♪ hello and thanks for staying up with us. i'm matt pieper in new york and here are the top stories on "cbs news roundup." millions of americans are

traveling for the holidays in what could be a record-breaking christmas crush. in a horrifying attack on a new york subway train a woman died after she was set on fire. police have one person in custody. and euphoria in syria continues weeks after the overthrow of the assad regime. but syrians returning home worry about what is next. the holidays are nearly upon us, and millions across the country are hitting the roads and the airways, heading from where they are to where they want to be. in fact, one out of every three americans are on the move this holiday, and it's shaping up to be the busiest holiday travel season ever. this was the scene outside los angeles international airport sunday afternoon. bumper to bumper traffic as thousands of passengers arrived for departing flights. l.a.x. estimated the commute to drop off points was taking double the normal time. and people riding the rails in the busy northeast corridor experienced significant delays. downed power lines affected travelers in philadelphia, new jersey and new york. let's turn to cbs's elise preston with this report from

los angeles. >> reporter: millions of americans are heading home for what could be a record-breaking christmas travel crush. >> it's going to take me 16 hours on the plane plus two hours to drive. >> reporter: passengers packed major airports nationwide. >> how would you describe the airports today? >> very chaotic. >> reporter: tsa expects to screen nearly 40 million passengers from december 19th through january 2nd. a 6% increase from a year ago. >> i'm worried that we'll be late, something happen at the airport, on the street. so that's why i always want to be here at least three hours before the flight. >> reporter: but some tempers flared. police at l.a.x. handcuffed and detained a passenger for allegedly attacking an employee at a spirit airlines ticket counter. still, no significant delays or endless lines at security checkpoints to slow travelers down. >> i come to l.a. pretty much every other month. and so this is the first time i've come during christmas time and it was pretty insane. >> reporter: and a speed bump for amtrak passengers in the nation's busiest passenger rail

corridor. trains rolling again after being delayed by downed power lines in philadelphia. but most travelers are driving, fueled by lower gas prices. if you want a less stressful time to travel, christmas day is a good choice. but traveling back from your destination, try to avoid december 27th. that's this friday, when airports are expected to be packed. elise preston, cbs news, los angeles. now to a horrifying and deadly attack in new york city. police say they have a suspect under arrest. as you can see in this picture from the "new york post." after a woman sleeping in a subway car in brooklyn, new york was set on fire. she later died. cbs's tammy mutasa is in new york with more. >> reporter: this was a brutal attack on a woman who just appeared to be sleeping on a public train. and police found that victim when they saw smoke during a routine patrol. horrifying moments inside an f train on the new york city

subway. just before 7:30nypd investigators say a woman was set on fire and burned to death. police say as the train approached the last stop in brooklyn the suspect walked up to her, lit her on fire and stayed on the scene watching her burn from the train platform. after the nypd released images of a person of interest, three young men called 911 when they saw the suspect on a different subway. police stopped the train and arrested the man. >> there must be strong, swift consequences on this person, and i use that term lightly, who committed this brutal, brutal homicide. >> reporter: the nypd said cameras have been installed in every subway car and it's because of images from those cameras that led to this arrest. this week governor kathy hochul announced an additional 250 national guard members will be deployed in subway cars to make sure everyone is safe.

>> tammy mutasa, thank you. turning now to the middle east. two children were among five people killed during an israeli airstrike on southern gaza sunday. the strike hit a shelter for displaced people in an area designated as a humanitarian safe zone. the israeli military says it was targeting hamas militants operating from that area. now to syria, where it has been two weeks since rebels suddenly overthrew the assad regime. the toppling of bashar al assad has raised tentative hopes that syrians might live peacefully, finding common ground as equals after half a century of authoritarian rule. syrians who have lived abroad for decades are now returning home. but as cbs's imtiaz tyab in damascus reports, their joy is mixed with trepidation about what might be next. >> reporter: on turkey's border with syria a rush to return to a homeland few here thought they would ever set foot in again. like 23-year-old mohammed ufad, who fled syria when he was just 9. >> what is going through your mind right now?

"i'm beyond happy," he says. "i could have never imagined the assad regime would fall." the lightning fast offensive led by hayat tahrir al sham, a u.s. designated terror organization, shocked the world and has raised questions about how hts will rule. in aleppo where assad's image still looms large the ancient souk is in near ruins after years of fighting and neglect. and this is one of the few sections of the souk that remains. a reminder of what was and that could be rebuilt again. but some wounds won't be so easy to repair. outside a hospital in damascus a wall of pain where people post photos of loved ones disappeared into syria's notorious prison system, looking for answers. including syrian american sana mustafa, who hasn't seen or heard from her father, ali, in 11 years after he was detained by bashar al assad's secret

police. >> what are you hoping to find? >> answers. we deserve an answer. like the most simple basic human right is to know if someone is alive or dead. >> reporter: while we were talking one person -- >> this is his friend. >> reporter: -- after the other -- >> 11 years. 12 years. her husband and her brother have been disappeared. >> reporter: showed us photos of their disappeared loved ones. faces etched with grief. >> how are you feeling right now? you're here with so many people who hold your pain. >> you know, i feel in community. i feel grateful. i know we're all in this together and we're searching for our loved ones together. >> reporter: a shared strength found at this seemingly endless wall of pain. imtiaz tyab, cbs news, damascus. a source familiar with the house ethics committee's work tells cbs news the panel is expected to release its report on former florida congressman matt gaetz on monday. last week it voted to release

the final report on the investigation that focused on allegations of sexual misconduct and obstruction. gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. he resigned from congress after president-elect donald trump said he planned to nominate him to be attorney general. but gaetz soon withdrew from consideration. when "cbs news roundup" continues, we'll tell you what we know and what we don't know about all those mysterious drones flying around in the skies over new jersey and new york. stay with us. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ together, we are all healthier when everyone is vaccinated. let's get together. let's thrive together. ♪♪ talk with your pediatrician today about childhood immunizations. ♪♪ this message is brought to you by

the american academy of pediatrics.

hi, i'm peyton manning and i am partnering with the american red cross this year brought to you by to tackle blood shortages. giving blood's important because every two seconds someone actually needs blood, and unfortunately, only like three percent of the u.s. population donates. so, we have to step up to give and to make sure there's plenty of blood available for those in need. visit redcrossblood.org to get in the game and make an appointment to give. ♪ this is "cbs news roundup." i'm matt pieper in new york. for more than a month now mysterious and unidentified drones have been buzzing around northern new jersey. they've sparked concern and outrage from residents and local officials. but the federal government

insists there is nothing to worry about. tom hansen reports on what we know and what we don't know about these lights in the sky. >> see they're flying, one's hovering. >> reporter: dating back a month now, you've either seen them in the sky or you've seen them on the news. drones seem to be everywhere. >> what is that? >> tonight, the mystery deepens as drones are now spotted in at least six states. >> reporter: by most accounts alleged drone sightings are multiplying exponentially, with more than 5,000 reported in just the past few weeks alone. but of those 5,000 only 100 or so have generated actual law enforcement leads. >> so what's the list of things that they actually could be seeing? >> number one, it could be an aircraft in the area. number two, it could be the stars in the background. number three, it could be a reflection of something that's like some kind of tower.

>> reporter: georgia mason university engineering professor misty cummings has been doing drone research for 25 years. >> of all of those options drone is the least likely because it's actually pretty hard to pick these out of the sky. >> reporter: we heard a similarly ordinary explanation when we visited new jersey's monmouth county sheriff shawn golden this past week. >> majority of these sightings probably some type of commercial or recreational aircraft, manned aircraft. >> reporter: in other words, no imminent threat. as a joint statement from the department of homeland security, the department of defense, the faa and the nba put it on tuesday, "we do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk." >> if you're actually looking at lights from a drone, it means that you're definitely not looking at a foreign adversary because they're sophisticated enough to turn the lights off. >> this one's going to fly over us right now. >> reporter: and yet some in the american public have been a

little on edge. >> and they're huge, too. so i don't know what's going on. >> like they're recording people? just going around like sitting there, just looking at you. >> we saw lots of blinking things up in the sky to the south, right over the ocean. >> one, two, three. like all coming together. >> reporter: but professor missy cummings says the best approach for now, we should all just try to stay grounded. >> if i go on the news and tell you you have something to worry about, then you have something to worry about. but in this case right now it's really things are operating as usual. usual. >> tom hansen on drone (singing) i'll be home for christmas. you can plan on me. please have snow and mistletoe.

and presents on the tree. right now all over the country kids at shriners hospitals for children™ are able to go home and be with their families for the holidays. and that's only possible because of the monthly donations from people like you. thanks to a generous donor every dollar you give will go three times as far to help more kids. with your gift of just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day. we'll send you this adorable love to the rescue® blanket as a thank you. and a reminder of the care you'll be providing so kids can be with their families. (singing) christmas eve will find me. where the love light gleams. it only takes a moment to call the number on your screen.

or you can visit loveshriners.org. your gift of $19 a month will have three times the impact in the lives of kids like me. because every child just wants to be home for the holidays, and your gift makes that possible. your call is the best gift of all. your gift will be my favorite christmas present this year. please call the number on your screen or go to loveshriners.org to give whatever you can. and when you become a monthly donor your first gift will be tripled! thank you for giving! ♪♪ vicks vapostick provides soothing non-medicated vicks vapors. easy to apply for the whole family.

vicks vapostick. and try new vaposhower max for steamy vicks vapors. it's been two weeks now since syrian rebels swept into damascus and overthrew the assad regime. since then the horrors inflicted by 50 years of dictatorship have been exposed for all the world to see. tens of thousands disappeared into the country's prisons, and many of them were never seen again. still their families hold out hope. imtiaz tyab is in syria. >> reporter: they come looking for answers. scrutinizing what has become a wall of pain outside a hospital in damascus. hoping in these photos to find some trace of their loved ones, disappeared into syria's notorious prison system during the brutal 13-year civil war. among them is syrian american

sana mustafa, posting her own agony on the wall, missing persons of her father, ali mustafa, who hasn't been seen or heard from in 11 years after he was detained by bashar al assad's secret police. >> what are you hoping to find? >> answers. we deserve an answer. like the most simple basic human right is to know if someone alive or dead. >> reporter: under assad's long and oppressive rule even the slightest criticism could land someone in prison. where they were tortured and starved, sometimes to death. >> what do you miss the most about your dad? >> i miss having a dad. you know, having someone to call baba. >> reporter: while we were talking, one person -- >> this is his friend. >> reporter: -- after the other -- >> his friend. her husband and her brother. >> reporter: showed us photos of their disappeared loved ones. faces etched with grief.

everyone here has a story of pain and loss, and the numbers are staggering. according to syrian human rights groups, at least 100,000 people have been disappeared in assad's prisons. but many believe that that number is far, far higher. the fear is many of those disappeared are buried here, in newly uncovered mass graves. >> how are you feeling right now? you're here with so many people who hold your pain. >> you know, i feel in community. i feel grateful. i know we're all in this together and we're searching for our loved ones together. >> reporter: a shared strength found at this seemingly endless wall of pain. [♪♪] did you know, serums are concentrated with powerful ingredients to visibly improve your skin? try olay super serum. for five powerful ingredients in one, it hydrates, improves texture and evenness, while also firming and smoothing.

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♪today my friend you did it, you did it♪ pursue a better you with centrum. ♪♪ it's a small win toward taking charge of your health. ♪♪ so, this year, you can say... ♪you did it!♪ life is finally getting back to a sense of normal in western north carolina, which was devastated by hurricane helene. that includes a local holiday tradition, gingerbread houses. connor knighton paid a visit. >> reporter: for more than three decades asheville, north carolina has hosted the national gingerbread contest. it's a celebration of christmas, creativity and carbohydrates which goes far beyond the walls of typical gingerbread houses. >> it has to be 100% edible. it has to be 75% gingerbread. and we look for creativity,

style, uniqueness in ingredients. >> reporter: john cook is the executive pastry chef at the omni grove park inn, which has held the contest since 1992. but this year things were different. >> tonight, hurricane helene's catastrophic toll in the southeast. >> reporter: back in october still reeling from the devastation of hurricane helene the hotel was forced to make a difficult call. >> we were still without potable water. we were shut down with no power. and we decided to cancel the competition. >> three, two, one. >> reporter: but it turned out even without the usual prizes and pageantry a number of north carolinans still wanted to display their gingerbread creations. >> for me personally it's hard to imagine me going through my year and not doing a gingerbread entry. >> reporter: chloe jennings is from pearl ear, north carolina. she remembers attending her first gingerbread contest in asheville when she was just 4 years old. >> they're beautiful and magical. and like everything you could have ever hoped for in a hallmark movie. >> reporter: when the official

2024 contest was canceled, jennings made this. >> even the ink here is edible? >> yes. >> reporter: a series of houses dedicated to communities impacted by the hurricane. >> banner elk, chimney rock, these are all north carolina towns? >> yes. >> reporter: the house on top is hope. which is a word you see a lot around here. >> he with need people to come to the community to rebuild and to keep the traditions alive. we need hope. >> reporter: sabrina miller had hoped this would be the year she'd finally earn a prize in the contest. >> i'm good. >> reporter: but instead her work is being displayed in a downtown shopping arcade as part of an effort to drive traffic to local businesses. >> well, we needed people coming in. we needed the tourism back. >> that's cool. >> that's very cool. >> we needed to give people already here something to see, something to look forward to, some sense of normalcy. >> is it actual -- >> yeah. >> reporter: while water and power have come back to asheville, tourists have been slower to return. so that's why this year 41

gingerbread creations have been placed around town as part of a trail of giving organized by the grove park inn. fans can visit, and make a donation via qr code to support hurricane relief efforts. >> what do you think the reaction would have been like if it was christmas without gingerbread? >> christmas without gingerbread, that's like christmas without santa. >> yeah. >> too hard to think about? >> yeah. >> reporter: kelly fowler and her mother mikayla have displayed their chicken coop themed gingerbread house at a toy store. from the candy shop to the candle boutique. >> look at the little gnomes. >> reporter: the gingerbread displays invite tourists to explore the town. >> after the hurricane and a lot of research we decided that we still wanted to come and support the community. we heard about the gingerbread trail. so we're on it today. >> this is our biggest season of the year. >> reporter: this time last year asheville's river arts district would have been full of holiday shoppers. >> but 80% of our district was

decimated. washed away. >> reporter: jeffrey burrows is the president of the non-profit river arts district artist group. >> so all of these buildings that i'm seeing, these were all underwater? >> correct. this is over 30 feet. >> reporter: jeffrey's jewelry store is on higher ground and is still standing and is currently hosting a gingerbread tribute to asheville covered in edible paper built by lola and jay wilson. >> i feel like it's really great that it ended up in the river arts district because it brings a message of like hope and peace and that we will come back, you know. >> for us at least it was a great way to like start feeling normal again and start getting back into how things used to be. and hopefully the trail will bring people some joy and have a little christmas. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: it's always christmas for laura rathbone who works in asheville's year-round christmas store. >> oh, it's devastating. we are still grieving because of what we had and what it was and how special it was. >> reporter: the store's former

location was destroyed by helene. but they're currently selling what they were able to salvage in a pop-up shop inside of an indian restaurant downtown donated to them rent-free. that's more than just christmas spirit. for laura rathbone it sums up the entire spirit of this community. a collective strength broadcast on everything from banners to gingerbread. >> i think it goes way back to the appalachian people, and they're a strong people. there are enough people that are creative and want to stay

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it is inevitable. chloe! hey dad. they will grow up. [cheering] silly face, ready? discover who they are. [playing music] what they want from this world. and how they will make it better. and while parenting has changed, how much you care has not. that's why instagram is introducing teen accounts. automatic protections for who can contact them and the content they can see.

♪♪

it is monday, december 23rd, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings." subway horror. a woman set on fire and killed on a new york city train. a person of interest in custody. shot down. a u.s. navy f/a-18 splashes into the red sea, its crew