list. the airbags can explode on impact, sending metal into drivers and passengers. so for the full recall list, go to our website, cbsnews.com for more information.

will be right back. it's crunchtime in the shipping industry -- the postal service, fedex, and ups expect to make about 1.5 billion deliveries this holiday season. carter evans shows us how they

>> reporter: less than two days before christmas, shipping companies are getting creative to get packages delivered on time. fedex and ups are even resorting to rental trucks. edgar pleitez is a u-haul dealer. >> they're shipping so much, that they're-- they don't have enough vehicles, so they came to us. >> reporter: the shipping companies are recovering from a rough start to the holiday season. many were caught offguard by larger-than-expected cyber monday sales. deliveries were 20% slower than last year. some shippers were hurt by retailers' promises of "guaranteed" deliveries. >> they are doing a disservice to the consumer. >> reporter: satish jindal is president of ship matrix, a company that tracks on-time delivery performance. >> they may be taking a day or two before they give it to the ups or fedex, and the consumer thinks it's the carrier. >> reporter: still, shipping companies hired hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers, and it appears to be paying off.

matrix show ups delivering 97% of its packages on time; fedex, more than 97%, and the u.s. postal service, more than 99%. today, last-minute shoppers found out they can still have a package delivered by christmas eve, but there's a price for convenience. >> it's going to be $164.74. >> oh, my gosh. are you serious? >> yes. >> reporter: stacie smith was hoping to get a gift to her niece in wyoming by christmas, but on second thought-- >> i guess santa is not coming until the 30th at her house. >> reporter: and mild winter weather near major shipping hubs has been a big help this year. that's good news for people still waiting for packages. and, norah, ups, fedex, and the postal service expect to deliver up to 60 million packages, tomorrow alone. >> that's incredible. carter evans, thank you so much. in the presidential campaign, donald trump remains the republican front-runner

a new poll has trump at 39% nationally. ted cruz a distant second, followed by ben carson and marco rubio. and a new fight has broken out over the use of children in campaign ads. here's major garrett. kindergarten, don't hit little girls. it's not complicated. don't make fun of a five-year- old girl and a seven-year-old girl. >> reporter: that's ted cruz responding to this online "washington post" editorial cartoon, depicting his two daughters as trained monkeys. the cartoon came after cruz's daughters appeared in this campaign ad. >> the grinch who lost her e-mails. >> reporter: poking fun at hillary clinton's e-mail woes. >> i'll use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: at first, the cartoonist said cruz using his daughters to deliver a political attack made them fair game. the "post" then retracted the cartoon, saying:

knock yourself out. that's part of the process. i signed up for that. that's fine. but my girls didn't sign up for that. >> reporter: marco rubio called the cartoon "disgusting." donald trump, "bad." jeb bush, "a big mistake." with republicans talking about impropriety in politics, hillary clinton said donald trump is the undisputed front-runner. she was interviewed by the "des moines register." >> it's not the first time he's demonstrated a penchant for sexism. >> reporter: earlier this week, trump used this yiddish vulgarity to describe clinton's 2008 primary defeat. >> she was favored to win and she got [ bleep ]. she lost. >> reporter: trump said on twitter the word is not vulgar, and often used to mean, "beaten badly." he called reporting on the flap, "dishonest." >> i don't know that he has any boundaries at all, and his bigotry, his bluster, his bullying have become his campaign. >> reporter: in other campaign news, ben carson has lost ground

prompting carson to suggest staff shake-ups were in motion today. but after a bitter struggle with his personal adviser, norah, carson's campaign management team remains shaken but intact. >> all right, major garrett, thank you. one of the most solemn rituals in the u.s. military, a dignified transfer, took place today in delaware. the bodies of six fallen heroes arrived in flag-draped caskets. margaret brennan reports. >> reporter: the body of staff sergeant chester mcbride came home today. the 30-year-old georgia native and five of his air force comrades were killed monday by a suicide bomber who drove a motorcycle packed with explosives into their patrol near bagram airbase. fellow service members on the base paid personal tribute to the fallen. the u.s. combat mission in afghanistan was declared over, a year ago, but the u.s. still maintains a force of nearly 10,000 there. more than 2,300 american service

the war began 14 years ago. >> i want to say she's a hero, and i hope she's a hero to all of us, not just to me. >> reporter: major adrianna vorderbruggen was the commanding officer of the unit, which was dedicated to keeping the airbase safe. older brother christopher said she was a trailblazer. >> she intentionally would go on these patrols with her men because she wanted to show them that she would do what she was asking them to do. >> reporter: the 36-year-old fought for her country and her family. she lobbied to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military, a policy changed five years ago, that now makes her wife and four-year-old son eligible for military death benefits. >> she inspired us all, i think, by just being herself and being proud to be who she was. >> reporter: three other u.s. service members and a number of

on monday. norah, it was the single deadliest attack for american troops all year. >> margaret brennan from the pentagon. margaret, thank you. coming up next, a mysterious streak lights up the sky. and the beatles light up the internet. enough pressure in here for ya? i'm gonna take mucinex sinus-max. too late, we're about to take off. these dissolve fast. they're new liquid gels. and you're coming with me... you realize i have gold status? mucinex sinus-max liquid gels. dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine.

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wise men and women followed a star last night -- not in the east but in the west. just a few nights before christmas, there was a mystery, nonetheless, a comet, a meteor, what sort of object? well, we asked anna werner to help us solve it. >> what is that? >> what is it? >> what is that? >> it's like a missile. >> is it santa claus? >> reporter: the object streaked across the night sky, past nicki pogue's airplane window. >> the captain got on the p.a. and said, take a look outside.

there was a big fireball with a long, long sparkly tail. >> reporter: not a meteor as it turned out, but the booster from a russian rocket sent up on monday, and now coming down. >> after a moment, after you saw this beautiful thing out the window it looked pretty close to the plane, and you readied it was headed to earth. >> reporter: that rocket became the 109th object to fall from space this year, part of a steadily increasing trend. as the technology gets smaller and cheaper, more governments and companies are sending satellites and rockets up so more junk falls out of orbit back to earth. paul ceruzzi is a curator at the smithsonian air and space museum. >> you can do all kind of wonderful things in space-- communication, weather, navigation-- all those things, and if we pollute that environment with debris, it's just like polluting a pristine river or lake on the earth. you juston't want to do that. >> reporter: the problem is mushrooming. in 1957, the only satellite in space was sputnik. now, u.s. military officials say

objects circling the earth. u.s. strategic command officials say the international space station had to move four times this year to avoid possible collisions. >> they do present a hazard to the space station. there's no question about it. these velocities are just staggering. even something as small as just a couple of ounces can do some serious damage. >> reporter: the people who are generally least at risk here-- all of us here on earth. norah, scientists say most of the stuff that comes back through the atmosphere burns up, breaks up, or falls into our vast oceans. >> good to know. anna werner, thank you so much. one of the most beautiful women in the universe is also

that's next. you have to admit, miss colombia has been gracious in defeat after the miss universe mixup. ariadna gutierrez was crowned the winner by mistake sunday night, then quickly de-crowned. last night, she thanked supporters on instagram, writing, "your destiny is written for you and my destiny was this." beatles fans can finally let it stream.

it be >> beginning at midnight, every beatles song will be available for the first time on nine popular streaming sites. and it was a long and winding road home for juanita the duck, back to a senior center in san raphael, california, today. juanita was a beloved resident but wandered away in september turning up a few blocks away. well, an obscure federal law prevented the duck from going home, but the center built an enclosure and got a permit and now juanita is back home. in this season of light, some believe you cannot overdo

there's never a silent night this season in tracy, california, where the force just collided with christmas. all over the country, an arms race is under way over holiday lights. here's jim axelrod. >> reporter: 'tis certainly the season in kirkland, washington, where tony mish has put up 175,000 lights with the seattle seahawks logo as the centerpiece. the cars and commotion it attracted caused some of mish's neighbors go all grinch and complain. he got a letter from the city threatening fines. >> yeah, i didn't realize that you needed a permit to have christmas lights. >> clark? >> reporter: ever since clark griswold almost took the entire city of chicago down in "national lampoon's christmas vacation," the dark side of all that light has been part of the deal. >> everybody, come out quick! look at the lights! ya-ha! >> reporter: but one look at instagram, where 1.5 million people have displayed their

many people don't need a white christmas as much as a multi- colored one. in shanksville, pennsylvania, bob witt illuminates his love of the penn state nittany lions. the blue and white lights synced to the team's fight song. i don't want a lot for christmas >> reporter: in southern california this entire neighborhood coordinated its light display. and in brooklyn, pascal simone has been taking his girlfriend, bianca trevicano, to see these lights for years. this year, he made it the backdrop when he asked her to marry him. >> she said yes! thank god! >> reporter: but maybe the best reminder of the special power of christmas lights comes from candy calda in houston. she wanted to create something like those fancy displays that charge money to see. but hers is free so that the less fortunate get a good show, too. >> makes my heart soar with the fact that i've brought joy to

adult. >> reporter: candy seems to have the brightest idea of all. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >> that's the "overnight news" for this christmas eve thursday. for some of you the news continues. for others, check back with us later for the morning news. from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm norah o'donnell. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com this is the "cbs overnight news." >> happy christmas eve. and welcome to the "overnight news." i'm elaine quijano. a white christmas is in store for millions of people in the

states. in the deep south, heavy storms will make way for a beautiful day. that includes record-breaking temperatures stretching all the way up the eastern seaboard. that should help people who still have to travel for the holiday. aaa estimates more than 100 million americans will go at least 50 miles over christmas and new year's. most will drive, but nearly 6 million will fly. if you're one of them, you'll find new rules at the security gates. jeff pegues reports. >> reporter: tsa officials stepped up security after the paris attacks and feel this is another important change. it means more passengers will likely be funneled through those body scanners, whether they like it or not. cbs news has learned that late last week, the transportation security administration quietly changed body scanner protocols at airports. in this document, tsa officials wrote that the agency was updating the ability of individuals to opt out of

screening in favor of physical screening. that now clears the way for the tsa to direct mandatory body scanner screening for some passengers as warranted by security considerations. over the years, the technology has evolved. the body scanners that some critics label virtual strip searches are gone in favor of machines which replace an image with that of a generic figure, which lessens privacy concerns. airport security has been under the microscope over the summer, a scathing inspector general report uncovered major gaps. investigators discovered that 95% of the time they were able to smuggle mock explosives or banned weapons through in some cases cruising through tsa pat-downs. it led to a tsa overhaul that jeh johnson talked about

>> in july, i give the new administrator of tsa a ten-point plan for improving aviation security and airport screening domestically. that plan has been and is being implemented on schedule. >> reporter: those body scanners are extremely sensitive. the experts say they can pick up handkerchief stuffed into your pocket, which is why you have to take everything out of your pocket when you go through those body scanners. but most importantly, the experts say the scanners can pick up nonmetallic explosives, the kinds that terrorists are trying to sneak on planes. the presidential campaign doesn't take a break for the holidays. a new nationwide poll shows more republican voters prefer donald trump than his three strongest rivals combined. trump has 39% support of gop voters. ted cruz is second with 18%. ben carson and marco rubio have 10%. and chris christie has 5%.

continued to defend his use of a rude word to describe hillary clinton's 2008 presidential bid. major garrett reports. >> reporter: clinton brushed off trump's latest verbal barrage and described him as a bully, a dangerous one at that she said. whose proposal to ban all muslims from americans has inspired and will probably continue to inspire isis recruitment. >> his bigotry, his bluster, his bullying have become his campaign. >> reporter: hillary clinton in an interview with "the des moines register," said she wasn't surprised by gop front runner donald trump's questionable use of this vulgar term. >> she was favored to win and she got [ bleep ]. >> reporter: on the trail, clinton opted to attack trump's proposal to ban muslims from entering the u.s. and his unfiltered campaign style. >> it is not the kind of language somebody running for the president of the united states should be using. >> reporter: even one of trump's

the front-runner's attacks strengthened clinton's hand. >> she's great at being a victim. it's not a sign of strength to insult people with profanity. >> reporter: texas senator ted cruz is also showing momentum nationally, drawing within four points of trump in the latest quinnipiac poll. >> this is turning more and more into a two-man race between donald trump and me. we're seeing the washington establishment in utter disarray, because the american people are fed up with washington, they're fed up with being lied to. >> reporter: with cruz's climb in the polls has come increased scrutiny. this washington post editorial cartoon depicting his children drew cruz's wrath. inspired by this light hearted ad. a parody that features cruz and his children reading conservative christmas stories. >> i'll use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: the candidate denounced the cartoon, demanding

his children alone. stick with attacking me, he tweeted, adding his daughters are out of your league. "the washington post" defended the cartoon at first, but then later said it didn't live up to its standards and retracted it. senator marco rubio said the cartoon was disgusting. and by late last night, the cruz campaign sending out fund-raising e-mails asking for emergency contributions. the subject line read, they attacked my children. millions of people saw a mysterious light in the night sky streaking over three southwestern states. no, it wasn't santa and his reindeer and it wasn't a ufo either. u.s. military insists the fireball was the remnants of a russian rocket burning up. anna werner reports. >> reporter: no, it wasn't a bird or plane. it wasn't superman or super girl. and no, it wasn't a meteor. but it could be seen for hundreds of miles and appeared

got a glimpse. >> what is that? >> what is it? >> reporter: it was the midnight mystery keeping people awake in parts of california, arizona, and nevada last night. a blazing bright light streaking across the sky. >> it's all over facebook. really wondered what it is. >> reporter: local news stations were baffled. >> we have been getting all comes of phone calls. >> we are hearing reports of a bright fireball. >> reporter: but what is it? >> we still don't know. >> reporter: witnesses offered a variety of theories. >> is that a really long shooting star? >> might be a meteor. >> is it santa claus? >> reporter: others just watched in amazement. >> wow. >> liftoff. >> reporter: according to u.s. strategic command, which helps monitor thousands of items orbiting in space, the object was the remnant of a used russian rocket, one that may have helped launch a soyuz supply vehicle to the international space station on monday, scheduled to dock this

>> every day, hundreds and hundreds of tons of material slam into the earth's atmosphere. but we're fortunate that most of these objects that are produced on earth are tracked and we can control, to some extent, what their characteristics are going to be when they come back to earth. >> look at it. it's coming apart right now. >> reporter: the russian rocket is one of 16,000 space objects tracked by the joint space operation center, which had predicted the spacecraft would fall over arizona tuesday evening. scientists say most of the stuff that comes back through the atmosphere burns up, breaks up, or falls into the vast oceans. anna werner, cbs new olay regenerist renews from within, plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation

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he's one of this year's kennedy center honorees. seth doane visited the maestro in tokyo. he gave seth a tour of his neighborhood and looked back on his nearly six decade career. >> reporter: the conductor, of course, does not make a sound. but is responsible for every note heard. and it's said for more than half a century, this world renowned japanese conductor seiji ozawa has transformed orchestras and transfixed audiences. genius? not if you ask him. it's just hard work. this is when you were studying this morning? >> yeah, i was studying. >> reporter: throughout most of his career, he was up by 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. reading music. even on the day we met at the

a puccini opera. >> you cannot make a telephone call to puccini anymore. >> reporter: so you study other parts of his life? >> right. >> reporter: and these are marks you're making? >> yeah. >> reporter: at his tokyo home, complexity a conductor sees on the sheet music. this is wind part. this is the percussion part. >> reporter: and you have to sounds like? >> exactly. >> reporter: rehearsal, he says, is the most important part. >> if everything goes well, on stage, with me and that moment is unforgettable. >> reporter: there have been countless such unforgettable moments in a nearly six-decade long career, which took him from

toronto and san francisco. then he spent 29 years in boston as the music director of the boston symphony orchestra. hence, the jacket. >> i love watching the red sox. >> reporter: he showed us around his tokyo neighborhood. you're a regular here? >> yeah. >> reporter: at his favorite soba noodle shop, his picture is on the wall next to some sumo wrestlers. how did you balance your love of conducting with your love of sports? >> the symphony is almost walking distance from baseball park. after the concert, you look at the television and usually baseball is longer than concert. so i ask the driver okay, let's go and i go. >> reporter: so you leave the concert -- >> and i get to watch the last two innings of the red sox. >> reporter: it was his love of sport that changed his career,

as pointed out by no less than president obama. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: at a white house event celebrating the kennedy center honorees. >> as a teenager in tokyo, an aspiring classical pianist named seiji ozawa defied his mother's orders and joined a rugby match. i have to say looking at you, i'm not sure that was a good idea. [ laughter ] he broke two fingers, and that put an end to his piano playing career. but fortunately for the rest of us, it opened up the door to a career as a conductor. >> reporter: at a busy cafe, he told us it was his piano teacher who first suggested ozawa become a conductor, whatever that meant. >> in those days, no television yet. so i never saw orchestra. i never saw conductor. so i did not know what to say. >> reporter: by 1960, he was a fellow at the prestigious tanglewood music center.

english, he made quite an impression. his first "new york times" review appeared that same summer. it said, with his talent, exotic good looks, flare and ability, mr. ozawa is a young man who will go far. 55 years later, tanglewood concert hall bears his name. he was born into a japanese family in then occupied china. did you always love classical music, even as a child? >> i think so. >> reporter: the family moved back to japan after the war. you grew up in a working class family. >> right. >> reporter: i read that you had to mow your teacher's lawn? >> yes. >> reporter: because you weren't paying for the classes, is that true? >> that's right. no money at my house. >> reporter: many decades later, it was a fight with cancer and then a tumble this summer, which

with family. in september, he took the stage for a special 80th birthday concert. where he conducted in front of family and friends. when you're conducting, you seem to be very expressive. you almost seem to speak with your eyes. >> i think you're right. you know, i was busy with the piano and rugby. so i didn't speak -- my english was zero. i tell you, my answer is because my language is so bad, i think when i conduct, i have to use gesture and eyes. >> reporter: today, he loves passing on his knowledge to the next generation. and says kids make great audiences because you know right away if they're listening. after decades of conducting, he says his favorite piece of music

studying at the moment. >> i must fall in love with this piece. otherwise, not so good. composer just left paper. and when we play, the orchestra play, this becomes life. and to do that, my energy must feel almost similar to the composer who wrote this. >> reporter: you want to breathe life into it. >> yes. if that happens, that good. >> reporter: when it goes just right, he says, a symphony can make magic. oh, and one more thing, he wanted to show us something special before we left. tucked in with his passport and important documents was this.

league. >> reporter: wow, lifetime pass. >> lifetime pass. seiji ozawa. >> reporter: his two loves, sport and music, can cut across boundaries, transcend language, and unify. both also require some talent, and a lot of hard work.

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nearly 200 years ago, a new yorker named clement clark moore was in a horse drawn sleigh gliding through the snow when inspiration struck. moore got home and jotted down what he considered at the time to be a silly christmas poem for his children. he called it "a visit from st. nicholas." all these years later we know it as "'twas the night before christmas." here's charlie rose. >> reporter: the story was published and became a classic. but many people do not know today's conception of santa claus being a plump fellow comes

reading the tale has become a timeless christmas tradition in homes across the country. so we thought we would try our hand at it. here's our very own "'twas the night before christmas." 'twas the night before christmas by clement clark moore. 'twas the night before christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that st. nicholas soon would be there. the children were nestled all snug in their beds, when visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. and momma and her kerchief and me and my cap, just settled our brains for a long winter's nap. when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter. i sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. away to the window i flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and through up the sash.

of midday to objects below. when what to my wandering eyes did appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. with a little old driver, so lively and quick, i knew in a moment he must be st. nick. more rapid than eagles, his courses they came. and he whistled and shouted and called them by name. now dasher, now dancer, now prancer and vixen, on comet, on cupid, on donner and blitzen. to the top of the porch, to the top of the wall, now dash away, dash away, dash away all. as dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, nounlt to the sky. so up to the house top the sleigh full of toys and st. nicholas, too. and then in a twinkling i heard

pawing of eight little hoof. as i drew in my head and was turning around, down the chimney st. nicholas came with a bound. he was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. a bundle of toys he had flung on his back and he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack. his eyes, how they twinkled. his dimples how merry. his cheeks were like roses. his nose like a cherry. his droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow. and the beard on his chin was white as the snow. the stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth and the smoke wreath. he had a broad base and a round laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. he was chubby and plump, a white jolly old elf. and i laughed when i saw him in spite of myself.

his head, soon he gave me to know i had nothing to dread. he spoke not a word, but went straight to his work and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk. and laying his finger aside his nose, and giving a nod up the chimney he rose. he sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle. and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

all, and to all a good night. half a world away, the people of iceland pride themselves for running their country on 100% renewable energy. but they're not leaving well enough alone. jonathan vigliotti has the story. >> reporter: iceland is known for its geothermal power, which

reserves underground. it's so clean, hundreds of thousands of people each year bathe in the thermal baths. iceland runs on 100% thermal renewal energy, from hydropower to geothermal power like the one behind me. for as windy as this country is, wind power surprisingly hasn't been tapped into. but inside a former coal plant, work is under way on a new renewable energy concept. >> it's really simple. simple construction and simple works. the more simple this is, the longer it lasts. >> reporter: simplicity is the key to wind power here, because iceland is so windy, traditional turbines can spin out of control. he has developed a unique turbine called the cw-1000. and the science behind it lies in the blades. the end result is a turbine that

needing expensive mechanical brakes, which often fail in high winds like this one did in denmark. he's been tinkering with the design for years. from earlier versions like this one in 2007, to today's more refined model. and his product is so unique, he and his business partners placed second on a national reality show that pits inventors against each other. jonas kettleson says even if the island is already 100% sustainable, there's always room in iceland for new forms of cheap, green energy. why are there so many inventors here dealing with renewable energy? >> after our financial crisis that we encountered a few years back, people had to rethink. and i think it did bring us a lot of good ideas. and those ideas are gaining

it's small projects that are becoming something large. >> reporter: and thinking big is something he hopes to do when he exports his green energy to the european market in the near future. is iceland the ultimate test for the durability of a winter? >> yes, i would say so. >> reporter: jonathan vigliotti, iceland. >> that's the "overnight news" for this christmas eve, thursday. breaking news -- an outbreak of tornadoes in the south and midwest. 100 million people are in the path of severe storms. also tonight, new screening rules at airports as the holiday getaway begins. the clock ticking as delivery

demand. kids in campaign ads. >> i'll use my own server, and no one will be the wiser! >> but did a cartoon parody cross the line? >> all of us learned in kindergarten, don't hit little girls. >> and bigger, brighter, louder-- it's christmas to the extreme. >> this is the "cbs overnight news." >> scott pelley is off. i'm norah o'donnell. at least 10 tornadoes have been reported as severe storms threatening nearly a third of the country. >> i can see the debris. >> this was the frightening scene as a large tornado plowed through clarksdale, mississippi. it appeared to be on the ground for about 10 minutes. the twister blew a tractor- trailer off the road, and damaged homes. tornado watches and warnings have been issued in at least 10

eric fisher, chief meteorologist at our cbs boston station wbz is tracking the storm. eric? >> reporter: a very violent evening of storms and humid air mass. you see the storms racing off to the north and east. that storm motion at 60 miles per hour at times. they are moving very fast. several tornadoes spread out, some all the way up into illinois, eastern parts of iowa, santa claus had a tornado warning earlier. but the strongest tornado is in northern mississippi, violent storms with damage reports coming in right now. we've seen trees snapped off, tractor trailers flipped and ground. so a very damaging night is expected as these race northeastward. tornado watches from eastern iowa to the gulf coast. a long night ahead of us, so urging vigilance everybody for everybody in the severe weather threat area. this is covering a very large

the threat of damaging wind gusts racing off toward the east. the good news here, is as we head into tomorrow, the threat will go down. the story will be the record heat along the east. >> all right, eric fisher. thank you so much. and all of this comes as the holiday getaway kicks into high gear. more than 100 million americans are expected to travel more than 50 miles between now and new year's weekend. those traveling by air face new rules. more messengers will have to go through full body scanners. here's jeff pegues. >> reporter: the new guidelines mean more passengers will likely go through the full body scanners and some requests for pat-down also be declined. this document, obtained by cbs news, says tsa officers can now direct the change reflects an airport security overhaul under way since last summer, after

technology and human failures in the system. the dhs inspector general says his investigators were able of to smuggle mock weapons or 95% of the time. in another investigation, inspector general john roth testified before congress in november. >> and the test results were disappointing and troubling. we ran multiple tests using different concealment methods at eight different airports. >> reporter: u.s. officials are especially concerned about explosives brought on board. in late october, isis claimed responsibility for the bomb that brought down the russian metrojet plane in egypt. in 2001, richard reid tried to shoe, on a flight headed to miami. u.s. authorities say this is what the explosion would have been like. had the bomb worked.

have been retrained, and procedures corrected. tsa officials also say the new procedures will not affect the vast majority of passengers. norah, at airports across the northeast, the weather did cause some delays and cancellations, but there were no major security issues reported. >> all right, jeff pegues. thank you. protesters from the "black lives matter" group disrupted travel today at the main airport in minneapolis. they're demanding charges against the police officer who shot jamar clark to death last month. in los angeles, demonstrators from the group blocked the 405 freeway near the airport. the vast majority of holiday travelers, more than 90 million, will be driving, and they're paying a lot less for gas this season. demarco morgan has more on that. >> reporter: at this rest stop in richfield, new jersey, we found the wolfe family of six from brookhaven, mississippi. they've already logged 18 hours on the road. dad nick wolfe says their final stop is vermont.

we have a dvd player installed in the van, so that's helped a lot. been watching a lot of movies. it's great. >> where are we going, guys? >> reporter: for alex sphere and his family from boston, highway driving has been great for the wallet, even if it means nearly running out of gas. >> we tried to make it to new jersey without stopping, so that we could get the cheaper gas prices than in connecticut or new york, so we're running on just about empty. >> reporter: according to aaa, the record 91 million people hitting the road is nearly two million more than last year. cheap gas may be fueling the increase: an average $2 a gallon, down 37 cents from last year. a family of five driving a minivan from new york to miami is paying just $130 one way, a savings of $80 compared to just two years ago. robert sinclair is with aaa. >> this is the second year in a row we're seeing more people travel than the year before, and you know, as the economy comes back, incrementally, we're seeing the numbers of those who are traveling increase incrementally as well. >> reporter: at new york's penn station, one of amtrak's busiest

bomb-sniffing dogs walked among the growing crowd. we found jane rennyson and her family, as they were boarding an eight-hour trip to virginia. >> we just didn't want to get in the car and deal with the headache of traffic. on the train you can get up and walk and around have a snack, and play cards, it's great. >> reporter: norah, just in case you're wondering how to avoid the headaches that come along with traffic, well, according to aaa, the best days to travel are christmas day and new year's day. >> demarco morgan, thank you so much. today a new jersey grand jury indicted a truck driver for manslaughter in the crash that seriously injured comedian tracy morgan. the crash last year on the new jersey turnpike killed one of morgan's friends. an investigation concluded truck driver kevin roper had not slept in 28 hours before the crash. today, federal investigators said an eighth death in this country is likely linked to defective airbags manufactured by takata. the victim was a teenaged driver who died after a crash in pittsburgh in july. also today, manufacturers added

list. the airbags can explode on impact, sending metal into drivers and passengers. so for the full recall list, go to our website, cbsnews.com for more information.

will be right back. it's crunchtime in the shipping industry -- the postal service, fedex, and ups expect to make about 1.5 billion deliveries this holiday season. carter evans shows us how they

>> reporter: less than two days before christmas, shipping companies are getting creative to get packages delivered on time. fedex and ups are even resorting to rental trucks. edgar pleitez is a u-haul dealer. >> they're shipping so much, that they're-- they don't have enough vehicles, so they came to us. >> reporter: the shipping companies are recovering from a rough start to the holiday season. many were caught offguard by larger-than-expected cyber monday sales. deliveries were 20% slower than last year. some shippers were hurt by retailers' promises of "guaranteed" deliveries. >> they are doing a disservice >> reporter: satish jindal is president of ship matrix, a delivery performance. >> they may be taking a day or two before they give it to the ups or fedex, and the consumer thinks it's the carrier. >> reporter: still, shipping companies hired hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers, and it appears to be paying off.

matrix show ups delivering 97% of its packages on time; fedex, more than 97%, and the u.s. postal service, more than 99%. today, last-minute shoppers found out they can still have a package delivered by christmas eve, but there's a price for convenience. >> it's going to be $164.74. >> oh, my gosh. are you serious? >> yes. >> reporter: stacie smith was hoping to get a gift to her niece in wyoming by christmas, but on second thought-- >> i guess santa is not coming until the 30th at her house. >> reporter: and mild winter weather near major shipping hubs has been a big help this year. that's good news for people still waiting for packages. and, norah, ups, fedex, and the postal service expect to deliver up to 60 million packages, tomorrow alone. >> that's incredible. carter evans, thank you so much. in the presidential campaign, donald trump remains the republican front-runner

a new poll has trump at 39% nationally. ted cruz a distant second, followed by ben carson and marco rubio. and a new fight has broken out over the use of children in campaign ads. here's major garrett. >> all of us learned in kindergarten, don't hit little girls. it's not complicated. don't make fun of a five-year- old girl and a seven-year-old girl. >> reporter: that's ted cruz responding to this online "washington post" editorial cartoon, depicting his two daughters as trained monkeys. the cartoon came after cruz's daughters appeared in this campaign ad. >> the grinch who lost her e-mails. >> reporter: poking fun at hillary clinton's e-mail woes. >> i'll use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: at first, the cartoonist said cruz using his daughters to deliver a political attack made them fair game. the "post" then retracted the cartoon, saying: >> folks want to attack me, knock yourself out.

i signed up for that. that's fine. but my girls didn't sign up for that. >> reporter: marco rubio called the cartoon "disgusting." donald trump, "bad." jeb bush, "a big mistake." with republicans talking about impropriety in politics, hillary clinton said donald trump is the undisputed front-runner. she was interviewed by the "des moines register." >> it's not the first time he's demonstrated a penchant for sexism. >> reporter: earlier this week, trump used this yiddish vulgarity to describe clinton's 2008 primary defeat. >> she was favored to win and she got [ bleep ]. she lost. >> reporter: trump said on twitter the word is not vulgar, and often used to mean, "beaten badly." he called reporting on the flap, "dishonest." >> i don't know that he has any boundaries at all, and his bigotry, his bluster, his bullying have become his campaign. >> reporter: in other campaign news, ben carson has lost ground in iowa and nationally, prompting carson to suggest

today. but after a bitter struggle with his personal adviser, norah, carson's campaign management team remains shaken but intact. >> all right, major garrett, thank you. one of the most solemn rituals in the u.s. military, a dignified transfer, took place today in delaware. the bodies of six fallen heroes arrived in flag-draped caskets. margaret brennan reports. >> reporter: the body of staff sergeant chester mcbride came home today. the 30-year-old georgia native and five of his air force comrades were killed monday by a suicide bomber who drove a motorcycle packed with explosives into their patrol near bagram airbase. fellow service members on the base paid personal tribute to the fallen. the u.s. combat mission in afghanistan was declared over, a year ago, but the u.s. still maintains a force of nearly 10,000 there. more than 2,300 american service

the war began 14 years ago. >> i want to say she's a hero, and i hope she's a hero to all of us, not just to me. >> reporter: major adrianna vorderbruggen was the commanding officer of the unit, which was dedicated to keeping the airbase safe. older brother christopher said she was a trailblazer. >> she intentionally would go on these patrols with her men because she wanted to show them that she would do what she was asking them to do. >> reporter: the 36-year-old fought for her country and her family. she lobbied to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military, a policy changed five years ago, that now makes her wife and four-year-old son eligible for military death benefits. >> she inspired us all, i think, by just being herself and being proud to be who she was. >> reporter: three other u.s. service members and a number of

on monday. norah, it was the single deadliest attack for american troops all year. >> margaret brennan from the pentagon. margaret, thank you. coming up next, a mysterious streak lights up the sky. and the beatles light up the inte looking for 24/7 digestive support? try align for a non-stop, sweet-treat-goodness hold-onto-your-tiara, kind-of-day. live 24/7 with 24/7 digestive support. try align, the undisputed #1 ge recommended probiotic. man (sternly): where do you think you're going? mr. mucus: to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. man: you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. i'm good all day. [announcer:] mucinex keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 hours.

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wise men and women followed a star last night -- not in the east but in the west. just a few nights before christmas, there was a mystery, nonetheless, a comet, a meteor, what sort of object? well, we asked anna werner to help us solve it. >> what is that? >> what is it? >> what is that? >> it's like a missile. >> is it santa claus? >> reporter: the object streaked across the night sky, past nicki pogue's airplane window. >> the captain got on the p.a., and said, take a look outside. there's a meteor outside. there was a big fireball with a long, long sparkly tail. >> reporter: not a meteor as it turned out, but the booster from a russian rocket sent up on

>> after a moment, after you saw this beautiful thing out the window it looked pretty close to the plane, and you readied it was headed to earth. >> reporter: that rocket became the 109th object to fall from space this year, part of a steadily increasing trend. as the technology gets smaller and cheaper, more governments and companies are sending satellites and rockets up so more junk falls out of orbit back to earth. paul ceruzzi is a curator at the smithsonian air and space museum. >> you can do all kind of wonderful things in space-- communication, weather, navigation-- all those things, and if we pollute that environment with debris, it's just like polluting a pristine river or lake on the earth. you just don't want to do that. >> reporter: the problem is mushrooming. in 1957, the only satellite in space was sputnik. now, u.s. military officials say they're monitoring some 23,000

u.s. strategic command officials say the international space station had to move four times this year to avoid possible collisions. >> they do present a hazard to the space station. there's no question about it. these velocities are just staggering. even something as small as just a couple of ounces can do some serious damage. >> reporter: the people who are generally least at risk here-- all of us here on earth. norah, scientists say most of the stuff that comes back through the atmosphere burns up, breaks up, or falls into our vast oceans. >> good to know. anna werner, thank you so much. one of the most beautiful women in the universe is also

that's next. you have to admit, miss colombia has been gracious in defeat after the miss universe mixup. ariadna gutierrez was crowned the winner by mistake sunday night, then quickly de-crowned. last night, she thanked supporters on instagram, writing, "your destiny is written for you and my destiny was this." beatles fans can finally let

there must be an answer, let it be >> beginning at midnight, every beatles song will be available for the first time on nine popular streaming sites. and it was a long and winding road home for juanita the duck, back to a senior center in san raphael, california, today. juanita was a beloved resident but wandered away in september turning up a few blocks away. well, an obscure federal law prevented the duck from going home, but the center built an enclosure and got a permit and now juanita is back home. in this season of light,

there's never a silent night this season in tracy, california, where the force just collided with christmas. all over the country, an arms race is under way over holiday lights. here's jim axelrod. >> reporter: 'tis certainly the season in kirkland, washington, where tony mish has put up 175,000 lights with the seattle seahawks logo as the centerpiece. the cars and commotion it attracted caused some of mish's neighbors go all grinch and complain. threatening fines. >> yeah, i didn't realize that you needed a permit to have christmas lights. >> clark? >> reporter: ever since clark griswold almost took the entire city of chicago down in "national lampoon's christmas vacation," the dark side of all that light has been part of the deal. >> everybody, come out quick! look at the lights! ya-ha! >> reporter: but one look at instagram, where 1.5 million people have displayed their

many people don't need a white christmas as much as a multi- colored one. in shanksville, pennsylvania, bob witt illuminates his love of the penn state nittany lions. the blue and white lights synced to the team's fight song. i don't want a lot for christmas >> reporter: in southern california this entire neighborhood coordinated its light display. and in brooklyn, pascal simone has been taking his girlfriend, bianca trevicano, to see these lights for years. this year, he made it the backdrop when he asked her to marry him. >> she said yes! thank god! >> reporter: but maybe the best reminder of the special power of christmas lights comes from candy calda in houston. she wanted to create something like those fancy displays that charge money to see. but hers is free so that the less fortunate get a good show, too. >> makes my heart soar with the

any family, be it a child or an adult. >> reporter: candy seems to have the brightest idea of all. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >> that's the "overnight news" for this christmas eve thursday. for some of you the news continues. for others, check back with us later for the morning news. from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm norah o'donnell. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs it's thursday, december 24th, 2015. this is the "cbs morning news."

the south and midwest, threatening nearly 4 million people. there is extensive damage, as rescue crews search for missing residents through the night. >> i'm hoping i still got a house but if i ain't, i still got my life. thank god for that. the severe weather is causing delays and headaches as holiday travelers scramble to get home. and demonstrators in minnesota protesting last month's police shooting of a black man causes major delays at the minneapolis/st. paul airport. good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. at least seven people are dead this morning as violent weather sweeps across the midwest and south. tornadoes slammed into several mississippi communities, killing at least four people, including a 7-year-old boy. at least 40 people are hurt and

a massive tornado hurled debris across traffic on i-55 in mississippi. the powerful winds flipped a semi on to its side. at least 22 tornadoes were reported across six states. the national storm prediction center called the weather particularly dangerous. omar villafranca shows us the widespread destruction. >> reporter: a large tornado plowed through northern mississippi wednesday afternoon near the town of clarksdale. the tornado was apparently on the ground for ten minutes, damaging homes and blowing a tractor-trailer off the road. the storm moved toward nearby comeau, wrecking houses and out buildings. >> several tornadoes spread out over a wide area. some into illinois and eastern parts of iowa and indiana. >> reporter: drivers could barely make their way along the highway 12 in southern missouri. the storm pelted the area with hail. witnesses in highland, arkansas,

without warning. >> it snapped off a pine tree by my truck and i just slammed my seat belt on and thank lord let me survive this. >> reporter: in polk county, arkansas, an 18-year-old woman died after a tree fell onto her house. forecasters say the risk for long track tornadoes continues. >> this urgent vigilance for everybody in the severe weather threat area. nighttime tornadoes, very dangerous. >> reporter: the threat diminishes thursday and the focus turns to record high temperatures expected on the east coast. omar villafranca, cbs news. meteorologist eric fisher of our boston station wbz says the christmas eve forecast shows more severe weather. >> after our tornado outbreak, unfortunately, turning deadly, we are watching more stormy weather across the southeast here on christmas eve day. the storms extending from the western florida panhandle right on up to the atlanta area through charlotte and raleigh. the severe threat is a little bit lower but quite a few thunderstorms and chance of flash flooding and local heavy

we are looking at very stormy pattern and unusually warm air. temperatures 30 degrees above average in the northeast and mid-atlantic corridors. and 80s in florida and breaking numerous record highs on christmas eve and more warm temps in the southeast on christmas day. in fact, right at midnight, maybe santa making his arrival. 63 in new york city and 69 charlotte and 70 in atlanta and miami at 77 and warm across the board. then as we look to the end of this weekend where everyone is starting to travel and head home, a major winter storm gets started in the southern plains and starts to move up to the midwest with ice and snow and heavy rain to east of it and this will be very disruptive to start next week. i'm meteorologist eric fisher for cbs news. the storms are snarling travel on this busy holiday get-away day. rain and fog triggered thousands of flight delays and cancellations on the east coast as a record number of travelers took to the skies and the roads. don champion is at new york's laguardia airport. don, good morning.

the travel website reports there were more than 9,600 flights and delays and over a 1,000 flight cancellations nationwide yesterday. here at laguardia, you can see behind me right now, there are already dozens and dozens of people lined up at ticket counter tickets here to make sure they are on one of the first flights out of here. instead of being nestled in their beds, scores of travelers are waking up at airports across the country this morning, hoping to make it to their loved ones on christmas eve. >> we going to jamaica. supposedly. >> reporter: today's holiday rush includes many passengers who tried to make it home yesterday but instead had their flights either delayed or cancelled because of heavy rain or fog in the northeast. while bob and diane risinger took it in stride. >> i'm a retired pilot so we understand weather and plane delays. >> reporter: shea and her husband, whose flight to ohio was rebooked three times, say they have had enough! >> we are going to try to get our money back and maybe go next

>> reporter: over the next few days, many airlines are shifting the timing of flights, adding red eyes and using bigger planes to get people to their destination. >> big thing is just give myself some extra time. >> reporter: 38 million people are expected to fly during the christmas and new year's holidays. so definitely pack a lot of patience this year if you're flying out of town today. by the way, if you're going to be taking gifts as a carry-on with you, we are t td because of enhanced security measures, it's best that you leave them unwrapped. >> very good advice, don champion at laguardia airport in new york, thank you. cbs news has confirmed the obama administration is planning raids to deport hundreds of families who entered the country illegally since last year. the nationwide roundup will target adults and children already ordered to leave by a judge. many are fleeing violence in central america. it could begin as soon as january. minnesota officials are slamming protesters who caused

minneapolis/st. paul airport. >> reporter: hundreds of black lives matter demonstrators flooded the airport wednesday. they are demanding the release of video of the recent fatal another group linked hands and blocked a road leading to a terminal. about 500 demonstrators shut down part of the nation's police arrested 15 people at both protests. the latest national poll shows donald trump dominating the republican field. 39% of republicans and republican leaning voters say that they support the billionaire real estate mogul. ted cruz is a distant second with 18%. he is followed by ben carson and marco rubio, both have 10%. major garrett shows us how the latest campaign controversy has united the gop rivals. >> it's not complicated. don't make fun of a 5-year-old

>> reporter: that is ted cruz