american troops have come under dozens of attacks since the october 7th massacre in israel. holiday travel has been mostly nice but with some naughty disruptions. airlines prepared for massive waves of travelers this holiday to avoid a repeat of last year's debacle but once again southwest had to cancel hundreds of flights over the weekend. and it's santa versus the grinch in a harness race to save christmas. santa came from behind to win by a length in his one-horse open sleigh. for more download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. it's tuesday, december 26th. this is the "cbs morning news." israel steps up strikes in gaza as egypt puts a peace plan on the table. what both sides are saying as prime minister netanyahu delivers a personal message to his troops on the front lines.

and a christmas blizzard. heavy snow and powerful winds pounding the nation's heartland. a dangerous combination disrupting holiday travel. and do we have a winner? grab your tickets. we've got the winning numbers for the $638 million powerball jackpot. good morning. good to be with you. i'm carissa lawson in for anne-marie green. we start with escalating tensions in the middle east amid fears the israel/hamas war could spiral into a larger conflict. last night, we learned the u.s. launched retaliatory strikes on three facilities in iraq, used by iranian-backed militia groups. meanwhile, it seems neither israel nor hamas likes egypt's proposal to end the war, but they stopped short of rejecting the plan altogether. it includes a phased hostage release and the formation of a palestinian government to oversee the gaza strip and occupied west bank.

and the israeli military released new video it says shows vehicles that were used in the october 7th attack parked near a gaza hospital. one of them belonging to a dead hostage. jared hill joins us now from new york with today's developments. jared? >> yeah, carissa. no end in sight or a cease-fire in sight as the israel/hamas war continues. meanwhile, u.s. officials say no civilians were believed to have been hurt or killed when american forces retaliated on the iran-affiliated terror group in iraq. >> the white house says president biden directed drone strikes against hezbollah targets in retaliation for an attack that wounded three u.s. troops in iraq yesterday. it comes as fighting continues to intensify between israeli forces and hezbollah fighters at the border with lebanon. israel's minister of defense warned hezbollah that his military can do in lebanon's capital, beirut, what it has done in gaza. there is more grief in gaza this christmas as israel's bombardment continued. strikes on a refugee camp killed

more than 100 palestinians, according to the hamas-run gaza health ministry. israel's military says it's reviewing the incident, one of the deadliest since the conflict began. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu visited troops in northern gaza, telling them that israel will not stop until the war continues to the end. those defiant words coming as both sides seem to dismiss a proposal from egypt to end the war. still, palestinian christians gathered for christmas mass in the only catholic church in gaza city, and also in bethlehem in the nearby west bank. elsewhere in the region, an israeli air strike killed a high-ranking iranian general, according to iranian state media. iran and its allies vowing to get revenge. carissa? >> jared hill in new york, thanks. well, pope francis delivered his annual christmas day address, appealing for peace in the world, while blasting the weapons industry. frances made the speech yesterday from st. peter's

basilica. he asked for an end to israel's campaign in gaza and called for the release of hostages. he also criticized the weapons industry, which he said was fueling conflicts around the world. pro-palestinian protesters calling for a cease-fire in gaza scuffled with police in new york city on christmas day. hundreds of demonstrators marched in areas popular with tourists who were celebrating the holiday, including the iconic rockefeller center christmas tree. at least six people were arrested. one officer suffered minor injuries. blizzard warnings continue from northeastern colorado across nebraska and into south dakota, lasting through tonight. the dangerous combination of snow and intense winds led to several cars sliding off interstate 80 in central nebraska. it also caused trucks to jack knife and fall over, blocking lanes across the highway. in parts of the state, traffic came to a complete standstill. in south dakota, more than 200

miles of interstate 90 were closed on christmas day. some areas of south dakota could see an additional half foot of snow. winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour will continue to bring blizzard conditions across much of the northern and central plains. a slippery mess will worsen throughout the day in eastern, north, and south dakota, with expected ice accumulations around half an inch. thousands of migrants spent christmas walking through southern mexico in a caravan bound for the u.s. border. the group, which set out on sunday, includes people from central america and the caribbean. tomorrow, secretary of state antony blinken and other u.s. officials will visit mexico to explore ways to stem the number of migrants coming to america. american paul whelan has spent this holiday season placing phone calls to news outlets to say that he feels abandoned by the united states. whealan has been imprisoned in russia for five years on

espionage charges. cbs' nicole scanga reports on the marine veteran turned political prisoner. it was the eve of paul whelan's fifth christmas behind bars in russia when this call came through to a reporter at wtop, a washington, d.c. radio station. >> i feel alone, i feel that i've been left behind. >> a desperate plea from the 53-year-old ex-marine, and a direct appeal to president biden following the release of americans trevor reid and brittney griner from russia last year. >> he's the guy that made the decision to leave me behind twice. he's the man that can bring me home. >> whelan was first detained by russian authorities in december 2018, then ultimately convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years of hard labor. both whelan and the u.s. government have dismissed the charges as baseless. whelan remains in a penal colony in the remote russian province of mordovia. also detained in russia,

32-year-old evan gers coovich, held for nearly nine months on espionage charge that he, his newspaper, and the u.s. government strongly reject. >> we will leave no stone unturned to see if we can't find the right way to get them home. >> reporter: earlier this month, the state department said the u.s. made a new and significant proposal to russia for whelan and gershkovich's release, but moscow declined. >> mr. president, you promised to bring me home, but i'm still here. there has to be more you can do to secure my release. >> a white house spokesperson tells cbs news that the biden administration will continue to make significant offers to try to secure the freedom of both men and remains in conversation with other countries to try to secure their release, nicole

sganga, cbs news, washington. jailed russian opposition leader alexny navalny has been found at a penal colony north of the arctic circle. his supporters lost contact with him nearly three weeks ago while he was being held in a prison in central russia. navalny is serving a nearly 30-year sentence on extremism and other charges. he denies the allegations. in a social media post, he said he's in good spirits. coming up, the rising cost of christmas gift returns. why more retailers are charging return fees and what you can do to avoid them. and triumphant comeback. a young girl dances in "the nutcracker," just months after nearly losing her feet in an accident. nutcracker," just months after nearly losing her feet in an accident. [♪♪] there's a way to cut your dishwashing time by 50%. try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. it cleans so well, you can replace multiple cleaning products.

try dawn powerwash. hi, i'm ben and i've lost 60 pounds on golo. (guitar music) i've struggled with weight my whole life. i'm sure you're like me and you've tried diet after diet. if you want to stop the insanity, try golo. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief precisely where you need it. with new tylenol precise. why do dermatologists worldwide recommend la roche-posay? effective skincare like la roche-posay double repair face moisturizer delivers double-action to help repair skin's barrier and provide 48-hour hydration for healthy-looking skin. la roche-posay. i'm walt. i have relapsing ms, and a lot going on. that's why i take kesimpta. kesimpta is the only b-cell treatment for rms you can take at home, once-a-month. and it was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses vs aubagio.

for me, a once-a-month treatment just works for my schedule. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can cause serious side effects, including infections. while no cases of pml were reported in rms clinical trials, it could happen. tell your doctor if you had or plan to have vaccines, or if you are or plan to become pregnant. kesimpta may cause a decrease in some types of antibodies. the most common side effects are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and injection reactions. ask your doctor about treating rms with kesimpta. the long-lasting scent of gain flings made it smell like dave was in his happy place... ...the massage chair at the mall. but...he wasn't. gain flings with oxi boost and febreze. a 7-year-old girl in virginia returned to the state

to perform in "the nutcracker" after nearly losing her feet in a car accident. aubrey skaletta had to have her feet reattached in may. she overcome six surgeries and months of physical therapy. she practiced in a wheelchair before using a walker on the big day. this marks her third year performing in the classic christmas ballet. the day after christmas is also known as the day of many unhappy returns. while some bargain hunters head back to the stores to cash in on those post-holiday sales, for others, it's time to swap those unwanted presents, but this year, returning gifts can be a pricey proposition. christian benavidez tells us why. >> reporter: the presents have been opened, but not all of them were a hit. a survey finds at least 40% of semester plans to return at least one gift this season. those returns are not always free. a growing number of major retailers are charging for return shipping. the logistics company narbar

says 40% of companies are adding a fee, up from 31% last year, even amazon is charging $1 for packages taken to u.p.s. expense is the reason why. narvar estimates a $100 item could cost a retailer $32 to get back and resell, with transportation to the warehouse being the first major expense. >> when it arrives in the warehouse, it's got to be scanned and put back in and made available to sale, and there's labor involved with all of that. >> you may be able to avoid a fee if you return a gift to a physical store. amazon won't charge if the item is taken to a whole foods or kohl's store. >> if you are thinking about making a return, make sure you don't open any packages, leave all tags in place. things like that can help expedite your return and make sure you get the full value back. >> reporter: samantha gordon with consumer reports says most

retailers allow returns until the end of january, but there are exceptions for electronics. >> that return window might be a lot smaller, apple, for instance, only gives you until the middle of january and best buy is the same. >> and of course, the most important thing is a receipt to make sure you get back the value of your gift. christian benavides, cbs news, miami. the seven-day celebration of kwanzaa begins today. the holiday honors african-american and pan-african family, community, and culture. activities are organized around what are known as the seven principles of unity. self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. still to come, christmas riches. did anyone win the $638 million holiday powerball jackpot? l jac?

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around

the country. forecast in some cities around the country. a second person has been arrested for allegedly stealing work by the artist banksy off of witnesses filmed a man using bolt cutters to cut down the piece, a stop sign affixed with images of military drones, while another man helped. it happened less than an hour after banksy posted a photo of it friday on social media. police say the piece itself has yet to be recovered. why you won't see the latest apple watches in stores or online. and was this a very merry christmas for any powerball players? here's a look at today's money watch. u.s. stocks will have a mixed start coming off the holiday weekend. the dow opens down 18 points. the nasdaq is up 19 and the s&p 500 will start this tuesday up 8 points.

a lawsuit will move forward against elon musk, saying he stiffed workers at his social media company "x" out of millions of dollars worth of promised bonuses. this comes as a federal judge denied a motion for musk to dismiss the case altogether. the suit is seeking class action status for former and current "x" employees who did not receive their bonuses last year. tim has run out on a last-minute emergency action to keep the latest apple watches on store shelves. the u.s. international trade commission ruled in october that apple violated a patent from another company for a blood oxygen censor that can read someone's pulse. president biden had until yesterday to intervene, but he did not. apple's store locations are expected to open today without any of the latest top of the line watches in stock. and still no winners for the big powerball jackpot. the christmas jackpot reached $638 million. here are the winning numbers drawn last night.

5, 12, 20, 24, and 29. the powerball number was 4. the next drawing is tomorrow when the jackpot will be an estimated, are you listening, $685 million. and we say, good luck to you. up next, a dying fan's wish fulfilled. dolly parton's sweet serenade over the phone to man battling cancer. ade over the phone to man battling cancer. (dad) it's our phone bill... we pay for things that we don't need. (mom) that's a bit dramatic. (dad) we must tighten our belts! (mom) a better plan to save is verizon! (vo) that's right! plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon. (smelling) ew.

gotta get rid of this. ♪tell me why♪ because it stinks. ♪have you tried downy rinse and refresh♪ it helps remove odors 3x better than detergent alone. it worked guys! ♪yeahhhh♪ downy rinse and refresh. with nurtec odt, i can treat and prevent my migraine attacks, all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. talk to your doctor about nurtec today. skin-carving next level hydration? new neutrogena hydro boost water cream. a vital boost of nine times more hydration* to boost your skin's barrier for quenched, dewy skin that's full of life. neutrogena. hydro boost. (♪♪)

honey... honey... dayquil severe honey. powerful cold and flu symptom relief with a honey-licious taste. because life doesn't stop for a cold. dayquil honey, the daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, honey-licious, power through your day, mecine.

here's a look at your tuesday forecast in some cities around the country. me cities around the country. ♪ i will always love you ♪ ♪ oh, i will always love lg ♪ >> yeah! >> dolly parton fulfilling a dying fan's wish by singing to him over the phone. legrand gold says after battling liver cancer for two years, he received news that the disease had spread. meeting the country superstar

was on the utah man's bucket list, so his wife issued an appeal on social media. last friday, they got that call from parten, who thanked gold for being such a devoted fan. now to some sad news from the world of entertainment. actor kamar delost reyes has died after a brief battle with cancer. he was best known for playing antonio vega on the soap oprah, "one life to live." a wrongly ly convicted man who later became lawyer and a cop. he also had roles in the films "nixon" and "salt" and on the sports film, "all-american." he was 56 years old. in houston, the childhood home of singer beyonce caught on fire tuesday morning. the family that lives in the home escaped safely and no one was hurt. the fire was contained in about ten minutes. beyonce lived in the home with her family when she was about 5

years old back in the '80s. no word on the cause of the fire. an investigation is underway. and taylor swift and her family spend christmas cheering on the kansas city chiefs. the game against the raiders marks her eighth nfl appearance this season. swift was seen wearing a santa hat with her boyfriend's travis kelce's number 87 on it. it was a tough game for the chiefs. they lost, 20-18. up next, the power of art. how a new york photographer hopes his street mural will remind americans not to forget the war in ukraine. i suffer with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis.

i was on a journey for a really long time to find some relief. cosentyx works for me. cosentyx helps real people get real relief from the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis or psoriasis. serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that look like eczema, and an increased risk of infections, some fatal, have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to or if ibd symptoms develop or worsen. i move so much better because of cosentyx. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. i love that my daughter still needs me. but sometimes i can't help due to burning and stabbing pain in my hands, so i use nervive. nervive's clinical dose of ala reduces nerve discomfort

this is how it feels to du more with less asthma... ...thanks to dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. imagine that. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. who knows what you can do when you du more with less asthma.

ask your doctor about dupixent. the most prescribed biologic for asthma. thank you for joining us this morning. it is tuesday, december 26th. >> let's get the show started. >> more grief in gaza for christmas. israel steps up strikes in the territory targeting hamas. but could a new plan from egypt actually help end the war. what better place to give to you know, that has given me so much. >> he's been in their shoes and wants to make sure people on the streets get what they need. a san francisco chef is giving back to the very place that saved his life. that return window might be lot smaller. >> let's face it. the