crowds.. as people retur now at noon, christmas may be over but bay area retailers are banking on some big crowds as people return and exchange unwanted gifts today. good afternoon, i'm kenny choi. michelle has the day off. today is expected to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year for returns. ann makovec explains that

shoppers aren't only returning gift, they're looking for door- busting deals >> reporter: shoppers are out getting what they really want id and getting rid of what they don't want. returns are a necessary evil when the package you received wasn't quite right. >> everything i wanted, but it's too big. >> reporter: a survey from the national retail federation estimates almost two-thirds of people made at least one return during this past holiday season. return policies vary dramatically from no questions asked to strict rules which can aggravate the most seasoned shoppers. consumer reports senior editor donna rosatto has more. >> don't open the box. some stores will charge you a return fee if you don't return it in original packaging. >> reporter: if you're returning at a store, bring your i.d. and keep an eye on the calendar.

>> some retailers have very limited times that you can return. for example, most major stores will only allow you 90 days to return an item. but some as little as 30 days or even 15 days. >> i'm trying to stay out of the stores, you know, today. >> reporter: it wasn't the returns that got this shopper in the door, it's the post- holiday deals. >> they got a sale buy two get one free so that's perfect. you get three games for the price of one. >> reporter: stores are looking to get rid of their end of the year inventory, many of them 50% off. >> it's estimated that americans will return nearly $90 billion worth of gifts this holiday season. all right, turning to our fire watch, crews in southern california are making significant progress on the thomas fire as it enters its fourth week. the fire is now the largest in state history. but here's some good news. it did not grow overnight. it has burned 281,000 acres since december 4th, more than 700 homes have been destroyed.

containment is now at 88% and with low winds in the forecast, efforts could be wrapped up by next week. a nec ropsy is being performed on a whale washed up on the beach. it washed up on the shore of north beach on christmas eve. biologists say it's a 30-foot long hump back whale. a pedestrian was killed after being struck by a car on the freeway in berkeley around 1:30 this morning on eastbound interstate 880. investigators say the person was walking in the right lane when he or she was hit. the driver shopped to call police but it's not clear why the pedestrian was on the freeway. the chp is working on funeral arrangements for an officer killed in a crash. officer andrew camilleri died when a car struck his vehicle

on the side of the road. the suspect, a 22-year-old heyward man is also hurt. his name is not been released. camilleri leaves behind a wife and three children. president trump is back at work today as his mar a lago resort getting to work on 2018. moly lenghi is at the white house with a look at the president's agenda. >> reporter: the white house hopes their recent tax reform victory will spur momentum for the president's 2018 agenda, an agenda he accepted he hopes to pursue with bipartisan support. president trump sent out a christmas night tweet saying it would be back to work today to make america great again. first item on the agenda a round of golf at his florida club. the white house said the president will be focusing on his 2018 agenda during his time at mar a lago. >> i'll be working very hard during that christmas because we have many things we're

talking about, including north korea, including a lot of things happening in the middle east. >> reporter: in addition to national security, the president's 2018 agenda includes a trillion dollar infrastructure bill to repair america's roads and bridges and revisit of health care. president trump pushed congress to include the repeal of the individual mandate as part of the tax reform bill. >> this is a requirement that people buy insurance that they don't want and don't need and that was one of the pillars of obamacare and we've gotten rid of that. >> reporter: the president tweeted because of the individual mandate repeal, democrats and republicans will eventually come together and develop a great new health care plan. also on the agenda, throwing a party. president trump ended his first year in office without hosting a foreign leader for a state visit. the last president to do that is calvin coolidge.

kenny, back to you. >> mola lieningy with the latest. press secretary sarah sanders said there's no reason that the president hasn't extended an invitation yet. today the southern california man who left gift wrapped boxes of horse manure for treasury secretary steve mnuchin is speaking out. robby strong said over the weekend he left the boxes of manure in front of two homes listed as belonging to mnuchin. strong said he came up with the idea while drinking with friends and paraphrased what he wrote on the card. >> we the american people are returning the gift of the christmas tax bill because it's complete and utter horse [ bleep ] >> so far, strong is not facing any charges and it does not appear that the treasury secretary was at either home at the time of the delivery. back in the bay area, if you ride bart, you'll notice

big changes starting in the new year. fare sheets could be slapped with a fine of $ -- and get ready to pay more. fares are going up 3% but you can save money by using a clipper card. bart will charge an extra 50 cents for riders that purchase paper tickets. a new state law intended to cut down on drunk driving takes effect next week. businesses that make or sell liquor will be allowed to offer free or discounted rides to those who drink. the idea is to prevent truck drivers from getting behind the -- drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel. >> it became apparent to me for example during the super bowl back in santa clara county, which this occurred and we want to ensure the public safety. >> alcohol watchdog groups said it could encourage overconsumption or how people to go some place else to get more alcohol.

41 states currently have similar laws. coming up, an alarming new investigation reveals deficiencies in the way the fda handles food recalls. >> plus the royal photo of a princess-to-be that's going viral and the mom captured the perfect picture on her eye phone. >> it is picture perfect outside, taking a live look at the trans america tower right now, you can see a little bit of haze but other than that, it's nice and beautiful. i'll tell you what your high temperatures are not only for today but the -- temperatures are not only for today but the rest of the week coming up.

show you of a plane.. moments after it slid off an icy taxi

way at boston's logan airport. new video to show you of a plane moments after it slid off an icy taxi way at boston's logan airport. the jet blue flight skidded yesterday when it hit a patch of ice. firefighters had to help some passengers down a staircase. they were later bussed to the terminal. no one was hurt. the snowstorm prompted the airport to briefly close its runways. an investigation has yielded troubling results concerning the way the food and drug administration handles recalls. anna warner reports it found some recalled foods aren't immediately pulled from shore shelves leaving you at risk. >> i think any time you have a situation where people's lives are at risk, i don't know how lightly you can take that. >> reporter: investigator george netteren's team studied 1500 food recalls and found deficiencies.

among them, the fda could not always in addition nate food recalls sufficiently. >> 23 of the 30 food recalls we looked at were class 1, which can potentially cause death. >> reporter: in a salmonella outbreak in 2014, linked to nut butter, investigators found it took 165 days from the date the problem product was identified to the date of the firm's voluntary recall. there were 14 illnesses in seven states. at least nine people became ill, including an infant who died and two pregnant women lost their fetuses. the company owner later pleaded guilty. >> we have to be prepared for the worst case scenario and that's why it's important for fda to drive the boat and put themselves in a position where they can use their authority and force these recalls when

necessary. >> reporter: in another case, a class 1 recall of an adulterated dietary supplement when, the fda and the firm couldn't agree on a recall, they waited 330 days. >> three places for that one recall, that stuff was still in the shelf, 303 days later. that meant people could have been buying it up to 303 days. >> reporter: this product potentially jeopardized lives and they left it on the shelf for almost a year? >> it that would be correct. >> reporter: the inspector general's office issued an alert on their findings in 2016. for this report, fda also said the 30 cases selected were extreme outliars and claimed in the highest risk recalls, recall initiation took place in

less than three days. in a statement to cbs news, fda commissioner said the agency has worked quickly to put in place measures to address the proposals the oig outlined and though he said a lot has changed since then, i know much work remains to be done if we're going to provide the highest assurance of safety. >> every day that a recall is not initiated, every single day that goes by, a person could potentially get seriously ill or die from eating the product. >> reporter: on background fda officials say they know there are things to work on here and that statement that the commission said the agency will launch new measures this coming year, not only in regard to the recall process itself but ways to get more information out to the public more quickly. anna warner, cbs news, new york. taking a look at how the financial markets are doing on wall street, the dow is down a little bit. it's down about 19 points.

when prince harry's fiancee meghan markle went to her first christmas at the -- but it was at member of the public that got the best shot. >> reporter: every photographer was struggling to get the perfect shot. only one did and she's an amateur. >> it was just a really lucky shot that captured the moment that i was really grate, it's perfect. >> reporter: karen murdoch captured this remarkable frame on her iphone and posted it to twitter where it got 13,000 likes. the previous record was just five. >> bonkers, isn't it? what do you think? >> it's a bit crazy. >> reporter: her tip to get the royals to smile, she and her daughter screamed and shouted at them.

>> we were saying, hi there! to be honest, we were a bit embarrassing. >> reporter: karen's photograph has made the front page of almost every major newspaper in the uk, . if you get a call from kensington palace and meghan markle said i love the photo can i have a copy for my shelf, would you give it to her for free? >> i would freak out. i would be absolutely delighted. >> reporter: with prince harry and meghan's wedding a few months away, karen may get a chance to show off her skills. we're not going to need heavy coats like in the photo because it is warm out there. taking a look from the trans america pyramid out there, it is beautiful. just a little bit hazy. in san francisco, your temperature right now is 54

degrees, a little warmer. same thing in concord, santa rosa and the north bay, 54. you've been the chilliest all day. the high pressure system that's sitting right here, that's what's keeping everything dry and as a result of that, all of these winds are coming off of the coast. there might be some onshore winds over the next couple of days, as well as high clouds you can see right along here over the next couple of days. not going to ruin your lovely sunshine. taking a look at our futurecast, starting today, you can see these clouds off the coast right here. watch moving into the afternoon hours. they just kind of skirt the coastline, moving into the afternoon and evening hours and then going into tomorrow, a similar thing, just a few clouds along the coast, maybe some high clouds especially in the north bay. so your headlines for today, some sun and some clouds. it will be seasonable as far as temperatures are concerned because of the high pressure system that's sitting off of the coast. there are areas of low clouds that may move in overnight and it's important to note, it is a

spare-the-air day so while temperatures may be chillier than you like, you have to keep the fireplace quiet now. taking a look at our air quality forecast for those you that are sensitive, north bay and santa clara areas, just be careful. your high temperatures are going to be in the low 60s. 64 degrees in morgan hill. in the inland areas, 63 degrees in brentwood, antioch a little cooler, closer to the water, 59. 64 degrees in pleasanton and livermore. around the bay, your temperatures will be mostly in the high 50s, 59 degrees in kent field, 58 degrees in san francisco, 56 in bodega bay. you might hit 60 if you're in ukiah. sunset tonight, 4:57. sunrise tomorrow, will be at 7:24. our days are slowly starting to get a little bit longerer day by day so today, we have that mix of sun and clouds but

mostly it's going to be sunny and nice and pretty much going to be that way for the rest of the week. moving towards the end of the week, you can see the temperatures are popping up by a couple of degrees, though it will still be clear and beautiful. this weekend, it will be clear and beautiful, though it will be a couple of degrees cooler. not by a whole lot, though. for those of you who are planning to go out on new year's eve and celebrate, it will be clear so you'll be able to see the fireworks new year's eve and we might have a couple of clouds moving in for the first year but we're going to say good-bye to 2017 with sunny, beautiful skies. >> no one is explaining. coming up, an iconic white house tree on the chopping block. why the first lady said the historic magnolia must be cut down. forget the "selfie-stick".. there's a new *self-flying drone that promises to t

shot of you. all right, forget the selfie stick. there's a new self-flying drone that promises to take the perfect shot of you. it's called the hover camera passport phone. it follows your every move on its own using face decks -- face detection technology to follow you.

the price tag? $350. the large magnolia dates back to the presidency of andrew jackson nearly 200 years ago. it's said he planted it on the south lawn to remember his late wife. experts say the tree is too damaged to remain standing so first lady melania trump made the decision to have it removed. people in union city can get rid of their christmas trees tree of charge. tri-ced community recycling will pick up the trees until the end of january. and a reminder, if you have a consumer problem or question, e- mail us @consumerwatch at cbssf.com or call the hot line. the number is 888-5-helpshelps- you. we'll be right back. you could save energy by

weaving your own shoes... out of flax. or simply adjust your thermostat. do your thing, with energy upgrade california.

selection and storage is very important. when you buy it. make sure it's nice and green like these, very firm like apples and throw them in the refrigerator not on the counter. granny smith apples. i love when i bite into them, i

get a bit of the tart, beautiful sweet. i'm tony tantillo. always remember to eat fresh. it's all fun and games until excessive video gaming gets classified as a mental health condition. the new warning coming up at 5. >> i have never been a big video game person because i'm looking for the first book. >> good choice. have a great day, everyone.

♪ ♪ ♪ [ telephone beeps ] >> dr. campbell: yes? of course. steffy, good morning. >> steffy: i hope so, dr. campbell. >> dr. campbell: well, i just checked before my last patient, and your results aren't in yet. >> steffy: but you do expect them today? >> dr. campbell: yes. how was your holiday? >> steffy: i'm sure you can imagine. >> dam