the news is always on on kpix.com. captioning sponsored by cbs >> duncan: tonight breaking news, a new pandemic lifeline for struggling americans. congress finalizes a long-awaited stimulus bill with a midnight deadline looming. >> congress is not going to be the grinch. we're going to get this package done. >> duncan: also tonight a second vaccine ships out. these doses distributed by moderna. still there are short falls. >> it was a planning error and i am responsible. >> duncan: record rampage, infections, hospitalizations and deaths surge across america. california considered rationing health care. travelers defy warnings by heading home for the holidays. while britain warns of a fast-spreading new strain. >> we cannot continue with

christmas as planned. >> duncan: a surprise thank you for a santa in a different suit. later the nutcracker adapts keeping a holiday tradition on pointe. >> this is the cbs weekend news. from new york, here's jericka duncan. >> duncan: good evening, there is breaking news as congress says it finalized a deal for a new economic relief package. also a cdc advisory group said today first responders, teachers and grocery store workers should be next to get the coronavirus vaccine. reinforcements on that front began rolling out today. a second vaccine by moderna now on its way to all 50 states. and a covid numbers are still staggering. 196,000 infections reported saturday. 17 and a half million people in the u.s. have been diagnosed

with covid-19. more than 317,000 have died and experts are predicting that cases have not yet peaked. but as we come on the air there is hope tonight that a new round of long delayed economic help could soon be on the way to americans. cps's chip reid has the latest at the white house. chip? >> good evening, jericka. leaders of both parties on capitol hill say they are confident that within a matter of hours they will pass a massive $900 billion covid relief package and send it here to the white house for the president's signature. >> more help is on the way. moments ago in consultation with our committees, the four leaders of the senate and house, we finalized an agreement. >> those words are what millions of americans have been waiting for. a covid relief package that congress has been talking about but failing to act on since march. >> the bill is exemented to

include 600 stimulus payments to individuals, 300 dollars a week in supplemental unemployment benefits. $15 billion for the airlines which could be used to rehire furloughed workers and 14 billion dollars for public transportation. among other things, there will also be money for distribution of covid vaccines. public schools, small businesses and money to help feed the hungry. congress plans to attach the covid relief package to a $1.4 trillion spending bill that needs to be passed by midnight tonight to avoid a partial government shutdown. if they miss that deadline they will have to pass another short-term fix to give them more time to negotiation. as for president trump, he has been on the periphery of these negotiations tweeting just after midnight, get it done and give them more money, in direct payments. congress is getting it done but so far appears to have ignored his advice about direct payment.

the president did not appear in public today but in a radio interview he did not mention the covid relief package. and made clear that he is still fixated on overturning the election. >> we have uncovered a voter fraud. the greatest voter fraud in history. >> but dozens of courts have thrown out lawsuits challenging the election for a failure to provide evidence. >> duncan: chip, you mentioned that stimulus payments will in all like leehood be $600 per person but who will actually receive those payments payments. >> well, jericka let's look at the numbers. the $600 payments will go to individuals making less than $75,000 a year and couples making less than $150,000. and keep in mind that children are included. so a family of four would get four $600 payments to the alling $2400. also people making between $75 and $99,000 a year would get something but less than that $600. and keep in mind there could be

some minor changes overnight but that is the basic plan. jericka. >> duncan: chip reid for us at the white house, thank you. >> more vaccine help is on the way. the first shipments of the nation's second vaccine began shipping out today from a memphis area distribution center. that's where we find cbs's errol barnett. >> jericka tonight the cdc confirming that tennessee has the worst new coronavirus cases in the country. but numbers are up everywhere. so moderna's rollout of a vaccine a week after pfizer's is really a second shot of hope for us all. >> roughly $6 million doses of moderna vaccine carefully packaged with dry ice into temperature controlled boxes rolling out for distribution. compared to the pfizer vaccine, moderna's can be stored in standard refrigerators and has a longer shelf life, 30 days, allowing it to reach deeper into rural areas of the country. this is the newly approved vaccine arriving at fedex's

world hub, from here in tennessee, and the ups facility in kentucky. it will be quickly shipped via ground and air routes to 3700 hot spots in all 50 states. >> both vaccines are in high demand requiring two shots. more than 272,000 americans, mostly front line workers have received a third but there has been logistical issues. this weekend the head of operation warp speed took responsibility for more than a dozen states receiving fewer pfizers dos than expected. >> please accept my personal apology. if this was disruptive in your decision making. >> dr. avery nolan received a pfizer vaccine shot last week. because of the damage, he has seen the virus inflict. >> in no way. >> also tonight president-elect joe biden's pick for surgeon general says a realistic time line for nationwide vaccination, jericka, is late summer, early fall of 2021.

>> duncan: still a long road ahead, errol barnett in memphis, thank you. in a sudden turn today the british government warned that a new strain of the virus is quote out of control. it's also been identified in italy. several european countries have now restricted travel to the u.k this is london's heathrow airport tonight as people rush to leave as tough new rules are enforced. cb saryks elizabeth palmer is there. >> with the clock ticking toward lockdown, central london's oxford street was mobbed on saturday night. with crowds making the most of last chance christmas shopping. by morning all nonessential businesses businesses were shut and they will stay that way until at least the end of the month. just last tuesday prime minister bore is johnson promised families would be allowed to get together over christmas. >> we don't want to as i say, to, to ban christmas, to cancel

it. and i think that would be frankly inhuman. >> fast forward to saturday, and an abrupt u-turn. >> it is with a very heavy heart i must tell you, we cannot continue with christmas as planned. >> the sudden policy change focused on the south of england came as hospitals reported a surge in covid patients. infected by a new more con stage us strain of the virus, to protect the health services the government ordered londoners to stay home and outlawed people even visiting family and friends over the holiday. that was two much for the mobs who rushed to catch trains to reach loved ones elsewhere in the u.k. before the deadline fell at midnight last night. the good news is that this new strain of coronavirus although it does spread faster doesn't seem to make people sicker. and it does look as if the vaccine will work but european countries are definitely nervous

and have begun to ban travelers from the u.k. outright. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, london. >> in this country the virus is both in a seige and in a surge as we reach christmas week. hospitals and food banks are overwhelmed. in los angeles someone dies of covid every half hour. cbs's lilia luciano has more. >> tonight the holiday rush is on. millions of travelers defying cdc warnings to stay home. tsa screening more than two million flyers since friday. and over 80 million people are expected to hit the roads. this as the covid surge is crushing records and hospitals. the nation's epicenter california where more people are dying now than in any other point in this pandemic. worst yet, in l.a. county someone dies every half hour. those on the front lines considering the unimaginable. rationing care. >> if you have a heart attack, if you get into a car accident, if you fall off a ladder or have

a stroke, we may not have a bed for you. >> icu capacity in the state sat a mere 2 percent, ambulances waiting seven hours to get patients to the er. 19 states reporting record hospitalizations this week. former fda commissioner dr. scott gottlieb told "face the nation," infections won't peak until january. >> after those infections peak we'll continue to see deaths continue to increase for another three weeks. >> despite the danger, people standing in long lines for last minute holiday gifts, an estimated 150 million shoppers on saturday alone. >> you can pick stuff up, you can price stuff, you can go from one store to the next store. >> a risk too high from those fighting from the front lines including er nurse marcia santini who herself became infectedness we have tro take care of one-- i can't talk. we have to take care of one another. >> many more of those front line workers are getting caught in

the astonishing threat of covid. right now it's believed one in 80 people in l.a. county is infected. >> lilia luciannea in los angeles, thank you. >> this weekend some 265,000 wreaths were placed at graves in arlington, national cemetery it happened at indiana's fairview cemetery too. it is part of the volunteer wreaths across america effort to place wreathes at veteran's graves, at some 2100 locations in all 50 states. >> now to a special santa in the spirit of the season. ups driver anthony gation kin has delivered countless packages on his route in suburban richmond, virginia, throughout these troubled times and does it with a smile. so this past week neighbors surprised anthony by lining the street to show their appreciation. and as you can see, anthony got a little emotional there. well, state ahead on the cbs weekend newsk dealing with grief

during a season de voted to joy. in italy moving class outside and into living history. and later, with theaters closed by covid, ballet companies reinvent the nutcracker.

>> duncan: as the pandemic continues its deadly assault this season, typically de fined by joy, is increasingly de fined by grief. here's c become s's michael george. >> a bill at washington's national cathedral tolling 300 times. one signal for every 1,000 people in this cli who have died from covid-19. charlie jackson an army veteran was lost on may 17th. >> i took him to the va hospital. and that was my last time seeing him alive.

>> his wife laura told us she was unable to be with her husband for the last three weeks of his life. she said thanksgiving was painful. >> it was horrible, michael, we did what we could to get through as a family. and when we sat down for dinner, he would normally bless the food and carve the turkey and, he wasn't there to do any of that. and it's just unfair. >> with the holidays upon us, vaccines offer distant hope but the pandemic rages, claiming more lives every day. >> everybody grieves whether they think they are or not. >> sharon stoffel is a bereavement specialist with wisconsin agnesian healthcare. almost everybody talks about the effect that the isolation and the restrictions has had on them, processing their grief. >> the pain is also economic. so many americans struggling to

provide the basic essentials like food and housing. >> people going through this now are experiencing something different than anybody ever has in the past. >> laura jackson and her family are moving forward. >> it is countries max my birthday is on christmas day. so i will have to wake up and he won't be there and we'll have to muster up energy to go through the holiday without him. >> each one of the 300,000 leaves a family behind, grieving and remembering. michael george, cbs news, new york. >> important to remember that. still ahead on the cbs weekend news. in rome teachers are taking attendance outdoors and mobmental-- in monumental classrooms.

>> how weed kate our children has changed drastically during this pangd. many of us are faced with online

learning as the only option. but imagine what could happen when you think outside of the box. cbs's chris livesay takes us to rome where teachers are finding unique ways to inspire their students. >> you remember your three rs, reading, writing and roman ruins, while high schools across italy have switched to remote learning due to the pandemic, lower grade levels remain largely open. to maintain social distancing public school teachers are taking the classroom outdoors. for 6th grader anna thompson that just happened to be her school's modest terrace overlooking the roman forum. >> you-- did you have just such a beautiful city, do you enjoy learning outside. >> yes, we have many options, many fun options to learn outside here. we go to fountains or really nice squares where we learn a lot in a fun way.

>> that is the trevi fountain to be precise. and it's gushing water is today's music class. to limit the spread of drop lets, kids aren't allowed to sing in school so they are recording the sounds of the fountain to compose a song. >> do you miss singing? >> we do miss singing in music class but right now we're learning a lot of new stuff like concentrating about new sounds that we usually don't pay attention to. >> sounds and sights like the pantheon. >> we are very lucky. we are very lucky. >> today mrs. fiorella nicolini is giving third graders an open air lesson about this pagan temple turned church which michelangelo said looks not like the work of men by angels. >> so the ancient greeks of rome-- shall streets of rome

have become their classroom. >> yes, the best school of the world, i think t is better to teach in this way. >> not bad to play in this way too. with school gymnasiums shut erred grounds of the baths of caracalla where emperors once exercised and bathes will have to do. just one of hundreds of sights in rome and across italy keeping kids in school by taking them out of the classroom. chris livesay, cbs news, rome. >> duncan: next on the cbs weekend news, call him a chip off the old block. charlie woods is tiger's cub.

>> duncan: like father like son. tiger woods and his 11 year old charlie hit the green in orlando today wearing that iconic red that tiger has made popular over the years. the pga tour posted video of the duo. if you look closely charlie has his father's mannerisms, fist

pump and all. >> in a city known for its cold, its football team is on fire. buffalo bill fans turned out in frigid temperatures at 1:30 in the morning to welcome-- welcome home their kwon quering heroes. the team that went to the super bowl four consecutive time in the '90s and lost became asc east champions for the first time in 25 years after beating the denver broncos saturday. go bills. >> when we return, a beloved holiday tradition reimagined 2020 style.

>> duncan: finally tonight the nutcracker ballet isn't being performed in packed theaters this year. instead dancers are finding way to connect on new stages. here's cbs's nancy chen. >> with its iconic score and glittering scenes the nutcracker is performed for audiences

around the country every year. but the holiday tradition is now taking flight with a 2020 twist. in greensboro, north carolina, they offer sanitizer an temperature checks, the performance filmed for a drive-in screening. passioners by in brooklyn can catch a hip-hop fusion for outside a studio's windows in arkansas the stage is little rock's main street, while in miami people watch while socially distancing outside. >> we have all expense and very little revenue. >> kelly tweeddale heads the san francisco ballet the first to stage the nutcracker in 1944. thissier they're offering a stream-packed performance with interactive features. >> the future you we will look back at this moment and it won't be about revenue, it will be how you connected with this community. >> ticket sales from the nutcracker make up about half the season's overall revenue for many balance-- ballet company

which helps them fund the rest of the year, now with most stage still dark, some like the new york city ballet here in loin done center are finding new collaborations within the prestigious company partnered with sotheby. new york city ballet dancers model items up for auction as they twil around an empty gallery, also in new york american ballet theater collaborated with lg to film one of the nut crack are he-- cracker iconic scene featuring the iconic dancer isabella boylston. >> i hope it is uplifting and brings warmtd and holiday cheer. >> a reminder of cherished traditions even in the year keeping people on their toes. nancy chen, cbs news, new york. >> duncan: no doubt a year to be creative. that's the cbs weekend news for this sunday. coming up tonight, "60 minutes." i'm jericka duncan in new york. we thank you so much for watching. have a merry christmas and a happy and healthy new year. good night.

now at 6:00, the post thanksgiving surge. will the dire numbers be enough to keep people home for christmas? we're live at sfo. >> i know we are taking a risk technically, but getting tested here today is my way of preventing that risk. plus, if you're looking to get tested ahead of the holiday, some bay area sites are booked up for the week. more help and hope is on the way to california tonight in the form of hundreds of thousands of doses of the new moderna vaccine. good evening, thanks for joining us, i'm juliette goodrich. >> i'm brian hackney. tonight, dealing with store capacity limits while the bay

area covid test sites will fall to the brim. airport traffic is climbing despite pleas from health officials to avoid holiday travel. kpix 5 betty yu begins our coverage from sfo. hey, betty. a >> reporter: i spoke to a number of travelers that just landed here at sfo and the response is largely that they are traveling to be with family despite the warnings and the surge in covid-19. now sfo says on friday and saturday, there were about 76,000 travelers in and out of this airport, which is only a few thousand less than the number of travelers over those two days on thanksgiving weekend. now across the u.s., more than a million people, one million have passed