john blackstone, san francisco. it's monday, december 23rd, it's monday, december 23rd, 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." rough landing. sparks fly from a passenger jet as something goes wrong overnight. treacherous travel. bad weather causes this massive pileup. where the roads could be dangerous in the coming days as millions head out for the holidays. and lawmakers spar over what president trump's senate impeachment trial should look impeachment trial should look like. 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. we begin with powerful storms slamming both coasts at the height of the busy holiday travel season. the weather is being blamed for

this massive pileup involving nearly 70 vehicles on an interstate in virginia yesterday. fog and black ice caused drivers to lose control, crashing into each other. most of the injuries were minor, but two people are in critical condition. it was a rough night for travelers in denver. a united airlines flight made a hard landing at denver international airport. one passenger described hearing a lot clunk and seeing sparks on the left side of the plane. united says there was a mechanical issue. no one was hurt. the biggest storm threat, rain and flooding in the west, and tornadoes in the south. weather forecaster olga aspina from kcbs is tracking the forecast. >> good monday morning to you. it is christmas week, and this is going to be a very busy week for traveling. however, if you are on the west coast or traveling from or to the west coast, be aware of a storm system that is passing through that area. that is going to be leading into christmas.

and then another storm that will start on wednesday into thursday, as well. so definitely will impact any kind of travel that you have planned for that area. also, the southeast is dealing with its own storm system. places like atlanta down into north carolina, also the florida peninsula is looking at strong thunderstorms. we're talking rain and strong winds, as well. the central part of the state on the other hand will be relatively dry and mild as we head into the christmas holiday. here's a look at some of those temperatures for today. 60 degrees expected in denver. 62 in kansas city. 65 in nashville. 51 in charlotte. and 77 degrees in miami. it will be nice and warm out there. however, again, it's going to be the west coast and the east coast that are going to be a little problematic as you head out on to the roads. cbs news. a standoff over impeachment is intensifying on capitol hill. republicans and democrats are at an impasse over the parameters

of president trump's upcoming trial in the senate. top democrats yesterday renewed their calls for witnesses to testify. the action comes as new emails shed fresh light on mr. trump's efforts to pressure ukraine into helping him win re-election in 2020. marc liverman is here in new york. what do those emails show? >> good morning, anne-marie. the emails apparently ask the pentagon to hold off on military aid to ukraine. this new information comes as both republicans and democrats continue to disagree over the structure of a senate trial. the stalemate continues almost a week after the house passed two articles of impeachment. house speaker nancy pelosi says she's holding on to the articles of impeachment until more is known about how the senate will conduct its trial. democrats say in particular they want to know if new witnesses will be called. >> until we hear from the witnesses, until we get the documents, the american people

will correctly assume that those blocking their testimony were aiding and abetting a cover-up. >> reporter: senate minority leader chuck schumer points to a just-released email from the white house to the defense department. it asked the pentagon to, quote, please hold off on military aid to ukraine. the email was sent shortly after mr. trump asked ukraine's president to investigate joe biden. >> the case is pretty thin that the house is sending over to us, if they ever send it over to us. you know, pretty thin gruel from my standpoint. >> reporter: senate republicans characterized the delay as unnecessary and unhelpful. >> i actually think this is a mistake for the speaker to continue to dwell on this issue. i don't think it's worked out that well for them politically. reporter: on sunday, a white house aide said that while president trump is open to allowing new testimony, the administration is eager to get the trial over with. and one senate democrat, alabama's doug jones, said yesterday that he's waiting to

see and hear the impeachment evidence before he decides how he'll vote. anne-marie? >> all right. marc liverman in new york, thank you, marc. u.s. intelligence officials warn that north korea could launch a major missile test at any time. they are watching for a possible long-range test after north korean dictator kim jong-un promised to deliver what the regime called a christmas gift. he's upset talks to lift sanctions have been stalled since a summit in february. and a mass shooting in chicago has left at least 13 people wounded by gunshots. it happened just after midnight sunday on the city's south side at a party meant to honor another victim of a previous shooting. the victims, all of whom are hospitalized this morning, range in age from 16 to 48. two men are being questioned including one who's also among the injured and another who has already been charged with using his weapon, although not yet for actually shooting anyone. and a hearing is set for

today in connection with the murder of a new york city college student, tessa majors. prosecutors reportedly want to limit the defense's ability to use an interrogation tape which led to the confession of a 13-year-old boy who's been charged in major's death. police have released a mugshot of another boy wanted for questioning. this weekend, the vigil was held for majors in her hometown of charlottesville, virginia, as her family faces their first holiday without her. and police are searching for multiple people after a deadly stabbing outside a bar in nashville. the four people seen here in this surveillance video were apparently present for the attack in which two men were killed. they include 22-year-old clay bethard, younger brother of san francisco 49ers quarterback cj bethard. it started over a woman before spilling outside. a third man was wounded and is expected to survive. for the first time in more

than two centuries, there will be no christmas mass at notre dame cathedral in paris. the tradition that dates back to 1803 has fallen victim to april's devastating fire. more from paris. >> reporter: a song of praise tinged with sadness. these singers are part of the notre dame choir. ♪ they've been rehearsing at a nearby church after the gothic cathedral was nearly destroyed in a fire back in april. most here they say still find it hard to believe they won't be performing christmas mass there this year. >> to think that i was ill last christmas and i missed christmas at notre dame, thinking that i would go again this year with no problem. yeah, no, it's -- yeah, i can't believe i'm not going to do christmas. >> reporter: church officials say despite their prayers, they had little choice but to cancel christmas mass. the first time in over two centuries. notre dame's rector says --

"it was only during the french revolution that services stopped at the cathedral, not even during world war i and ii did it close its doors completely." since the fire, notre dame's clergy, congregation, and choir have joined its most famous statue and liturgy at that temporary home under a mile away from the iconic paris landmark. despite the extensive damage, the french government is confident services will resume again by 2025. in the grand scheme of things, five or six years of renovation doesn't seem like a huge amount of time for a cathedral that's 855 years old. reconstruction experts say it will likely take longer. for eduarda who grew up in brazil and has called paris home for the past three years, it's the determination to restore notre dame she finds inspiring. >> for france, this is like a symbol, but i think that in the same time people are trying to reconstruct and give everything to rebuild it.

and it's made the opportunity to go to other churches and to rebuild your faith. >> reporter: a symbol of faith that is already rising from the ashes. cbs news, paris. coming up on the "morning news," how a girl found a cry for help inside a greeting card from someone claiming to be working against their will. and it was picture perfect, a picture-perfect landing that is after a space mission went a little bit awry. t a little bit awry. it's just a cough. yeah right. and the earth is flat. ahhh!! treat your cough seriously with robitussin cf max. nothing lasts longer and treats more symptoms for your cough, cold and flu. robitussin. because it's never just a cough.

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inside a christmas card. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." the "wall street journal" reports it's unclear if boeing's first spacecraft will return to orbit. the starliner landed safely yesterday in new mexico. the unmanned capsule was supposed to dock at the international space station, but a technological problem prevented that from happening. boeing's ultimate goal is to ferry astronauts into orbit, but officials say before that can happen, they will need to review data from the flight to see if boeing needs to launch another unmanned test flight. passengers on board a cruise ship involved in a collision are speaking out to the "times picayune." the carnival ship "glory" returned to new orleans yesterday. it collided with another cruise ship friday while trying to dock now in cozumel. one passenger tells the paper that despite the accident, it was still a relaxing one passengers wanted, while others say it was complete chaos. carnival reported six people suffered minor injuries. despite visible damage, the ship

has already embarked on another seven-day cruise. our partners at the bbc report tesco has halted production at a factory in china over alleged forced labor. the stores suspended the chinese supplier of christmas cards. the bbc says it happened after a 6-year-old girl found a disturbing message written inside a card. the note allegedly written by prisoners in shanghai claimed that they were forced to work against their will, adding, "please help us and notify a human rights organization." a tesco spokesperson said an independent audit of the factory last month found no evidence to suggest that they had broken our rule banning the use of prison labor. still to come, a kid's dream shopping spree. how rapper 50 cent made sure that his son had a christmas he will never forget. what's this? your cold's gonna make you a zombie tomorrow.

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serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. as have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, and changes in lab results. tell your doctor if you've been somewhere fungal infections are common, or if you've had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr. ♪ here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ stop! go put that back right now! we got your license plate. put that down! >> video captured an alert neighbor confronting porch pirates in southern california.

shannon brandon was eating breakfast with her son when they saw a pair of thieves pull up and try to steal a neighbor's package. the glendale mom jumped into action, demanding they return the property. remarkably the thieves listened and returned the package before taking off. on the cbs "money watch" now, the last-minute shopping crush. and "star wars" raises less than expected at the box office. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. markets will close early tomorrow for the christmas holiday. today investors will get a look at data on durable goods orders and new home sales for november. meanwhile, stocks finished the final full trading week of 2019 at a record high. the dow was up 78 on friday. the s&p 500 added 15, and the nasdaq gained 37 points. last-minute holiday shoppers wasted no time in the final days leading up to christmas. experts estimate americans spent

$34 billion on super saturday this weekend. that's $2.5 billion more than black friday. the national retail federation predicts the average american will spend $1,047 this season. a reminder for last-minute shippers. with more than two billion packages being delivered this year, fedex and u.p.s. warn there could be delays for some deliveries. the force wasn't quite as strong at the box office over the weekend. >> we're not over. good people will fight if we lead them. >> "star wars: episode ix the rise of skywalker" brought in a little over $175 million. that was less than expected compared to other openings in the "star wars" saga. reviews for the final film in the epic franchise were mixed. audiences only gave the movie a b-plus cinema score rating. sony's "jumanji" brought in $26 million, and disney's "frozen ii" brought in just over $12 million.

meanwhile, tom hooper's adaptation of andrew lloyd weber's "cats" appeared to have flopped. the $100 million production opened in a distant fourth place with $6.5 million. and rapper 50 cent is making headlines for shutting down an entire toys 'r' us store for his son for christmas. the rapper posted a video of the private event on twitter over the weekend. the site of the store's new jersey location even got a new name reading sire's toys 'r' us. toys 'r' us announced a comeback with new popup stores nationwide. >> nothing says an intimate father-son moment like a camera crew following you along as you pick your own guests. >> he did say, dad, why are people filming us. it's a wild one. talk about i guess a december to remember. >> reports say $100,000 to do that. i'm sure 50 is busy teaching his son the importance of charity at this time of year, as well. >> i hope so. uh-huh. >> diane king hall at the new york stock exchange. thank you so much, diane. >> you got it.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ a carolina panthers player was ejected yesterday for punching a player who was lying flat on the ground. defensive end vernon butler gave fans the finger as he left the field in indianapolis. he's likely to face more discipline. the season is almost over for the panthers. they lost to the colts in a blowout, and they're in last place in their division. the scene of an anti-semitic shooting in new jersey is being

memorialized as a symbol of hope and perseverance. last night members of the jewish community and others gathered outside a new jersey kosher market to celebrate the first night of hanukkah and remember the lives lost this month. the menorah was lit by the brother of a woman killed in the market along with two others. one police officer and two suspects also died in the attack. and some dangerous beauty overnight in ecuador. this is one of the country's most remote, most active volcanos deep in the amazon. it's over 11,000 feet high, so that's a lot of lava. this flow isn't causing problems so far, but the volcano did blow in 2002 creating an ash cloud affecting two million people. so coming up on "cbs this morning," oscar winner jeff bridges shares his love of photography and pictures that take us behind the scenes of his memorable movies. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." is the "cbs morning news."

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our top story this morning, storms are hammering both the east and west coasts ahead of christmas. heavy rain is hitting the southeast, and there's a possibility of tornados in florida. in the west, rain and flooding are causing big problems with one to two feet of snow possible in the mountains. and top democrats are renewing their calls for witnesses to testify at president trump's upcoming impeachment trial. it comes as new documents reveal officials at the white house budget office emailed the pentagon to freeze military aid to ukraine. roughly 90 minutes after president trump's july phone call with ukraine's president. 'tis the season for

laughter, holiday cheer, and movies. this year millions are finding comfort and joy watching christmas movies on networks and streaming services. nichelle medina has a look at the popularity of these movies and the demand for more. >> reporter: wherever you look -- >> why are they staring? >> reporter: merry movies are dominating the airwaves. >> the christmas tv wars are on each year, but they've gotten bigger. >> reporter: "variety" says it's about original content, and this year the competition is fierce. >> we have hallmark and lifetime that have cornered the market on a christmas tv movie. now you have netflix, freeform, even abc network getting into the game. >> reporter: 85 million people watched a hallmark christmas movie in 2018. this year the network released a record 40 movies. lifetime added 30, netflix, six. >> everyone is getting in on the game in different ways. freeform is trying to be more diverse and include casts of color, lgbtq characters. i think that is where we're seeing there going. >> reporter: in the demateo house, holiday movies are a family affair.

>> my favorite ones have a little bit of magic. >> reporter: down to the t-shirts. it's quality time together to celebrate the magic of the holidays. >> it's like a little bit of christmas morning every single day leading up to christmas. >> i can't even reach my own slippers. >> allow me. >> reporter: stars of these holiday hits like rose macgyver from the popular netflix franchise "a christmas prince" agree. >> people want to watch. it resonates with them. people want to see something that makes them feel good. >> reporter: whether you're looking for love -- >> tell her before she leaves -- >> reporter: this tv is a christmas tradition that is here to stay. nichelle medina, cbs news, los angeles. coming up on "cbs this morning," new call to require taxi cabs with an open safety recall to fix it before picking you up. plus, our "three meals" series continues. we find out how voters are thinking in virginia. oscar winner jeff bridges shares his love of photography and shares pictures that take us behind the scenes of his

memorable movies. that's the "cbs morning news" for this monday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ♪