tonight, back to new york. why the suspected ceo killer may

stop fighting his extradition from pennsylvania this week. >> i'm ali baumann with luigi mangione's time behind bars and his dark fandom. i want to assure the american public that we are on it. plus, trump transition. >> reporter: i'm nikole killion with the fight ahead for some of the president-elect's most controversial picks. >> one week after the fall of assad. >> reporter: the country's minorities are cautiously optimistic about the future. >> reporter: i'm holly williams in eastern syria where there are fears that isis could use the collapse of the regime to stage a comeback. holiday rush. it begins this week. what you need to know before hitting the road or flying out. >> what do you think is driving these record numbers of people? >> i actually believe coming out

of covid created a new urgency, a new appreciation for travel and experiences. and later, a christmas tradition from across the pond. ♪ ♪ delivering holiday cheer. i'm tina kraus with the clever crafters giving the famous mailboxes a festive makeover. this is the cbs weekend news. from new york. with jericka duncan. >> good evening. jericka is off. i'm nancy chen. we begin with new developments following the murder of united make ceo brian thompson. the suspect remains in a pennsylvania jail and now with a new high-profile attorney. cbs' ali baumann leads us off. >> reporter: luigi mangione's

new defense lawyer won't see the evidence against her new client until he's brought back here. he could quickly leave pennsylvania for new york. new key tails about luigi mangione's prison cell. the 26-year-old has a bed, desk, sink and toilet. no tv or window, but he may soon be moved to rikers island jail. alvin bragg indicated mangione may wave extradition as early as tuesday as they investigate the murder of brian thompson. mangione this weekend hired new york city attorney karen friedm

fri friedman. >> he comes from a family of means. he can afford the best defense attorney in the country. and, by all accounts, he has retained one. >> reporter: mangione's dark fandom grows. a crowd source has garnered $100,000, with a tsunami of support for the suspect, by those angered at the health insurance industry. at a dance party, the crowd erupted in cheers when photos of mangione were projected on the stage. and tonight, a new warning from the center for internet security, alerting law enforcement that online support for the suspect could fuel copycat attacks. nancy? >> ali, thank you. tonight the department of homeland security is sending more resources and technology to new jersey where drone sightings have surged in the past weeks. >> reporter: nancy, good

evening. there is concern and confusion over the growing number of reported nighttime drone sightings. today, incoming white house national security advisor, florida congressman mike waltz told cbs' "face the nation," americans need answers. >> we need to know who's behind it. they could be coming from offshore, and we need to take a hard look at our home defenses. >> reporter: alejandro mallyork says they are on it. >> there are thousands of drones flown every day in the united states. recreational drones, commercial drones. that is the reality. >> reporter: in a statement today, new york governor kathy hochul said our federal partners are deploying state-of-the-art detection system to new york state and is asking congress to pass a bill that would strengthen the faa's oversight

of drones and give more authority to state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the activities. some have called it hysteria. officials say of 5,000 drone tips received, fewer than 500 required followup. this is the last workweek for members of congress, an important one for some of president-elect donald trump's cabinet picks. nikole killion is in west palm beach, florida, tracking the transition. >> reporter: good evening to you, nancy. congress is set to recess for the holidays later this week. expect many of trump's picks to be back on the hill to shore up support before confirmation hearings get under way next year. this week the holiday rush is on, with more of president-elect donald trump's picks hitting the halls. health and human services designate, robert f. kennedy jr. starts his first rounds monday. the independent turned trump

ally has been scrutinized for pushing disproventheories. >> make sure that the safety and efficacy is there, and that's what president trump is thinking. >> reporter: this week the army-navy game, the president-elect hobnobbed with congressional leaders alongside many of his other controversial designees, from kash patel tapped to lead the fbi to tulsi gabbard for director of national intelligence and pentagon pick pete hegseth. >> i asked him point blank, were you drunk in a bar and got up and said let's kill all the muslims, and he said no. >> reporter: others, like lisa murkowski remain skeptical and have suggested they're being pressured to get in line. >> don't get on santa's naughty list here, because we were primary you. >> reporter: sparking concern from the other side of the aisle. >> she believes her job is to do what our constitution tells us, advice and consent.

>> reporter: tonight the president-elect turns his attention to foreign diplomacy. he's hosting a dinner at mar-a-lago for the widow of the slain japanese prime minister, shinzo abe. he maintained a close relationship since her husband was assassinated two years ago. nancy? >> nicole, thank you. today in syria, students returned to classrooms after the country's new rulers ordered schools to reopen. also, israel escalated attacks on its neighbor, aiming to keep weapons away from extremists. >> reporter: good evening. secretary of state antony blinken has confirmed that the u.s. has made direct contact with rebels as they move from armed insurgents to a governing authority, while stressing the need for hts to respect syria's minorities. for the first time since the dramatic overthrow of bashir al-assad one week ago, syrian christians have attended regular

sunday services. today our prayers are for a new page in syria's future, says suzan barakat. hayat tahrir al-sham says they are working to show that their right to worship won't be at risk. the biden administration is contemplating whether to formally recognize hts, a u.s.-designated terrorist organization as syria's new transitional government. we went to idlib to speak to its members. what is your message to syria's minorities? that this is a new syria, and the new syria is for everyone. early on, war planes targeted several homes and villages in idlib, including this predominantly christian village.

we were shown the church this man first worshipped in as a boy. this is the church. [speaking in a global language] i'm feeling very happy that i returned home, he says. what do you want for christians and other minorities in this new government, this new future for your country? we want hayat tahrir al sham who had faith in god almighty, to rebuild our country. and the u.n. has called for a quick end of sanctions against syria as world powers plan a path forward. a task of reconstruction made more so as the terrorist organization. a frantic rescue effort in rough sees in crimea. a russian oil tanker broke apart after being damaged in a storm.

a second tanker was also damaged. the wrecks caused an oil spill into the kerch strait, a critical shipping route. dangerous weather in the u.s. as well. san francisco was under a tornado warning saturday for the first time on record. no tornados there, but a camera did capture one about an hour south, ripping through the city of scotts valley. let's check in with our meteorologist. >> a nice break on sunday for california after a very busy saturday. but we're not done. atmospheric river bringing our next system in for monday. gale warnings up and down the california coast, oregon, washington, winter storm watch for washington, oregon and idaho. one to two feet of snow as we head into your monday. coastal flood advisory for areas around 80. san francisco could be looking at more flooding. and now the east coast where we could be looking at icing overnight and snow in the higher elevations.

the poconos in upstate new york, rain for philadelphia and over towards new york city. this is going to slow you down on your monday. our next system for the pacific northwest coming in with heavy snow from morning through evening. sunny skies across the midwest. some rain as we head toward chicago all the way down toward the gulf coast, and finally, as we head into the afternoon, we'll clear out and dry out for the east coast. nancy? >> andrew, thank you. straight ahead on cbs weekend news, we turn to syria. holly williams reports why regime change could threaten u.s.-backed kurdish forces, and the isis prisoners they hold.

in the week since the fall of the assad regime, syrians have been searching prisons for those wrongfully detained. but there's a dangerous group that the new leaders want to keep locked up. >> reporter: this jail in

eastern syria holds thousands of isis prisoners, according to the guards, but exactly how many is a secret. the inmates joined the so-called islamic state from all over the world. now they're locked up, apparently indefinitely, 20 or more to a cell. we're from cbs news. this man told us he was a doctor from windsor, canada, who traveled to the islamic state and was captured six years ago. >> we all make mistakes, right? >> reporter: do you regret it? >> i regret the mistake that i made? of course. >> reporter: to the canadian government, do you have a message? >> why haven't they come? why haven't they asked about me? that's all i can, want to ask them. >> reporter: the inmates don't know the syrian regime in damascus was toppled, because it could be dangerous. [speaking in a global language] they would be disobeyedant, he told me. and this prison is important for

them. the prison is guarded by american-backed syrian forces who control about a quarter of the country. five years ago, they defeated isis in syria with u.s. help. we witnessed them capture raqqah, the headquarters of the islamic state. >> reporter: and you thought it was clear, and now you think there's a sniper left there? >> yeah, we think, we think. >> reporter: but isis is still lurking in the desert, still a threat. in 2022, they attacked the prison, sparking a jailbreak and a bloody ten-day battle to regain control. at a nearby camp, american-backed forces are holding the family members of isis fighters who were killed or captured. around 6,000 women and children. the guards took us inside a camp in an armored vehicle. they told us the situation is deteriorating because of the fall of the syrian regime, it has given their friser ins hope

they may be rescued. this woman told us her husband is dead, and she's been locked up for six years. but, like so many here, she's unrepentant and says she still loves isis. whatever happens here in syria at this potentially dangerous crossroads, the u.s. is deeply involved, nancy, with multiple military bases in eastern syria and around 900 american troops in the country. >> holly williams, thank you. and still ahead on the cbs weekend news, brace yourself. why the holiday travel crush begins now.

today in california, travelers made their way through a brisk and busy l.a.x. airport. it's the calm before the storm. with ten days until christmas, the holiday rush starts this week. as cbs' kris van cleave reports, expect more crowds and higher prices. >> reporter: atlanta-area high school teacher, jo jo de guzman is heading to prague during the upcoming holidays, a trip he' he'he's been planning for months. he will be among the 119.3 million expected to travel. most, 107 million, will drive, finding gas prices hovering around $3 a gallon. nearly 15 cents cheaper than a year ago >> we haven't seen gas prices this low in three and a half years. >> reporter: the nation's airlines also expect a record.

more than 50 million will fly, and it stretches until january 6. for united airlines, that means 10 million passengers. >> december is likely to be the best december in the history of united airlines. >> reporter: what do you think is driving these record numbers of people? >> i actually believe that coming out of covid created a new urgency, a new appreciation for travel and experience. >> reporter: but that experience will cost you more this year. domestic airfare for christmas is averaging $371 round trip, up 8% from 2023, and last-minute flights to europe have surged 38%. for jo jo de guzman, booking early and going somewhere new is the best gift he could give himself this holiday season. >> i've heard they have good christmas markets in vienna as well as in prague. >> reporter: airfare tracker hopper says if you haven't booked you need to do it

quickly. in the last few weeks leading up to christmas last year, on average, round trip airfare jumped. on the roads, aaa says the busiest day to drive will be the sunday before christmas. cbs news, phoenix. next, a dream fulfilled. from the bench to broadway.

this weekend, ketanji brown jackson fulfilled a childhood

dream, debuting on broadway. cbs' vladimir duthiers sat down with her before the first rehearsal. >> it was something that i've always wanted, and our society is opening in all sorts of ways for all sorts of people to do things, and i felt like, here is an opportunity for me to take another chance and do something unusual. >> you can watch vlad's interview with justice jackson tomorrow on cbs mornings. when we return, an over-the-top approach to delivering holiday cheer.

finally tonight, we take you across the pond where clever crafters are making mailboxes merry and bright. cbs reports from london. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: there's a flurry of

festivity unfolding across the uk. with close-knit groups of volunteers putting their hands together to deliver holiday cheer. you get a real kick out of this, don't you? >> oh, we do. out of life, anyway, we're very positive people. >> reporter: they're dressing up mailboxes. >> it's absolutely gorgeous. >> reporter: it's a creative craze catching on in dozens of city. weaving cheer into every day life. why choose the famous red mailboxes to put these on? >> i think it's because they've got a lovely lip to them. so you can attach them. it's like a hat, isn't? it's like you're putting a hat on them. >> reporter: they wear hundreds of different hats, depending on the occasion. >> i just think it's magic for children to come along and look at it. >> reporter: always dress to impress, especially when it's for the royal family. >> normally, you'd be knitting

crochet, maybe for friends, family or charity. but where would you get a chance to make the king, the queen, a horse. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the year-round fun culminates around christmas. as another twinkling topper is carefully put in place. >> hold it tight, joe. >> reporter: what do you think of the topper? >> i like the christmas tree and the presents. because they're different shapes and sizes. >> reporter: giving the gift of wonder in a world that can always use a little more magic. tina kraus, cbs news, london. >> absolutely lovely. that's the cbs weekend news for this sunday. i'm nancy chen in new york. goodnight. cars flipped over, people

hurt. lamps falling down, everything you could imagine. i have never seen cars tossed like that. that was really, really unusual. i mean it looked like a reset. it didn't look real. >> it got real in a hurry when a tornado touched down if only for 30 yards in a scotts valley shopping center. clean up continues tonight and what a mess. da lin will have the latest. plus, pg&e crews are working to restore power to customers across the bay area. just how many are still in the dark. and drivers stranded in the sierra. we'll be hearing from bay area locals about their experiences being stuck in a winter blizzard. and live in the cbs studios in san francisco this sunday night, i'm brian hackney. >> i'm andrea nakano. clean up efforts are underway after a tornado hit scotts valley. >> and a van in a safeway parking lot is waiting to be towed, but the clean up has been efficient. very different from yesterday. witnesses say the tornado touched down right