we will see you back here at 6 pm. >> cbs news is next. we will leave you with beautiful scenery from the san francisco bay area. i will see you at 6:00. >> o'donnell: tonight, big storms beirut the west coast on the busiest holiday travel weekend. >> the wind was roaring in the trees. >> ninan: where is the severe weather headed next? deadly inferno: fires rage through a las vegas apartment building. at least six are dead. >> multiple people hanging out windows, some people were already jumping. >> ninan: catastrophic wildfires scorch australia as the country bakes in record heat. president trump arifles in florida for the holidays. will world troubles follow? plus cut off: how new food stamp rules could hurt those who need them most. >> they cut it off, i don't eat. >> ninan: shoppers ring in super saturday with record sales. this last weekend before

christmas. and from crisis to christmas: how some snow and a few flying elvises are lifting spirits in the bahamas. >> this is the "cbs weekend news." >> ninan: good evening, i'm reena ninan. a terrible fire in las vegas has claimed six lives. it happened early this morning when flames broke out in this apartment building. 13 other people were hurt, some critically, including a pregnant woman who jump from the building. >> i don't think there is anything that is more disturbing than to pull up on a three-story building and seeing multiple people hanging out a window with heavy black smoke coming out of that building. >> ninan: fire officials say people were using their stoves to stay warm. tonight, powerful storms on both coasts are threatening millions of americans on the move for the

holidays. torrential rain is causing flash flooding in parts of oregon. the biggest threat: landslides, avalanches, and damaging winds. danya bacchus is at l.a.x. >> reporter: from oregon to washington state, record rainfall is pounding the pacific northwest. >> we have floods all over the place. i mean, when do we ever have all these kind of rain, you know? >> reporter: unrelenting downpours caused flooding, submerging cars, and triggering a landslide that closed roads and even shut down train service. friday, seattle had the wettest day it's seen this decade. >> nature wins. that's just how it is, you know. so wait and contain it and try to work around it or work with it. >> reporter: along the coast of oregon, wind gusts reached up to 70 miles per hour. >> it was wild. >> wind was roaring in the trees. >> yeah. >> it roared all night long. >> yeah. >> reporter: tens of thousands were without electricity. flood watches and warnings remain in effect in oregon until

suspected. the wet weather comes as a record-breaking number of people begin traveling this holiday season. according to a.a.a., nearly 116 million people will travel between now and january 1, an increase of 4.3 million people. here at los angeles international airport, nearly six million people are expecting to travel during the holiday rush, and while it's dry now, forecasters say rain is expected tomorrow night, which could cause delays. reena. >> ninan: danya bacchus, thank you very much. for more on the weather let's turn to meteorologist jeff berardelli. jeff, what's causing this? >> we have what is an extreme atmospheric river. on a scale of 1-5, this is a category 4, like a fire hose pouring moisture straight out of the far reaches of the tropical pacific and pouring is onshore to california, arlington, and also into washington. it really is an incredible amount of moisture, and the rain and snow continues. now, the worst of it is going to be ending in seattle, but it's going to be sliding south along

the northern california coast overnight tonight. look at how much rain we've seen so far-- generally 4-7 inches. 6, 7 inches in seattle, top five rainiest days ever in seattle. yesterday, to give you an idea, some of the mountains, 10, 11, 12 inches of rain, and obviously higher toajtses of snow fall, 4, 5, 6 feet of snow. this whole thing will slide down the coast to monterey and san francisco and eventually tomorrow moving into los angeles. it will not be as strong anymore once it gets into southern california. in the southeast, we have a pretty strong storm, and this is going to caus cause sevier weatn florida, and lots of heavy rain all across the southeast. watch out for the possibility of isolated tornadoes from tampa to fort myers later tomorrow. and tomorrow night as we head into sunday morning, severe weather along the east coast of florida, very heavy rain on the southeast coast of the u.s. >> ninan: thank you very much, jeff berardelli. >> you're welcome. >> ninan: in australia, the sweltering heat and gail-force winds are pushing the raging wildfires from bad to

catastrophic. imtiaz tyab reports from london. >> reporter: beating back this towering wall of smoke and fire will take more than this, but australian firefighters are doing whatever they can to battle the ferocious blaze by taking to the air and roads all ho. those most in need. some firefighters havine paid with their lives. just this week, two were killed by a falling tree. >> it comes on torch you and it's that hot that you can feel the burning through protective clothing, and masks where you're actually breathing hot air, so the air is hurting the back of your throat. it is hot. >> reporter: new south wales, australia's most populous state, has declared an emergency. after weeks of record heat, the threat level is now catastrophic. 2,000 firefighters are on the ground battling around 100 fires that threaten hundreds of thousands of people. australia's prime minister, under intense criticism at home, was forced to cut short a family holiday in hawaii to deal with the wildfires.

scott morse orange long accused of being a climate change skeptic, has now consided it's contributing to this crisis. imtiaz tyab, cbs news, london. >> ninan: new zealanders have turned in more than 50,000 guns. the country's buy-back program ended at midnight. the government banned most semiautomatic weapons after gunmen killed 51 people at two christchurch moscow moscows in . authorities said today the country is now a safer place. president trump has escaped the political chill in washington and is at his new official home in florida. chip reid is traveling with the president. >> reporter: after a bruising impeachment week in washington, president trump was welcomed to west palm beach saturday like a victorious general returning from war. the president returned the praise to "turning point u.s.a." a national organization for conservative students. >> you're fearless young leaders and warriors who stare down the

hatred of the radical left and bravely fight for our liberty, our values, and our god-given freedom. >> reporter: but mr. trump also arrived in florida under an ominous cloud, courtesy of north korean leader kim jong-un, who recently promised a christmas gift to the u.s. in response to the president's refusal to lift sanctions on north korea. u.s. intelligence officials tell cbs news a north korean intercontinental ballistic missile test could occur soon after the first yeefort. that would be a major sets back for mr. trump's extensive efforts to reach a deal with kim on eliminating north korea's nuclear program. earlier this week, the president made his concerns clear. >> i'd be disappointed if something would be... in the works, and if it is, we'll take care of it. but we'll see-- we're watching it very closely. >> reporter: over the next two weeks here in florida, the president is expected to do a lot of golfing, a lot of tweeting, and a lot of strategizing to prepare for his

impeachment trial in the senate, which will probably begin some time in january. reena. >> ninan: chip reid traveling with the president in florida. thank you, chip. well, food stamp stamps have log helped americans when they've struggled. today, 36 million americans depend on them. and nearly one-third, or 11 million, are children. but this week, the trump administration moved to cut some of them off. here's adriana diaz. >> this is it. this is our house for two months before coming into shelter. >> reporter: after patients kollie and john spinola rent nearly doubled they had to move out and into their car with their toddler and teenager. and you would eat in here, sleep in here. >> uh-huh, yes. >> reporter: they say the stress and anxiety caused patients to go on medical leave, leaving the family on one income. >> it's like a snowball effect, then your brakes go, and your altinator goes and you're trying to catch a break. >> reporter: they survived in part thanks to food stamps,

under the government's supplemental assist anls program, known add snap. the average resimulate get $127 a month. but an estimated 3.7 million americans could lose their benefits next year if the government implement these proposed changes: removing automatic enrollment for families who first qualify for other government benefits, reducing how much people can deduct for heat, and requiring able-bodied adults to work 20 hours a week to receive benefits. >> they're going to need more help from us. >> reporter: allison o'toole runs second harvest heartland, the country's second largest food bank. >> we have seen more visits than ever before. >> reporter: what does that say to you? >> it says the economy hasn't recovered in every place, and we provide 89 million meals in the heartland. we're very proud of that, but we'd love to go out of business. >> reporter: through another government program, patience and

john found a house they can afford. they plan to move this week and will not qualify for snap once patience starts working, but they still hope the program conditions. part of the reason why the government is making these changes to snap is because they say the economy is doing great, unemployment is so low that a lot of people should be able to work who aren't working. >> where is the unemployment so low of low now that everyone is work? doing anything to the snap, you're going to make the poor more poor. >> reporter: similar changes were proposed in last year's farm bill but were left out of the final law, so the u.s.d.a. is making these changes nowots own. 24 states have urged the government to reconsider, and some jurisdictions are considering legal action. adriana diaz, cbs news, brooklyn park, minnesota. >> ninan: for the first time in over 200 years there, will be no christmas mass at notre dame cathedral. the last time that happened was in 1803.

workers are still trying to stabilize the structure after nearly being destroyed boy fire eight months ago. it's super saturday, and retailers are hoping to ring up record sales. the national retail federation says shoppers will spend $730 billion this holiday season. that's about 4% more than last year. here's hilary lane. >> reporter: it's called "super saturday" for a reason. with the clock counting down quickly to christmas and hanukkah, the mad dash is on for last-minute gifts. 148 million people are expected to shop in stores and online. that makes it the biggest shopping day of the year. and they're spending big. each shopper spending an average of $1,000 this holiday season. >> i'm shopping for my wife today, and plan of attack, just try and avoid the crowds. >> reporter: many major retailers are offering last-minute deals and extending their hours. at best buy, employees have been gearing up for the long hours

and large crowds. >> this is what it's all about in retail, honestly. we train for it. but this is our mar thorng i guess you could say. >> reporter: but for the millions buying gifts online today, getting your gift delivered by christmas will cost you. with more than twol billion packages shipped this holiday season, coupled with storms and fewer days between thanksgiving and christmas, fedex, u.p.s., and other delivery services are expecting delays to some on-time deliveries. that means extra fees to get gifts on time. >> you'll still be able to get things but you're likely going to have to pay for it and it's going to be by air which is the most expensive products they offer. >> reporter: and it's not just big retailers who are counting on shoppers spending big. buteeks, like these here in new york city, and mom-and-pop shops all throughout the country are depending on these last-minute sales. reena. >> ninan: hilary lane, thank you. there's much more ahead on the "cbs weekend news." the number of teens vaping

marijuana takes off, setting off alarms. plus an early return for boeing's botched space mission. and later, the christmas spirit brings back hope to the bahamas.

>> ninan: there is alarming news about teenagers who vape marijuana. new government research out this week finds it's surging in record numbers. here's carter evans. >> reporter: the new study shows the number of high school teens vaping t.h.c., the active ingredient in marijuana, is rising dramatically. nationwide roughly one in five tenth and 12 grader graders havd marijuana in the last 12 months. that's more than a 7% increase from just last year. it all adds up to at least a million new teenager marijuana

vapors in 2019. >> the fact that you can hide it, you can't see th it, often u can't see the smoke, often contributes, i believe, to the widespread use of vaping. >> reporter: attorney louise renne is suing vape producer juul on behalf of five san francisco-area school districts. they accuse the company of marketing nicotine vapes to young people. >> once you start vaping one product, it seems to me it's very easy to start vaping another product. >> reporter: like t.h.c., which is showing up more and more, even in states where marijuana is still illegal. it's part of a thriving black market, as we found with our hidden cameras at an underground marijuana event outside los angeles. >> reporter: i mean, really, who is this supposed to appeal to? >> this would clearly appeal to children. you have sweet melon, strawberry, you have your baman thenna, all the flavors children

like. >> reporter: art kushkyan is concerned by what he sees. he's president of "pure vape" a regulated legal, t.h.c. producer. >> i think the market is much larger than we even know. >> reporter: what is still unknown is if the highly pub lisided vaping illnesses and warnings will drive vaping down. carter evans, los angeles. >> ninan: ahead, new photos of britain's royal heirs.

>> o'donnell: boeing's starliner will land in new mexico tomorrow after its trip to the international space station was scrubbed. the unmanned craft lifted off without a hitch friday, but it ended up in the wrong orbit. boeing blames an automated timer that caused the craft to burn too much fuel. in west virginia, a freight

train derailed crossing the potomac river. two empty cars tumbled into the frigid water. no one was hurt. part bridge was damaged. there are new holiday photos and the heir. it's part of their "together at christmas" initiative supporting the armed forces. coming up, a risky ride. are we driving dumber in smarter cars? .

>> ninan: new research from a.a.a. finds many criefers are too reliant in today's high-tech cars. as kris van cleave shows us, that's putting others on the road at risk. >> reporter: asleep at the wheel-- literally. cell phone video in boston captured this man who appears to be snoozing on the freeway.

it happened in los angeles, too. seth blake spotted this driver who appears to be take a nap while driving. >> we were in the area where he was driving for about 10 minutes and he only woke up one time and looked around and went back it sleep. >> reporter: nearly 93% of all new cars have at least one available advanced-driver feature. they can help maintain your lane, speed, distance from other cars or even hit the brakes. a.a.a. found driver drivers who regularly use those systems are nearly twice as likely to be distracted than when those systems are turned off. are they essentially zoning off behind the wheel. >> we're seeing some evidence of that. >> reporter: a.a.a. researcher william horry. >> these technologies can actually really make it seem as though the vehicle has got these different aspects of driving covered, so that can lull you into this false sense of security. >> reporter: carmakers say drivers have to be prepared to take over at any time because these safety features do not make the car autonomous or self-driving, and they're not perfect.

here, a tesla with auto pilot engaged rear-ended a fire truck stopped on the freeway. another vapped of slammed into a police car on the side of a southern california road. tesla did not respond to repeated requests for comments, but in the past has stressed drivers need to stay engaged with the road. and while advanced driver assistance systems are becoming more common, there is no federal standard, so they all work a little differently. laws on distracted driving still apply to drivers. and studies show take your eyes off the road just for two seconds doubles your crash risk. kris van cleave, cbs news, washington. >> ninan: up next, how a convoy of hope brought christmas joy to the bahamas.

people in parts of the bahamas weren't expecting anything for christmas after hurricane dorian. but as errol barnett discovered, the holiday spirit is stronger than even a category 5 storm. >> reporter: as hurricane dorian battered grand bahama

island last september, tamar stuart and his partner, keyon morris, scrambled to save their family. >> i was thinking, just save my kids. everything gone. >> reporter: days later, they returned to find little to salvage, but as with so many bahamaians, the damage goes far beyond their possessions. so they wake up screaming at night. >> yeah. >> not traumatized, but they do wake up in the night crying. >> reporter: more than three months after the most powerful hurricane ever recorded here, the water is not safe to drink. 300 people are still listed as missing, and some 30,000 bahamians remain homeless. that's why johnny morris, the founder of bass pro shop and the nonprofit convoy of hope,. >> i just started thinking what can we do for the kids? can we make them happy? >> reporter: 10,000 people

attended opening night, with christmas music, santa claus, and amusement rides helped them put aside the pain of hurricane recovery. there was even a surprise from above-- skydivers dressed as elvis. as tamar and keyon left this temporary wonderland their arms were killed with toys and groceries, their hearts with joy and gratitude. when is the last time you had seen them that happy? >> what should i say? before the storm. >> we just want these kids to have some fun time and forget about rough times for even for a little while. >> reporter: just one effort to make sure dorian's smallest survivors feel the joy this holiday season. errol barnett, cbs news, freeport, the bahamas. >> ninan: so great to see generosity around this holiday season. we thank you all for joining us. that's the "cbs weekend news" for this saturday. later on cbs, "48 hours." i'm reena ninan in new york. thanks for joining us. good night.

live from the cbs bay area studios, this is kpix 5 news . >> a new storm makes its way toward the bay area, just in time for the holiday travel rush . tragedy strikes off the field for the 49ers, the brother of their backup quarterback is stabbed to death. we will have the latest on the news . a mangled wreck, what was behind this crash in san jose and why police are now searching for the driver? tonight we begin on the storm watch, it is brewing off the north coast, just sitting over cape mendocino right now, producing rain, it is packing something of a punch.

that will change later as it makes its way toward the bay area which has not a drop. future cast is a slowly works its way south, if the area about five or 6:00 in the morning with the first band of rain. sunday morning whines on. expect the day to start with and finish that way. rain will spread north to south after midnight tonight. gusty winds, they will mostly begin to clear up in the afternoon. moore on the way, looks like it will be rainy again on christmas day and all of the rain will turn into snow in the mountains. we are planning to heather this weekend, be patient. chain controls will be likely on interstate 80 and highway 50 tomorrow . police are investigating a shooting the left one man dead before midnight not far from the