back at 6:00. >> the cbs weekend news are up tonight, retail records. inflation puts pressure on the holiday spending system. i'm michael george in new york where retailers are hoping shoppers turn out big. also tonight travel troubles. tens of millions of americans are returning home from their holiday weekend, but snow in some places could delay their plans. the fuel driving our economy is at exorbitant prices nationwide. tonight the trickle down effect on us all. >> they're not buying diesel. everything they get delivered to their home, all their food is shipped by trucks. and to the rescue. a police officer jumps into action, saving a man from an

oncoming traith mere seconds to spare. and later, the unique approach to saving these gentle giants. this is the cbs weekend news. good evening, everyone. it is one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year, and americans are spending like it's 2019. with covid fears subsiding, black friday shoppers turned out in force, taking advantage of the sales, despite inflation at a 40-year high. one thing that's keeping in store crowd levels low, online shopping. more than $9 billion was spent from home on friday. that's a record up more than 2% from last year. and on what is now known as small business saturday, one survey found more than 60% of

small retailers are expecting higher profits this holiday season. cbs' michael george is in genes, new york. michael, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. you know, wo much about how big a shopping weekend this was, and that's true. but often forgotten on black friday are small local businesses like this. that's why small business saturday is so important. >> you're all set. >> reporter: nicole owns the blas owl boutique in queens, new york. she says 2022 has been a tough year for businesses like hers. >> between inflation that's hit our prices, inflation that hits the customers' lives and then labor costs have gone up, our supply costs have gone up. so it is really the perfect storm of a difficult year. >> reporter: she's counting on small business saturday to give her shop a boost. the new survey from bankrate.com shows even more americans shop on saturday than black friday. but the majority of consumers

still buy from large businesses. the owner of this shoe store in san francisco says local businesses often get left behind on black friday. >> because everybody goes to chain stores for the deep discounts. but because we don't do that, we only get our regular customers. >> reporter: but retailers say the cloud hanging over this weekend is inflation. >> we're seeing a lot of consumers say, i need to make every dollar count. i know i'm seeing rising costs in many parts of my life. i'm trying to be cautious and responsible. >> reporter: despite that, she is encouraged. >> today has been incredible. we have seen a lot of people. we have been really busy. >> have a good day! >> reporter: now, small business saturday is a relatively new idea. it's only been around since 2010, but last year spent an estimated $23 billion in small businesses with more than half of that spent online.

>> michael george, thank you. it's beginning to look a lot like winter. snow blanketed western texas again today, but what is in store for the millions of you heading home monday? paul? >> reporter: thanksgiving is over, but not the travel home. we have some rain showers moving across the eastern sea board overnight as well. atlanta, the busiest airport in the world, seeing the rain coming in overnight tonight and into early sunday morning. we do think it is pushing out by midday, good news for any delays there. with the rain moving into new york city and chicago and detroit, expect delays there for sure. clearing out for monday if you are delaying travel. sunday, the mid atlantic and northeast. and, yet, another snow system heads to the west. looking clear on monday across the southeast and the midwest. you can get your forecast right here on the weather channel.

>> all right, paul. thank you. the president, first lady and their daughter ashley hit the shops in maachuse today, j cheers from some locals. nancy is traveling with the president and joins us now. i know there is new developments on the oil and fuel front. what can you tell us? >> reporter: that's right. a big change in u.s. oil policy after years of sanctions on venezuela. it comes at a time when the u.s. oil markets and the world oil markets are so uncertain. today the biden administration announced that it is going to allow oil giant chevron to resume limited production in venezuela. the country with the largest oil reserves in the world. chevron and other companies haven't been able to operate in venezuela for four years after the u.s. imposed severe sanctions on the oil industry in an effort to weaken the corrupt regime of the venezuelan president nicholas maduro.

today the government resumed talks with opposition leaders about free and fair elections. he agreed to establish a humanitarian program and last week he released 7 americans, including 5 oil executives wrongly detained five years ago. still u.s. officials say they are prepared to revoke this new six-month license from chevron if venezuela does not continue to negotiate in good faith. >> and, nancy, what could this mean then for u.s. gas prices? >> reporter: well, white house officials insist that this move has nothing to do with their efforts to boost global oil supply. they warn it is unlikely to do much to gas prices in the short term because this only affects one oil company on a limited basis. but it does mean that the u.s. could soon begin to purchase oil from venezuela, oil that had previous listen been bound for

china. thank you. new russian ar tiltillery attac left millions without power. this month a near total blackout. chris exams the devastation in kherson. some of what you are about to left kherson, but the terror remains. her name was natasha. she was in her home when a russian rocket killed her. her husband dies hours later as well, leaving behind their daughter. i hate the russians, she says. they took the most precious people in my life, but i have a son and for him i must live. those fortunte to survive are left in the cold and the dark, with russia gunning for the country's power grid turning winter into a weapon. families unable to cook their meals. on the very day the country

commemorates the great familne f the 1930s. we cannot be broken president volodymyr zelenskyy said, honoring those killed by stalin then and putin now. once they wanted to destroy us with hunger. now with darkness and cold. but there are more signs that russian forces are taking a beating. according to british intelligence, their supplies are so depleted they resorted to firing missiles from the 1980s and stripping their nuclear warheads. they are unlikely to be effective. thank you. so italy where there has been a deadly landslide in ischia, just off the coast of naples. it is believed many of the missing are still trapped there beneath the mud.

tonight a bold statement from north korea's kim jong-un. he said his country's ultimate goal is to possess the world's most powerful nuclear force as the rogue nation this year. now back here in the s lost synonymous with te 1980s today. ♪ what a feeling ♪ >> irene cara sang the title track to "fame." she died at her florida home. irene cara was 63. tonight there is stunning body cam video of new york city police officers rescuing a man who had fallen on to the subway tracks. the officers had to race across the busy city street to reach the man. a good samaritan was already trying to help, and together they lifted him out of harm's

way. seconds later, a train rolled into that station. and that's just one of the many life threatening tasks police officers face every day. but now cbs reports retirements are up and newrus are in short supply. >> reporter: at the tulsa police department, chie yan waldron was not part of a full graduating class of recruits. >> it is something i have always wanted to do. >> reporter: they are struggling to fill about 150 spots. >> there was a lot of scrutiny placed upon law enforcement, and i think that that soured a lot of interested people that wanted to go into the profession. they have made a detour, and they have gone and done something else. >> reporter: while new officer hirings were down in the last three years, a survey by a national police executives shows retirement and resignation rates drove higher, driven in part by low pay. at smaller departments, officers

are sounding the alarm. the university of oklahoma says they have 28 officers available to respond to calls on campus. oupb officer says that number is closer to 20. and adds he hasn't physically trained in an active shooter il is. >> the university of oklahoma is just going to have to start funding oupd so that we can build our staffing levels to the point that we can actually start training again. >> reporter: in a statement, the university said it recently raised police department salaries on average nearly 8%. but they note the pay raise is coming from open positions that have not been filled. oupd has also hired three more officers and says they will continue to hire more officers in the coming months. saturdays mean college football. and even with other departments helping on game days -- >> how are you doing today?

>> good. >> good. >> reporter: officers worry about the nightmare scenario with more than 100,000 fans on campus. >> there is also the threat of an active shooter or an armed subject coming on to campus and causing death or great bodily harm to the community there. >> reporter: do you think that oupd is adequately staffed to handle any situation like that? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: an increased fear with decreasing resources. omar viafranka. still ahead on the cbs weekend news, inflation pushes up the price of christmas trees. also, the fight to save these beautiful creatures disappearing in a silent extinction. errol.

now, your leftover turkey may still be in the fridge, but for many attention turns now to the tree. like so many of our favorite things, inflation is pushing up

the price. the grinchy news. >> reporter: the holiday rush is on for christmas trees. in los angeles and cities nationwide, thousands of people are picking out and paying more for their traditional tree. about how much more do you think you're seeing now? >> maybe $20 or $30? >> reporter: the average cost of a real tree was nearly $70 last year. now experts say that same spruce, fur or pine could set you back $80 to $100, not enough to stop some shoppers. >> we're ororgans, so we need a real tree. >> reporter: they have to raise prices because of drought, wild fires and the higher cost of seed, fertilizer and labor leave them no choice. >> your six foot tree is anywhere from 6 to 12 years old. so, you know, that's 6 to 12

years of work. >> reporter: demand is expected to be strong this season, but experts don't predict any shortages of real or artificial trees. for those that get festive with the fake, gone are the supply chain snarls of years past. >> the thing about the fake trees, you can have them every year, but also getting a real tree is keeping the tradition alive. >> reporter: americans are expected to spend about $6 billion on christmas trees this year. and whether you assemble yours at home or pick one off the lot, errol, experts recommend getting it early so you can get the style and size you want. >> very good advice. thank you. still ahead on the cbs weekend news, the trickle down effect of high diesel fuel prices.

gas prices are down sharply since their record highs earlier this year, today averaging $3.75

a gallon. but the cost of diesel fuel remains stubbornly high. five states, including california, it is over $6. diesel powers the u.s. economy. as adriana diaz reports, that's drivg up the cost of just about everything. >> reporter: if you want to know about diesel prices, hitch a ride with jb and his chihuahua axel. >> my last trip was over $5,000 in diesel. >> reporter: you're kidding. it used to cost up to $3,500. >> i look at it like this. it's expensive to run these, okay, but also understand that people here in chicago needed the loaded ionionsi brought back. >> reporter: make pays for the diesel for his 180 trucks. people at home are really thinking about gas prices.

that's what they pay for at the pump. how are americans also footing the bill. >> they're not buying diesel but everything they get delivered to their home, all their food is shipped by trucks. all goods here in america are shipped by trucks, so they're feeling it because all these extra costs have to get trickled down to the consumer. >> reporter: to cope, he's had to cut pay five cents a mile for his customers. >> some people may think five cents is just a nickel. >> i lost $200 to $400 a week. >> reporter: $200 to $400 a week? that's a lot. >> reporter: patrick organizes oil markets. is it ukraine putting pressure on the oil markets? >> the primary factors, i would say, covid which caused the shut down of major refineries as well as ukraine crimping the flow of oil from russia. >> reporter: he says he cannot slow down.

>> you can't really get too mad over situations because it's beyond your control. you know? i'm a working man. this is all i know. >> reporter: adriana diaz, cbs news, chicago. next on the cbs weekend news, watch the feathers fly, a police chase you need to see to believe. a police chase you need to see to believe. . a police chase you need to see to believe. a police chase you need to believe.

a rare police chase in canada. look at this. police called in to help wrangle about 20 escaped ostriches that ran wild through alberta. they escaped from a farm enclosure. the owner could be seen trying to grab one of the birds to stop it from hurting itself. the woman who shot the video said she thought she was seeing things. every year, this holiday kicks off the holiday season with a spectacular fireworks show. this year's show brought actual

flames. firefighters were already staged on the roof as a precaution. thankfully the fire was engs tinge wished and no one was injured. when we come back, how tourism could help save these getle giants from extinction. >>

taking you to a place that's known as one of the most instagramed properties in the world. it is where giraffes run free while the hard work of saving the species from extinction goes on. deborah is there. >> reporter: the gentle giants of the african savannah, so iconic no wildlife safari is complete without them. ecotourists pay for the chance to get up close and personal. >> such a surreal experience. a giraffe sticking its head through a window, waking up to

that. >> reporter: but it is not just for the thrills. it is critical for conservation. >> he's a bit greedy. >> reporter: conservation because people have no idea giraffes are fighting for their survival. so seldom spoken about, it's known as the silent extinction. >> so the giraffe is disappearing from people themselves, from predators, from climate change. >> reporter: poachers have them for meat and even their tails, believing it gives them power. humans have encroached on giraffe land. captured in these horrific images. numbers of the giraffe have dwindled to such an extent, they are on the critically endangered list. >> you know, in many countries throughout africa, they have actually disappeared. >> reporter: paying for this rare privilege funds

conservation. >> look who has come for breakfast. >> reporter: and supports a breeding program run jointly with the kenyan government. most of the giraffes born here have been reintroduced into the wild. it's so successful, numbers have risen from just 76 to 1,200. not just a once in a lifetime experience. it saves lives as well. cbs news, nairobi, kenya. and that is the cbs weekend news for this saturday. later it's "48 hours." and i'm errol barnett here in new york city. have a great weekend. good night. xxxxx

due to inflation but this bookstore has another problem. three women opened this business right before covid. this bookstore has quite the survival story to tell. >> we are down about 10% from last year which is significant. especially for a new store. >> reporter: the co-owner says to make matters worse, a barnes & noble just open months ago several blocks away. and we think that's part of why the business has dropped. the last month and a half has the worst we have ever had. >> reporter: she says this holiday season could make or break them. >> from a morel