the u.s. combat mission and draw-down. today they released a photograph of the bomber they claimed attacked the americans. tonight, the pentagon will release officially the names of the fallen. but, norah, these deaths are especially heartbreaking for so many families coming right before christmas, and just months after president obama decided to extend the longest war in american history. >> o'donnell: margaret brennan, thank you. a grim milestone has been reached in europe's refugee crisis. the u.n. refugee agency said today more than one million people have entered europe this

year after fleeing war and poverty in the middle east and north africa. half came from syria. nearly 3,700 died on the journey or went missing. today, f.b.i. director james comey visited the bureau's l.a. field office to thank agents and police who investigated the massacre in san bernardino in which 14 people were killed. and for the first time, we're getting a look at the visa application filed by one of the terrorists to get into this country. here's homeland security correspondent jeff pegues. >> reporter: eight months before syed farook entered the united states with his bride-to-be, he applied for a fiance visa for pakistani-born tashfeen malik. in the document dated december 31, 2013, farook, an american citizen, wrote that they had met through a matrimonial web site. when asked for more information, farook wrote in a statement that after several weeks of e- mailing, he and malik decided to meet each other. that happened when they both

attended the hajj pilgrimage in mecca saudi arabia, on october 3, 2013. and it is on this day, he says, that we got engaged. he signed that statement january 20, 2014. immigration officials asked for and received proof. visa stamps that both were at the hajj. ultimately, the application was approved, clearing the way for the san bernardino killers to come into the country. in a statement, the u.s. citizenship and immigration services says, what they didn't know about that the f.b.i. discovered after the shooting were malik's direct private messages about jihad, and evidence that both farook and malik had been showing signs of radicalization long before the couple got engaged. the k-1 visa application relies on self-reporting, and in a

separate part of malik's immigration file she reportedly answered no when asked if she had ever engaged in terrorist activity. norah, obama administration critics believe there were major gaps in the vetting of that application. >> o'donnell: all right, jeff pegues, thank you. today, army sergeant bowe bergdahl was arraigned in military court on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. he could face life in prison if convicted, or of the latter. he did not enter a plea. bergdahl walked off his post in afghanistan in 2009 and was held as a taliban prisoner for five years before being swapped for five guantanamo detainees. a grand jury in texas has decided not to indict anyone in the sheriff's office or jail in connection with the death of sandra bland. she was found dead in her cell in july, three days after her confrontational arrest during a traffic stop. her death was ruled a suicide. coming up, what's taking so long to clean up this radioactive mess?

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>> o'donnell: we've reported extensively about an unusual number of cancer cases north of st. louis, where several have low-levels of radiological contamination. tonight vinita nair reports even more sites have tested positive and now there's a federal health investigation. >> reporter: 300 residents of north saint louis county crowded into a local gym last week, anxious about what they would hear. soil near their local creek was contaminated by improperly stored nuclear weapons waste in the 1960s and 70s, and people have been getting sick. the army corps of engineers delivered the latest test results. >> seven additional parcels that have been identified. >> reporter: those seven new areas of low-level nuclear contamination were discovered as crews tested the creek this summer. the new sites include four commercial properties and three homes. add in the five sites already slated for cleanup, and that is 12 places around the creek with contamination. >> they found the tumor, about the size of a golf ball.

>> reporter: last fall, angela powers lost her nine-year-old grandchild jordan to a brain tumor that is rare in children. >> if it came from this, wow, we want some answers because it's making me angry. she was my only grandchild. >> there it is right there. >> reporter: it was a variety of rare illnesses that caught the attention of resident jenelle wright and her neighbors. four years ago, the group created a facebook page that has since logged 2,700 cancers and autoimmune conditions around town. they begged federal health authorities to investigate. >> we've had to go through many battles. i don't even know if i can recount all of them, all the different agencies, and gate keepers to different agencies to even have our phone calls returned, literally calling an agency 30 times and not returning your phone call. >> reporter: this month they finally got results.

the centers for disease control sent a health assessment team to help document the residents' stories. >> you must advocate for yourself. >> reporter: mary oscko has stage four lung cancer and blames it on the contamination. why is the government getting involved now? >> do you notice that the table's shaking? if i shake the table enough, you can't eat your meal off of it. if i make enough noise, you want to listen to me. we're standing up and saying, "hi, i'm mary. i'm dying of cancer." >> reporter: residents are hoping the health study might help them in their legal fights over compensation for medical bills but the assessment could take two years, and, norah, some folks like mary are worried they won't be around long enough to see the results. >> o'donnell: such an incredible story, vinita nair, thank you. >> o'donnell: someone stole a secret service agent's gun in washington. that story is next.

>> o'donnell: police in washington say a secret service agent's gun was stolen from his car outside headquarters yesterday. the agent, a member of the presidential protective division, had gone inside for 45 minutes. when he returned, a bag containing his gun, i.d., badge, and a thumb drive were gone. the agent will likely face disciplinary charges. a world cup skier was nearly hit by a drone today during a race in italy. the drone fell from the sky and crashed just inches from marcel hirscher. he was carrying a tv camera and was shooting the race. hirscher didn't seem to notice and came in second, but afterwards he said this can never happen again. a surprise homecoming in oklahoma. kim gornick wasn't expecting to see her son, wyatt, this christmas. ( screaming ) ( screaming ) >> o'donnell: but as you can see he made an unexpected appearance after returning home from marine infantry training in san diego. she called the moment priceless. a nice, big hug, too.

still ahead, why are these kids so happy? we'll show,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> o'donnell: finally tonight, the holidays are supposed to be the happiest time of the year for kids, and some eager volunteers are making sure that it is. here's chip reid. >> reporter: more than 1,000 kids were in dallas recently for four days of nonstop joy. there was no limit to the games, the rides, and the fun. >> lightsabers up! >> reporter: and it was all free. if you're wondering why these kids and their parents were treated like such heroes, well, they earned it, the hard way. every child here lost a parent in the military. every parent here lost a spouse. chase sullivan is seven, his brother jake, five. their mother bree can't remember the last time they were this happy.

>> they get to be with other kids who get it, who understand what it's like to lose a parent. >> reporter: michelle karnoski brought her 13-year-old daughter, sammie. >> it's heartbreaking knowing that all these kids have lost a parent while on active duty military. it's hard. >> reporter: this is the tenth anniversary of the snowball express, a nonprofit charity named for an old disney movie. some families return every year, like carol baruch, and her daughter, amelia. her husband, john, did two tours in iraq. >> he had a larger-than-life personality. and when he came back from his second tour, that personality had changed. >> reporter: suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, two days after christmas in 2007, he took his own life. >> around christmastime, like, a

classmate will complain about a present they get, their dad gave them, that they didn't like and it's kind of frustrating because i'd do anything to get a bad present from my dad. >> reporter: snowball express is always held during the holiday season because for many here it's the most difficult time of the year. >> because-- >> i can't imagine not coming. like, i can't imagine not ever having this in my life. >> reporter: chase and jake sullivan feel pretty much the same way. >> i just wish we could stay here a year. >> reporter: a year. >> i wish we could stay here forever. >> reporter: forever in a place where everyone understands. ( applause ) chip reid, cbs news, dallas. that's the "overnight news for wednesday. for some of you check back with us. from the broadcast center in new york city. i'm nora o'donnel.

>> this is the "cbs overnight news". >> the mountain that feeds this stream has received 7 inches of rain, in fact more than 7 inches of rain since sunday.

up in the portland area they're having the wettest winter on weather, mountains of the west are being pummelled with snow, certainly, the winter is roaring in the west. a powerful storm system making its way across the northwest is packing it dangerous mix of blinding snow, rain and violent winds strong enough to knock down powerlines. >> you can see the conditions, it's bad. >> reporter: several drivers were left stuck and stranded just outside east of seattle when portions of interstate 90 were buried under snow. >> we went off the first exit, if we would have known this, we would have turned around and went back. >> he used his truck to help drivers stuck in the side of the road. >> if i can help you out, why not. >> reporter: the threat of an avalanche forced crews to

suspend a search for a skier who disappeared over the weekend. >> i heard a loud boom and then the whole house, it was like it almost bounced. >> reporter: the winds were strong enough to blow this tractor-trailer off the road. more than 35,000 people in the portland area were without power. now up in the mountains where there has been no snow, there was no snow last winter, we had feet of snow already this winter. a heat wave across the deep south is about to turn dangerous. meteorologists predict violent storms will rumble from louisiana to georgia packing high winds, driving hail and possible tornados. in the northeast there still is the need for winter coats and hats. records have been falling up and down the seaboard. >> reporter: i can't believe we're talking about the 70s. right now i'm not wearing any

hats, any gloves. the temperature right now about 50 degrees here at central park. and you can almost call it an extended heat wave for the winter, having many people here in the northeast pleasantly surprised. >> it's beautiful here. it's incredible. >> reporter: at 52 degrees in buffalo it was beautiful enough for waiters and walks in the park. in a city that was slammed by 7 feet of lake effect snow last year, temperatures this week are more likely to inspire long walks on the beach. >> certainly a look at buffalo, up to 61 degrees. the focus on christmas eve moves to the northeast and we're talking 60s and 70s, the warmest christmas eve anyone alive has seen in that area. >> reporter: more than 2,600 record high temperatures have been tied or broken across the lower 48 states this month. in washington, d.c., cherry

blossoms arrives months ahead of schedule. in chicago, christmas shoppers wore light coats. >> i'm not complaining that it's not snowing right now. but it doesn't feel like christmas yet. >> reporter: but nowhere is this tail of two climates more obvious than the ski scloeps. the connecticut resort can't keep the fake snow from melting. while in colorado the real snow just keeps coming, skiers there are enjoying being on the edge of a much larger cold weather band stretching from park city up to spokane. >> we oar watching to see if it's possible the stormy and snowy conditions will eventually come eastern on us. >> reporter: and meteorologists say the el nino factor is the main reason behind this unseasonably warm, beautiful weather. >> things are also heating up on the campaign trail. g.o.p. frontrunner donald trump is taking the gloves off.

the candidates have been trading shots ever since clinton called some of trump's comments a recruitment tool for isis. a poll shows prefer clinton to trump 47% to 40%. here is more on how the two frontrunners are squaring off. in case you just awoke and were wondering, though, the general election hasn't begun. but trump would like republicans to imagine him going toe to toe with hillary clinton. and other republicans are, as has been so often the case trying to get a piece of the increasingly obnoxious trump action. >> you're a loser. you really are a loser. >> in a rally monday night, donald trump fought through more than a dozen interruptions. >> there's another guy up there. >> that's a very weak voice. >> he's holding up his hands like he's mike tyson, he would never throw a punch.

>> found plenty of time to challenge rival hillary clinton, availing her accusation that isis used trump's words. she's a liar! the last person she wants to return against is me, believe me. >> reporter: trump made a mad reference to clinton's debate to the bathroom that lasted longer than the commercial break. >> sorry. [ laughter ] >> where did she go? i thought she quit. i thought she gave up. i know where she went. it's disgusting. >> he hit clinton for losing the 2008 nomination. she was favored to win. >> beside trump's lead towards yiddish, he was accused of accepted the targeted killing of journalists. >> i would never kill them. i would never do that.

let's see. no, i wouldn't. i would never kill them. i do hate them. >> reporter: she said the thrust of her criticism remains true. >> the hateful red rick is playing into the hand of isis and other terrorist groups. >> others have kept the focus on clinton. a new poll has it 43-44%. cruz are tied at 44%. these new numbers come a day after lindsey graham, a candidate's whose numbers didn't register dropped out of the race. the "cbs overnight news "will be right back.

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yesterday charlie rose gave us an inside look at the secret of the world of apple. he sit down with tim cook to discuss one of the company's most confidential trade secrets, encryption. it let's terrorist communicate without fear of getting caught. here is charlie with tim cook for 60 minutes. >> in the government they say it's like you have a search warrant but you can't unlock the trunk. >> here is the situation, on your iphone, there's likely health information, there's financial information, there are intimate conversations with your family or your coworkers. there's probably business secrets and you should have the ability to protect it.

and the only way we know how to do that is to encrypt it. why is that? it's because if there's a way to get in, then somebody will find a way in. there have been people that suggest that we should have a back door, but the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door is for everybody, good guys and bad guys. >> does the government have a point in which they say, if we have good reason to believe in that information is evidence of criminal conduct or national security behavior? >> well, if the government lays a proper warrant on us today, then we will give the specific information that is requested, because we have to by law. in the case of encrypted communication, we don't have it to give. and so if your i messages are encrypted we don't have access

to those. >> help me understand how you get to the government's delima. >> i don't believe that the trade off is privacy versus national security, i think that's an overly simplistic view. we're america, we should have both. >> please stand and raise your right hand. national security isn't the only battle tim cook has been fighting with washington. apple earns two-thirds of the revenue overseas. rather than bring it back, apple like many, parks billions of dollars in overseas income in sub sid dares and countries like ireland. the practice is not illegal, but it's at the heart of a battle that has been unfolding in washington to reform the corporate tax code and bring that money home. >> how do you feel when you go before congress and they say, you're a tax avoider? >> what i told them and what i'll tell you and the folks watching tonight is, we pay more

taxes in this country than anyone. >> they know that and you should because of how much money you make. >> well, i don't deny that. we happily pay it. >> you probably also have more money overseas. >> we do. i said before, two-thirds of our business is over there. >> why don't you bring that home, is the question? >> why don't you bring it home? >> it would cost me 40% to bring it home and i don't think it's a reasonable thing to do. this is a tax code, charlie, that was made for the industrial age, not the digital age. it's backward. it's awful for america. it should have been fixed many years ago. it's past time to get it done. >> but here is what they concluded, apple is engaged in a sophisticated scheme to pay little or no corporate taxes on 74 billion in revenues held overseas. >> that is total political crap. there's no truth behind it. apple pays every tax dollar we owe. >> reporter: tim cook has spent

much of the last decade expanding apple's reach around the world nowhere more than in china. >> thank you. in october, cook made his ninth trip there since becoming ceo four years ago -- >> i am as certain as i can be of that. >> the numbers simply tell us that. >> the numbers tell us that, but not just the number of people, but the numbers of people moving into the middle class, that for a consumer company is the thing that really begins to grow the market in a big way. >> reporter: and most americans would be surprised to know that nearly all apple products are manufactured by one million chinese workers in the factories of apple contractors, including

its largest fox con. yet tim cook insist that china's vast and labor force is not the primary reason for manufacturing there. >> if it's not wages, what is it? >> it's skill. >> reporter: skill? >> they have more skills than american works? >> no. >> let me be clear is, china put an enormous focus on manufacturing in what we would call, you and i would call vocational kind of skills. the u.s., over time, began to stop having as many vocational kind of skills. you can take every tool maker in the united states and put them in every room we're sitting in room. in china you'll have multiple football fields because it's a focus of their educational system. so that is the reality. >> reporter: manufacturing in china has brought serious labor concerns to apple about low wages, long hours, and unsafe

conditions. after series of suicides at fox con in 2010, a company installed safety nets outside its employees' dormitoriedormitorie >> reporter: do you have a responsibility to look at the labor conditions and make sure whatever might be for people to commit suicide is eradicated? >> the answer to your question is, yes. we have a responsibility and we do it. we are constantly auditing our supply chain, making sure that safety standards are, you know, the highest, working conditions are the highest. all of the things that you would expect us to look for and more, we're doing it. >> reporter: according to it's most recent internal review apple has limited the work week to 60 hours, raised pay and cracked down on child labor. but 30% of the facilities that make its products around the world still do not meet apple's

own safety standards. >> we believe that a company that has values and acts on them, can really change the world. >> reporter: since taking over apple, tim cook has broadened his company's mission beyond making products. they have invested millions to power data centers. cook has become a strong advocate for human rights. his motives are personal. he grew up in segregation and last year he made a bold public announcement that he is gay. >> no other ceo of fortune 500 company that might be gay has come out. >> reporter: you said it was god's greatest gift to you. when you're in a minority group, pit gives you a sense of em pat of what it's like to be in the minority and you begin to look at things from different point

of views and i think it was a gift for me. >> reporter: why didn't you come out earlier? >> honestly, i value my privacy. i'm a very private person. but it became increasingly clear to me that if i said something, that it could help other people. and i'm glad because i think that some kid somewhere, some kid in alabama, i think if they, just for a moment, stop and say, if it didn't limit him, it may not limit me, or this kid that's getting bullied or this kid -- worse, i've gotten notes from people contemplating suicide. so if i could touch just one of those, it's worth it. and i couldn't look myself in the mirror without doing it. >> reporter: before we finished

reporting our story, cook wanted to show us one more thing, as steve jobs use to say, a glimpse of apple's future, so we packed into four by fours and with cameras, drones and technicians supplied by gulf prowe aasinded this giant mound of dirt. it is the company's biggest project ever. >> this is like a small city. >> it is. it's about 3,500 people working here right now and this is what people are commonly calling the spaceship. >> reporter: yes. >> we're going to have about 13,000 people that are working in this circle and it's going to be a center for invasion for generations to come. >> reporter: some have said it's a $5 billion project. >> it's a lot. it's a lot. it's somewhere near there. >> reporter: i knew 5 billion is a lot. >> we think it's important to have a place that inspires you.

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>> nasa says it is scrubbing the plan to launch next march of the inside spacecraft that was supposed to be bound for mars. the earth and mars won't be lined up for another launch for two years, meanwhile they weren't drinking champagne over

at space x, the private company managed to launch a rocket into orbit and bring it back to earth for picture perfect reports. >> you might call it a high cost move. getting the rocket back to earth means that space x can use it again, saving the company millions of dollars. the successful launch of the new falcon 9 rocket was the first obstacle for space x to over come. >> space x has cleared a resume space station cargo deliverly flight which has been on hold since the spectacular failure last june. >> that ill fated mission wasn't the company's only failure, two previous landing attempts ended in disaster include this one

back in april. he tweeted this photo of the launch and reentry space trails with the caption "there and back again" jeff basos founder of amazon and founder of blue region responded with this tweet adding "welcome to the club" and liftoff. >> amazon founder successfully recovered the rocket used to launch one of his spacecraft earlier this fall, but that rocket was going to be much less extreme in terms of velocity and altitude. >> but to be successful, space x needs to be profitable, which includes being able to reuse those $60 million rockets. >> pulling off this landing was a major achievement, perhaps a historic achievement it could be the first for dramatically lowering cost. >> this rocket is the tester. it will be studied and inspected

to see how it weathered the launch and landing. space x hopes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> if you are the type who waits till the last minute to do your holiday shopping, amazon.com has something for you this season. amazon prime customers can order their holiday essentials and get them delivered to their door in just two hours. i paid a visit to one of amazon's fulfillment centers to see how they conjure up this christmas time magic. holiday shoppers on 34th street dart in and out of retail stores to bring some of the seasons joy to your door. using the prime, last minute shoppers can choose over 4,000 hours, amazon guarantees deliver gifts and electronics until christmas eve until the clock strikes midnight.

we're talking about one hour, two hour delivery, how does this change the competition? >> it changes the game being able to get stuff delivered for you in an hour. it's also changing the game for our company too, we're adding more shopping days. >> reporter: the centers now available in more than 20 cities including places like san francisco, houston, miami and atlanta are purposely centrally located. >> it's no way we can get them in an hour. >> as soon as the order arrives it's processed, bagged and handed off to a delivery associate. amazon prime customers willing to shell out 8 bucks to have their order in an hour. for those willing to wait two hours, their service is free. here in new york deliveries are done by subway, bike or on foot. shannon says the prime now app marks amazon's latest attempt to gain the upper hand on the competition's attention. >> it's like amazon is one to

two steps ahead. >> you call prokrast nay tor's dream. >> we don't judge. >> sylvester will work from 6:00 a.m. to midnight on christmas eve despite his family's wishes. >> i told them i will do work and i will get off when i can and see them when i get home. >> rushing to get it there on time. >> on any given window, you can do maybe four, five deliveries. >> well, not at all. that's the traditionally holiday colors cooperate with the holiday cheer. >> and in case you're wondering what if i wonder something it's sold out, amazon insist that can't happen. they say the quick delivery app only shows merchandise that's in stock and ready to go. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday, for some of you the news continues, for others check back with us a little later for the morning news and cbs morning of the

broadcast city -- captioning funded by cbs it's wednesday, december 23rd, 2015. this is the "cbs morning news." a campaign trail clash. hillary clinton responds to the latest round of insults thrown her way by gop front-runner donald trump. weather worries, as the number of travelers heading out for the holidays hits a record. and mysterious lights illuminate the western skies. star gazers grab their cameras to record a fireball streaking along the horizon. so what was it? good morning from the studio