their town thinking town is our life. >> help the ones that really need it. >> reporter: more than a thousand homes were either damaged or destroyed across kentucky, leaving thousands homeless. >> we were laying right here. >> reporter: including betty and andy hernandez who lost everything. >> i thought we were going to die. the house was vibrating. the noise, i've never heard anything like this in my life. >> reporter: they've lived in this house for 30 years. >> we love that little house. but it's totaled. it's totaled. >> reporter: it's totaled? >> it's totaled. >> reporter: the house can't be saved? >> no. >> reporter: fema has deployed disaster teams to help residents find housing. eight fema shelters opened across the state. >> make no mistake about it. this is a very hard time for a lot of people. we know that emotional and spiritual care is going to be just as important as the different financial and nonfinancial resources come into the communities. >> reporter: fema workers have

been going door to door, helping people sign up for aid. but in places like, this as you can see, there is not a whole lot of doors or homes still standing. so they set up a mobile registration unit for those people who don't have cell phones or access to internet. norah? >> lilia luciano, thank you for your excellent reporting these past several days. well, tonight there is news that could impact your finances in the new year. the federal reserve signaled today that it may raise interest rates at least three times in 2022, hoping to ease the staggering inflation that has americans paying more for just about everything. cbs' ed o'keefe has more from the white house. >> reporter: new pressure on the biden administration tonight as the federal reserve warns soaring prices aren't going away any time soon. >> the risk of higher inflation becoming intrenched has increased. >> reporter: while unemployment is dropping, prices are up across the board, from groceries and gas to used cars and rent. also of concern for the economy, the winter covid surge.

>> the rising covid cases in recent weeks, along with the emergence of the omicron variant. >> reporter: the president knows it's a challenge. >> for working people and middle class people, it's a big hit. it is the -- the inflation, at least for the time being is real. >> reporter: the higher prices are affecting almost everyone, from a coffee shop owner in new jersey -- >> everything that we need, coffee cups, coffee, sugar, milk, everything is a lot more expensive. >> reporter: to consumers. >> it's scary. to me with this -- with the corona, with the pandemic, with the new thing virus, that goes with the inflation. so it's all brought in together. >> reporter: the federal reserve also signaled today it would raise interest rate next year for the first time since late 2018. another reason people should expect to pay more. >> if you're trying to borrow money to purchase a car, that could be a higher rate. if you're boring money to start

a new business, that could be a higher rate. most of us are either savers or borrowers, and fed moves impact us. >> reporter: also tonight, the louisiana of those child tax credit payments are going out, unless congress extends them by passing the president's social spending plan. but cbs news has learned that bill is unlikely to be passed by christmas as senior democrats had hoped. norah? >> ed o'keefe, thank you. well, now we have a story that offers hope to patients battling severe cases of covid. it's also a story of gratitude to health care workers who go above and beyond their duty to save lives. here is cbs' meg oliver. >> so excited to see you. >> reporter: we first met 35-year-old hillary lee from montana in early october. >> hillary. >> reporter: on a ventilator and ecmo machine, clinging to life. her mom pamela praying for a miracle. >> love you too. >> reporter: do you remember when she tried to wave to you?

>> oh, my gosh. >> yeah, that was -- that was -- that was tough. >> reporter: the young restaurant manager was to be get vaccinated when she got covid. >> my symptoms were so, so, so mild, i never thought i would have been in that position ever. >> reporter: but two weeks later, she was rushed to billings clinic. >> the fact that we had a bed for her was nothing short of a miracle. >> reporter: kelsey purdue was hillary's nurse. at the time their icu was overflowing with covid patient, operation at close to 200% capacity. >> it's a huge sacrifice for us. people had to pick up extra shifts to be able to care for her. i'm not a betting person, but i don't think she would have survived. >> reporter: how exhausting has this pandemic been for you? >> it really wears on you. >> thank you. >> reporter: hillary's family was one of those families that i got really close to in that time. >> reporter: how many times were you there for her mom? >> i think really, pam was more there for me. i don't think she would say that, but she would come and visit in the mornings -- and

sorry. i didn't realize i would cry about this. and was really ministering to me. >> you're going home! >> reporter: the day after thanksgiving, doctors and nurses lined the corridor as hillary stepped out on her own. >> i knew one day we would walk out of the hospital. i just didn't know if it would be with or without her. this will be the best christmas ever. >> reporter: a christmas to cherish. meg oliver, cbs news. >> truly a christmas miracle with those health care workers her angels. instantly clear everyday congestion with vicks sinex saline. for fast drug free relief vicks sinex. instantly clear everyday congestion. and try vicks sinex children's saline.

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we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. we want to turn now to newly released details in the kennedy assassination. more than 58 years after that tragic day in dallas, the government unsealed a trove of confidential documents, and they provide new revelations, but they also fall short of removing all speculation about the case. here is cbs' jeff pegues. >> reporter: among the documents released today is this cia cable saying that lee harvey oswald was in mexico city two months before the assassination, seeking a visa for cuba, on his

way to the soviet union. the notes dated september of 1963 also say that oswald speaks in broken spanish. on the same day, oswald visited the cuban consulate in mexico city three times, requesting an in-transit visa to cuba with russia as the final destination. within hours of president kennedy's killing on november 23rd, police arrested oswald for the shooting. oswald himself was killed, shot in the stomach while being walked through police headquarters. for 58 years, investigators and historians have been asking whether oswald acted alone. today the national archives released some 1500 documents. but another 10,000 remain a secret, fueling speculation that the government is stonewalling.

philip shenon. >> that the cia and the fbi knew a lot about lee harvey oswald in the months before the investigation and failed to act on that. >> reporter: congress ordered the release. president trump slowed down amid concerns from the intelligence committee. president biden has put off releasing more documents until next year. norah? >> jeff pegues, thank you. all right. still ahead, history in the making at the new york city police department. and former minneapolis police offi

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former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin pleaded guilty today to violating george floyd's civil rights. chauvin is already serving a 22-year sentence for killing floyd by kneeling on his neck. prosecutors are reqsting a 25-year prison sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence. three other former minneapolis police officers are awaiting trial in floyd's death. chauvin also pleaded guilty today to violating the civil rights of a black teenager in 2017, grabbing his throat and kneeling on his neck. all right. for the first time ever, a woman will run the nation's largest police force. keechant sewell was named the new top cop of new york city today. sewell is 49 and native of queens, new york. she is currently the chief of detectives in long island's nassau county. sewell takes over on january

1st. up next, a 100-year tradition

last year, covid interrupted a tradition that goes back more than a century. cbs' mark strassmann is with the santa claus girls as they return to bring cheer to children in need. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: for more than a century, the santa claus girls have had west michigan's longest christmas list. all these cars the participants of 6,000 needy children. >> merry christmas! >> that's what it's all about. it's helping underprivileged children. >> reporter: this is their only christmas? >> for some, yes, it is. >> we try our best to give them something that they'll be excited about. >>reporter: inside this warehouse, tables stacked with gifts. five gifts apiece, including a hand-made hat and mittens.

the santa claus girls bringing christmas to life here since 1908. >> the love that the people have for giving back just doesn't go away. >> reporter: ask liz lamancusa. >> this checkerboard came from santa claus girls around 1940. >> reporter: you're holding your mother's christmas when she was ten years old. >> i know. >> reporter: her mother, betty jarosch, a depression baby, died this june at 90. >> it just warms my heart to see all these gifts and to know that someone else will have the joy that my mom had when she was younger. >> reporter: in this line, we found the carters. >> we're doing the best we can right now during this time. >> reporter: looking to give their six kids a christmas. >> without the help, it would be very tiny. >> reporter: some people just have a gift for giving. mark strassmann, cbs news, grand rapids. >> and that is the "overnight news" for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for

"cbs mornings." you can follow us online any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is cbs news flash. i'm tom hanson in new york. in just a few hours, president biden will sign the debt limit bill to avoid an economic default. it allows congress to pay its bills through early 2023. on tuesday night, lawmakers passed legislation to raid the debt limit by $2.5 trillion. the metropolitan opera is requiring proof of covid booster shots in order to enter the opera house starting january 17th. it's the first major performing arts institution to do so amid rising concerns over the omicron variant. and touchdown for sin city. super bowl lviii will officially head to allegiant stadium in vegas after a vote from the

league's owners. the game will hair in 2024 right here on cbs. for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm tom hanson, cbs news, new york. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for joining us. tonight we're following a in ronavirus caache c, to or restate covid several large schools are cancelling all in-person classes and returning to remote instruction. others are shutting down campus and cancelling all student activities, including athletics. the delta variant remains the dominant strain, remaining about 96% of the cases in the u.s. but experts warn the omicron spread is likely outpacing the nation's ability to track it.

today we heard from the cdc director who warned that early data suggests that omicron cases are more contagious than delta. the latest wave threatens to upend holiday plans for the second year in a row with just over a week before christmas. cbs' nikki battiste joins us now. good evening, nikki. >> norah, good evening. as businesses and colleges urgently implement plans to combat omicron, dr. anthony fauci says right now there is no need to develop a vaccine specific to omicron because studies show a booster provides considerable protection. today the white house made it clear. to fight omicron, americans nee >> our booster vaccine regimens work against omicron. at this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster. >> reporter: just 30% of fully vaccinated adults have a booster. >> it is a necessity. >> reporter: to emphasize the need for that extra shot, new

jersey declared today booster day one year after the first vaccines were administered. omicron is surging there and in new york, making up 13% of cases compared to 3% nationwide. the variant is now reported in 36 states, washington, d.c. and puerto rico. >> this is a roll of the dice. you don't know for sure that that you're going slide right through it without any problem. well also know that prior infection with covid is not holding up at all to omicron. >> reporter: as omicron spreads nationwide, california is reinstating an indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status beginning today. and philadelphia's health commissioner is urging residents to cancel holiday gatherings with friends and family. college campuses are cracking down too. cornell university's campus is nearly fully vaccinated. but as an outbreak of more than 1100 covid cases, many likely from omicron. th. has canceled all in-pers

princeton has made all exams remote and encouraged students to travel home for the holidays as soon as possible. what do you predict january might look like? >> it's hard to imagine we wouldn't get to over a million new cases a day. which is a staggering number. >> reporter: tonight, apple has temporarily closed stores in miami and annapolis, maryland because of the rise in cases. here in new york city, average daily cases in the past two weeks are up 109%, forcing some broadway shows to shut down yet again. norah? >> yeah, it's alarming hearing about all the shutdowns. nikki battiste, thank you. well, tonight nearly 100 million americans are under weather alerts as another powerful storm system is moving across the great plains and midwest and is threatening to bring strong winds, heavy rain and another chance of tornadoes. cbs' carter evans reports.

>> reporter: with sirens blaring, extreme weather blew into nebraska, tornadoes touching down. and the pictures from colorado looked apocalyptic as the front moved through. like a wall of wind. that's how the man who recorded this video described the storm front as it blew into boulder and knocked down trees in denver. >> the whole house shook. >> reporter: it became a full-blown 100 miles per hour windstorm. strong winds whipped up flames in the high plains of the central oklahoma panhandle. it's all part of this week's massive storm that pounded drought stricken california with torrential rain and flooding, sweeping cars down the l.a. river and dumping several feet of snow on the sierra nevada. carter evans, cbs news. >> well, now for what lies ahead, cbs boston's chief meteorologist eric fisher is here with the forecast. good evening, eric. >> good evening, norah. today is a day for the record books when it comes to the weather in the middle of the country. we've had this widespread

windstorm, the whole thing rocketing across the middle of the country tonight. let's take a look at some of those advisories. a huge area. wind advisories, high wind warnings from new mexico all the way to western new york. and in this area we've had wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour. places like russell, kansas, lamar, colorado. and tonight now we're tracking more tornadoes. this is moving so fast. it's not just the wind in the storms. the storms themselves in this line that's moving across iowa at 80 to 100 miles per hour with embedded tornadoes. that will continue to move to the north and east. there are more tornado watches there. in fact, if one touches down in minnesota tonight, it would be the first on record during the month of december in minnesota. here is why. we've had record warmth all-time december highs set for places like des moines, way into the 70s. omaha, nebraska way into the 70s as well. all of this will continue moving rapidly to the north. behind it we're talking about a big drop in temperature. it's going to feel very much like winter and this unusual warmth will disappear as we head into the day on thursday. >> scary to think about those tornado warnings, eric fisher.

thank you. well, tonight there is news that could impact your finances in the new year. the federal reserve signaled today that it may raise interest rates three three times in 2022, hoping to ease the staggering inflation that has americans paying more for just about everything. cbs' ed o'keefe has more from the white house. >> reporter: new pressure on the biden administration tonight as the federal reserve warns soaring prices aren't going away any time soon. >> the risk of higher inflation becoming intrenched has increased. >> reporter: while unemployment is dropping, prices are up across the board, from groceries and gas to used cars and rent. also of concern for the economy, the winter covid surge. >> the rising covid cases in recent weeks, along with the emergence of the omicron variant. possess risks to the outlook. >> reporter: nearly 70% of americans disapprove of president biden's handling of the inflation, and he knows it's

a challenge. >> for working people and middle class people, it's a big hit. it is the -- the inflation, at least for the time being is real. >> reporter: the higher prices are affecting almost everyone, from a coffee shop owner in new jersey -- >> everything that we need, coffee cups, coffee, sugar, milk, everything is a lot more expensive. >> reporter: to consumers. >> it's scary. to me with this -- with the corona, with the pandemic, with the new thing virus, that goes with the inflation. so it's all brought in together. >> reporter: the federal reserve also signaled today it would raise interest rates next year for the first time since late 2018. another reason people should expect to pay more. >> if you're trying to borrow money to purchase a car, that could be a higher rate. if you're borrowing money to start a new business, that could be a higher rate. most of us are either savers or borrowers, and fed moves impact us. >> reporter: also tonight, the last of those child tax payments are going up unless congress extends them by passing the president's social spending

plan. but cbs news has learned that bill is unlikely to be passed by christmas as senior democrats had hoped. norah? >> ed o'keefe, thank you. the "cbs overnight n do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventrydirect.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic

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♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> i'm ben tracy in washington. thanks for staying with us. the cdc is warning that the new omicron variant of the coronavirus could overwhelm the nation's health care system as early as next month. known cases of the new variant spiked 700% in the week ending last saturday. in new york and new jersey, omicron already accounts for 13% of all cases, and it's now affecting colleges. cornell university shut down its campus tuesday after 700 students tested positive, many of them with omicron. and princeton university moved

its exams online and urged students to leave campus as soon as possible. the variant was first detected in south africa, where it's already infected at least 80,000 people. debora patta has the latest from johannesburg. >> reporter: the lights are on and schools are out.'s summer holiday when children should be thinking about carefree days ahead. but the rise of covid cases amongst kids in south african hospitals is a worrying trend. doctors on the front line put it down to high community transmission. the infections are mostly incidental, says pediatrician dr. gary rubinson. >> we're seeing children being emitted for surgical procedures testing positive. we've seen children who have fractures and other traumas completely unrelated. >> reporter: vaccinologist stresses omicron is not targeting children in a more severe way. >> certainly not.

because it is more infectious and more transmissible, you might expect a slight increase in children that development covid-19. >> reporter: earlier this year the third deadly wave overwhelmed south africa's hospitals, but the devastation then might be a sir lining now. high levels of naturally induced immunity from previous infections, experts say, could be why omicron so far is less severe. >> for this particular wave, i think we would be in a much better space and experience much fewer hospitalizations and deaths from covid-19 compared to what we experienced in any of the previous three waves. >> reporter: cautious optimism that covid won't ruin another holiday this year. debora patta, johannesburg. closer to home in this season of giving, there is an organization dedicated to making sure america's military families have the food they need. mark strassmann has the story. >> i make sure my kids have food on the table. >> reporter: navy wife abigail

kennedy is relieved. her three kids are too young to know why they're going to a food giveaway. >> we go to events like these. so they help build our stock for when times are rough. >> reporter: near norfolk air station oceana, you're looking at american shame, the need to feed military families who can't feed themselves. the military family advisory network, a nonprofit, gave each family frozen chicken and produce, 60 pounds worth. >> our kids would eat cheerios some days because that's all we had horizon feeding america estimates 160,000 military families fight hunger. >> thank you for your service. >> reporter: especially vulnerable, junior and enlisted ranks. nearly 30% need help. >> how can they focus on the mission when your family can't even survive. >> reporter: we first spotlighted the food insecurity in february. among the causes, low wage, frequent moves, high unemployment among military

spouse, and a stigma seemingly born of denial. >> i would never go to my husband's command, ever. >> reporter: that's changes, slowly. for the first time the department of defense just commissioned a 90-day battle plan. identify hungry military families, connect them with help. >> our men and women in uniform and their families have enough to worry about. basic necessities like food and housing shouldn't be among them. >> reporter: kennedy is skeptical. >> how long do you think that will take to trickle down to service members and families? i would be very, very surprised if we see anything within the next year. >> reporter: this giveaway fed 680 families. most will need help again. you can only live so long on resilience. >> happy holidays! >> reporter: mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. >> and if you'd like to make a donation, go to their website. it's military family advisory network.org.

for the past 15 years, steve hartman has been reporting on a mysterious secret santa and his mission of kindness. this morning the tradition continues on the road. >> reporter: about as far from the north pole as you can get, at the edge of the sonoran desert, secret santa is about to do some of his best work ever. >> this is something i've had in my heart for years. >> reporter: here on the san carlos apache tribal lands. >> hi. >> reporter: i've always felt inside my soul a spiritual connection with the native american. >> reporter: and so after a blessing from the medicine man and a briefing for his elf recruits. >> today you're on the front lines of kindness. >> reporter: this anonymous wealthy businessman set out to give away $30,000 in $100 bills to random strangers. >> merry christmas to you. >> oh my god. >> reporter: boy was it welcome. >> that's 400 secret santa dollars. >> reporter: nearly half the people who live on this arizona tribal land live below the

poverty line. >> it's going to put more food on the table. more for my family to eat. >> i had no food, really. >> reporter: elijah cook says he knows hunger, but still plans to give away his money. >> i think it guess to my father. he needs it more. >> this is for you. >> reporter: after getting her gift, velma wilson said she can finally get her grandchildren what they've been begging for, cat litter. and yet even here -- >> i want to give row this. >> reporter: where the need is so great, secret santa says it's not about the money. it's never about the money. >> oh my goodness! >> whether you're native american, african american, christian american, left american, right american, kindness is a common language between us all. >> reporter: and maybe that's why most people didn't cry when they got their bills. but when he made them feel like a million bucks. >> you know how special you are? >> reporter: that's when the joy

came. you are a beautiful spirit. that's when the tears rolled. >> you're an example to every mom. ooms you're an amazing mom. >> reporter: she got $400, but values the comments much more. >> just to hear that feels good. i value that a lot. >> reporter: this holiday season, few of us will have the resources to give like this. but santa says we can all make an equal impact, using our wealth of words. >> you're an incredible, incredible grandma. >> thank you. >> reporter: steve hartman, on the road. on the san carlos apache (announcer) if you're an american age 50 to 85, and you're counting on social security to help your family with your final expenses, this news may surprise you. the social security death benefit is capped at just $255 and not everyone is entitled to claim it. today, the average funeral cost is over $8,700.

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nervive contains alpha lipoic acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. try nervivenerve relief. 'tis the season, for among other things, letters to santa. nancy giles takes us to a town far south of the north pole, where it's christmas allyear round. ♪ >> reporter: in southern indiana in a town of just over 2500 people, one name stands out everywhere you look. on the hardware store, community center, even the fire department. with trucks named after some familiar reindeer. but the town's most important distinction -- >> there you go, sir. >> thank you. >> reporter: it has the only post office bearing santa claus'

name. for more than 90 years, letters from around the world have found their way here to santa claus, indiana. >> for christmas, i would like socks, ho ho ho monkeys. [ laughter ] socks and monkeys. >> reporter: pat along with her self-styled team of elves do not busy themselves with making toys. >> we don't ever promise, ever. >> right. >> a present. >> reporter: for them, it's all about keeping up with santa's mail. >> that is our ministry is getting a letter to the child. >> it was in 1930 that ripley's believe it or not had a cartoon saying if you write to this little town in indiana, you'll get a letter. and the postmaster received over 100,000 letters. >> reporter: it all began in 1856 when the town's application for a post office under the name

sa santafee was rejected. santafee was deemed too similar to santa fe, another indiana town. so the postmaster suggested santa claus, and the name stuck. santa claus receives about 30,000 letters. >> you know, here is the thing. you can't just walk in off the street and do this. >> reporter: ufound that out the hard way. >> this is dylan who wanted to ask for a robot that has a button to make it dance. all right. dear little friend dylan -- >> you know what? that's not how dylan spells his name. >> okay, i already messed up. okay. >> reporter: 90-year-old pat cook has been one of santa's helpers ever since she was a child. >> my father brought letters home, and we'd put them on the dining room table, and that was when i learned that letters were really important and that i as a little girl could help. >> reporter: her dad embraced the role, dressing up to look

like santa and leading teams of letter writers. >> he visited the postmaster down in the town and saw that he was getting all these letters and said he needs help. this needs to be taken care of. this needs to be organized. >> reporter: there are do's and don'ts when replying to the children of the world, especially because they ask a lot of questions. >> you cannot believe how kids were so concerned about santa getting covid. very, very concerned. >> oh my goodness. >> and they didn't know if he could come visit and if mrs. claus was okay. it was almost heartbreaking. >> reporter: how did you answer those kind of letters? >> santa was fine. santa had gotten vaccinated and santa would be okay. >> reporter: these elves always have ready answers. santa's favorite cookie is chocolate chip. reindeers love carrots. mrs. claus is always fine, and -- >> the question is how do the reindeer fly? it's simple. it's magic.

>> reporter: end of story? >> yes. >> reporter: for kids being told by their friends there is no santa claus, what's your response to something like that? >> absolutely positively there is a santa claus. santa claus brings joy and happiness to people, and that's will always be. >> reporter: and it's that kind of christmas spirit pat cook and the rest of the town's elves have tried to carry on, one letter at a time. i know you answered so many letters over the years, but are there some for you that stand out? >> i remember especially one letter that i will never forget. >> reporter: they found this house key attached. >> he said this is the key to the front door. we don't have a chimney, and i want you to be able to get in. >> reporter: at christmas, remember, santa knows all. because there are elves who listen. >> and that's what's wonderful about children writing letters

is they really do just tell you. and, you know, we cry. we laugh. we share. i think it's od for them and

the holiday season is a time for joy. but for many, it can bring on bouts of lonels a depression. a new study in britain details the health benefits of the perfect hug. tina kraft reports. >> reporter: embracing those we love in the midst of pandemic has never felt better. vel and frederick are newly engaged. how would you rate frederick's hugs? >> 10 out of 10. >> reporter: researchers in london studied the science behind the most satisfying squeeze. >> the very short hugs, the one-second hugs, they were perceived as less pleasant. >> reporter: to better reveal the sensations behind touch, psychologists at goldsmith university of london blindfolded 48 women willing to be hugged by

a stranger. >> one-second hug, a five-second hug and 10-second. >> the ten-second hug was rated the most pleasurable. >> which was surprising to us because we thought ten seconds was so long, surely at some point people might find it less pleasant. >> reporter: in a second experiment, researchers watched nearly 200 people hug in social settings, something that could prove challenging in the uk. >> this is london. we're not very good at the touchy-feely stuff. >> reporter: psychologists found crisscross hugs are more common and gender also made a difference. >> men are more likely to use the kind of chris-cross arms with other minute than women are on each other. >> reporter: the style of embrace didn't seem to affect how enjioyable it was, but the longer it was, the better, which surprised some brits. >> only 10 seconds, a drunken

hug. >> reporter: whatever the reason, embracing hugs at a time when they have been in such short supply sure can't help. >>nd that's the "overnight news" for this thursday. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm ben tracy. this is cbs news flash. i'm tom hanson in new york. in just a few hours, president biden will sign the debt limit bill to avoid an economic default. it allows congress to pay its bills through early 2023. on tuesday night, lawmakers passed legislation to raid the debt limit by $2.5 trillion. the metropolitan opera is requiring proof of covid booster shots in order to enter the opera house starting january 17th. it's the first major performing arts institution to do so amid rising concerns over the omicron variant. and touchdown for sin city. super bowl lviii will officially head to allegiant stadium in vegas after a vote from the league's owners. the game will air in february

2024 right here on cbs. for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or nnected tv. it's thursday, december 16th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." destructive weather. powerful storms sweep through the midwest and great plains bringing tornadoes and hurricane-force winds. we take a look at all the damage. winter surge. covid cases are back up nationwide. one professor's grim prediction once the holidays are over. glory days. bruce springsteen reportedly inks a music mega deal. how much he's set to make after selling his entire catalog of work. good morning and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with wild weather in

the central u.s.