for more download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. it's thursday, december 29th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." southwest airlines issues another apology. thousands of passengers are still stranded at airports across the country after its system-wide meltdown. even more flights are scrubbed today. new covid travel policy. the cdc imposes new testing for people traveling to the u.s. from china. what they'll need to do before landing in the states. prayers for pope emeritus pope benedict. the vatican says the former pontiff's health is getting worse. the latest on his condition.

good morning, i'm wendy gillette in for anne-marie green. sky-high frustration still being felt at airports nationwide. thousands of passengers remain stranded due to southwest airlines' system-wide meltdown. the airline issued another apology amid increasing government scrutiny. southwest canceled more than 60% of its flights yesterday as it tries to get back on track after a massive christmas storm, but that could take days. jarred hill is in new york. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, wendy. frustration is an understatement here. southwest still has about 2,500 cancelations listed today alone, according to flight aware. the company's rolling out a new tool to help stranded passengers, but is too little too late? [ cheers ] at chicago's midway airport, patrick keane was excited to be reunited with his luggage after two canceled southwest airlines flights. >> i just haven't had this bag

in a week. i've been wearing other people's clothes. i want to wear my wardrobe. >> reporter: thousands of other theare stl en>> reporter: angi ggage orleans. >> work computers are in it, the car seat for the baby, all their clothes. now they're going to drive 20 hours because they don't have a flight. >> reporter: the meltdown continues with southwest airlines with more than 2,500 flights scrubbed on wednesday and more than 2,300 flights canceled today. >> my personal apology is the first step of making things right. >> reporter: another southwest airlines executive issued a video apology highlighting new features on the company's website where affected travelers can go to rebook flights, request refunds, and submit info. on missing bags. there was also this promise -- >> a pledge to do everything we can and to work day and night to repair our relationship with you. >> reporter: for travelers like david cooper whose son-in-law is driving roundtrip there nashville to pittsburgh to pick him up --

>> i think i've made my last flight on southwest. i'm going to other airlines. >> reporter: it may be too late. in the frenzy over the southwest cancelations, a number of other major airlines are putting price caps on flights between certain cities to help folks get home. but there's no guarantee that southwest will cover that new fare. back to you. >> what a mess. >> reporter: yeah. >> jarred hill in new york. thanks. on the west coast, torrential rains, strong winds, flooding, and snow are pummelling the region. carter evans reports. >> reporter: high surf battered the coast of oregon as the intense storm blew ashore dumping a deluge of rain across the pacific northwest leaving nearly 200,000 in the dark at its peak. >> power's out now all over the place here. >> reporter: the worst of it hit during unusually high king tides flooding streets in seattle. at the peak of the storm, five people were killed on the road

in oregon, and powerful winds, some gusting more than 100 miles per hour, toppled trees. this shows the atmospheric river funneling tropical moisture directly to the western u.s. as the storm moves south to california, rivers swelled prompting this swift-water rescue. many were unprepared for flooding. >> i started knocking on the neighbors, and about 7:00 it just started filling up. >> reporter: the good news, the moisture brought the snow pack to 162% of its normal level. >> and that sierra-nevada snow pack acts as a frozen reservoir for the majority of californians. >> reporter: two-thirds of residents rely on it for water, and most of the state remains in severe or extreme drought. >> i can't imagine a single water manager that's not breathing a little easier after these initial storms, but we're all hoping it continues and that will be the true test. >> reporter: experts say we need about four more storms like the

one we just had to really make a difference in the drought. in the meantime, dangerous conditions along the coast here not because of the high surf but because of all the bacteria in the water from the storm runoff. carter evans, cbs news, manhattan beach, california. starting next week, people traveling from china to the u.s. must test negative for covid within 48 hours of their departure. the cdc announced the new requirements yesterday. it says it follows a surge of new cases in china and a lack of transparency from its government. there are also fears that a new variant could emerge. the action comes after mass protests in china last month prompted beijing to abruptly lift its zero-covid policies that fueled public frustrations. >> if you go to beijing, they have so many good hospitals, but if you go to further cities, all areas, it's total difference. >> the cdc also announced it's expanding its covid surveillance program at u.s. airports where

a swab to better detect a wave of new cases. the vatican says pope benedict's health is getting worse. pope francis asked for prayers for the 95-year-old retired pontiff saying he's very sick. the vatican says the situation remains under control as doctors constantly monitor his condition. in 2013 benedict became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years, citing his advanced age. the house january 6th committee released more witness transcripts this week including interviews with trump white house aide cassidy hutchinson. hutchinson said she saw then chief of staff mark meadows burn documents in a fireplace more than a dozen times after the 2020 election. she also testified that during the transition period, meadows would direct staffers to keep some oval office meetings on close hold, potentially keeping

them off the record. embattled new york congressman-elect george santos is now the subject of investigations from federal, state, and local prosecutors in new york. it comes after the incoming republican lawmaker confessed to lying about his heritage, education, and professional background during the campaign. officials are also looking into his financial disclosures. santos is scheduled to be sworn in next tuesday and has shown no sign that he'll step aside. coming up, officer fired. the disturbing video that led to a florida cop's ouster. and good riddance, 2022. the annual tradition helping people ring in the new year with a fresh start. this is the "cbs morning news." this is the "cbs morn news." thing going around the gordon home. it went from gabe. to gretta. to gabby. to grandma. then, gertrude found something for it. delsym. and now what's going around is 12-hour cough relief.

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2023. they took part in the annual good riddance day celebration in times square yesterday. this year folks spoke about memories they want to trash. they also completed a small obstacle course representing everything they've overcome. a leading house democrat says he's battling cancer, and a police officer is fired for his treatment of a suspect. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the miami herald" reports a tampa, florida, police officer was fired after video showed him dragging a handcuffed woman into jail. gregory damon was dismissed on tuesday after an internal investigation determined he violated police department policies. the woman was arrested last month for trespassing outside a family health center. officials say officers are forbidden from dragging uncooperative suspects on the ground. the police department says the woman was not hurt. "reuters" says a key architect of the plot to kidnap michigan governor gretchen

whitmer was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison. barry croft jr. was convicted in august by a federal jury of plotting to break into whitmer's vacation home in 2020 and abduct her at gunpoint. his attorney spoke after yesterday's sentencing. >> we'll file a notice of appeal. expect the judge will get a judgment on file today. we've got 14 days to file the notice of appeal and then go to cincinnati. >> on tuesday a co-leader of the plot was sentenced to 16 years in prison. both men were members of a far-right militia group. and the "associated press" reports maryland representative jamie raskin says he's been diagnosed with lymphoma. the 60-year-old described it as a serious but curable form of cancer. he said he's starting several months of outpatient treatment but expects to be able to work through it. raskin is a member of the house committee investigating the january 6th capitol riot. he will also be the top democrat on the house oversight and

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in my entire life. because it opened up my life. unwrap your family story, with ancestrydna. ♪ here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ tiktok is now banned from all mobile devices managed by the u.s. house of representatives. a memo sent to all lawmakers and staff says the popular social media app is a high risk to users due to security concerns. there have been fears that china could obtain customer data from tiktok's beijing-based parent company and use it to spy on americans. staff who have tiktok on their mobile devices are being asked to immediately delete it. they're also banned from downloading it on house devices.

predictions of a gas price hike in the new year, and one soda that's not going flat. dan lieberman has that and more in today's "money watch" report. >> reporter: wall street closed lower wednesday as traders look ahead to the end of a losing year, bracing themselves for 2023. the dow was down 365. nasdaq lost 139. s&p 500 was down 46 points. pending home sales declined again last month for the sixth consecutive time, but lower mortgage rates could mean a rebound is near. the national association of realtors say contract signings from new homes was at the lowest level since april, 2020, and second lowest level since the index began in 2001. gas may be cheaper now than it was earlier this year, but according to gasbuddy.com, prices could be up next summer hitting $4 a gallon during peak travel season.

good news is fuel savings app gas buddy products the lowest price of gas will come in february with a national average of $2.99 a gallon for regular. 2022 hit a record high national average of $5 a gallon. while the soda market overall may be going flat, dr pepper has grown its dollar share by 9% since 2003. even as other carbonated soft drinks have dropped 26% during the same time. coke, pepsi, and mountain dew lead as the most popular, dr pepper is the fourth in line to the soda throne in a $37 billion u.s. soda market. that's your "money watch" report for this thursday morning. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. your dreams of striking it rich are still alive. the mega millions jackpot swelling to $640 million after there were no winners in tuesday's drawing. that means you have a shot at

taking home $328 million if you pick the cash option. the largest ever end of the year mega millions jackpot will be up for grabs tomorrow night. good luck. up next, reaching new heights. the record-breaking performance by an nba superstar.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ shocks me about this game -- >> and at the rim, still loose - got it back! he did it! he did it! >> just like that, luka doncic makes nba history. the dallas mavericks star put up a record-breaking triple-double in tuesday's thrilling 126-121 overtime win over the new york knicks. the 23-year-old recorded a career-high 60 points to go along with a career-high 21 rebounds and ten assists.

it was the first 602010 in the history. he helped them come from nine points down with 33 second left in regulation. after the game, he said he needed a recovery beer. presidents are now making -- presents are making their way from under the tree to the return pile in a post holiday rush to give back what doesn't fit or what isn't wanted. what happens to all those returns? usher quraishi takes us inside an online auction company giving these items a new shelf life. >> reporter: it's not the island of misfit toys, but a warehouse in shorewood, illinois, devoted to returns. >> jack for a trailer, vacuum for the wall -- >> reporter: part of slideby.com, an online auction company that operates a deeply discounted store and fixed price warehouse sale. >> the strangest thing i've seen is a full-size hot tub came off the back of a rub it. >> reporter: steve fitzgerald is

ceo and says cultures like his take what retailers don't want to restock. >> a lot of cases things get returned and there might be box damage or missing screws or missing directions, and retailers want to protect their customer experience and want that to be perfect. >> reporter: every day they get a 40-foot trailer like this filled with 1,600 boxes, in this case of items they don't know what's in them. once processed, items in imperfect to pristine condition are up for bid. >> everything starts at a dollar, no reserve price. the market determines what it's worth. >> reporter: josh comer has snapped up hundreds of deals. what do you do? >> i resell. >> reporter: this this like a side house ill for -- hustle for you. >> yeah, some stuff i keep. >> reporter: this ecosystem as it's called is mindful of planet and pocketbook. >> it's affordable. in these times that's what people need. >> reporter: giving unwanted gifts a second chance. usher quraishi, cbs news, shorewood, illinois. coming up on "cbs mornings," we'll speak with popular dj d-nice. what led him to the stage at

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good morning. it's thur