♪ ♪ tonight, former president donald trump facing new troubles. the january 6th committee set to vote on urging criminal charges for his role in the insurrection, while house democrats consider exposing his tax returns. also tonight, massive strikes, waves of russian missiles pound ukrainian cities as vladimir putin considers his next move. plus, tis the season. arctic air sends the u.s. into a deep freeze ahead of christmas. as the flu, covid and rsv pose a triple threat to festivities all while shoppers scramble for gifts at the mall and online,

shippers rushing to send it all on time. i'm danya bacchus in los angeles at one of the busiest postal distribution facilities in the country moving a million packages a day. later, notre dame athletes sharing their fighting spirit. how students are teaming up, helping sick kids with pediatric health talks. >> as long as you're happy and smiling, all we are doing is taking one day at a time. this is the "cbs weekend news" from chicago with adriana diaz. sechlt sechlt sechlt sechlt sechlt sechlt sechlt sechlt sechlt captioning funded by cbs good evening. this is super it saturday, one of the busiest shopping day of the years. among those spending today, president joe biden who visited a men's store in delaware. more ahead. we begin with developing news about former president trump and what could be a historic move by

congress. christina ruffini is at the washington bureau with the latest. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, adrianna. after interviews with more than 1,000 witnesses, the january 6th committee is about to wrap up its work and it could come with serious consequences for members of the past administration. >> i think members have become convinced there's value in it. >> value in recommending charges, including potentially against former president trump for his role in the events of january 6th. those charges could include insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the u.s. government. >> these are pretty obvious criminal referrals, so i think they should go forward. >> today the former president posted on truth social, "they're going after me because they are really going after you." in all more than 139 people have been charged for their involvement in the january 6th riot including this week's sentencing of 43-year-old douglas jensen, one of the most well-known faces of the day.

adding to trump's troubles, the house ways and means committee will meet next week to decide if it will release portions of his tax returns, which democrats obtained after a protracted legal battle. >> i am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the united states. >> and all of this is complicating the former president's plans to run again. >> my intention is that i run again, but i am a great respecter of fate. >> leaving uncertainty at the top of the ticket for both parties ahead of 2024. >> we have a question mark on our side and the gop has a problem on theirs. >> and we could also see the committee recommend charging other former members of the trump inner circle including former chief of staff mark meadows and rudy giuliani. this child was still carrying her teddy bear when she was pulled from the rubble in

kyiv. cbs's has more. >> reporter: russian missiles defer state an apartment in ukra ukraine, killing several including a 7 year old boy. it has been the kremlin a's most sustained missile campaign since the start of the conflict ten months ago. as warned, president vladimir putin is preparing for a second invasion in an attempt to capture the cal tal kyiv after failing to at the start of the war. on friday putin made a rare public visit to the headquarters of russia's joint task force on military operations in ukraine where he asked senior defense officials for what their proposals were for the, quote, immediate and medium-term action on the war. as ukraine continues to fight back. a zaporizhzhia, american-made howitzers are used to target russian forces. with the biden administration poised to announce it will be sending ukraine long-range

patriot air defense systems despite moscow's bitter objections. the head of ukraine's security council -- >> we are nearly a year into the war, is ukraine concerned the support may start waning as the war grinds on? >> of course we worry about that, he says, but democracy cannot be limited by money. it either exists or it doesn't, and if you believe in democracy it is your duty to help those countries where democracy is under threat. >> reporter: a threat ukrainian forces are determined to keep fighting. imtee easy tie yeb. to peru. travelers lined up at train stations near the ancient ruins of machu picchu. tonight that huge storm that

swept across the country is finally moving on but not before taking a swipe at buffalo, new york. the snow piling up at about two inches an hour, and there is more ahead before christmas. some of the coldest december weather in decades is expected to sweep south across central and eastern states. a snowstorm is also in the forecast. tonight much of the country is facing a triple threat of flu, rsv and covid. a new milestone this week as the u.s. recorded 100 million covid cases since the start of the pandemic. cbs's michael george joins us now with more. michael. >> reporter: adriana, good evening. doctors say it is shaping up to be one of the worst flu seasons on record with hospitalizations high and 93 deaths already and all of this is happening as covid is surging and millions of americans are planning to travel for the holidays. the buck family of marin county, california, is venturing out again after recovering from a bad outbreak of the flu.

>> it has been literally hell. >> reporter: just as americans gather for the holidays, the nation is being gripped by a tripledemic of respiratory illnesses, code, the flu and rsv. the cdc estimates there have already been 15 million flu cases with nearly every part of the country reporting high or very high levels. >> this is the season it is hitting hard and early. >> reporter: some reported difficulty finding cold and flu medicine and children's pain killers. covid cases are also surging, though not as high as last year. the white house is once again providing americans with free tests at covidtest.gov. >> we preserved the tests so we could have them on hand for exactly this moment. >> reporter: rsv hospitalizations remain high, putting a strain on hospitals. cbs news medical contributor dr. david agus says americans should limit their exposure to others this week. >> i don't want you sick and not being able to go to your family event. so as much as possible now try to use caution so that we can all get together for those

family events. >> reporter: dr. agus also said it is not too late to get your flu shot. it takes about a week to kick in and, remember, the flu season lasts for a few more months. adriana. >> good advice, microsoftal jorge. thank you. now to the holiday rush. more than 150 million people are expected to shop this weekend with hanukkah starting tomorrow and christmas in eight days. cbs's danya bacchus is in los angeles with more. danya. >> reporter: good evening, adriana. here at the largest mail handling center in the country, more than 3,000 postal workers are feeling the pressure as customers race to meet today's first class deadline. the holiday rush is on, to travel, to shop, and to ship. >> this one i have to ship it to virginia. >> reporter: while people race to post offices around the country, a massive operation to move the mail is underway in los angeles at the nation's largest postal processing center.

are you expecting to see more packages being shipped this holiday season? >> we are running about 35% more tha last year. >> reporter: they're sorting 1 million packages and 800,000 letters a day. how do you prepare for that volume of packages that comes through? >> it takes an army. we have all of our elfs working around the clock. >> reporter: adding to the crush, e-commerce. >> since the pandemic, a lot of customers are ordering on line and we see a lot of commercial volume coming into us. >> reporter: many are shopping for presents in person. damping the holiday spirit, inflation. in a new poll 57% of americans said it is harder to afford gifts this year compared to 40% last december. still, for many it is a race to beat the clock. >> hopefully everything gets there, but my family already know me. so they know that stuff, i'll be late. >> reporter: and if you miss today's deadline, the next deadline is monday for priority mail. as you can see, your letter or

package will not be alone. adriana, get this, last holiday season the u.s. post office delivered more than 13 billion pieces of mail. >> danya bacchus in the thick of it. thank you. today officials in los angeles say a mountain lion known as p22 was, quote, compassionately euthanized due to severe injuries. this was 3p22 seen in griffith park beneath the hollywood sign. cougars are nocturnal and rarely seen, but p22 was captured on security and doorbell cameras. veterinarians suspect he was hit by a car. they tried to save him but his wounds were too severe. a nationwide tribute to remember america's fallen service men and women. this is wreaths across america day. the tribute began at arlington national cemetery in 1992 is in its 30th year. wreaths are placed at all

national cemeteries in all 50 stag states and abroad. while italians still have something to celebrate at the world cup. later, pep talks from notre dame athletes helping sick kids.

with christmas eve now just a week away, you may have noticed that the holidays are costing us more. cbs's scott macfarland reports price increases are hitting businesses that help us deck the halls. >> reporter: christmas tree farmer gary thomas is chopping and selling trees he planted eight years ago at his sprawling operation near the pennsylvania/maryland border. that's how long it takes to grow trees tal enough for people's living rooms. >> i need to get height. people want, you know, eight foot. >> reporter: thomas says when the trees went in the ground he had no idea how expensive business would be this

christmas. fertilizer costs more, the chemicals cost more. how do you not pass these costs along to the customer? >> well, unfortunately, we've had to. so my prices went up 15% this year on fraser fir. >> reporter: thomas is charging more than $100 each for his finest trees. >> it is scary. when i went to this year's price i thought how much resistance am i going to get, how many complaints am i going to get? >> reporter: decoration costs are rising, too. cathie brown operates a 12-month a year christmas store in saint michaels, maerl, where there are always ornaments and decorations for sale, but it has never been more complicated to set a price. >> are shipping costs impacting you? >> very much. >> reporter: surcharges and fuel costs make it pricier to bring the merchandise in and send it out. >> i might not make it as much as it needs to be for my regular pricing. i will absorb that cost for mao. >> reporter: when it comes to holiday dinner there's sticker

shock there with key staples up 15% to 25%. despite inflation pressures, the national retail federation is still bullish. they're expecting holiday sales could jump 8% from last year, more than $900 billion after two holidays disrupted by covid and supply chain crises. >> everything has gone up and it is not just, you know, what you will get for the gifts. it is food, it is decorations. >> reporter: for karen hilton, she will cut back on other holiday expenses but not on gifts. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: especially for her 5-year-old granddaughter amelia. >> no, i would rather not get something than not get her something. >> reporter: scott macfarlane, cbs theys, st. michaels, maefrld. still ahead on the "cbs weekend news," it is the hole grail of the world's biggest game. we will explore its origins next.

♪ ♪ tomorrow argentina's lionel messi and france's mbappe face off at the world cup final. over a billion people are expected to watch. the winner gets an iconic trophy with deep roots far from the match in qatar. here is chris livesay. >> reporter: jubilation and pandemonium that could only be inspired by one object. the world cup trophy, as france paraded it through paris after its victory in 2018. the holy grail of soccer was born here in this italian workshop outside milan in 1971. unlike its predecessor, it was designed to be filmed and photographed from all directions as overjoyed players would hoist it into the air over the decades. west germany was the first country to win the honor in

1974. since then it has been through r the winning team has savored victory, it gets to keep a replica while the original is sent back to the factory in italy red the artist. >> it is not ruined, it is loved. we fix like the small scratches on tscratches, we engrave the base with the winning team. it is love signs. >> reporter: love signs reflected in 18-karat gold, measuring 15 inches and weighing 13 pounds, depicting, she says, the world held aloft by two angels of victory. it is a double-edged sword for these craftsmen, proud italians forced to swallow defeat after their country failed to qualify for this year's tournament. seeing our cup raised in the air is very emotional, says marco

costonzo. i'm trembling with anticipation. i'm so proud to work here. with their handiwork on the podium, no matter who wins, they can all feel like champions. adriana, the previous trophy survived wars andea t fifa headquarters iswitzerland on very few occasions, which, of course, will include the final match tomorrow. >> great piece. thanks, chris. next on the cbs weekend news, a theme park in china that transforms into a winter wonderland of ice and snow.

♪ ♪ finally tonight, the fighting irish of notre dame take school spirit to another level. now they're spreading that positive energy to children in

need of a boost. number 16, max manning, is a captain of the notre dame lacrosse team who also double majors in premed and finance. >> there's two teammates that weren't here. >> even with all of that, he finds time to organize this. >> hi, aid an. this is santa with the notre dame swim team, with the women's lacrosse team, with the notre dame hockey team. >> merry christmas! >> videos called pediatric pep talks. >> we've been really thinking of you this past month. >> we're rooting for you, man. >> bring notre dame's legendary fighting spirit to lift the spirits of seriously ill children. >> for a little kid, that's a huge big deal, right. even though they don't know what lacrosse is, that's 60 more guys who they know care about them. >> the videos started with a school program had ian mcmillan, a then 10 year old with leukemia, sign on to the lacrosse team. then covid hit. >> he was pretty much trapped in

his room. if you're on the team, you need to be part of the team, right. so what we started doing is we started sending him a super quick video every day after practice. >> we're all rooting for you. >> you got 55 brothers with this team. >> when i'm sick and trying to get better, i usually have a negative outlook and like this is never going to end, what am i going to do. when i get a video it makes me feel like i can get out of this, i can do this. >> it is clear what ian's dad thinks. >> kevin, what has it been like for -- >> it is huge. it is a family unit coming together and like -- i knew it. being with the -- oh, geez. just the brotherhood is just such a cool thing to see, and they're college guys supporting a little kiddo. >> now athletes from all teams take park. >> love to see you come by notre dame some time. >> like all-american football player isaiah foskey. >> i want to give back and make someone else smile. >> and track and field olympic

hopeful, jaden o'brien. >> it is hard to put into words. i guess i could say magical. >> putting together random videos. i'm doing something super small, super simple. >> you're not curing cancer, but you are bringing a smile to the face of someone who is fighting cancer. >> as long as you are happy and you are smiling, like your day is better. all we are doing is taking one day at a time. >> ian is now cancer free. he says the videos were key. manick is fundraising to build an app with the help of notre dame's it center to expand to other schools. >> he will send it to other kids and it will help and that makes a huge difference and that makes me proud of him. >> they're proud of each other. that is the news for this saturday. this note. it has been two years since we broadcast the "cbs weekend news" from our cbs chicago station, wbbm. we love bringing you the news from the middle of the country. thanks to our colleagues for their generous help and to you for watching. i'm adriana diaz in chicago. i'm adriana diaz in chicago. good night.

-- captions by vitac -- wwvitac.com live, from the cbs bay area studios, this is kpix5 news. >> now at 6:00, san francisco as the clock ticks down to shopping deadlines, police crack down on shoplifting and theft. i'm john ramos in the east bay. the economy and holiday shopping may have changed but for last minute gift buyers, it is christmas as usual. we'll have that story coming up. with businesses in the city barely surviving, merchant ins a troubled neighborhood have an ultimatum for the mayor. >> i didn't know what happened. it felt like a bomb went off. >> hundreds of people jolted awake this morning. a look at the early morning quake that rocked the east bay. live from the cbs studios in san francisco san francisco, i'm brian hackney. >> i'm andrea nakano. christmas is a week from tomorrow making

today one of the busiest shopping days of the year. lots of shoppers hitting the streets in union square on the so-called super saturday. it is an important deadline day for the postal service. our john ramos takes a look at both sides of the spike in holiday shopping. >> reporter: the last weekend before christmas has been a busy time for gift buyers but the economy has changed and looks like holiday shopping has changed right along with it. it is actually probably not fair to call this last minute buying with a week before christmas, the shoppers at sun valley enjoyed a leisurely day of retail exploration. but chris was counting the minutes. >> i don't want to say i'm itch patient.