for this thursday. from the cbs broadcast news center in new york city, i'm demarco mo it's thursday, december 27th, 2018. this is the cbs morning news. soldiers' surprise. president trump and first lady melania take a secret trip to meet troops in iraq. his message about the military's role overseas. record-setting gains. stocks rebound on wall street causing a ripple effect on global markets. and severe weather is rolling across the midsection of the country, bringing snow and gusty winds to millions. good morning from studio 57

newsroom at cbs news headquarters in new york. i'm brook silva-braga in for ann marie green. president trump returns to washington this morning following his surprise visit to u.s. troops in iraq. it was mr. trump's first trip to a combat zone. while there, he defended his much criticized decision to pull out american soldiers from neighboring syria. the president returns home to a government that remains partially shut down because of a stalemate over funding for a border wall. tom hanson is here in new york, has been following all of this. tom, good morning. >> good morning, brook. that trip certainly caught washington off guard and president trump made it clear he wants to put an end to broad-scale u.s. involvement overseas. president trump is defending his decision to withdraw from syria. >> america shouldn't be doing the fighting for every nation on earth so we're not the suckers of the world. we're no longer the suckers, folks. >> during a surprise visit with u.s. troops in iraq yesterday,

he said other rich nations should rebuild the wartorn country. >> our presence in syria was not open-ended and was never intended to be permanent. >> the commander in chief had been giving the military six-month extensions in syria, but he rejected the last request. >> recently, could we have more time? i said, known, you can't have any more time. you've got enough time. we've knocked them out. we've knocked them silly. >> the president has come under fire for not making this trip sooner. but during the three-hour visit, mr. trump and first lady melania received a warm reception from the troops. [ cheers and applause ] they signed autographs and posed for selfies at the air base 100 miles west of baghdad. the trumps also made a second stop to ramstein air base in germany on their way back to d.c. back in the capital, the stalemate continues over the partial government shutdown. >> how long do you think the shutdown will last, mr. president? >> while in iraq, president trump told reporters he's still waiting on democrats to meet his demand for $5 billion for a

border wall. >> whatever it takes. i mean we're going to have a wall. we're going to have safety. >> members of the house were told there won't be any votes today, ensuring at least another day of the shutdown. now, president trump says there are no plans to withdraw troops from iraq and that the base he visited can be used to launch attacks in syria if needed. >> tom hanson, thanks. now to the economy. this morning u.s. stock futures appear to be trending down, but yesterday wall street posted a dramatic turnaround after a month of gut-wrenching losses. u.s. stocks enjoyed their best day in ten years. the dow industrials gained 1,086 points or 5%. the s&p 500 finished 116 points higher. the nasdaq composite jumped 361 points. that's nearly 6%. this morning most stocks in asia followed wall street's lead, gaining significant ground. the post-christmas surge followed a strong holiday

shopping season and news on the fed chair. demarco morgan has more details. >> reporter: investors went on a post-christmas shopping spree, sending all three major indexes into positive territory. the dow snapped a four-day negative skid and the s&p had its best day since 1973. the surge came on the news that u.s. consumers spent more than $850 billion this holiday season from november 1st through christmas eve. that's up 5.1%, the strongest showing in six years. online sales were also up 19%. the steady pace of shopping has been in stark contrast to wall street's bumps this december. the dow lost $733 billion in value so far this month. the s&p lost 2.6 trillion. >> the big picture, the consumers are healthy. people have jobs. their wages are up, and they just sort of tune out all the nonsense of washington. >> greg johnson is president of customer growth partners.

>> wall street is running around like a chicken with its head cut off while mr. and mrs. main street are calm, cool, and collecting bargains at the mall. >> reporter: washington hasn't helped. the president's attacks on the fed and the treasury secretary calling the major banks over the weekend spooked investors. kevin has et, chairman of the white house council of check advisers, tried to calm nerves. >> you made it very clear that secretary mnuchin's job is face. is the fed chairman's job safe? >> yes, of course, 100%. >> there are reports the president is planning to meet with fed chairman powell in the coming days. meanwhile analysts point out the biggest gainers were amazon and walma walmart. demarco morgan, cbs news, new york. a major storm system is likely to impact holiday travel for millions from the upper midwest to the southern plains. severe weather in dallas forced the cancellation of the first

responder bowl. it's believed to be the first football bowl game called off because of a storm. meanwhile, an american airlines flight from mexico to dallas had to be diverted because of heavy storms in texas. it still ran into severe turbulence. the jet landed in austin, but several passengers and a crew member needed medical attention. heavy snow and strong winds are expected beginning today in the central and northern plains, and heavy flood-producing rain is expected in the southeast starting tomorrow. meteorologist mary kay kleist of our chicago station wbbm has more. >> heavy snow and whiteout conditions will be an issue for today for parts of the plains reaching up to parts of minnesota today. low pressure will be winding its way through wichita and kansas city. a storm threat just ahead of that from st. louis north to maybe the quad cities. that ribbon of ice from minneapolis to green bay will be replaced with snow, which will be spreading into the backside or the cold side of this system.

snowfall amounts will be most impressive probably for parts of the dakotas into nebraska. minneapolis probably seeing about one to maybe six inches of snow depending on where that rain/snow line sets up. then as you look at the areas in white here, we could see six to 12 for international falls and bismarck, but it's the area from aberdeen to fargo, a good foot, maybe 18 inches of snow possible with whiteout conditions. when we check futurecast, look the at the connection from the gulf of mexico. storm threat along the gulf coast states and that's going to feed moisture up into the storm. a windy, wet day in chicago. rain changing to snow in minneapolis. all of that rain pushing for the eastern seaboard as we reach into friday morning and during the afternoon rush hours there for the big cities of the northeast. rainfall amounts will be most impressive for the gulf coast states with those thunderstorms, but new york, washington, an inch or two of rain is certainly possible. we have mild air ahead of this system. 53 for a high in chicago.

cold air behind it. 22 in billings. for cbs news, i'm mary kay kleist. a manhunt is under way this morning for a suspect who shot and killed a police officer in northern california. officer ronil singh was shot during a traffic stop early yesterday. police are looking for this man seen in surveillance video buying beer. he's considered armed and dangerous. his truck has been located and is being processed for evidence. friends say officer singh loved his family and his job. >> he was living the american dream. i'll put it that way. he went to the police academy, you know, got his dream job of being a police officer. it definitely makes an impact that one of my friends, one of my buddies, died doing his job. >> police tell cbs news officer singh was not wearing a body camera. he had been with the newman police force for seven years and was a husband and new father. customs and border protection is considering asking for medical help from fema and the coast guard following the

deaths of two migrant children in its care over just the past two weeks. all children who are in custody of the agency will get a more thorough medical assessment. 8-year-old felipe gomez alonzo of guatemala died on christmas eve, and 7-year-old jakelin caal, also of guatemala, died o. their deaths are now under investigation, and the trump administration says it will keep open a tent city in texas holding more than 2,000 migrant teenagers through early 2019. it was supposed to close at the end of this year. overseas, flights around an erupting indonesian volcano are being interrupted after the government raised the alert level. the volcano triggered a tsunami that killed at least 430 people on saturday. waves up to 16 feet high into the coast. now, this morning torrential rains are hampering recovery efforts. residents are being urged to stay inland as authorities fear another major eruption and possible tsunami. still to come, making

history on antarctica. an american survives an unprecedented trek coast to coast unassisted. and questions about a new york city podiatrist who may have helped donald trump avoid the vietnam war. this is the "cbs morning news." on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you, too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the number one most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month.

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only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® russia says it successfully tested a new nuclear-capable hypersonic rocket that flies at 20 types the speed of sound. president vladimir putin, as you see, watched the test launch from the defense ministry's control room. why does the weapon matter? well, he says it is too fast to intercept. an american made history on antarctica and questions about a podiatrist tied to the trump family. those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand today. "the new york times" reports the daughters of a queens, new york, podiatrist say their late father diagnosed donald trump with bone spurs in his heels to help him

avoid the vietnam war draft. dr. larry braunstein's daughters say their father often told the story of helping mr. trump as a favor to his father, fred trump. dr. braunstein died in 2007. during the presidential campaign, mr. trump said he couldn't remember who signed off on his medical deferment. the "times" did not find documentation to corroborate the family's account, and the white house had no response. "the washington post" reports ruth bader ginsburg was discharged from a new york hospital and is now home recuperating. the 85-year-old supreme court justice had surgery last week to remove two cancerous growths on her left lung. doctors say there's no evidence of any remaining cancer. the supreme court will next hear cases on january 7th. and "usa today" says an oregon man is the first person to cross antarctica alone without any help. he's 33-year-old colin o'bdy, and 930ile 54

he traveled on skis towing all that gear behind him. others who have gone across antarctica either had help with their supplies or used kites to propel them forward. o'brady beat out a british man who has been making the trip separately. still to come, end of the line. some of the cars that will be discontinued in the new year as drivers turn to suvs. once-weekly ozempic®. in a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than seven and maintained it. oh! under seven, ad lt on average up to 12 pou oh! up to 12 pounds? (vo) a two-year study showed that ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. oh! no increased risk? ♪ ozempic®! ♪ ozempic® should not be the first medicine for treating diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. on the cbs money watch, the growing list of cars that will be discontinued, and farmers accused of selling fake organic food. wendy gillette is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, wendy. >> good morning, brook. prosecutors in iowa say tens of thousands of individuals and businesses nationwide were victims ofabfe an organic grain scheme. the alleged scheme involves ordinary corn and soybeans sold as organic. the grains were sold as certified organic at a premium price over a 7 1/2-year period. a missouri businessman and his associates have pleaded guilty. that processed grain into other products that were sold as organic. the mayor of new orleans

wants a fair share of the 15% tax and fees imposed when you stay at a city hotel room. they add up to an estimated $166 million a year, but just more than one out of ten of each dollar goes to the city. most goes to major state-owned attractions like the superdome and a convention center. mayor latoya cantrell says the city needs a bigger share to deal with crumbling infrastructure. the new year brings some good news for workers in new york state. a higher minimum wage. the highest wage will be paid here in new york city. fast food workers and other low-paid employees will see their minimum hourly wage go up to $15 an hour. business owners say the hexpeul. and for lots of folks, the new yearsns ihe old. at holdsrue in t auto industr which is ll long-rl incling thorfocus, cht's cr and bolt. also the cadillac ct6 and ats,

the nissan juke, and the iconic volkswagen beetle. analysts say a shift to suvs and crossovers is the driving force. about one out of every two vehicles sold in the coming year is expected to be an suv or crossover according to the car buying service edmonds. i'm going to miss those beetles. >> i know, no more beetles. >> can't do the punch game, right? >> there will still be some on the road. wendy gillette down at the new york stock exchange, we'll be waiting to see what wall street does today. wendy, thanks. still ahead, brightening the holidays. hundreds of volunteers shine a light of hope for young hospital patients. those week old stains o get out and downy to get it fresh and soft. you are free to go. tide and downy together.

the new sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and now, the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is only $1299. plus, 24-month financing on all beds. ends new year's day. here's a look at today's here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country.

♪ lights are turned down low ♪ let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ♪ >> a 96-year-old wisconsin world war ii veteran is once again dancing his way through the holidays. you may remember two years ago, a video of chuck fran ski bopping along to christmas music. it became an internet sensation, and he's still dancing. he posted his third christmas youtube video this month. and hundreds of volunteers are helping to brighten the holidays for some very special kids at a michigan hospital. james brown has their remarkable story. >> reporter: no matter how kind the nurses and doctors, a hospital c for a child and a lonely place to spend the holidays. >> we literally brought christmas here. >> reporter: margie o'connor's daughter, teresa, is finishing a round of chemotherapy for leukemia. she'll be at beaumont chuildrens hospital for another month. >> i actually miss going to

school, the social part of it and just like seeing outside. sorry. >> reporter: nighttimes are the hardest for the 17-year-old. >> nighttime, i feel like there's not as many people here, and it just gets me feeling sad, i guess. ♪ jingle bells, jingle bells >> reporter: to brighten spirits this holiday season, the hospital launched moonbeams for sweet dreams. armed with flashlights and friendly smiles, hundreds have turned up to send a message of comfort in the form of light beams. >> it gives kids a connection to anybody outside of the hospital, and it also gives them with a sense of hope because they know that random people are coming and shining the lights for them. >> reporter: message received and >> it's an acknowledgement, i think, from the kids. it's a way to bounce the light off of one another. >> so sweet. james brown reporting. coming up on "cbs this

morning," how a victim of gun violence more than 20 years ago overcame his tragedy to become a successful painter. i'm brook silva-braga. this is the "cbs morning news." just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin. it's gentle on her skin and out cleans the other free and clear detergent.

our top stories this morning, president trump returns to washington this morning following a surprise visit to u.s. troops serving in iraq. it was mr. trump's first time visiting the war zone. while there, the president defended his decision to withdraw u.s. forces from neighboring syria. speaking about isis, the president said, quote, we knocked them out. wall street rebounded in a big way following a gut-wrenching losing streak. stocks had their biggest one day surge in ten years. the dow jones rose more than 1,000 points boosted by strong retail sales and news that president trump will not try to fire fed chair jerome powell. the governor of california this week took the unusual step of ordering new dna tests in a murder case going back 35 years. an inmate on death row is hoping

the tests will prove he's innocent. jamie yuccas has more. >> reporter: it was a horrifying crime scene. douglas and peggy ryen, their 10-year-old daughter jessica, and a neighbor, 11-year-old christopher hughes all murdered. 8-year-old josh ryen, his throat slashed, barely survived. thofrts quickly had a suspect, an escaped inmate who had been hiding out in an abandoned home nearby. kevin cooper would be found guilty, sent to california's death row, and in 2004, was just hours away from execution when the 9th circuit court of appeals blocked it. years later, five federal judges in a dissent raised concerns that evidence may have been tampered with, writing, the state of california may be about to execute an innocent man. >> it's extraordinary and it's unprecedented to my knowledge in the united states that that many judges would decide that a person had been framed.

>> reporter: celebrities like kim kardashian, legal scholars, and a "new york times" columnist among t publi expressing doubt that one man could haveveerede people while handling multiple murder weapons, a hatchet, an ice pick, and a knife. the new advanced dna test not available in 1983 will focus on the hatchet as well as a bloodstained t-shirt. but to prosecutors, the evidence that convicted cooper was overwhelming. >> how definitive are you that kevin cooper is guilty? >> absolutely. not just beyond a reasonable doubt. i would say beyond a shadow of a doubt. what kind of evilness is inside of him, i couldn't tell you. but what we can tell you is we have the evidence that proves he committed these crimes. >> reporter: governor brown says he will not be taking a position on cooper's guilt or innocence, but that additional testing is needed. jamie yuccas, cbs news, los angeles. coming up a bit later on

"cbs this morning" anna werner has a follow-up on products containing methyline chloride. the company has come out with a safer product expected to hit the u.s. market soon. we'll have details. and how a victim of gun violence more than 20 years ago overcame his tragedy to become a successful painter. that's the cbs morning news for this thursday. thanks so much for watching. i'm brook silva-braga. have a great day.

it was nice to kind of sleep in the last few days. i was in my pajamas all day long. >> put a sweater on. it's going to be chilly and it was actually kind of nice. >> yeah, a chilly start. but 4:00 in the afternoon with that sunshine. and we are going to see that sun once again for today. enjoy it. looking east of the bay bridge and our temperatures right now in the 40s. concord 42. 49 in downtown san francisco. we're looking at 41 for santa rosa. so your weather headlines mainly clear skies, breezy in spots this morning. as we head throu