pm. the weekend news is next and news updates are always on our website. we will see you at 6 pm. ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> ninan: racing to the finish line. with a tax o reement in place, congressional republicans promise historic votes next week. what's inside the 500-page bill? and what hurdles lie ahead? also tonight, hollywood's new commission to fight sexual harassment. it's being run by anita hill, the law professor who once accused supreme court justice clarence thomas. the third-largest wildfire in california history triggers new evacuation orders along the coast. the former reality tv star challenging putin for his job. from the stores to the internet, retailers are seeing a surge in holiday spending. >> you like that one? >> yeah!

>> ninan: and a christmas tree tradition rooted in kindness. >> and is that going to help you have a better christmas? >> yes, definitely. this is the "cbs weekend news." >> ninan: good evening. i'm reena ninan. congressional republicans are on the verge of delivering item number one on president trump's holiday wish list: an overhaul of the tax system. they're expected to vote early week. mr. trump is spending the weekend at camp david, the presidential retreat in maryland. errol barnett has more on what's inside the 500-page bill. >> this is going to be one of the great christmas gifts to middle-income people. >> reporter: on his way to camp david, president trump sold the tax reform bill as a benefit for the middle class. but the bill slashes the corporate tax rate permanently from 35% to 21%. most of the personal tax cuts expire in 2025. >> reporter: why are the middle- class tax cuts temporary?

>> whichever the administration is, in years from now, they'll make it, and maybe can even make it more generous. >> reporter: the bill nearly doubles the standard deduction for individuals and married couples. state and local taxes can still be written off but are now capped at $10,000. and it delivers on another g.o.p. promise: eliminating the obamacare mandate penalty tax. >> i wasn't going to vote for a bill that ignored working people. >> reporter: florida's republican senator marco rubio only backed the bill after securing an increase in the refundable portion of its child tax credit, now up to $1,400. fellow holdout, bob corker, is also supporting the bill, saying it is "far from perfect," but an "opportunity to make u.s. businesses more competitive." democrats, without enough votes to stop the legislation, insist it won't benefit the middle class. >> in every iteration, the g.o.p. tax scam becomes even more cowardly, outrageous, dishonest, brazen theft from

middle-class families. >> reporter: g.o.p. congressman kevin brady says that's not true. >> i know everyone's lives will be better off under tax reform. because of the tax relief families get, because of the higher paychecks, because we have a stronger economy. >> reporter: yesterday, president trump called senator john mccain's wife, cindy. the arizona republican remains hospitalized due to his cancer treatment. mccain's office expect himself to return to congress soon, understanding president trump needs every republican vote he can get. reena. >> ninan: errol barnett. thank you very much, errol. well, the third-largest wildfire in california's modern history triggered new evacuations today northwest of los angeles. the so-called thomas fire has already burned more than 400 square miles and more than 700 homes in ventura and santa barbara counties. it's now threatening the coastal community that's home to oprah winfrey, ellen degeneres, and other celebrities. the evacuation zone is about 17

miles long and five miles wide. it stretches from the mountains to the pacific. well, on the last weekend of autumn, snow is falling in the usual places. this was the scene overnight in erie, pennsylvania, between friday and today. they got about a foot of snow. they've had about 30 inches so far this month alone. some of hollywood's most- powerful executives are funding a new commission to fight sexual harassment. as carter evans reports, they've appointed a well-known figure to run the commission. >> reporter: some of the biggest influencers in the entertainment industry are joining forces to combat sexual misconduct in hollywood by forming the commission on sexual harassment and advancing equality in the workplace. >> this was the big unveiling. >> reporter: matt belloni, editorial director of "the hollywood reporter," says the commission grew from a meeting called by "star wars" producer kathleen kennedy. >> kathleen kennedy is a major figure within the walt disney company, and i think that was key to getting some of these big c.e.o.s on board.

>> reporter: the long list of supporters includes top executives at paramount, cbs, disney, netflix, amazon, and many others, as well as the leaders of high-powered talent agencies. and it will be chaired by anita hill. >> i never believed 1991 was the end. >> reporter: hill became a national figure when she accused then-supreme court nominee clarence thomas of sexual harassment. she recently spoke at an event supporting the #metoo movement. >> everybody who has participated in this movement will somehow step up and make it where we should have been 26 years ago. >> reporter: the commission's formation follows a cascade of sexual harassment allegations in hollywood, that began with accusations from dozens of women haainst movie mogul harvey weinstein. >> this is, by far, the most aggressive step we have seen. this is the one they are going to put forth as a code of conduct for the industry to help combat this issue. >> reporter: is it enough that

the commission can be held accountable, do you think? >> i think the accountability question is the key question here, because it's all talk until there are actual consequences for this behavior. >> reporter: members of the new commission told us they aren't doing interviews yet, but, reena, they plan to reconvene early next year, and say more announcements are coming soon. >> ninan: we look forward to hearing more. thank you so much, carter. well, nine days before christmas, retailers say that they've seen a surge in holiday spending this year. here's roxana saberi. >> reporter: as the countdown to christmas continues, shoppers are feeling generous. >> you always find the latest and greatest whatever it is, and you always want to get it. >> reporter: she's not alone. americans are spending more this holiday season. the commerce department says retail sales jumped more than 6% this november over last november. that's the largest yearly increase since 2011. >> toys, electronics, appliances, home furnishings, and home repair items are really

the big sellers, where you're seeing, like, 8%, or 10% increases over last year. >> reporter: charisse jones covers business and the economy for "usa today." why are people spending more? >> i think people are feeling a lot more confident about the economy. right, wages have gone up a little bit. unemployment is very low. the stock market is surging. so they're feeling a little bit more positive. and that's giving them a little bit more energy to pull out their wallet, to pull out their credit card and actually make purchases. >> reporter: they're also pulling out their smartphones and laptops to order online. e-commerce sales are exploding. they're up about 10% over last year, though most sales still take place in brick-and-mortar stores. with this surge in sales and online orders, retailers like li-lac chocolate in brooklyn say they're counting on shipping services to deliver gift on time. co-owner anthony cirone. >> when they're late, it's a real issue, as you can imagine. >> reporter: u.p.s., fedex, and

d.h.l. have said they're hiring thousands of temporary workers to deliver orders in time for christmas. but many shoppers here at this holiday market here in new york told us they're not waiting until the last minute to buy gifts for their loved ones. and, reena, that may be a good idea. some popular toys and kitchen appliances are already selling out. >> ninan: some of us have a lot of work to do, roxana, thank you so much. well, as the economy improves, there are still serious concerns about the nation's health care system. tonight, john blackstone shows us how the debate is playing out in rural california. >> reporter: california's far northeast corner is different than much of the rest of the state. there are no crowds here, no busy freeways. pine trees instead of palm trees. and when it comes to politics, this is republican california, a place where many consider obamacare a dirty word. >> so we don't like it here in northern california. we're-- >> my opinion, anyway, our opinion. >> reporter: matthew adkins, who drives a logging truck, bought health insurance as the affordable care act requires.

>> that's cost me roughly $7,000 in two years. and you know how many times i've been to the doctor in the last two and a half to three years? once. one time. >> reporter: but just a couple of blocks away at the only medical clinic in the small town of burney, there's a much different view of the affordable care act. this clinic is courtesy of the affordable care act? >> this clinic is courtesy of the affordable care act. >> reporter: dave jones is c.e.o. of mountain valleys health centers, a nonprofit that runs six rural clinics covering 6,000 square miles. >> the affordable care act has really changed our uninsured rate from about 20% down to 5% of our patients. the a.c.a. on an annual basis has brought in a significant amount. >> reporter: that has helped mountain valleys build one new clinic and improve others. >> yeah, this is a dental clinic. we just opened this up in january. >> reporter: norma coutney gained health coverage under

obamacare's expansion of medicaid, which she calls a lifesaver. >> because i have diabetes and i just have a few things going on. >> reporter: what do you think about obamacare? >> i don't know about that, you know. i hear bad things. >> one of the patients said, you know, i hate obamacare, but i like the a.c.a. fine. >> reporter: people can like the affordable care act but hate obamacare. >> hate obamacare, yeah. >> reporter: dave jones says whether or not patients are insured, they will continue to be cared for, but he reminds them if obamacare goes away, so, too, will the affordable care act. john blackstone, cbs news, burney, california. >> ninan: they're two fathers bonded in grief. five years ago this past thursday, mark barden's son daniel was murdered in the sandy hook massacre. exactly 20 years earlier, greg gibson's son, galen, was killed in a school shooting in massachusetts. both men are now work to prevent such tragedies. they sat down for an emotional and compelling interview with jim axelrod. >> my thoughts are constantly,

in these days of 2012, of, you know, what was to be, you know, the last few days with my son daniel. and so, yeah, i have very vivid and clear memories of what we were doing and where we were at certain times of the day on december 10 and december 12 and december... and so it's-- it's been a-- an unusually challenging time. >> reporter: it must be a divided state-- that you just want to be with your pain, because that's what you're feeling. at the same time, you don't want to remain captive to that for the rest of your life. is that-- >> it's very complicated stuff. i mean, consider the fact when galen died or when daniel died, our lives, as they were, also died. so not only are we grieving for daniel and galen, and feeling the pain of our family. we're grieving the loss of our own lives. our lives now start over. our lives are new. >> reporter: i don't know, but i can imagine to some degree what

you're dealing with emotionally. when a mass shooting hits, now, in 2017, do you respond intellectually as advocates, or do you have a visceral, emotional reaction first? >> oh, i-- total visceral emotional... i know what these people are going to be going through now. and then i feel defeated. you know, i feel like i-- i-- i just give every fiber of my being to prevent this from happening again, and it happens again. and so it's hard to not feel defeated. i have to temper it with, the work that i'm doing is all the more important. >> and i'm angry that my friend mark even has to feel defeated. he should never have to feel, that-- never, ever. 30,000 gun deaths a year, 100,000 wounded. each of whom has 10 or 20 loved ones who are profoundly affected by this. >> reporter: right.

>> you know, my grandson is all about zombie apocalypse. when does the survivor apocalypse take place? because if this keeps going, we're going to be the majority. is that what it's going to take, really? are things that bad? well, we've got a lot of work to do. >> ninan: their two sons, daniel and galen, killed 20 years apart, also share a birthday, september 27. more than 50,000 volunteers turned out to lay wreaths at arlington national cemetery. it's across the river from washington. wreaths were placed at the grave sites of more than 245,000 service members. the nonprofit wreaths across america does this every year, not just at arlington, but at more than 1,500 cemeteries across the country. coming up next, the seven words the trump administration has reportedly banned at the c.d.c. and later, one couple's holiday tradition, giving fully decorated christmas trees to people in need.

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>> ninan: now, the "cbs weekend news" feed. the trump administration has reportedly banned the centers for disease control from using seven words and phrases on upcoming budget documents. "the washington post" reports c.d.c. officials issued the forbidden lists to policy analysts this week. it includes: in france today, a perfectly preserved wooly mammoth skeleton went up for auction. mammoths are the largest land mammal known to man. the skeleton, at least 12,000 years old, stands about 12 feet tall and 17 feet long. it was discovered ten years ago in the permafrost of siberia. it sold for about $645,000. and the force was strong aboard the navy's newest aircraft carrier, the u.s.s. "gerald ford."

crew members were treated to a surprise opening night screening of "star wars: the last jedi." an encrypted disk of the movie was flown out to the "ford" off the virginia coast. well, still ahead, challenging putin. the former model and reality tv star running for president of russia.

>> ninan: a reality tv star turned politician is taking on the establishment in russia. ksenia sobchak is the first

female candidate to announce that she's running for president against vladimir putin. elizabeth palmer was in moscow this week as sobchak confronted putin face to face. >> reporter: at his annual press conference, president vladimir putin may have been center stage, but it was ksenia sobchak who stole the show. "are you," she asked him, "afraid of honest competition in the presidential race?" it was a pointed question from a controversial woman. here's that same ksenia sobchak just a few years ago, famous then as a socialite, a reality tv star, and a "playboy" model. why did you decide to run for president? >> in order to change the situation in russia because no one else stood up. so maybe that's the high time i should do that. >> reporter: when sobchak arrived to speak at a student rally recently, she was mobbed.

her campaign is getting a lot of attention. but does she really expect to win? >> no way putin will let anyone take away his power, even if all the people of russia would vote for me. >> reporter: so you are literally a protest candidate. >> yes. >> reporter: do you think that mr. putin is a dictator? >> yes, of course. >> reporter: brave words. but this is russia, where people are suspicious of everyone. many voters think sobchak could be a kremlin plant, simply brought in to spice up the race. >> i will never vote for ksenia sobchak, because she's a daughter of putin's friend, and i think she's a part of putin's system. >> reporter: her u.s.-based strategist, vitaly shkliarov, used to work for bernie sanders, and he's now working to set up an american-style, online campaign for sobchak. >> we want to try to show that here is a lot of problems,

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.>> ninan: we end tonight in colorado springs, where one spontaneous act of kindness years ago gave root to a growing holiday tradition. barry petersen now, on the magic of the christmas tree project. ♪ oh, you better watch out you better not cry >> reporter: moms, dads, and kids wind up on a cold colorado morning with something to warm their holiday-- a free christmas tree. for most, this would be the only way to have a tree. six-year-old daniel and his four-year-old brother, michael, had plenty of opinions. >> this! >> reporter: you want that one? the trees were donated. each family got one, and then a volunteer helper, called an elf, took them upstairs into a christmas wonderland with everything needed to turn a tree into a home's christmas centerpiece.

>> hi, merry christmas! how is everybody doing? >> reporter: all organized by david and michelle fein, and all started with a one-line ad on craigslist eight christmases ago. >> we bought a new christmas tree and bought a one-line ad on craigslist that said, "free christmas tree to a family with children," and we got 20 responses in an hour. >> reporter: one of the first to respond to that ad was felice liquori. she heads up a nonprofit that houses children and teens in the foster system. >> david has provided rocky mountain kids christmas trees since 2010. i just need to call david, "we need a tree." bam, he's got me a tree. >> reporter: amazingly, all of this will be gone by christmas. that's a lot of smiles on the faces of a lot of kids. >> you like that one? >> yeah! >> reporter: michael and daniel, sister heaven, mom amanda, and dad, richard, took their time. there was, in fact, a lot to choose from.

>> i saw an ad for this free christmas tree organization. i signed up for it, for the kids. >> reporter: and is that going to help you have a better christmas? >> yes, definitely. >> give me a hug! >> reporter: the feins estimate they've given away more than 2,000 trees over the years. there seems to be a sense that you created of dignity. it's a gift. it's not a handout. >> i want them to feel an experience of being cared about and really seen as a person, a valuable person, and not just another person who wants something for nothing. >> reporter: for amanda and richard and the family, thanks to the kindness of strangers, it really was beginning to look a lot like christmas. >> perfect! >> reporter: barry petersen, cbs news, colorado springs. >> ninan: and this holiday season, they received over 2,300 requests for trees. and that's the "cbs weekend news" for this saturday.

later on cbs, "48 hours." i'm reena ninan in new york. thank you for joining us. good night. strong gusts -- toppling trees and power lines.. sinking boats in the bay.. and driving up the fire danger all over. wild winds across the bay area . and starting of the fire danger all over. jackie ward in berkeley where tree came down on someone's car.>> reporter: we started in clayton and made her way toward antioch and ended up here where the tree was uprooted and crashed. no matter where you went in the east bay, it was wind swept. here we are a week until christmas day. we are still in fire season.

cal fire battalion chief says the season is unprecedented. >> all fire stations are open and staffed. something you would never see in the bay area in the middle of december. this is my 28th season.>> reporter: cal fire normally staffs 15 trucks and for through the winter. now, they are back up to 15 units. at one point, 11 are in southern california battling the thomas fire. >> our forces are tired. this is what we sign up for. fire season started in march. we are still going strong.>> reporter: we went to antioch and the wind was so powerful, it brought down this giant cedar. james was watching football when he saw the tree move. it was enough to shift and left the cement around the base. james did not hear or feel a thing.>> no noise and no movement. i just saw the tree move. a came up off the foundation of the