center. today a different reaction outside the courthouse in minneapolis. >> guilty! >> we've been fighting for a long time. it's been a long nine months. >> reporter: wright's mother katie bryant who tearfully testified during the trial thanked the jury for their support. >> today minnesota has shown that police officers are not going to continue to pull their gun instead of their taser. and we made this happen. . >> reporter: potter will be sentenced in february. she faces up to 15 years in prison for the most seriou charge, but could end up serving half of that because she has no prior convictions. jamie? >> and she is behind bars tonight. david, thank you. with just two days before christmas, aaa predicts today will be the busiest travel day of the season. meanwhile, a storm system across the west will deliver a white christmas to some.

but it could also bring some delays. cbs' carter evans takes a look. >> reporter: americans are refusing to let covid kill christmas this year. airports across the country are bracing for millions to fly today, many making up for missed hugs with mom. it's the first time jessica bedewi has seen her parents in two years. she and her boyfriend were stuck in australia during the pandemic. >> as soon as the borders opened, we were very quick to organize everything, before things changed. >> reporter: how much busier is this year going to be than last year? >> so we're going have more than double the amount was passengers. >> reporter: in los angeles airport ceo justin erbacci says omicron is not scaring away passengers. >> well, i think a huge difference is the amount of people who are vaccinated and boosted. people are much more comfortable traveling. >> reporter: another 100 million will be hitting the road over the next week and a half, approaching prepandemic levels.

and that's with the cost of gasoline up more than a dollar over last year. >> the gas price haven't affected my decision to travel. but i definitely felt the impact of them. >> reporter: a december dip in prices is providing some help for drivers, but the weather is not. on icy i-94 in northwest wisconsin overnight, a fiery 100-vehicle pile-up left more than a dozen injured. and out west, an atmospheric river of rain is causing flooding and dumping snow in the sierra nevada, just in time for christmas. but it's not just storm clouds hanging over the holidays. >> you do what the doctors tell you to do, you should be all right. >> reporter: at l.a.x., tr travelers can test at the airport. some even getting a booster before they board. >> like to be sure you're good, good to go, protect yourself and then safety for everybody next. >> and carter evans joins us from los angeles international airport.

carter, there is new calls tonight to change the rules when it comes to isolating if you're fully vaccinated. >> yes, these calls come from airlines and flight attendants. they're asking the cdc to cut that isolation period in half for breakthrough cases from ten days to five. with omicron spreading so rapidly, they're concerned about staff shortages that could impact operations. by the way, the cdc just reduced the isolation time for health care workers to seven days, as long as they meet certain conditions. jamie? >> wow. carter, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

sweet pillows of softness! this is soft! holy charmin! excuse me! roll it back everybody! charmin ultra soft is so cushiony soft, you'll want more! but it's so absorbent, you can use less. enjoy the go with charmin. new vicks convenience pack. dayquil severe for you... and daily vicks super c for me. vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks.

tonight we continue our special series on the war on cancer 50 years. i took a look at the emotional impact hair loss can have on both women and men during their cancer treatment, and the procedure that helps prevent it from happening in most patients. >> are you looking at me? >> reporter: when alana's doctor discovered a lump in her breast, she was seven months' pregnant with her third child. >> i sort of felt something in the shower one day. and, you know, i panicked, as one does. >> reporter: within days, a biopsy had confirmed breast cancer. you're two months away from giving birth. so did you have to delay treatment? >> i had a mastectomy, which was at 34 weeks' pregnant. so, you know, having the surgery when you're pregnant, that was pretty scary.

i want to see my kids grow up. and i felt a little bit like i was in survival mode. >> reporter: hair loss is often seen as inevitable, but emotionally devastating side effect of chemotherapy. alana also worried how her two small son, 5 and 8 years old might react. her oncologist, dr. philomena mcandrew said she could possibly save some of her hair by freezing her head. >> we want to allow the patient to have their dignity and quality of life throughout the treatment. >> reporter: patients cover their head in a tight frozen cap, before, during and for 30 minutes after chemo. freezing the scalp in an attempt to stop the chemo traveling to the hair follicles and causing baldness. but saving your hair takes effort. the caps must be changed every 20 minutes with a sometimes painful brain freeze at the beginning, and it's costly. >> $500 for the cap rental.

and then a thousand dollars on top of that for having somebody to do the caps for you. >> reporter: many insurance policies have begun to help pay for the icecaps. would you feel comfortable removing your pet scarf? well you definitely still have hair. >> yeah, i still have hair. >> reporter: it looks cute. >> it really is one of the most distressing parts of chemo. >> reporter: is it because your hair is part of your identity? >> yes. femininity and feeling lovely and beautiful, it is full of your identity. with the breast cancer treatment, so much of that is already being stripped from you. >> thank you to alana. if you were wondering, studies show about 65% of patients who use icecaps do keep most of their hair. we learned today of the death of one of america's great writers. joan didion bridged the worlds of literature, hollywood, and journalism. chronicling contemporary

american society. she also wrote about the depths of her own grief following the deaths of her husband and daughter. hurry publisher says didion died at home in new york due to complications from parkinson's disease. joan didion, dead at 87. an overnight explosion rocks a texas community. a tsa agent springs into action a tsa agent springs into action to save a choking baby. i just heard something amazing! one medication is approved to treat and prevent migraines. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effects were nausea, stomach pain, and indigestion. ask your doctor about nurtec today! clerk: hello, how can i? sore throat pain? ♪honey lemon♪ try vicks vapocool drops. in honey lemon chill. for fast-acting sore throat relief. wooo vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops. facing expensive vitamin c creams with dull results? olay brightens it up with new olay vitamin c.

gives you two times brighter skin. hydrates better than the 100, 200, even $400 cream. see, my skin looks more even, and way brighter. dullness? so done. turn up your results with new olay vitamin c my skin can face anything. shop the full vitamin c collection at olay.com do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company. nervive contains alpha lipoic acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. try nervivenerve relief. 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. safe and gentle relief for children's noses.

four people were injured following an explosion and large fire that broke out overnight in an exxonmobil refinery outside houston. authorities described it as a major industrial accident but were able to bring the fire under control by morning. the four injured are stable. the cause of the fire is not yet known. take a look at this. a tsa agent at newark liberty interairport sprung into action to save a choking 2-month-old baby. cecilia morales, who is a trained emt says it is the first time she had performed the heimlich maneuver on an infant. no doubt she gave the family the best christmas gift imaginable. what a hero. prince harry and meghan markle showed the first photo of lilia luciano on their christmas card. the second child of the duke and duchess of sussex. the first child archie was born in 2019. those are two cute kids.

wow. in their message, they express support for organizations that support refugees, including afghan refugees a

the holidays are a time for giving, and who better to be on the receiving end than a military family. cbs' janet shamlian reports. >> reporter: it's been years of hard knocks for geisha alvarez, so she never expects good news. >> you're nominated by multiple friends and family, and we're here to decorate your house. >> are you serious? >> yes. >> reporter: yards of garland, hundreds of light, thousands of dollars in decoration. >> go team! >> reporter: the transformation is under way. are you ever a little worried when you knock on somebody's door sort of unannounced? >> especially someone that you know they don't know if you're coming. >> reporter: the christmas decor companies sells the trimmings, but every year they do 200 homes for free, often as a surprise

for first responders and military families. >> we have three boys and five boys. >> reporter: how do you do it? >> i don't know. >> reporter: beyond the children, geisha is her husband's caregiver. angel was injured during an ied in iraq. >> i would cry. >> reporter: but as the kids came home from school and the sunset -- >> who wants to lead the countdown? >> the full glory of the gift revealed. >> three, two, one. >> so awesome! >> not used to receiving anything, especially people donating their time to come here and do this for us. so it's pretty amazing. >> reporter: a jolt of joy for a special family. the holidays illuminated. janet shamlian, cbs news, north carolina. >> that is the "overnight news" for this christmas eve. for some of you, the news continues. and for others check back later for "cbs mornings." and follow us online any time at cbsnews.com.

reporting from the nation's capital, i'm jamie yuccas. have a merry christmas. this is cbs news flash. i'm bradley blackburn in new york. on this christmas eve, united airlines is cancelling 120 fights due to omicron-related staffing shortages. united says they're notifying customers now so they don't get stranded at the airport. they're working to rebook passengers. christmas shoppers had to take shelter in an oakbrook, illinois mall when two people started shooting at each other. four people were injured and had to be taken to the hospital. s.w.a.t. teams went store to store to clear them all. the new year hasn't even started but jason bateman has been named the man of the year. the arrested development star will be awarded his pudding pot in february.

past winners include tom hanks and clint eastwood. for more news, download the cbs app on your cell phone or connected tv. bradley blackburn, cbs news, new york. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> good evening and thank you for joining us. i'm jamie yuccas in for norah. we begin tonight with this year's holiday season looking like a disappointing repeat of last year, all thanks to the omicron variant. case numbers are racking up. more people are entering the hospital. health care workers are overwhelmed. average daily cases fuelled by the highly transmissible variant have now exceeded the delta peak from this summer. meanwhile, americans are shattering records at pop-up testing sites with long lines stretching around blocks from new york to los angeles. and if you're looking for an

at-home covid test, that's going to be tough. demand is so high that more retailers, including cvs and walgreens are limiting the number of kits customers can buy. cbs' nancy chen has the latest from new york city. good evening, nancy. >> jamie, good evening to you. omicron is spreading so quickly in new york right now, daily infections are up 34% in just one day. the nearly 40,000 new cases is the highest one-day total since the pandemic started. in the last-minute scramble to get home safely for the holidays, the most popular gift may be the toughest to find. hundreds of people waited today at this site in new york city for test kits to take home. how hard is it to get a test these days? >> really hard. i've tried a couple of times, and i came on wednesday. after putting my name down, it was a 6 1/2 hour wait. >> reporter: it's not just getting the test. labs are overwhelmed and frustration is growing. >> i took a pcr test with

guaranteed results supposedly in 24 hours. it took five days to get the results which at this point are meaningless. >> reporter: this as new covid cases keep exploding, more than doubling in six states and more than quadrupling in florida, hawaii, and washington, d.c., just in the past week. according to one projection from researchers, at the university of washington, nearly three million americans could be infected each day by the end of january. the model estimates total infections beyond the number confirmed from tests. advice from one scientist -- >> somebody has been vaccinated a long time ago, he or she needs to go and get a booster as soon as possible. somebody has been infected a long time ago because is there a waning immunity from infections and some vaccines. >> reporter: at some of the country's top universities fears of large covid outbreaks are causing many to start the new year remote only, at least the first couple of weeks. there is also some positive news. the second at-home covid

treatment was approved today. the fda authorizing merck's antiviral pill for high-risk adults. the drug is less effective than pfizer's, but the fda believes both will work against omicron. still, a note of caution. >> i'm on oxygen at night. i have chronic ringing in my ears. i lost at least half of my hair. >> reporter: alix atwell was infected early in the pandemic but experiences symptoms to this day. early research shows omicron is less severe than delta, but the chicago area nurse offers this warning. >> the science isn't there yet. if that many more people are getting it, it means that many more people perhaps might be getting long-haulers. >> we're also learning the iconic new year's eve celebration in times square will be scaled back. only a quarter of the usual number of people will be allowed to attend, and everyone has to be vaccinated and wear a mask. jamie? >> good idea, nancy, thank you. former president donald trump is asking the supreme court to block the release of hundreds of

pages of documents from congress in its investigation into the deadly attack on the u.s. capitol. his attorneys argue that the constitution and the presidential records act give former presidents a right to protect their confidential records. a federal appeals court unanimously ruled against mr. trump two weeks ago. with just two days before christmas, aaa predicts today will be the busiest travel day of the season. meanwhile, a storm system across the west will deliver a white christmas to some. but it could also bring some delays. cbs' carter evans takes a look. >> reporter: americans are refusing to let covid kill christmas this year. airports across the country are bracing for millions to fly today, many making up for missed hugs with mom. it's the first time jessica bedewi has seen her parents in two years. she and her boyfriend were stuck in australia during the pandemic. >> as soon as the borders opened, we were very quick to organize everything, before

things changed. >> reporter: how much busier is this year going to be than last year? >> so we're going have more than double the amount was of passengers. >> reporter: in los angeles airport ceo justin erbacci says omicron is not scaring away passengers. >> well, i think a huge difference is the amount of people who are vaccinated and boosted. people are much more comfortable traveling. >> reporter: another 100 million will be hitting the road over the next week and a half, approaching prepandemic levels. and that's with the cost of gasoline up more than a dollar over last year. >> the gas price haven't affected my decision to travel. but i definitely felt the impact of them. >> reporter: a december dip in prices is providing some help for drivers, but the weather is not. on icy i-94 in northwest wisconsin overnight, a fiery 100-vehicle pile-up left more than a dozen injured. and out west, an atmospheric river of rain is causing flooding and dumping snow in the

sierra nevada, just in time for christmas. but it's not just storm clouds hanging over the holidays. >> you do what the doctors tell you to do, you should be all right. >> reporter: at l.a.x., travelers can test at the airport. some even getting a booster before they board. >> like to be sure you're good, good to go, protect yourself and then safety for everybody next. >> and carter evans joins us from los angeles international airport. carter, there is new calls tonight to change the rules when it comes to isolating if you're fully vaccinated. >> yes, these calls come from airlines and flight attendants. they're asking the cdc to cut that isolation period in half for breakthrough cases from ten days to five. with omicron spreading so rapidly, they're concerned about staff shortages that could impact operations. by the way, the cdc just reduced the isolation time for health care workers to seven days ng as they meert nditions. ow carter, thank you.

four people were injured following an explosion and large fire that break out overnight in an exxonmobil refinery outside houston. authorities described it as major industrial accident but were able to bring the fire under control by morning. the four injure ready stable. the cause of the fire, though, is not yet known. take a look at this. a tsa agent at newark liberty international airport sprung into action to save a choking 2-month-old baby. cecilia morales, who is a trained emt says it is the first time she had performed the heimlich maneuver on an infant. no doubt she gave the family the best christmas gift imaginable. what a hero. prince harry and meghan markle shared the first photo of daughter lilibet diana on their christmas card. she is the second child of the

duke and duchess of sussex. the first child archie was born in 2019. those are two cute kids. wow. in their message, they express support for organizations that support families, including ordinary tissues burn when theo blows. so dad bought puffs plus lotion, and rescued his nose. with up to 50% more lotion puffs bring soothing softness and relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. nyquil severe gives you powerful relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms, on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. hey, come here! nurtec odt can not only stop a migraine it can prevent a migraine as well. nurtec is the first and only option proven to treat and prevent migraines with one medication. onederful. one quick dissolve tablet can start fast and last. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effects were nausea,

stomach pain, and indigestion. with nurtec, i treat migraine my way. what's your way? ask your doctor about nurtec to find out! introducing the all-new gillettelabs with exfoliating bar. it combines shaving and gentle exfoliation into one efficient stroke, for a shave as quick and easy as washing your face. most bladder leak pads were similar. until always discreet invented a pad that protects differently. with two rapiddry layers. for strong protection, that's always discreet. question your protection. try always discreet.

♪ >> announcer: is the "cbs overnight news." >> i'm christina ruffini in washington. thank you for staying with us on this christmas eve morning. well, the countdown has started for tomorrow's launch of the james webb space telescope. decades in the making, the telescope is the biggest and most ambitious scientific instrument ever spent into space. and at nearly $11 billion, it's also the most expensive. scientists hope the webb will unlock some of the mysteries of the universe, but 100 things have to go right for it to work, and about a thousand could possibly go wrong. here is mark strassmann. >> reporter: from its perch a

million miles beyond earth, the james webb space telescope will glimpse the dawn of time like nothing before it. >> the universe is a 13.8 billion-year story, and we're missing some key paragraphs in the very first chapter. >> reporter: nasa astrophysicist amber straughan hopes webb's discoveries will help fill in the blanks. you're talking about potentially answering some of the questions that have occurred to people since the first people looked up at the stars. >> absolutely. we don't know how galaxies got their start. we will hopefully be able to see those first galaxies for the very first time. and of course galaxies are the homes of stars and stars are the homes of planets, and planets, of course, are the homes of life. so this telescope is definitely going to be our next giant leap in our search for habitable planets in our galaxy. >> reporter: webb's 18 gold-plated hexagonal shaped mirrors will align to create one giant mirror.

it's 21 feet across, six times larger than the one on the hubbell space telescope. for more than three decades, hubbell has given us stunning, humbling views of the universe. but webb will be a major upgrade. like a night vision camera, this infrared telescope will search for heat signatures of the very first light after the big bang. mike menzel is the webb's systems engineer. >> we're looking for some of the faintest objects that there are to see in the universe. in fact, we are looking for the faintest objects. if the telescope doesn't get cold, it will glow brighter than the objects they're looking for. >> reporter: to block the heat, engineers designed the first of its kind sun shield the size of a tennis court. its five layers will keep the telescope side more than 600 degrees colder than the sun-facing sign. >> this is material that makes up the layers of the sun shield. this material here is about

2/1000th of an inch thick. >> it's amazing. >> yes. >> reporter: and because that sun shield is so big, it and everything else had to fold up to fit inside the roket. once in space, webb will carefully unfold and rebuild itself like robotic origami. >> it will be two and a half weeks of high anxiety. >> reporter: project manager bill ochs. >> it's more complex than any satellite nasa has ever launched. hands down, the complexity of its deployment, the materials it's made of has never been tried by nasa before. >> reporter: if any one of 334 parts fail, the entire mission could be jeopardized. about 1/3 involved deploying that sun shield. 1300 feet of cables, almost 600 pulley assemblies, and it all has to work. >> the essesun shield doesn't h to be 100% perfect, but whats to be damn close to being 100%

perfect. >> there is no calling aaa. >> i'm confident we did everything we could on the ground to maximize the possibility of success of this mission. >> reporter: webb's first images about six months away, worth the wait for the chance to see baby pictures of the universe.

you have always loved vicks vapors. and now you'll really love new vicks' vapostick. it goes on clear and dries quickly. no mess. just the soothing vicks' vapor for the whole family. introducing new vicks vapostick. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ ♪ heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach... ♪ ♪ diarrheaaaa.♪ try pepto bismol with a powerful coating action. for fast and soothing relief. pepto bismol for fast relief when you need it most. it is christmas eve, and with presents piled under the tree, a lot of parents get the sense that their kids might not

be grateful enough. well, david begnaud paid a visit to an elementary school in southern california where gratitude is taught in the classroom. >> happy holidays! ♪ >> reporter: it is pajama day here at van dean elementary school in torrance, california. >> oh, i like that. >> reporter: now in the spirit of the season, they have made gratitude a part of the lesson plan. >> best day ever! >> we can teach them how to read. we can teach them how to do math. teaching my students about gratitude, about kindness, i'm also contributing to them being good citizens, good people. >> reporter: edith soto is the school's principal. she has made certain that every student sees this video. >> when you have an attitude of gratitude, you think positively. when you think in this way, it will change the way you feel. >> i feel grateful that i'm accepted at this school and that

i have such wonderful and nice friends. >> i'm thankful for my family. >> i'm also grateful for be healthy and not having any sickness. >> i love the cafeteria because i like the paintings. >> reporter: the students are learning that from the playground to the classroom, kindness and gratitude are more than just words. >> we can't always choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we respond. >> reporter: what did you think when you saw the video? >> that i really should be grateful for all i have in life. >> i'm usually kind to my brother at home because he wasn't kind to me. but when he saw the video, he started isaac, you know what kindness is? yeah. you learn that? c. ye ftueeral>>s haptipy and sometimes you can feel sad. >> reporter: lessons in gratitude are especially meaningful to 8-year-old heather and her 9-year-old brother.

they recently reunited with their mother after spending two years with relatives because their mom couldn't care for them. >> i think gratitude means not taking anything for grand. like i wouldn't take my mom for granted. she feeds us. she clothes us. she keeps a roof over my head. >> bye, mom! >> i love her with all my heart, and i wouldn't change a thing. >> reporter: their mom dominique grew up in foster care because her parents were addicts. she spent two years in therapy learning to be a better mom. >> i'm learning to put my best foot forward because my mom didn't do it for us. so i wanted to be different and just stop the cycle. >> reporter: how determined were you to get back to them? >> that was the most important thing for me to do. >> reporter: and how does that feel? >> it feels wonderful. >> reporter: aiden and heaven say they're thankful that their mom pheugusro aheboth tghhou t gratitude and school helps them to appreciate each other. >> what are two things that you're grateful for about him? >> he is really nice to me and

he protects me. >> reporter: he protects you? >> yeah. >> i hated not seeing my mom. it sucked. i would cry a lot. and that's where my sister came. in. >> reporter: now there is scientific research that shows gratitude can unlock feelings of hopefulness. learning to express these emotions really helped the kids to open up. university of southern california professor glenn fox published the first institute of how practicing gratitude actually triggers areas of the brain associated with interpersonal connections and joy. >> it improves our social relationships. it may improve our sleep. it may lead to faster resilience and greater sense of optimism. >> reporter: can gratitude make you a nicer person? i mean, i've had moments of gratitude where i felt lick i was then more polite. >> the research shows that indeed practicing gratitude can make us more polite, more kind, more altruistic.

>> reporter: and it is research just like that that motives principal soto to start leading by example. she creates videos of her students and their achievements and then she shares them at the monday morning assemblies for everybody to see. and she is willing to turn the camera on herself. >> you guys ready for this? >> reporter: even if it means getting slimed to raise money for a good cause. and look, don't think for a second these kids don't take note. >> i'm grateful for my principal, which is a 10 out of 10. >> reporter: oh. >> i'm also thankful for my teacher who always teaches us and trying to help us to get to college. >> reporter: that is 9-year-old keon. his 10-year-old sister malaysia tells us at this time of the year she hopes we can find place in our hearts for construction workers. you're grateful for construction workers? >> uh-huh. construction workers can destroy stuff, but they also make things better. and they make homes for people. >> reporter: and what about the holidays? what do you want for christmas?

>> i wrote a list, and all i want is love. merry christmas to everybody. i hope you guys are watching this. >> ho ho ho! >> reporter: i'm david begnaud in the city of angels, los angeles. >> what wonderful kids. and now to the story of a wonderful dad who steve hartman found "on the road." >> reporter: when lamont thomas became an empty nester, it was the end of a parngt legend. as we first reported a couple of years ago, this divorced father of two took on hero status when he took on a foster kid named michael perez. >> he was a good young man. i just hated to see him in the system. >> reporter: eventually, lamont adopted michael, who now works as a nurse. >> i don't believe that i would be the person that i am today without the morals that he instilled in me, the extended family i have now. >> reporter: how extended is that family? >> i tell you, if i had enough fingers and toes to count.

>> reporter: it turns out michael was just the beginning. this is marcus? over the next 15 years, lamont fostered mother than 30 kids here in buffalo, new york, and adopted five of them. >> and jj. >> and again, he did this all on his own and with all of his heart. >> every child that i have hard, it was my goal to make a difference in their lives. proud of them. >> reporter: and you retired from fostering? >> i did. >> reporter: go fishing? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: trips? >> loved all of that. >> reporter: of course, we wouldn't be here today if that was still the case. >> yes, sir. >> it was really a shocker. i didn't expect him to restart and do it all over again. it's just amazing. >> reporter: that's right. he got back in the game and did it in a big way. took on five siblings, all under the age of 6. >> major, are you eating books? >> reporter: lamont, a retired caterer said he did have other plans for these years. >> i didn't think it was this. >> reporter: but those plans have now been shattered with

mayhem. when is the last time you went fishing? >> it wasn't this year. >> papa? >> yes? >> reporter: lamont decided to foster all five after he found out they were going to be permanently split up. and to guarantee they stay a family, he adopted them. >> i had to help them. they deserved to be raised together. >> reporter: after this story first aired, we got a lot of surprisie ing mail from women w saw this overwhelmed bachelor and thought hottie. some notes were subtle. ask mr. thomas if he would like a pen pal. others more bold. >> women calling from all over the place. one of them tell me, i think you're my husband. >> reporter: clearly the kids see no room for romance, north does lamont. >> i was about to change my number. reporter: so he remains single. spent thanksgiving with family, and is more grateful than ever to be knot fishing. steve hartman, "on the road" in

buffalo.

there is an elementary school principal in new york city who has found a unique way o making reading fun. and along that way, she is teaching the students the value of being nice. meg oliver has the story. >> good morning, abigail and emilia. >> reporter: in harlem, new york, getting pulled out of cass is a good thing. 5-year-old king ortiz knows he has earned something special. what did you do so you could earn those coupons? >> so i learned to be nice. >> reporter: being nice here is rewarded. >> excellent. here are your 25 bucks. >> reporter: 25 coupons scores you a shiny token for the vending machine. no chips or candy, only books

fall. why did you want a book vending machine? >> during the pandemic i noticed students were reading less and less online. >> reporter: principal lizette. >> i saw in kansas they had a book vending machine. i said i'm going to get that for my school. >> reporter: when the vending machine arrived, what happened? >> the vending machine arrived about a couldn't get through the door. >> reporter: the determined principal dug into her own pocket to retrofit the machine. 95% of students here are low income. a third live in shelters. >> i just really believe in making sure all my scholars have books at home. >> reporter: how does it make you feel when you read a book? >> excited. >> reporter: what do you want to say to your principal? >> thank you. >> reporter: meg oliver, "cbs mornings," new york. >> that's the "overnight news" for this christmas eve. now for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." and follow us online any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's

capital, i'm christina ruffini. have a merry christmas. this is cbs news flash. i'm bradley blackburn in new york. on this christmas eve, united airlines is cancelling 120 flights due to omicron-related staffing shortages. united says they're notifying customers now so they don't get stranded at the airport. they're working to rebook passengers. christmas shoppers had to take shelter in an oakbrook, illinois mall when two people began shooting at each other. police say four people injured by gunfire and taken to the hospital. s.w.a.t. teams went store to store to clear them all. the new year hasn't even started but actor jason bateman has been named 2022's man of the year by harvard's hasty pudding thea theatricals. the arrested development star will be awarded his pudding pot in february. past winners include tom hanks

and clint eastwood. for more news, download the cbs app on your cell phone or connected tv. bradley blackburn, cbs news, new york. it's friday, december 24th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." air travel grounded. hundreds of flights are canceled on christmas eve as covid disrupts the holiday for another year. kim potter convicted. the jury finds the former officer guilty on manslaughter charges after she shot and killed duante wright. why some say the verdict still does not bring justice. risky rescue. search teams find a lost hiker in a small cave in hawaii. the mistake he made that delayed the operation. good morning, i'm wendy gillette in for anne-marie green. for the second straight year, thvi