santa tracker. he is now over china. he's delivered more than ♪ good morning to our viewers in the west. and welcome to "cbs this morning." it's thursday, december 24th, 2020. i'll jericka duncan with vladimir duthiers and jamie yuccas. president trump pardons his allies. fellow republican calls his latest pardons of paul manafort and roger stone rotten to the core. >> christmas travel risk. the tough choices facing millions of americans looking to safely visit loved ones, including a powerful winter storm. and hear him sing. a man in texas overcomes the odds, finding a new way to ring the bells of kindness this season. >> first, today's "eye opener" your world in 90 seconds. >> it's just another body blow against the rule of law in this country. >> president trump announcing another round of pardons and

sentence commutations. >> on the list, former trump advisers paul manafort and roger stone. both were convicted of multiple crimes in the russia investigation. >> my hat is off to the president, the greatest president since abraham lincoln. >> the veto is pathetic, absurd and mean. >> the cdc says more than 1 million pfizer vaccine doses have been administered in the united states. >> american airports are once again buzzing with travelers, this despite warnings from health officials not to travel for the holidays during the pandemic. >> it will be at a surge on top of a surge. >> the blizzard is bearing down on the upper midwest. >> heavy snowfall and strong winds are creating near whiteout conditions there. >> all that. >> the calgary man flipping out on an ice rink is generating a lot of attention. >> and all that matters. >> touchdown for georgia

southern. >> georgia southern crushed the touchdown celebration. grab a guitar on the sideline and rock out for a second. >> they are built to shred. >> get or solo, slash. ♪ feliz navidad >> meet a little guy with the makings of a rock star. ♪ i want to wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ i want to wish you a merry christmas ♪ >> 5-year-old milo bringing down the house. ♪ from the bottom of my heart ♪ i want to wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ i want to wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ i want to wish you a merry christmas from the bottom of my heart ♪ >> announcer: this morning's "eye opener" is presented by progressive. making it easy to bundle insurance. >> and we want to wish him a merry christmas. >> and all of you. and all of you. >> makes me want to kick my chair. >> and throw off my guitar.

that kid is amazing. welcome to "cbs this morning." gayle king, anthony mason and tony dokoupil are off. a lot of news this morning, including the controversial presidential pardons. first, the tough choices facing many americans trying to safely visit their families for christmas. millions of people are still traveling despite cdc warnings about the dangers of spreading covid-19. the u.s. reported more than 228,000 new coronavirus cases just yesterday. many health care workers are sacrificing their own christmas celebrations to keep up. a record 119,000 people are hospitalized in the u.s. this morning. in many cases, isolated from their families as they fight to survive. icus are already full in some areas and the worst of the pandemic may be still to come. mola lenghi is outside mt. sinai hospital in new york city. good morning. >> good morning, jamie. as you know in so many ways it's frontline health care workers

who have been bearing the brunt of this pandemic. and during the holidays, it's no different, if anything in a lot of cases, it's actually worse. especially for those doctors and nurses who have chosen to stay away from their families throughout this pandemic in order to keep them safe. all this as new york city, like so many other places, tries to combat yet another threat from the uk. >> we're going to have sheriff's deputies go to the home or the hotel of every single traveler coming in from the uk. >> reporter: mayor de blasio is stepping up quarantine enforcement in new york city with news of another new strain of covid-19 emerging in the uk. he says all travelers from the uk who don't quarantine will face a fine of $1,000. >> the model predicts the worst is yet to come. >> reporter: in southern california, the head of l.a. county's department of health services says ambulances are waiting an hour in some places just to drop off patients. predicting more than 8,000 people will die, countywide in

the coming weeks. >> no matter how safe you think you or your loved one have been, it's a safe reality. it's rampant in los angeles county. >> reporter: florida governor ron desantis signed an executive order wednesday prioritizing seniors over essential workers, like teachers or public transit employees. defying the recommendation of the cdc. >> people that are 73, 74 would be in the back of the line for a young 21-year-old worker who is considered quote, essential. that doesn't make sense. >> reporter: it's a move that doesn't sit well with florida's teachers union. >> he continues to basically thumb his nose at educators saying, you're not worthy of being protected. >> reporter: and for those who are getting the vaccine, life is already changing. >> my kids were so xhexcited. my wife teary eyed. >> reporter: dr. franklin lynn with wellstar health system got his vaccination while facetiming his family. living alone since march to

protect his wife and kids, he's mostly been communicating with them virtually. soon he can resume his dad duties at home. >> what do you miss the most about being home? >> i'm excited to put the kids to bed. that was always my original job. >> reporter: although more than a million americans have already been vaccinated, that is still about 19 million shy of what the federal government projected by the end of this year. and it's unlikely that goal will be achieved, according to the chief of "operation warp speed" who said simply because the process of putting shots in arms, vlad, has just taken much longer than anticipated. >> mola lenghi in new york city, thank you very much. just in time for christmas, an intense winter storm battered parts of the upper midwest yesterday. now that system is threatening the east. not with a white christmas but a wet one. meteorologist and climate specialist jeff berardelli has the travel forecast. doesn't sound good. >> good morning, vlad and everybody. we are on the breezy side of

manhattan right now by the river on the hudson river. but it's the calm before the storm. big squall line possible later today with power outages tonight and into christmas morning. the big story right now is the rain moving through the tennessee valley down to the gulf coast. tornado watches out for places like mobile and pensacola, florida. that severe weather is going to progress up the eastern s seaboard. could see tornados in north carolina throughout the day and the squall line moves through new york city. as it moves through the city in d.c. and philadelphia and into long island and new england, we'll see wind gusts to first, 60, 70 miles an hour. that's why we're worried about the possibility of power outages. the other big story, look at that arctic outbreak. look at all that cold air spilling across the midwest. but look how warm it starts on christmas day in places like boston and new york. cold air is going to surge all the way down to florida with windchills in the 20s and 30s. it's going to be brutally cold. across the west coast, we're going to be talking about a storm finally moving in. it's been very dry.

continue s have a very merry christmas to all of you and to you, jericka. >> jeff, we look forward to it. thank you so much. now to washington where another storm is brewing of sorts. president trump is getting backlash from members of his own party for a wave of new pardons. his former campaign chairman paul manafort, confidante roger stone and charles kushner, his son-in-law's father, are all granted pardons. manafort and stone were convicted in relation to the russia probe. paula reid is in west palm beach florida near the president's mar-a-lago resort where he's spending christmas. can you help break down those pardons and put it in context for us. >> president trump has used his vast clemency powers over 40 times in just the past few days. moments after landing here in palm beach, president trump granted relief to two of his advisers who are convicted in the mueller investigation and

granted a pardon to a member of his own family. >> i've always found paul manafort to be a very decent man. >> reporter: paul manafort, once a pivotal player in the 2016 trump campaign, became one of the most prominent names in the probe into russia's election interference. he served around two years in prison on tax and bank fraud charges brought by special counsel robert mueller. despite being convicted by a jury and pleading guilty in his second case, the white house said wednesday he'd been treated worse than most violent criminals. he received a full pardon. so did roger stone, a friend and adviser to the president who was convicted of witness tampering and lying to congress about his communications with wikileaks about thousands of hacked democratic emails. prosecutors said he sought out wikileaks while maintaining regular contact with the trump campaign. >> it's been amazing what's coming out on wikileaks. >> reporter: the white house said stone's conviction was the result of prosecutorial misconduct. the president also pardoned the

father of his son-in-law and senior adviser jared kushner. charles kushner pleaded guilty to witness retaliation and tax charges in 2005. trump ally and former u.s. attorney chris christie prosecuted the case which involved allegations that kushner had retaliated against his brother-in-law, a federal witness, by arranging for a prostitute to seduce him and then sending a tape of the incident to his sister. >> it's one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that i prosecuted when i was u.s. attorney. >> reporter: republican senator ben sasse called the pardons rock en rotten to the core. the president escalates tensions with congress, vetoing a key defense spending bill and standing in the way of $600 stimulus payments to millions of americans, even though he remained silent throughout months of negotiations. he's now demanding payouts more than three times higher. >> $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple. >> reporter: something democratic leaders said the

house of representatives could vote on by noon today. >> people are hurting right now. they're hurting. and we need to get relief to them immediately. >> reporter: like furloughed flight attendant troy muenzer. >> right now, we need the $600 stimulus checks. >> reporter: the bill congress passed has $15 billion in aid for airline workers. meaning muenzer could work again. he helped his cousin move wednesday. he worried he could lose his own apartment. >> it's really, really sad that a few days before christmas, we're -- the government is still playing with our lives. >> reporter: house republicans this morning blocked democrats' efforts to try to increase those stimulus checks. democrats say they will try again on monday. but if that fails, the president would have two options. he could veto the stimulus bill or he could sign it. now during his time here in florida, the white house hasn't provided too many details on what exactly the president will be doing. but last night his official

schedule insisted that he will be taking meetings and calls, though it did not say who he will be speaking with or what they'll be talking about. >> interesting, paula, thank you. we'll be watching that today. chief washington correspondent major garrett joins us right now. good morning. >> good morning. >> i want to start with those pardons. obviously, controversial, that we've been talking about. president trump touts himself as a law and order president, but when you look at this, it looks like he's just rewarding loyalty. >> well, certainly that's one interpretation, but the president and in the white house statement you can read it very clearly, considers the entire mueller investigation a miscarriage of justice. so everything he does, in terms of commutations or pardons, the white house asserts is redemptive. it's essentially balancing the scales of justice because as the president has said on twitter and in public comments for years now, the mueller investigation was based on fraudulent assumptions, the tactics used were abusive. those were the words the white house statement used. and to the president's thinking,

roger stone and paul mafrts ana are, therefore, victims. if you listen to paula's report, they went through the judicial process and were convicted and pled guilty. roger stone lied to congress. one of the common themes there, doing what they can to not say what they knew, if anything, about donald trump. how were they rewarded? pardons. >> you see these pardons happen. also the president escalating tensions within his own party. he releases videos. he's on social media. then he just leaves town. he's now in florida. what do you make of this? >> so, i think one of the interesting themes of the end of the trump presidency is, will this result in the crack up of the modern republican party? because right now donald trump is, as you said, jamie, at war with not just republicans in general. he is at war with the highest echelons of the republican leadership in congress. this entire gambit on increasing the stimulus checks after they

passed it and green lighted it with the okay of his own administration. >> for months. >> it's so late in the process he's now delivering a message to republicans in krngs i'm angry with you about this and other matters and i'm going to take my anger to the ultimate political level. we could have a government shutdown next week on the verge of the new year, collapsing economy, raging pandemic and the president could shut the government down. and republicans don't know what to do and don't know how to react. and that kind of -- it's not even -- it's chaos, yes, but it's deeper. it's much more important than that. chaos is something we've come to -- let us say acknowledge in the trump administration. some appreciate it or loathe it. we've all acknowledged it. this is about, is the republican party about donald trump and his personal approach to politics or is it about something larger and more general? well, right now that fight is playing out on multiple fronts, and the person instigating that fight is the president of the united states. >> along those lines, can you

give us an inside look at what the mood is? >> it's mostly vacant. there are not many people at the white house. those that are there at the upper levels, most senior level, are trying to keep the president within some normal guard rails. it's quite a challenge. most everyone else is looking for a job because they know this is all coming to an end. the president hasn't acknowledged that, won't acknowledge that, but everyone nels junior positions has to find another job in washington and try to find some way to gussy up a resume amid all this the president is doing. that's a challenge in itself. >> major garrett, so good to see you. thank you. a columbus police officer who killed an unarmed black man is sidelined this morning and the city's mayor says the officer should be fired. officials released video of the incident that sparked outrage in the community. officer adam coy did not turn on his body cam until after tuesday's shooting. the silent video shows the dead man, 47-year-old andre hill, holding only a cell phone. jeff pegues has the story. we warn you, the video we're about to show you is disturbing.

>> reporter: body cam footage from officer adam coy shows him approaching an open garage. andre hill was inside and walks toward the officer with a cell phone in his left hand. his other hand is not visible. within seconds, officer coy shoots and hill collapses. all this was captured via the body cam's prerecord function. 60 seconds of video without audio. it's at this point that coy t n turned on his camera p. put your hands out to the side. >> reporter: hill lay for more than six minutes without aid. a violation of police policy. he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. >> to see him lying in the driveway minute after minute after minute with no attempt to render aid. that is a stunning disregard for life. in this case, black life.

>> reporter: it all began when a neighbor called police early tuesday to report a suspicious vehicle allegedly repeatedly being turned on and off. a nonemergency call. according to investigators, no weapon was recovered at the scene. the mayor says hill was a guest at the home. a review of officer coy's personnel file shows more than three dozen complaints filed against him since 2002, including use of force. all but a few were marked unfounded or not sustained. it's not clear from the files if any sustained complaints involve use of force. following hill's shooting, coy has been relieved of his duties and ordered to turn in his badge and gun while the investigation continues. hill's sister, shawna barnett, shared her thoughts online. my brother was snatched away from me. now i and my family will be there for him and other murdered victims to take up this plight that our culture has painfully

endured for years. for "cbs this morning," jeff pegues, in washington. >> the columbus police chief calls the incident a tragedy and promises that any officers who violated laws or policies will be held accountable. this is the second fatal police shooting in columbus this month on december 4th, casey jr. was shot in the back as he was entering his home. >> one day someone will have to explain to me how an officer with three dozen complaints, including use of force, can still be patrolling the streets. >> no help for six minutes. >> ahead, cbs news gets rare access to the biggest radio telescope. how scientists in china are searching space for

we have much more news ahead. shipping companies are working frantically trying to get christmas packaging delivered by tomorrow. how the coronavirus is complicating their efforts. plus, new developments in the case of the famous balloon boy hopes that left a lot of people wondering more than a decade ago. you're watching "cbs this morning." whoa, susan!

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♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ >> oh, i love this song. i had a story about nat king cole and the granddaughter he never knew. the long road to discovery and reconciliation for a woman born on christmas day. your local news is next.

good morning. it is 7:26. hospitals and medical workers are being stretched very thinly this holiday. available icu capacity in the bay area is just above 11%. that's a record low. statewide, about 1% of icu beds are still free. in santa clara, covid-19 is now the third leading cause of death behind cancer and heart disease. only 8% of total icu capacity remains. that translates to just 25 available beds. peninsula firefighters on front lines of pandemic response are giving back.

getting more protection because it responds to scenes where there may be a high risk of exposure. we've got a traffic alert in affect, will affect 29 at 221. this is a crash valving a vehicle and pedestrian. there is activity in the right shoulder and an investigation. slight delays, traffic is pretty light, not a lot of cars on the road way. checking our travel times, everything is in the green. a lot of clouds this morning. it's going to stay that way for much of the rest of today. we'll see daytime highs around 60. a little bit fog in the tri valley, our camera above dublin so it is not too widespread but there are patches out there. it's cold. as far as the rain, friday, second half of the day, is when we will see better rain over the next days

no one has ever seen anything like covid. my best friend's father died of covid-19. then my father caught it. wearing a mask, washing your hands. you have the power to protect the ones you love.

. welcome back to "cbs this morning." it's christmas eve and millions of americans are waiting anxiously to see if their gifts will be delivered on time. new numbers show on-time delivery for each of the three major u.s. carriers -- fedex, u.p.s. and the postal service -- is more than 93%, but they say due to overwhelming demand, more than 1 million orders may not get to their destinations by christmas. errol barnett is outside a u.s. postal service hub in new york city. yesterday i saw a fedex store on the upper east side, the line was wrapped all the way around the corner. what's it like there? >> reporter: it's the same. busy, busy, busy. we're outside one of the most frenetic distribution centers

and today is like the super bowl. consider the challenges right now. the pandemic is ravaging the country. vaccine distribution is under way. and there are record online orders taking place. so, for them, they're doing what they can and what very well could be the postal service's most daunting challenge ever. in a year unlike any other, the race for shippers to deliver packages to homes and businesses nationwide is reaching its pinnacle. >> everybody understands people have been doing a lot more online shopping, that the delivery system is flooded with packages. >> reporter: the u.s. postal service is getting hit hard. shipping millions more items per day than average, partially due to shipping caps at u.p.s. and fedex. in the first week of december, first class on-time deliveries fell to just 75%. >> i'm worried about the u.s. postal system. i'm not sure what's going on. hopefully it will improve and they'll figure it out. >> reporter: what is it like to be a postal worker right now? >> well, it's -- it's daunting.

>> reporter: mark dimondstein is the president of the american postal workers union, representing a third of the more than 644,000 postal service employees. in addition to deliveries, he says, more than 6,000 workers have tested positive for covid in just the last week. >> with all of that, we're still out here, like all other essential workers. >> reporter: should people brace themselves and expect that things may be a little late this week? >> i think in some situations, people will be disappointed that the gifts through the post office and maybe some other carriers do not make it quite on time. >> reporter: private carriers are also overwhelmed. last week u.p.s. health care president wes wheeler warned our kris van cleave of potential holiday gift delays as the covid-19 vaccine rolled out across the country. >> if it comes down to it, what gets priority, my christmas gifts or the vaccines? >> the vaccines will get first

priority on the aircraft, first priority on the package car when it goes to the final destination. if your package happens to be on that same truck, you're lucky because it will be in the first priority package car going out from the gateway. >> reporter: some shoppers are choosing to take matters into their own hands but these long lines popping up in shopping malls as customers look to avoid any delays. >> there are some things you kind of want to get in your hands and look at before you buy. you can't always do that online. >> reporter: while others have been left without answers. >> this year it's been a disaster. >> reporter: the owners of gracie's doggy delights in wisconsin say they fear they lost customers because of delay. >> i don't know what's causing the delays. i know they're being -- they have staffing issues. i know they're being jammed up on a lot of people ordering things but they had to know this was coming. >> reporter: it sounds like you're very understanding that everyone is dealing with this, and postal carriers are doing everything they can, but there are hiccups along the way. >> we just hope people understand, that's all.

we know the postal workers are working hard. we can see it in our own local carriers' faces. we get it. i understand. i'm not putting this on anybody. i just hope somebody understands on the other end that we got our stuff out and a little patience will go a long way. >> reporter: now, despite all of that, there are some companies still offering same-day delivery on millions of items today, for a price, that is. we're talking amazon, target and walmart prepared to deliver items that you may order here on christmas eve. so, if you really procrastinated, you have some last-minute shopping to do and you really want to test your patience and anxiety, vlad, go for it. >> errol barnett, my man. i've got to give you props for maintaining your concentration with that noise, that white noise behind you. >> they're working. >> well done. thank you very much for that. it's been frustrating for me with this delivery thing because for the first time ever, my wife

and i decided to do personalized christmas gifts. >> because you got married. >> because we got married. everybody is always showing us their kids and whatever. we did it this year and they still have not come. we ordered them a month ago. >> oh, my gosh. >> sorry. >> i'm sure you're just happy to get gifts at this point in time. >> yes, jericka, i am. >> well, you know what, it will be a wonderful new year's addition to my mailbox when i get your card. >> it's in the mail, vlad. you just saw errol's report. >> she doesn't want us to say this. she got me this beautiful necklace i'm wearing. and got you some amazing cuff links. >> you are the best. >> we love you very much. merry christmas. >> errol, thank you. ahead, the search for life and space continues after the collapse of puerto rico's observatory. we'll take you to the world's largest radio telescope in china. you can get this morning's news by subscribing to the "cbs this

morning" podcast. in less than 20 minutes, it's a deal. we'll be right back. "why" was searched more than ever. and while we didn't find all the answers, [slow, upbeat music fades in] we kept asking. [voice of a female launch announcer] lift-off! [voice of male narrator] some questions inspired joy. put it on there, and start it up for me. others, exhaustion. [speaking with a british accent] i don't know what an improper fraction is. [voice of leslie jordan] it's still march how many days... in march? [voice of male narrator] some questions made us cry. [somber choir singing begins] [voice of kobe bryant] you know, we've been through our ups and been through our downs. [voice of kobe bryant] the most important part is that we all stay together throughout. [crowd cheering] [voice of male narrator] so, why do we still have strength to continue? [voice of female protester] i believe in our power. [crowd chants back] i believe in our power. [voice of ruth bader ginsburg] think about how you would like the world to be for your daughters and granddaughters. [voice of chadwick boseman] remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose. [voice of male narrator] why is it that this year showed us its worst, and we still found ways to triumph? [music begins to build] [voice of male narrator] until we get to every answer ... ...we're still searching.

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hard earlier this month when the world's second largest radio telescope collapsed. look at that. the arecibo observatory in puerto rico was shown in blockbuster movies like the james bond hit "goldeneye" and "contact." china is opening the world's largest radio telescope to international scientists. cbs news is the only u.s. tv network granted permission to see the more than 1,600-foot telescope. ramie asencio shows us what he found. >> reporter: in the limestone hills of southwest china, the world's single dish radio telescope, more than five football fields across is now scanning beyond our skies. its chinese name means eye of heaven. 12 families were first relocated out of this natural depression. engineers laid down more than 4,000 aluminum panels over a year to detect faint mysterious

fast radio bursts and ripples into space time in search of extra ter restial life. this telescope is some 26 years in the making and became fully operational last january. cbs news gained television access on a cold december weekend, only because the telescope was offline for maintenance. we've got the highest sensitivity in the world, says wang qiming, says fast inspector. they are spectacular and gigantic. we're all so happy. this is the apple of this cosmic eye. the 30-ton feed cabin, hoisted by those towers nearly 500 feet up. its job, to collect data from the universe reflected from the dish. breathtaking to see it all physically complete. what we don't see is also super interesting. a mandatory radio quiet zone that stretches more than three miles in every direction right

from here. scientists want to listen to very faint radio waves coming from millions of light years away. not from someone's cell phone down the road. the fmpbl.a.s.t. telescope is e more important to the world after the collapse of arecibo radio telescope in puerto rico weeks ago. multiple suspension cables failed. i asked wang, who visited arecibo, how he felt. he said he grieved for the loss of a partner and good friend for half a century and said china would share its telescope with the world. astronomy has no borders, he says. this kind of science includes us all. for "cbs this morning," ramy inocencio, in remote guizhou province, china. >> we need telescopes like that to find out what's going on in outer space. i do believe. i do believe. >> i do, too.

>> you do? all right, all right. live long and prosper, jericka duncan. jamie's like, star i'm erin. -and i'm margo.

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nothing kills more viruses, including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect. i love this song. before you start preparing for the most wonderful night of the year, how about you get your what to watch from this wonderful guy at the table. >> you didn't write that. >> i did write that. >> thank you very much. i've been enjoying this week so much with you guys. thank you for making it wonderful. >> we love to be here. >> oh, yeah. i love it, too. someone put a meme out with me as a french fryer on twitter. stan spooner put a french fry with a vlad face in it. a new report from u.s. immigration and customs enforcement reveals the impact the pandemic has had on border arrests and deportations. the agency deported more than

185,000 people in 2020. that is down 30% from the previous year and the lowest number in more than a decade. i.c.e. arrested more than 104,000 this year, a 28% drop from 2019, and by far the lowest arrest numbers since president trump took office. i.c.e. says deportations fell partly because of a pandemic policy change, making them unnecessary. that change allows people caught crossing the border illegally to be removed within hours to prevent the spread of covid-19. the nba, we'll talk about the nba, the nba bubble was super successful in keeping most players safe from the coronavirus. the new season is starting with no bubble, but the league now has something else to protect players. check out the zenex light strike robot. it uses the most powerful uv light in the world to effectively zap and destroy bacteria linked to covid-19. the robot is now being used to disinfect player and public areas at the at&t center in san

antonio where the spurs play. >> they are not cheap. they're about $125,000 apiece. they're usually used in places like mayo clinic and hospitals. >> smaller versions are lights like -- >> laysers. >> i think people are looking for anything they can take it to the next level to protect themselves. >> if it works, if it works -- >> they hope it does. >> yeah. put them on the heads of sharks. you get that reference? >> no. >> oh, come on. put those lasers on the heads of sharks. twitter will know what i'm talking about. twitter's got my back. colorado's governor has pardoned a couple behind the balloon boy hoax. >> oh, boy. >> remember the balloon boy? >> i do. >> fascinated americans 11 years ago. this was the scene that played out on our screens. richard and mayumi heene reported their 6-year-old son floated away in this helium balloon. emergency crews raced to save the boy and then found out he was never on board.

>> you remember that moment? >> not only emergency crews, news crews. the newsroom exploded in activity to track this story. the heenes served jail time because the boy was found safe at home. he was not on that balloon. >> such a bizarre story. looks like the democrat who wrote that pardon letter said that they have taught their three children to be honest and hard working. >> yeah. the heenes wanted to get a reality show out of this. they served a couple days in jail, they paid a $36,000 fine. now they're being pardoned. the couple has paid the price, that's what the governor says. they shouldn't be dragged down by having a criminal record forever. >> it wasn't just that he was found at home. when authorities went to talk to the boy, he said, you said we did this for the show. >> children don't lie. >> i remember the activity in the newsroom. i was an intern. i was new to news. in the old days when things like this really were breaking news -- >> it's like an l.a. car chase. >> it really was crazy. a couple heart-warming

stories. a dog in new york is safe home from the holidays after his rescue from an icy pond. emergency crews north of new york city rushed to save the frightened husky. his name is jax. the dog was playing with some pals when he fell into the water. a firefighter in a cold water suit swam out to jax and helped him get back to shore. look at all the crews there to rescue him. he was happy to be reunited with his owner and we're happy he's okay. >> we see this happen with deer and other animals. wash at olympic medalist blake leaper cheers on this 2-year-old boy walking with his new prosthetic leg. >> you're doing great. you're doing awesome. >> looks like little k.j. dire is getting the hang of it, thanks to lots of encouragement from leaper. the eight-time track and field medalist shared this special moment on his instagram page

writing, right here is my motivation. >> i love it. >> how cool is it for the 2-year-old to have someone like him to look up to? >> i know. >> wonderful. >> beautiful. >> wonderful. ahead, dr. jon lapook and other doctors talk about their experience getting a coronavirus vaccine. >> announcer: today's "what to watch" is sponsored by toyota. let's go places. mom, i'm finished! ♪ one more? ♪ daddy! ♪

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good morning. it is 7:56. california is in the process of trying to decide who will get coronavirus vaccine next, an advisory pointing to essential workers including teachers, grocery workers, farm workers and first responders. a bicyclist died last night after hit near monterey road and palm avenue. investigators are searching for a honda civic with front end damage. dungeness crab season still on hold. the state gave the green light yesterday but fishermen aren't

going out because of money. buyers are offering 235 a pound. fishermen want 350. negotiations are expected next week. as we look at the roadways it's been pretty easy so far this morning for most bay area freeways. the earlier alert on 29 has been cleared. taking a look at traffic, a little closer to san francisco we have debris in the road way north bound around ocean. there is some wood debris in lanes there. look at our travel times looking good with no delays especially at the altamont pass. cloudy view looking to the east. it will stay cloudy today. same over the south bay. the rain doesn't get here until tomorrow, not until late afternoon. we are looking at patchy fog from our camera above dublin in tri valley. it is still

christmas eve... everybody spends the night at the house. i love christmas, i always did. it's loud, it's family being together. a lot of food, music, people, hugs. that's a perfect christmas. ♪

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it is thursday, december 24, 2020. merry christmas eve. welcome back this morning. more controversial pardons from president trump. why he's generating outrage before he leaves office. >> the race to give out a million vaccines. many americans have received their first shots. >> one man is using the gift of his voice, which is much better than mine, to help others after a life-time of challenges. first today's eye opener at 8:00. >> many people are still traveling trying to safely visit

their families for christmas despite the cdc warnings. >> in many ways, it is the health care workers facing the brunt of this. >> the big story is the rain moving through the tennessee valley. that weather will progress up the eastern seaboard. >> president trump granted relief to two advisors convicted in the mueller veinvestigation. >> president trump touts himself as a long-haul president but he just seems to be loyalty. >> the white house asserts it is balancing the scales of justice. >> kids came take pictures with santa but a photographer had a different idea of kids being pictureds with the grinch

himself. those reactions are priceless. you can imagine the expression. mom, i'm out of here. >> they seem horrified. >> yicks. >> wow. >> we are here today. hopefully won't horrify you. >> millions of us are on the move this christmas eve. dangerous weather could get in the way. a dangerous storm pounded minnesota. drivers saw near without conditions with high winds and snow drifts. a major snow front causing rain in the mid-atlantic across new england. >> good morning. we are expecting rain and a lot

of it. up and down the east coast. that doesn't look like it will stop the millions of americans determined see family during the holidays. nearly 85 million americans are expected to travel either on road or in the air. that is down from last year. we have video of lines at lax yesterday. across the nation, tsa screened nearly a million travelers a day, just monday and tuesday. we have been reporting on the roll out of the vaccine. the reality is more than 119,000 people are hospitalized in the united states right now. consider this. before thanksgiving, the u.s. averaged 165,000 daily new cases. that number is now 215,000 daily new cases. the fear is that something

similar will happen after the holidays. fur gathering with loved ones, the cdc says it is urgent you continue practicing these things. practice social distancing, wear your mask and quarantine immediately after social gatherings. there is couldn't have ersy over president trump's second set of pardons. ivanka trump's father-in-law charles kushner. paula reed is traveling with the president in south florida, how this automatll being received r now. >> the second wave of president, his choices have been denounced even by republicans. senator ben sass called his selections, quote, rotten to the

core. the case of charles kushner, he pleaded guilty in 2005 to tax fraud and witness retaliation but prosecuted by chris christie, former u.s. attorney. he has described kushner's case as one of the most loathe some he has prosecuted referring to the allocations that kushner hired a prostitute to approach his brother in-law and had that encounter filmed. the president has the authority to grant the pardon or commute the sentence of anyone he wants. his choices suggest he is willing to use that power for people lawyer to him or very well connected. >> thank you, paula. >> ahead, in their own words, doctors who got the vaccine tell us

there much more news ahead. one worker for the salvation army is drawing a tensittention not for using the bell. >> that one voice, that one song stopped you? ♪

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in our series "vak i naturing america," three doctors document their experience getting a covid vaccine so give us an in-depth look at what it was like and the symptoms they fell. dr. erica harris, dr. gabe bosslet and dr. charles thompson recorded diaries over a period of three to six days. >> i'm documenting my experience because i want to share with

everyone, so follow along with me. >> today is my vaccine day and i'm very excited. i'm actually in front of my christmas tree because the vaccine is really the only wish i had for christmas this year. >> i'm in the parking lot, getting ready to go in. >> one, two, three. okay, buddy, that's it. >> all done. that was it? no reaction. i feel fine. >> all right. i barely felt that. it felt just like getting my flu shot. >> it did not hurt any more so than a flu vaccine. >> it's been about nine hours since i had my vaccine this morning. i'm feeling pretty well overall. i'm not having any fever, fatigue, weakness, but a little soreness in the arm. >> i got my shot about 13 hours ago. i slept well. i got a little soreness. >> i feel fine. i received the vaccine yesterday. my arm is less sore than it was yesterday evening. i'm not feeling any reactions. i'm not having any real

symptoms, no light headedness. >> it's been 24 hours since my vaccination. i've got to be honest, i was tired today. i felt fatigued and had a headache at the end of the day and that's not normal for me. >> this is day two after getting my covid vaccine. i'm feeling great. >> awaiting instructional commands. just kidding. i'm about 40 hours past my immunization and feeling pretty good. the fatigue and headache that i had yesterday is gone. >> i feel totally back to normal. >> i hope this helps de mystify things for people. >> i hope this can be a solution for us to help eradicate this pandemic. >> we waited so long to get some kind of hope in the middle of this pandemic and for us. this is really our first sign of hope. >> we have more cases and deaths every day now than we ever had, but i think the vaccine gives me hope that slowly, slowly over the course of this next six months to a year, things will get better.

>> cbs news chief medical correspondent dr. jon lapook just got his first dose of the vaccine and the cameras were there to record it. let us check in with him now. jon, good morning. >> good morning, vlad. how are you? >> good. i'm great. first off, i want to ask you about the wave of emotions that you and other doctors, nurses, health care professionals have ascribed in receiving the vaccine after serving for so many months on the front lines, watching people succumb to it and also watching people survive. how are you feeling? >> first of all, i'm feeling great. i have a little arm soreness and a little swelling about the size of a silver dollar. you're exactly right. i was surprised by this wave of emotion. i got really choked up and teary. and i think it was not only a relief of getting the vaccine but a release. so many of us have been under all this pressure for so many months. i mean, for me, i was on the covid wards back in april at nyu where i'm a professor of

medicine. of course, my clinical practice in answering people's questions. and then, of course, doing this job as medical correspondent. but we all have our own pressures. and i think it's going to be so important for us going forward to understand that we have an entire nation that's been under a ton of pressure. there may be some degree, there will be some degree of ptsd. i think of the kids and the aces, the adverse childhood events, an entire year of disruptions. >> people are worried about side effects, including my mom. so, what are they? >> you know, they're mostly the typical things for getting a shot. i had a little arm soreness. there can be a headache. you can have a fever. there can be a little swelling at the site. you can have fatigue, but mostly it goes away in a couple of days. >> dr. lapook, a lot of people say they're being careful, wearing masks, social distancing and you still have people end up with covid. what do you make of that? how do you explain that?

>> you know, jericka, i love that you brought this up, because this virus is astoundingly infectious. one of the problems is that people still don't have their arms around what you need to do. i would say the very biggest misconception that has led to problems, aside from not wearing a mask. people need to wear a mask, come on, is the misconception people don't understand about the 2 to 14-day incubation period. let's go over it one more time around the holiday season because it's so important. yesterday a patient of mine said, i got covid tested yesterday. yesterday was wednesday. i'm going to go to a christmas party over the weekend. is that okay? and i said, no, not necessarily because with the 2 to 14-day incubation period you could have been exposed. she could have been exposed a week ago and tested negative yesterday but suddenly tested positive and became infectious tomorrow or the next day or the next day. people have to understand that 14-day quarantine period is for a reason. you can't just -- to get a test, be negative, can get infected

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♪ millions of americans are spending christmas in need. many suffering from the economic damage of the pandemic. a texas singer who used to be

homeless is trying to offer cheer and inspire others to help. mar ♪ come and behold him >> reporter: the job is as recognizable as his voice. ♪ silent night >> reporter: sammy wade is a salvation kettle worker on the outskirts of ft. worth. he doesn't use that famous bell. he sings. ♪ glory >> reporter: across the walmart parking lot for all to hear. >> all year has been a time when people have been in need. >> reporter: it was like that all day, sammie would sing, people like wendy lewis would stop, stare in awe and give. >> thank you. merry christmas. you have a beautiful voice. >> i walked out and heard that

beautiful voice and it stopped me. >> there are people that are hurting and suffering. the only thing that i can say is that there is hope. >> reporter: he spent several years homeless. the one constant was his faith. and since the pandemic began, a new church helping him get back on his feet. sammie has made such an impact on fellow church members like david bell that when his car broke down, david volunteered to drive him. >> i knew that if that job came through, i mean, he had a ride. that was just never a question. >> reporter: that's 40 miles from here. >> that's okay. ♪ amazing >> reporter: working on the red kettle campaign is a full-circle moment for the singer who struggled after he was released from prison for a nonviolent offense three years ago. >> sammie wade used to stay at the salvation army social service center. we're paying him but he's helping us in return. >> reporter: the red kettle campaign gave sammie a temporary

job for the holidays. he's working to get a new car and start a voice coaching business. but more than anything, he wants to help restore people's faith and remind them all is not lost. >> i don't feel like crying anymore. >> reporter: what makes you cry? what part of this? >> i've said so many times, i'm not worthy of all this attention. i'm just wants to be like other people. ♪ no matter what >> reporter: a hopeful soundtrack on a sidewalk in the age of social distancing. for "cbs this morning," mireya villarreal, texas. >> what a beautiful store. well done. and a powerful, powerful message there, not just his message but his story, all of it coming full circle. nat king cole's christmas music is a staple this time of year. ahead, a little known chapter in his family life. a woman discovers her close connection to the legendary singer. your local news

good morning. it's 8:25. hospitals and medical workers being stretched thin. the capacity in the bay area stands at just above 11%. that's a record low. statewide, about 1% of icu beds are free. push underway in san francisco to help the struggling entertainment industry. a recovery fund for venues hit hard. unfortunately some have closed. help could be on the way for china town restaurants. the supervisor wants to allocate nearly $2 million to pay restaurants to cook for older adults and families in single room occupancy hotels. good morning.

if you are getting ready to hit the roads, look at this. for the most part, it's an easy ride on this christmas eve. if you are an essential worker, going to work, you shouldn't have troubles across the bay bridge. look at our travel times. everything is in the green. super commuters through altamont pass, 21 minutes. 101 out of the south bay is quiet. the ride out of marin looks good, a little windy though. a lot of clouds out there. we can see them from our camera on top of the sales force tower, looking to the east, same over san jose and still patchy fog showing up in the tri valley. it's cold still. you get to the north bay and it's still 32 for santa rosa. it's 50 in san francisco and just an overview on the rain, best chances for rain com make your holidays happen...at ross! surprise! ahhh!

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♪ please stay home for christmas ♪ ♪ and keep me covid free ♪ maybe it will snow but please no mistletoe ♪ ♪ wear your mask and stay six feet from me ♪ >> welcome back to "cbs this morning." that was my good friend, charisma and her father, mr. kenny, making up that lovely song. >> so talented. >> she sent that to me last night and i said, we have to work that in. >> no mistletoe, six feet. >> time to bring us stories we're talking about this morning. vlad, what do we have?

>> we have talked about hippos, penguins and today we're going to the dogs. >> love it. >> specifically president-elect biden's german shepherds. they are getting a christmas surprise. look at this. this is a replica white house dog house. >> nice. >> yeah. it's a pet company called playology. they built the house for mr. biden's dogs, major and champ. you can see the dogs' names. very cool. the company owners say they are life-long republicans but they built the dog house in the spirit of bipartisanship and the holidays. >> good for them. >> yeah, it's great. they hope it will be delivered in time for christmas. major and champ will be the first dogs to live in the white house since the obamas and their dog. you remember sonny and beau from four years ago. and also i believe that this is the first rescue dog. >> it is. >> that will be in the white house, which is pretty cool. of course, i've loved all the white house dogs, right? we talked about beau.

>> barney. >> barney was george w. bush's tog. ronald reagan had rex. he had a white house, a dog white house. it's not the first doggy white house. >> there's so much more that brings us together. >> i love that the republicans aren't like, you know what, let's build this house, champ and beau, you're going out in style. >> you know what, that's much nicer. i had a dog for 17 years. >> i know, dotty. >> dotty. she was 17. good, long life. i had a wine barrel dog bed so i don't know what that says about me. >> a lot, jamie, actually. >> she and i had a lot of fun together. >> you took very good care of your dog. >> what have you got for us, jericka? >> beyonce is offering a helping hand this holiday season for those struggling to pay mortgage other rent. her charity bey. good is giving $5,000 checks to 100 individuals or families facing foreclosures or evictions. beygood previously helped more than 250 small businesses with $10,000 grants. and it's something she's teamed

up with the ncaa with. so just another way you see people that have the means to help, helping at this time. >> but is there anything beyonce can't do? >> i know. i don't think so. >> bey good, jamie. bey good -- or how would you do it? naughty or nice, naughty or beygood? >> i'll write that down. >> i'm not sure i'm as cool as you to say that. >> i have no wits. it's sad. i'm not witty. >> oh, stop. >> this is such an important thing she's doing because it's such a big problem right now. it's very nice. >> jamie, what you got? >> well, i love the -- don't you love the "price is right"? come on down. >> come on down. >> a lot of us dream of winning a new car on "the price is right "request the and the money, right, all the prizes. this week a family got a chance to win not one but three cars. >> let's find out if we're giving away three cars on prime time on christmas. >> come on. i can't wait, drew. come on. yes!

>> $35,000 prize. >> isn't that the best reaction ever? i love it. >> they're running around. >> they went bananas. the family won all three cars playing triple play. >> wow. >> happened on this week's "the price is right prime time holiday special request the request t. the total value -- >> without going over? >> yeah, without going over. >> $83,000. >> $82,999. the vehicles will come in handy. the couple does have four kids. >> wow. >> running around. >> i read the mother used to watch "the price is right" with her grandmother and would even get the grandmother to write her a note to play hooky from school to watch "the price is right." it's coming full circle. >> i started watching "the price is right" with my grandmother. bob barker, he always had that long, skinny mic. >> we have to get you one. >> wouldn't you see me walking around with a big, skinny mic

like that. >> you would walk around the city doing it. >> very classy. >> his christmas songs are is still an essential part of the holiday soundtrack around the world. we know less about the legendary singer's family. "cbs this morning: saturday" co-anchor michelle miller has a story of unity and forgiveness this christmas eve, showing how members of the cole family reunited in the most unexpected way. ♪ unforgettable ♪ that's what you are >> reporter: when the airwaves were segregated, he broke the racial sound barrier. not with a boom, but a baritone. ♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ >> reporter: nat king cole's 1946 hit "the christmas song," became a holiday classic for all of america.

♪ yuletide carols being sung by a choir ♪ >> reporter: but he never got to sing it to his granddaughter, born on christmas day, 1964, just six weeks before cole died. >> i knew every lyric to every song. not just "the christmas song" and all the ones that everybody knows. >> reporter: caroline clarke grew up an only child in what she says was the perfect family. >> me and my parents, their only child. we looked nothing alike. >> reporter: at the age of 7, she learned she was adopted. at what point in time did you want to know more? >> when i had children, i really became concerned about my genetic medical history. >> reporter: a few details from an otherwise hesitant adoption agency revealed the truth. >> and the report talked about nannies and maids and chauffers. if they had nanny, maid,

chauffer money black in the south, i knew i could find these people. >> reporter: turned out clarke's friend in college was the sister of her biological mom, carol "cookie" cole. >> it was odd enough to realize that i knew this family, but it was sort of a family that the world knew. >> reporter: clarke and her biological mother lived on opposite coasts. what was her explanation for why she gave you up? >> her parents were really terrified that news that nat king cole's child was pregnant out of wedlock would ruin his career and so she was told, have this baby, come home, and never speak of it. >> reporter: they began a regular correspondence, detailed in clarke's book "postcards from cookie." >> she just used them to tell her story, to pull out my story, and, you know, you're trying to fit a whole lifetime's worth of

living into this condensed space and these little cards. >> reporter: did you ever ask about your dad? >> she asked me a few times over the years, you know, if she could help me find him. i thought, we have all the time in the world for that. >> reporter: but time ran out. seven years after they reunited, cookie cole died. it was left to caroline's son to put together the final pieces of the family puzzle, with the help of a dna registry. >> and within 48 hours, we had made contact via email with stanley goldberg. >> reporter: nearly 3,000 miles away in california, stan goldberg never knew he was a father. that must have come as a shock to you. >> the realization did hit me that i'd been on this planet for over 50 years with my daughter without realizing she had been there. >> reporter: clarke learned her

parents' world-wind romance was the result of a blind date in the summer of 1964. >> they came together, you know, more than 50 years ago and really bonded over everything that they hoped the world would become. >> reporter: a lifetime's worth of catching up can be tough, especially in a pandemic. but goldberg has a solution. >> he wants me to write another book called "texts from stan" because that's largely how we -- how we communicate. >> i'm sure we've texted enough to make another book. >> reporter: what does all this mean? is it a story of love, loss, of reunion? >> it's a story of all of that. you know, it's -- it's never christmas until nat king cole's "the christmas song" plays. it defies race, it defies class, it defies country. >> and life has a way of delivering a surprise that's so

fabulously wonderful. >> it is really beautiful, especially when people show up with open hearts, that want to mend things. >> reporter: yes, family is always complicated, but today we offer yours a simple phrase. ♪ merry christmas to you >> reporter: for "cbs this morning," i'm michelle miller. >> quite the lesson, open hearts that want to mend coming together. >> and just not even being angry. her wanting to know more about her family and making that connection. >> life has a way of delivering a surprise that's so fabulously wonderful. >> great story, michelle miller. ahead on a more perfect union, meet the founder of

our series "a more perfect union" aims to show that what unites us as americans is far greater than what divides us. this morning we look at the sizeable gender gap in the construction industry. women are far -- few and far between, rather, from management to trades opportunities. meg oliver shows how some women are joining together to break into the male-dominated construction zone.

>> that is the smoothest top i've ever felt on a picnic table. >> i met a lot of women who said the, i love what you're doing. i would love to do it myself. >> i don't know how to do that stuff. >> reporter: norah spencer is a self-taught tradeswoman. >> of course i would tell them, you can learn. if i can learn, you can definitely learn. >> y'all are pretty perfection -- >> reporter: after leaving her corporate career in hr and earning a masters degree in social work, norah started a nonprofit to inspire and train women. >> i did an internship at a homeless shelter and i worked with a lot of women who were totally capable of this work. and needed living wage paying jobs, so i saw that there was a gap and an opportunity for underemployed and unemployed women. >> reporter: hope renovations began its work in july, focused on repairing homes of elderly neighbors in the community. >> being able to watch these homeowners just so grateful for us being there and doing this important work in their homes,

it makes every sleepless night worthwhile. >> thank you all for coming. >> reporter: delores clark is one of dozens of grateful homeowners. >> the house was built in 1879. by my great grandfather. so it's still standing with the help of the people like y'all. >> right now we are working on getting this fascia board cut to fit on this home. >> reporter: patricia was one of the first training program graduates. >> my father actually worked in the trades for about 35 years. unfortunately, he didn't train me. he didn't believe girls belonged on the job site. >> reporter: due to covid-19, she ended her 20-year career in marketing to try her hand in construction. she started her own home improvement family business. >> the reason i joined this program is because it was run by women. it's important because i am at the point in my business where i would like to start employing women and employing people. especially women. >> reporter: home improvement in the united states is an

estimated $407 billion industry. but less than 10% of employees are women, and only 1% of those women are physically doing the construction. >> the opportunity to work in construction is going to grow. >> reporter: rene sacks is the executive director of the women's builder council, an organization that works to increase equal opportunity for women in construction. >> the real opportunity here is that women are now being seen as equals in the construction industry. and that's changing everything also. >> in 20 or 30 years, my hope, my goal is that this industry is where women want to come work. i want us to take over this industry. >> reporter: for now, hope renovations is laying the foundation in north carolina, reshaping the blueprint for construction. what does your dad think of your business now? >> his mind is blown by how much i've grown in a short period of time. one of his biggest regrets, he's told me, is he did not train me when i was a child.

i have a 6-year-old daughter who has her own tool set now because she wants to work on houses. >> reporter: how good are you at what you do? >> i'm great at what i do. and a lot of it is because of hope renovations. >> reporter: in. ora's second group of women graduated from the program last weekend with the core skills needed to enter the trades. in the recent years the number of women entering construction trades increased by 17.6%. that's the highest number in 20 years. >> wow. >> i love the confidence. i'm great at what i do. >> i'm great at what i do. >> i think it's cool, too, aside from not just being in an environment that is mainly dominated by men, but also people who switch their careers. these are women who had 20 years in one industry and stepped out on faith. >> what they're -- i'm the worst diy guy in history. and my dad's an architect. it's embarrassing not to even build a book case mary ann is very good at building things. i'm good at cooking but if you

need a light bulb changed, i'm calling the super. kudos to these women. >> to change a light bulb? >> i'm really bad. what if it explodes. >> even if i can do a light -- >> i'm calling you. >> i want that video. >> on today's "cbs this morning" podcast, oscar, emmy, tony, grammy winner rita moreno tells dr. jon lapook why she would absolutely take the covid-19 vaccine. we'll be right back.

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her boo? what's that about? jamie, any thoughts? >> my present this present this a drink with friends can turn into a few. stop! it's easy to lose track. and getting a dui is easier than you think. plan ahead, call a cab. share a ride. if you choose to drink, choose a sober way to go. go safely, california.

a drink with friends can turn into a few. stop! it's easy to lose track. and getting a dui is easier than you think.

plan ahead, call a cab. share a ride. if you choose to drink, choose a sober way to go. go safely, california. good morning. it's 8:55. in santa clara covid-19 is the third leading cause of death behind cancer and heart disease. 8% of total icu capacity remains. that translates to 25 available beds. california is trying to decide who will get coronavirus vaccine next. a state advisory committee points to essential workers at risk of exposure including teachers, grocery workers, farm workers, first responders. casino plans a new year's eve party despite the pandemic. it plans to host the indoor event with as many as 4,000 guests. it is on tribal land so it is

exempt from stay-at-home orders. good morning. as we look at the roadways right now, you can see at the bay bridge toll plaza things are quiet which is good news. if you are out and about, if you are an essential worker, maybe headed to work, you should be good to go. we haven't had any major issues this last hour on the roads. things are moving pretty nice for the most part. the ride out of the east bay to the city, all clear. there is a report, chp running west 80 at highway 12. >> lots to show you in addition, here is one from the top of the sales force camera, plenty clouds. there is still fog in parts of the tri valley working its way up. it's just creeping in from the central valley and it is cold in santa rosa at 33. we'll warm up to the 60s for everybody. plenty clouds today. the rain gets here tomorrow, seco half of

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and this year was harder than ever. and yet, somehow, you all found a way to pull it off. it's not about the toys or the ornaments but about coming together. santa, santa, you're on mute! just wanted to say thanks. thanks for believing.

wayne: i just made magic happen. - let's make a deal! jonathan: it's the new audi! this season, this is totally different. wayne: jimmy's gotta give him mouth to mouth. - oh, god! - this is my favorite show. wayne: i love it. - oh, my god, wayne, i love you! wayne: it's time for an at-home deal. - i want the big deal! jonathan: it's a trip to aruba! (cheering) wayne: this is why you watch "let's make a deal," this is so exciting. we look good, don't we? hey! jonathan: it's time for "let's make a deal." now here's tv's big dealer, wayne brady! wayne: hey, america, welcome to "let's make a deal." wayne brady here. i've got my tiny but mighty in-studio audience. i've got my at-homies, the at-home traders. and we're all celebrating christmas eve here at "let's make a deal." who wants to make a deal? let's make a little holiday... holiday deal. you, come on danielle, come join me on stage, please. everybody, have a seat. have a seat, please.