. >> how big of a deal is this? >> it could be monstrous. >> reporter: former january 6th committee senior technical adviser denver riggleman. >> they can actually see messages. they can see texts. they can see files. they can see emails. they can see all the data on that specific device and really open other individuals downstream that they can investigate. >> reporter: according to sources close to trump, he often used a personal phone while in the white house and at times used phones belonging to his close aides. the phone data would likely not

contain a record of what was said in possible phone calls but would show who trump called and when and also who he didn't call at key moments on january 6th. former joint chiefs chair mark milley said this to the house select committee. >> he's the commander in chief. you've got an assault going on on the capitol of the united states of america. there's nothing? no call? nothing? zero? >> reporter: all this comes as the special counsel pushes for the supreme court to weigh in on whether trump is immune to prosecution and readies for next year's trial. >> increasingly we see jack smith cutting off every available defense to the president. >> reporter: this new phone data could help fill in the more than seven-hour gap in the official records of trump's phone calls on january 6th. trump maintains he is innocent. norah. >> very, very interesting. robert costa, thank you. four women offered deeply

disturbing testimony today at a senate hearing on sexual assault and harassment at the u.s. coast guard academy. in the words of one former lieutenant, faith in the coast guard within its own members is destroyed. cbs's scott macfarlane reports current and former officers and cadets say a culture of abuse at the academy has been covered up. >> reporter: the u.s. coast guard charged with protecting america's waterways has failed to protect its own women according to caitlin maro, who says she was sexually harassed and assaulted repeatedly, including by a classmate, at the coast guard academy in new london, connecticut, in 2004. >> he would assault me during swim class. he would swim up underwater, grab any part of my body that he pleased. >> reporter: a series of former coast guard service women -- >> the abuse becomes so unrelenting, so omnipresent, and so insufferable, we seek relief in suicide. i survived my attempt. >> reporter: -- and a current cadet --

>> we are always told that you just have to say no. but "no" to him was an invitation to try again. >> reporter: -- told a senate committee this afternoon it happened to them too. >> we were paralyzed with fear. >> reporter: in an internal coast guard survey last year, more than half of women reported suffering sexual harassment, and nearly 1 in 7 reported unwanted sexual conduct. >> it is a culture of cover-up that the coast guard has spawned and sustained for decades. >> reporter: coast guard admiral linda fagan, who took over last year, recently told congress progress is being made. but in a new report on sex misconduct, the coast guard acknowledges a history of a lack of transparency, broken trust, and reports of retaliation against victims. maro left the academy after just half a year, saying she was ostracized. >> the bullying and the retaliation is -- it's crushing. my main perpetrator is currently

a lieutenant commander in the coast guard. he is thriving in a career that i had hoped for. >> reporter: in a statement to cbs news tonight, the coast guard says it's urging members past and present to report any sexual misconduct, but the scrutiny is going to grow. the senate talked about possible subpoenas for records and emails as it investigates the size of any alleged cover-up. norah. >> this is infuriating. it has to end. scott macfarlane, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. [stomach growling]

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theo's nose was cause for alarm, so dad brought puffs plus lotion to save it from harm. puffs has 50% more lotion and brings soothing relief. don't get burned by winter nose. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. america's #1 lotion tissue. harvard university announced today that president claudine gay will keep her job despite calls for her to resign. ms. gay and two other university presidents drew criticism at a congressional hearing last week when they refused to answer yes or no when asked if calling for the genocide of jews would violate their schools' codes of conduct. more than 700 of harvard's 2,400

faculty members signed a petition in defense of president gay, and the university's governing body said she's the right leader to help the community heal. we turn now to part two in our new series "the covid generation." math scores of u.s. students hit a historic low on an international exam, the first measure of how the u.s. compares to other countries since the pandemic. well, cbs's meg oliver reports tonight on how one state right here at home is fighting back against academic decline. >> reporter: it's 7:00 a.m., an hour before school officially starts at cane ridge elementary in nashville. >> good morning. >> reporter: and hundreds of students are ready to crank up the learning. small groups meet three days a week, before, during, and after school for what's called high-dosage tutoring to combat pandemic learning loss. >> crocodile. >> crocodile? >> well, in my view, the kids were at stake. >> reporter: tennessee

republican governor bill lee called a historic legislative session back in january of 2021 to address his state's failing test scores while many students across the country were still attending school virtually. >> it's kind of one of the redemptive stories of the pandemic for me is we implemented things that we weren't doing before that will produce better outcomes than we had before the pandemic. >> reporter: combining federal pandemic relief funds with a grant-matching program allowed the state to pay for three years of tutoring, four years of summer camps, and an enhanced literacy program. >> where would your students be without this high-dosage tutoring? >> low. they would be very low academically. >> do you know what a myth is? >> they probably would not be ready for middle school. >> can you start reading this for us? >> reporter: english teacher kelly kozier has been tutoring three sessions a week since the program started in 2021. >> in the future there's going to be one person.

>> that's it. >> reporter: helping kids like 10-year-old rakaya woods. >> i got two fs in ela. but then i fixed those scores and i got bs or as. >> is that because of the tutoring? >> yeah. >> reporter: before the pandemic, about a third of tennessee third graders were reading at grade level. now two years after intensive tutoring began, statewide test scores among third to eighth graders have increased by eight points in english and almost ten points in math. >> it's working, and the evidence is showing it. we'll likely continue it, and we hope it's a model for others. >> reporter: a lesson worth repeating. repeating. meg oliver, cbs news, nashville. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid before it begins. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself.

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guaranteed, or your money back. for hair that looks healthy and stays healthy. if you know, you know it's pantene. now to a story of determination of not just following your dreams but introducing those dreams to others. in tonight's "profiles in service," we introduce you to a pilot who's inspiring a new generation to take to the skies. major kenny thomas has loved airplanes since he was a kid. >> i used to get the books from the library that just had pictures of airplanes. the airplane encyclopedias. >> reporter: the air force reservist was 28 when he first flew a plane, but he wished he had started flying sooner. >> i remember on one of my first flights, i flew up to the atlanta motor speedway, and i remember seeing a bunch of kids out there flying. and i was like, man, how come i didn't know about something like this when i was their age? and that was one of the things that sparked me. all right. i've got to find a way to be

able to give kids who were me that same experience and exposure. >> reporter: now thomas leads the nonprofit legacy flight academy. >> we want to make sure that people in all communities have the same access to being able to get jobs as pilots. >> reporter: only 2% of pilots in the u.s. are black. thomas and his volunteers want to change that by getting kids in planes and teaching them history. >> the foundation of legacy flight academy is the tuskegee airmen. we want to live the legacy, which is what we're doing, by having excellence, having integrity, by setting goals. we're living the legacy. and in growing the legacy is when we go out and we find these students and we help them get to where they can reach their goals and reach their dreams. >> i never thought of it as more than a childhood dream. >> reporter: shania marshall is a pilot today thanks to thomas. >> legacy flight academy gave me my first scholarship for $7,500, which allowed for me to finish my private pilot's license.

>> when you get to the end of the run way, 1,000 foot markers. >> when do you usually pull it? >> when you're flying a student and you're trying to teach them something and all of a sudden they get the aha moment, it makes you feel all the work you're putting in with them and all the energy and all the time is worth it. >> how about this? legacy flight has helped hundreds of kids, and they hope to help hundreds more. great program. nasa gives us an out of this look mom, i found one. oh, yeah, you did.

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a mysterious man accused of sneaking aboard a flight from denmark to los angeles is due in court later this month. the accused stowaway insists he has no memory of taking the flight aboard scandinavian airlines last month. but flight attendants say he sat in multiple seats, ordered double meals, and tried to eat chocolates that belonged to the crew. authorities say he gave false and misleading information about his travel to the u.s., and he was carrying identity documents from russia and israel.

the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. finally tonight, nasa's james webb space telescope has done it again, giving us a stunning new view of our universe. take a look at this. the most detailed image of the supernova remnant cassiopeia a and its expanding gases within its inner shell. the highly advanced telescope was able to capture these breathtaking colors of pink, orange, and blue.

the remnants of the star stretches some 60 trillion miles wide. nasa says these images will give astronomers new clues about the universe and our very small place in it. truly incredible. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." you can follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from here in the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the sarasota, florida, school board has voted to request a resignation of board member bridget ziegler, a co-founder of the conservative group moms for liberty. the vote comes amid sexual assault allegations against ziegler's husband. she's given no indication that she plans to step down. the house is expected to

vote today to authorize an impeachment inquiry into president biden. the president's son, hunter biden, is scheduled for a deposition today as part of the impeachment investigation. it's unclear if he plans to attend. and actor andre braugher has died at the age of 61, his publicist said. braugher was best known for his roles on "brooklyn nine-nine" and "homicide: life on the street." for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected it's wednesday, december 13th, 2023. this is the "cbs morning news." the tough sell as time runs out. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy caps off a whirlwind day in washington with an urgent plea to the gop saying the country's freedom is on the line. war divide. president biden's stark new warning to israel that it's losi i