york city. i'm don dahler. captioning funded by cbs it's wednesday, december 20th, 2017. this is the "cbs morning news." the tax cuts and jobs act is passed. >> republican senators get through their tax overhaul measure overnight, and it's expected to head to the president's desk today. a tour bus crash in mexico leaves at least 12 people dead. and frozen in time. a woman gives birth to a child that puts the newborn in the record books. good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news

headquarters here in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. early this morning the senate passed the first major rewrite of u.s. tax laws in over 30 years. the senate vote came hours after the bill was passed by the house. the house has to vote again this morning because of some procedural violations. president trump is expected to sign the measure later today. for mr. trump and gop lawmakers it is a long sought legislative victory. hena doba is here in new york. good morning, hena. >> good morning, anne-marie. the $1.5 trillion bill is a sweeping overhaul for taxes in the united states. it will provide deep cuts for the wealthy and modest cuts for middle and low income families, pushing the national debt even higher. >> the tax cuts and job act is passed. >> the senate gave the nod overnight in a vote along party

lines. moments later president trump tweeted in part, the united states senate just passed the biggest in history tax cut and reform bill. >> we now add comprehensive tax reform, major middle class tax relief, and making our businesses both large and small more competitive around the world. >> independent studies find that most taxpayers will save anywhere from $60 to $51,000 next year depending on their income. but by 2027, 53% taxpayers will pay more than before. savings for the very wealthy, though, will continue to rise. while republicans insist future congressmen will prevent those tax hikes, democrats on the senate floor argued tuesday this congress should be the ones making the choice. >> what is shown as a miracle will instead deliver a hefty windfall to the wealthy.

>> the far right architects of this tax plan are going to be coming for your social security and medicare before you tame your christmas tree down. >> the house voted to pass the bill yesterday, but afterward three changes had to be made to provisions that violate senate rules. house lawmakers plan to take up the legislation again today before sending it to the president's desk. >> and president trump in a tweet overnight applauded the senate's passage of the bill and said if the house does the same, there will be a press conference at the white house later today around 1:00 p.m. anne-marie. >> all right. hena doba here in new york. thank you, hena. ahead on "cbs this morning," speaker of the house paul ryan who has worked for years on revamping the tax code. cardinal bernard law, a central figure in the child abuse scandal that rocked the catholic church died early today. the archbishop of boston, law was one of the most important leaders in the united states.

but reports that he moved priests who had molested children from parish to parish without letting parents know forced bernard law was 86 years old. a bus crashed on a narrow two-lane road. about 20 others were injured including at least seven americans. adrienne bard of cbs news radio joins us by phone from mexico city with the details. adrienne, good morning. >> anne-marie, the bus was carrying passengers from two different royal caribbean cruise ships on an exertion to visit the ruins of mayan. they were 35 minutes into the drive the accident occurred. about 35 minutes into the drive. that's correct. about 35 minutes into the drive. ten people died at the scene and two others in a nearby hospital.

that was according to the local prosecutor's office. some of the injured and some of the dead were scattered along the road near the shattered bus. a mexican official said seven americans were among the injured but the u.s. embassy would not confirm if any u.s. citizens died. hours after the crash, some of those injured tourists were back onboard the ships at the scene while others were being treated in local hospitals. according to a reporter who was vacationing aboard one of those ships, the departure was delayed for hours. royal caribbean which had hired a local bus company for the tour called the accident heartbreaking and offered medical care and transportation for the victims. passengers were absolutely stunned as they heard word of the fatal crash. >> adrienne, we're looking at video right now. it doesn't look like the bus was entering into a curve or anything like that. do mexican authorities have any idea why this bus rolled over? >> reporter: no. at this time nothing's

confirmed. we really don't know what caused the crash. but a local policeman in mexico who was on the scene said it appeared it was due to a tire blowout, and we also don't know what happened to the drive irof the bus, anne-marie, although, the tour guide who was hired for the trip was among the dead. >> adrienne bard in mexico city. thank you so much, adrienne. now to the deadly crash of amtrak south of seattle. investigators are trying to find out if the engineer was distracted by the trainee in the locomotive. they're trying to determine why the train was traveling 50 miles an hour over the speed limit. chris martinez reports. >> reporter: the train flew off the tracks on wednesday.

the amtrak train was traveling at 80 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. >> we were able to obtain the inward and outward facing cameras. they were unfortunately significantly damaged. >> reporter: at least three people were killed and dozens were injured on the maiden voyage of this newly opened train line. drivers who saw the wreck stopped to try to help the victims. >> many were killed or pinned. >> yeah, it was pretty sobering. >> reporter: in addition to the engineer present in the locomotive cab, there was also a conductor learning the route. all of the crew was hospitalized. >> we have to keep this as a wakeup call. it's not acceptable that we're involved in these kinds of accidents. >> reporter: ntsb investigators say it appears the emergency brake kicked in automatically rather than being activated by the engineer. technology known as positive train control could have slowed or stopped train possibly preventing the crash, but it was not in use on that stretch of track. congress pushed back the mandatory implementation of ptc until the end of next year. >> railroads basically said to congress we're not going to

operate unless we get relief. you couldn't just stop america's railroads. congress caved in. >> reporter: the damaged train cars are being taken to a nearby joint base for inspection. chris martinez, cbs news, washington. the trump administration wants to hold north korea accountable for the massive cyber attack the u.s. says they received back in may. the wannacry ransom cyber attack crippled britain and affected thousands of computers around the world. some experts believe it was an attempt by cash-strapped north korea to get money. >> i think the ransom element may have been some of the guidance to obtain revenue. there's lots of things north korea is involved in in order to fund their nuclear program and other operations. >> north korea has denied it was behind the wannacry attack. a tennessee woman has given birth to a baby girl who grew

from an embryo that had been frozen for 24 years. emma was born on november 25th to benjamin and tina gibson. she weighed 6 pounds and 8 ounces. the donated embryo is believed to be the longest froze enembryo that resulted in a birth. and coming up on the "morning news" now, harvey weinstein's former assistant speaks out, how she claims s confronted him about an alleged rape. and another first in gene therapy, this time to help a rare form of blindness. this is the "cbs morning news." time to help a rare form of blindness. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪

when heartburn hits fight back fast with tums chewy bites. fast relief in every bite. crunchy outside. chewy inside. tum tum tum tum tums chewy bites. pain from a headache whcan make this...ld, ...feel like this. all-in-one cold symptom relief from tylenol®, the #1 doctor recommended pain relief brand. tylenol®. it's a better place, since you came along since you came along your touch is sunlight through the trees your kisses are the ocean breeze everything's alright when you're with me and i hold my favorite thing

i hold the love that you bring but it feels like i've opened my eyes again and the colors are golden and bright again there's a song in my heart, i feel like i belong it's a better place since you came along a wildfire that has burned 700 homes in california is now the second largest fire in state history. can 425-square-foot thomas fire near los angeles is 55% contained. decreasing winds and higher humidity have helped, but brush in the area remains very dry. officials expect the fire to grow and become the biggest in

california history. there's a breakthrough gene therapy for a type of blindness, and a former assistant to harvey weinstein makes a disturbing claim. those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. "variety" reports a former assistant to harvey weinstein broke her silence in an interview to the bbc. she says weinstein attempted to rape a miramax co-worker at a venice film festival in 1998. she confronted him about the alleged attack and he denied it. perkins later resigned and signed a nondisclosure agreement. weinstein has denied all accusations of nonconsensual sex. "usa today" says michelle williams and mark wahlberg reshot all of the kevin spacey scenes for free. >> what would it take for you to feel secure? >> more. >> spacey's scenes were reshot

following allegations of sexual misconduct against him. christopher plummer replaced him playing oil tycoon j. paul getty. they reshot 23 scenes over thanksgiving weekend at a cost of over $10 million. a recount in a virginia state house election shows the democratic candidate winning by just one vote. democrat shelly simons beat the republican incumbent 11,608 to 11,607. that throws virginia's house of delegates into a 50-50 tie. the parties would now be required to share legislative power. the ""enquirer"" reports it could restore sight to a small group of patients with a

vision-destroying genetic mutation. it is the first time gene therapy has been approved for an inherited disease. and the "idaho statesmen" reports on the dark sky reserve. it has such a clear sky interstellar dust can be seen. they designated a 1,400-squar 1,400-square-mile area be preserved from light pollution. still to come, ad blocking. google chrome users will soon get a new experience on the browser. buttery sticks with sunflower oil. there's no softening required. so baking is delicious and easy. ooh, cookies! ah, ah, ah! (laughter) ooh, cookies! and roomba from irobot gets to work using two multi-surface brushes and power-lifting suction to grab and remove everything from fine dust to large debris. daily dirt doesn't stand a chance. you and roomba from irobot. better together. pepsoriasis does that.

it was tough getting out there on stage. i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last. get a new experience on the rti, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. get a new experience on the an infection or symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. never give up. see me. see me. clear skin can last. don't hold back... ...ask your dermatologist if cosentyx can help you find clear skin that lasts.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. on the "cbs moneywatch," blocking ads on google chrome and where a major tire plant is headed. wendy gillette is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, wendy. >> good morning, anne-marie. stocks from wall street finished off with all-time highs. despite the almost approved tax rewrite, bank stocks fell as well. the dow jones industrial average lost 37 points, the s&p 500 finished 8 points lower, and the nasdaq composite shed nearly 31 points. a chinese tire maker promised to build a factory in north carolina that will eventually employ 800 workers.

they plan to build their plant about 65 miles east of raleigh, the state's capital. it's expected to produce 6 million tires a year. triangle could get up to $162 million from state and local tax breaks, worker training, and other incentives. the ad browser from google chrome will go into effect. no pop-up ads, no ads that prevent web content from being displayed until a timer runs out and no ads that cover a large portion of the website. but the ad-blocking function won't prevent an ad from tracking you. and, anne-marie, this story smacks of burger heresy, but here it is. mcdonald's plans to sell the a mcvegan burger across sweden and finland. it consists of a soy patty, bun, tomato, lettuce, pickles, onion, ketchup, mustard, oil, and an

eggless sandwich sauce. mcdonald's says it in response to more people wanting to eat plant-based foods. that's you. >> that's me. i would be totally into the mcvegan. i'll take one for the team and you can try that coffee beer. wendy gillette at the new york stock exchange. thank you so much. still ahead, beating the holidays literally. if you're stressed out by christmas, we'll show you a room where you can take out your frustrations. a room where you can take out your frustrations. right for me?treatment my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots... eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis had both and that turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness,

or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. both made eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if switching to eliquis is right for you. signature later today... how the bill will affect bay area taxpayers... one bay area congressman says the federal government is not doing enough to prevent airport mishaps after a series of close calls at s-f-o... and after a heated debate -- the city of berkeley decides whether to change its use-of- force policy to deal with violent protests. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:30. good morning. it's wednesday, december 20th.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ o hear the angels' voices

>> that's the massachusetts grocery store employee with a powerful set of pipes bringing holiday cheer to shoppers. gilly assuncao works at russo's in watertown and said he used to be a professional singer in brazil and moved to the u.s. about two years ago. maybe you don't find that very soothing. maybe the holiday music and shopping and commercials are all getting under your skin. well, you're not alone. in london people can escape to a special room to blow off some steam. gavin ramjaun has that story. >> reporter: it's beginning to look a lot like christmas here in london's busiest shopping district and many are getting swept up in the holiday spirits. others are escaping underground to relieve some stress. they're donning christmas-themed jumpsuits and taking out their aggression. they channeled their anger with the help of their most hated

christmas snoong i feel very destressed and deraged right now sfloo do you feel any better about christmas? >> no. it stopped. >> reporter: they pay $25 to venltd their frustrations. they get a baseball bat. >> the songs, the cold weather. i'm a summer guy. >> by this day, i think people are pretty sick of the christmas songs and decorations and some want to get out their stress. >> reporter: they came up with the idea to help people relax. >> we asked whether they hate christmas or love christmas. >> reporter: it was a perfect holiday treat. >> this was for people who didn't get me anything last christmas. >> reporter: the event ran for just a day, long enough for people to get that rage against the christmas machine out of their system.

gavin ramjaun, cbs news, london. >> okay. well, coming up on "cbs this morning," gayle talks with kennedy center honoree legendary tv producer norman lear. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm manne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ "it's raining men" - the weather girls ♪ ♪ hi. hi. ♪ right. in. your. stomach! watch this!... >>yikes, that ice cream was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real ice cream, without that annoying lactose. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you. if you spit blood you may have gum problems,s and could be on the journey to much worse. try parodontax toothpaste.

it's clinically proven to remove plaque, the main cause of bleeding gums. for healthy gums and strong teeth. leave bleeding gums behind

our top stories this morning. early this morning the senate passed a sweeping rewrite of the nation's tax laws. the house passed the bill earlier but has to vote again this morning because the senate made minor changes. president trump could sign it later today. and 12 people were killed when a bus carrying cruise ship passengers in southeast mexico flipped over. the bus was headed to the mayan ruins. seven americans were amongst the injured. the passengers were from two ship, the "celebrity equinox" and "serenade of the sea." and investigators are trying to determine if the engineer of that amtrak train that derailed south of seattle was distracted by a kun docketer trainee in the

locomotive. three people were killed. the train was going 50 miles per hour over the speed limit. robocalls are getting more frequent. they have now reached record levels even though 230 million phone numbers are on the do not call registry. anna werner has more. >> this is susan with credit card relief. >> reporter: they're the annoying phone calls that plague americans. >> you qualify for a 75% savings. >> reporter: robocalls, computer-generated phone calls trying to sell you something or scam you. the government says 99% of icals are illegal, and blocking service hiya said americans got 76% more robocalls than in 2016. a record 18 billion scammed calls.

regulators have talked about cracking down. why are calls going up? >> they've been very effective for legitimate businesses controlling when and how they can reach out to us. but the calls that we're still receiving are illegal in their message, so they're not hesitant to use illegal methods like robocalling. >> reporter: hucksters' favorite tactic? the neighbor scam, using software to mimic the first six digits of your phone number, area code and next three digits to make you think that a nearby friend or business is calling. another, claiming to be your utility company to get your personal and financial information. so why haven't efforts to stop the calls worked so far? >> the trouble is there's a lot of money in this. there's billions of dollars that can be made, so scammers are likely to just come up with a new tactic. it's a bit of a game of cat and mouse and we're always at an advantage. >> reporter: the fcc doesn't track calls, just complaints, but said unwanted calls are the top consumer complaint. they say they're working with phone companies to stop it, but

there's no quick fix here. you can install apps to block calls and try not to answer them. anna werner, cbs news, new york. on "cbs this morning," how can law enforcement tell if a driver is stoned while driving. we'll show you how researchers are trying to get to the bottom of that issue. plus, in one state, selling home baked goods is illegal. we'll speak with lawmaker who says he'd like for them to be some level of health inspection before they can legally sell their treats. and gayle king speaks with kennedy honoree legendary television producer norman lear. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

it's wednesday, december 20th. i'm kenny choi. all right. let's get this wednesday morning started as we take a live look at sfo. it's raining. it's wednesday, december 20th.

good morning, i'm kenny choi. >> i'm michelle griego. let's say good morning to emily and jaclyn. >> it's tough driving. >> did you have some water on the roads? >> a little bit of water on the road and then the bridges very windy. >> well, that's it. there is water on the roads. looking at the hi-def doppler, the system that moved in overnight is still here but north part of the bay is still raining there. you can see green on the radar in the south bay. if you are in the south bay getting ready to go to work, you are going to see lingering showers this morning on your way in so just be careful. take your time driving. temperatures are mild for this morning. san francisco, 48 degrees. concord 50. santa rosa 44. santa rosa by the