it's friday, december 20th, 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." the gloves come off. democratic presidential candidates clashed during last night's debate. the fight over who will challenge president trump in 2020. on hold. the senate trial to decide if president trump will be removed from office is in limbo. what will move the process forward. we might have to break your leg, bro, i'm sorry. >> no. >> caught on police body cam, first responders scramble to find a man trapped in his find a man trapped in his burning car. captioning funded by cbs good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs headquarters here in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. democratic presidential candidates went on the attack

against president trump and each other in their final debate of the year. seven candidates qualified for last night's debate in los angeles. president trump's historic impeachment loomed large. joe biden wasted no time targeting mr. trump. >> we need to restore the integrity of the presidency, of the office of the presidency. >> tensions between elizabeth warren and pete buttigieg came to a boil on stage. warren attacked buttigieg for holding fundraisers with wealthy donors. >> billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the united states. >> according to "forbes" magazine, i am literally the only person on this stage who's not a millionaire or a billionaire. >> laura podesta is in new york. what other topics did the candidates take on? >> reporter: they really went after each other's track records and highlighted the need for voters to choose whether they want a progressive candidate or a more moderate one. as you mentioned, buttigieg who

has recently surged to the top tier of the candidates, staunchly defended his fund-raising saying essentially that that money even if it comes from billionaires puts him in a position to achieve what should be all democrats' goal of defeating president trump in 2020. the seven democrats at last night's debate were less focused on the impeachment of president trump -- >> it is up to us in 2020. >> reporter: -- and more concerned with issues like health care. >> we need a progressive agenda, medicare for all. >> i think that we should build on the affordable care act. >> reporter: they also spoke about climate change. >> it's a crisis we have to deal with, but it's also our greatest opportunity -- >> reporter: former vice president joe biden said he'd still reach across the aisle despite being a gop target. >> if anyone has reason to be angry with the republicans and not want to cooperate, it's me, the way they've attacked me, my son, my family. >> reporter: candidates also promoted their electability. >> i think the best way to do it

is by putting someone at the top of the ticket who's from the midwest. >> try putting together a coalition to bring you back to office with 80% of the vote as a gay dude in mike pence's indiana. >> reporter: the three oldest candidates brushed off questions about age. >> i'd also be the youngest woman ever inaugurated. >> reporter: the more progressive democrats took aim at their opponents' fund-raising. >> he's received contributions from 44 billionaires. >> billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president. >> reporter: businessman andrew yang said it was an honor and disappointment to be the only minority on stage last night. >> you know what you need to donate to political campaigns? disposable income. >> reporter: yang says his freedom dividend of $1,000 a month to all americans would lead to more diversity in future elections. california senator kamala harris did qualify for last night's debate, but as we know, she dropped out of the race. new jersey senator cory booker fell short in polling but is still in the race.

he's asking the democratic national committee to change the qualifications for the next debate january 14th. anne-marie? >> laura podesta here in new york. thank you, laura. the start of president trump's impeachment trial is stalled as democrats and republicans fight over just how the trial will take shape. early yesterday, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell criticized house speaker nancy pelosi for delaying sending the articles of impeachment to the senate. his comments came just hours after he met with minority leader chuck schumer to hammer out details of the trial. the pair emerged from the meeting at an impasse. nancy cordes wih the latest from capitol hill. article 1 is adopted. >> reporter: after pushing impeachment through -- >> adoption of -- >> reporter: speaker pelosi pulled the emergency brake -- >> we would hope it would be a fair process. >> reporter: house democrats are reluctant to send the newly passed articles of impeachment to the republican-led senate. >> ultimately they have to act

like a real trial, and not some kind of phony thing. >> i would like to see co-witnesses we didn't hear from. i would like to see documents released from the white house. >> reporter: senate leader mitch mcconnell is opposed to that. >> of course every such demand simply confirms that house democrats have rushed forward with a case that is much too weak. >> reporter: when president clinton was impeached by the house, the articles were walked to the senate within two hours. >> i hereby deliver these articles of impeachment. >> reporter: south carolina senator lindsey graham was one of the impeachment managers. >> we cannot have a system where the house impeaches the president, tells the senate how to conduct the trial, holds the articles of impeachment over the president's head at a time of their choosing to unleash them. that's just -- that's constitutional extortion. >> reporter: do you run the risk as some republicans have said of looking like you're playing games with impeachment if you hold on to these articles for too long? >> i say what i was going to say, nancy, i was not prepared

to put the managers in that bill yet because we don't know the arena that we are in. frankly, i don't care what the republicans say. >> reporter: they do have some time to work this out. the senate won't hold the impeachment trial until the new year anyway. but this tough talk from both sides does signal the start of a negotiation over just how long and how comprehensive this trial will be. nancy cordes, cbs news, capitol hill. for the second time this year, a chinese woman was arrested after being caught on the grounds of mar-a-lago, president trump's palm beach resort in florida. as jeff pegues reports, the breach is raising major security concerns. >> reporter: it was another mysterious incident at what the president calls his southern white house and what authorities call a natural target for foreign spy operations. >> i have a -- asian lady coming on property. she was trespassing, taking pictures.

>> reporter: mar-a-lago security called police after 56-year-od jing lu, a chinese national with an expired visa, had made it on to the president's compound. lu who appeared in palm beach court was arrested for loitering and prowling and resisting arrest. police say lu was rejected trying to enter the main gate but got in using a nearby service road where cameras captured her photographing the property with her cell phone. lu fled and was arrested two miles away in downtown palm beach where she allegedly refused to let police see her cell phone. it is the second time this year that a chinese national was arrested for entering mar-a-lago. in march, yujing zhang made it through secret service checkpoints while carrying a laptop, cell phones, and other electronic gear. she is awaiting deportation. michael morrell is a former deputy director of the cia. >> if i were the chinese and i knew that the president had

classified conversations in a public area, i would want to put some sort of collection device down to pick up those conversations. >> reporter: a u.s. official told me the chinese have been stealing relentlessly and relentlessly running intelligence operations around the country. that is why the feds pay attention whenever there is an arrest at or near mar-a-lago. jeff pegues, cbs news, washington. two people are trapped and feared dead after a massive house explosion in south philadelphia. police say they received multiple calls shortly before noon yesterday about an explosion and a possible gas smell. more than 120 firefighters rushed to the scene. it took about three hours to get the flames under control. dozens of people nearby evacuated as a precaution. the blast leveled three houses and significantly damaged two others. no word on what caused the explosion. and an investigation is under way into a deadly shooting in westerly, rhode island. an employee at an elderly living

facility was killed and two more injured in a shooting yesterday morning. police say a male resident at babcock village shot three women. the suspect died at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. authorities say the suspect was known to police but did not provide a motive. coming up on the "morning news" now, caught on police body cam, a driver is pulled from a burning car just in time. and a truck crashes into an airport in sarasota sending workers running for cover. this is the "cbs morning news." workers running for cover. this is the "cbs morning news." any occasion the perfect coffee occasion. family brunch! just add ground coffee for a carafe, or pop in a pod for a freshly brewed cup. good strong coffee. our french roast. it was a decaf for you, yes? in your favorite mug. there we go. only roomba i7+ uses two multi-surface rubber brushes. ♪ and picks up more pet hair than other robot vacuums. and the filter captures 99% of dog and cat allergens. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba™.

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there's a new sexual abuse lawsuit against harvey weinstein, and there was a fiery rescue in texas. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." cbs houston affiliate khou has dramatic video of sheriff's deputies saving a man trapped in a burning car. earlier this month the dew point spotted the car which had crashed into a tree. inside was a man pinned underneath the dashboard. the deputy says he went through seven fire extinguishers to try and put the flames out, but the fire grew even more intense. other deputies arrived and risked their lives to try and save the trapped driver. >> my leg -- >> they pulled him out just before flames overtook the front seat. the driver suffered broken bones and other injuries. "the new york times" says an ex-model filed a lawsuit against former movie mogul harvey weinstein accusing him of sexually abusing her when she was 16 years old. the woman is now 33 and says

that she did not want to be part of a proposed settlement that would split $25 million among women who have accused weinstein of sexual misconduct. the women also accused miramax films, disney, and weinstein's brother bob of being aware of harvey weinstein's behavior and failing to stop him. harvey weinstein's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on the new lawsuit. "reuters" reports merck received fda approval for an ebola vaccine. it is the first time the fda has approved a drug to fight the deadly virus. the vaccine was used by the world health organization and the democratic republic of congo to help reduce ebola outbreaks in the west african countries from 2014 to 2016. the ebola virus has killed more than 2,100 people in congo since the middle of this year. and the "washington post" says a photo of black medical students standing in front of a former slave plantation received wide support on social media.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the countr here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ an 8-year-old boy is back at the top of the "forbes" list of highest paid youtube stars. ryan kaji of "ryan's world" made $26 million in 2019, a $4 million increase from last year. he has 22.9 million subscribers on his youtube channel where he reviews toys. the channel is run by his parents who say that they keep a close eye on the content. on cbs "money watch" now, a new data breach at facebook, and the house passes a north american trade deal. diane king hall is at the new and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. on the economic calendar today, investors will get the final look of the year at third-quarter gdp.

meanwhile, carmax is expected to report here on wall street, stocks closed higher yesterday, notching all new records. the dow rallied 137 points, the s&p 500 gained 14, and the nasdaq rose 59. the house has passed a trade agreement between the u.s., mexico, and canada. both president trump and house democrats are taking credit for the $1.2 trillion deal. the commerce secretary says the new deal is expected to create roughly 176,000 new jobs and put $34 billion into the u.s. auto industry. the bill now heads to the senate where it will likely not be taken up until after the impeachment trial of president trump. a major change to how americans save for retirement is close to becoming law. yesterday, the senate passed the secure act as part of its massive spending package. provisions include making it easier for small businesses to band together to offer retirement plans to employees. it also allows long-term part-time employees access to

workplace retirement plans and raises the age when retirees must draw from retirement savings. president trump is expected to sign it into law. another security breach at facebook. a cybersecurity firm says 267 million facebook users' personal information has been exposed on line. the firm says it found user i.d.s, names, and phone numbers on an unsecured data base on the dark web. most of the users were americans. facebook says it's looking into the issue but says the information was likely obtained before changes were made in recent years to better protect people's information. and the senate has passed a bill cracking down on robo calls. the bill requires phone companies to offer free call-blocking apps and verify the number calling you is real. it also strengthens enforcement tools against robo callers. it's one of several measures the government and the telecom industry are taking to protect americans from scam calls. the bill now heads to president

trump for his signature. anne-marie? >> all right. sound good. no one likes those things. >> oh, my gosh. those are so annoying. quickly, want to rewind to youtube. we need set up a youtube channel for our kids. >> seriously. listen, not like i haven't tried. my child is -- she does not take instruction well. >> i did try. i did try once to try to get him to do something. he loves watching it. he's animated. when it was time to, you know, showtime, he got scared. >> same as my kid. we'll have to work on them. >> yeah. yes, indeed. >> diane king hall at the new york stock exchange. thank you so much, diane. >> you got it. all righty. ahead, dads on diaper duty. we will take you to a fire station in alabama where firefighters welcomed seven babies in only the last few months. w months. what does help for heart failure look like? it looks like this. ♪the beat goes on entresto is a heart failure pill that helped keep people alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant;

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪

one alabama city is growing in population thanks in part to a group of first responders. seven firefighters have had babies in the last four months in opelika with four boys and three girls. conversations have changed from hoses to highchairs. some of the dads are already back at work and have a new perspective on calls they respond to. >> i'm a lot more empathetic about somebody else's child than i used to be prior to having my own. >> most of the men are first-time fathers. and the running joke at the fire station is don't drink the water unless, of course, you want to have a baby. coming up on "cbs this morning," in our series "american wonders," we're going to meet a family in new york who holds the guinness world record for the most lights on a residential property. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." if you're 65 or older, even if you're healthy,

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our top stories this morning -- seven democratic presidential candidates squared off in their sixth and final debate of the year. former vice president joe biden targeted president trump's historic impeachment, while elizabeth warren and pete buttigieg sparred over raising campaign money from wealthy donors. and the start of president trump's impeachment trial is being delayed. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and minority leader chuck schumer met yesterday to hammer out parameters for the trial, but the pair did not reach a tangible deal. there's a warning about deceptive thieves who target elderly victims. sometimes on their own doorsteps. we'll show you how the scam works and reveal secrets from a con man who pulled it off many times. carter evans reports.

>> reporter: you're watching a scam artist in action. >> okay, bye-bye. >> reporter: he just took $10,000 from barbara mccullough. it started with a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson. >> i said, you know, you -- it really doesn't sound like you. he said, "i have a horrible cold." then he started crying. >> reporter: the caller said he needed bail money fast. >> i went down to the bank and drew $10,000 out. >> reporter: what's unusual is the scammer was caught on a security camera. how often does one actually come to the victim's home? >> this is only the second time in the 15 years that i've been working these types of crimes. >> reporter: grandparent scams are one of the fastest growing crimes, and they all begin with a cry for help. >> hi, grandpa. >> hi. >> you know who this is? >> randy? >> yeah. >> reporter: nationwide seniors are cheated out of nearly $3 billion a year. that's the official estimate. >> i've heard upwards of $10 billion every single year.

a lot of these crimes aren't reported because a lot of times they're very aslamd. -- ashamed. >> you can make ten grand sometimes in a day. >> reporter: a few years ago i interviewed a con man in federal custody about his scam. >> once you get them emotionally involved, they'll do anything for you. >> i felt flattered that he even called me. he called me. he didn't want to upset his parents. that's what i thought. >> reporter: detectives are now trying to track down that scam artist. they say seniors should try and verify who's calling by asking a personal question that only a family member would know the answer to. also, call a relative before handing over any money. carter evans, cbs news, glendale, california. coming up only on "cbs this morning," a substitute teacher in utah was fired for berating a fifth grader for being adopt -- adopted by a gay couple. now the first time, that student is speaking out. tony dokoupil talks with him. plus, in our series, "american wonders," we'll meet a family in new york who holds the

guinness world record for the most lights on a residential property. and in our series "a more perfect union," we'll take you to utah where government leaders are welcoming refugees. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ♪