"cbs this morning." from the broadcast center here in new york city, i'm michchch captioning funded by cbs it's thursday, january 19th, 2017. this is the "cbs morning news." 24 hours after earthquakes triggered an avalanche in italy, rescue crews are still struggling to get to a ski resort where many are feared dead. the president-elect and our whole team are ready go to work. >> but before they get down to business, the pomp and circumstance of the trump inauguration officially begins. >> we're a compassionate society. >> no, we're not a compassionate society. >> grilled by lawmakers, things heat up for the cabinet picks on

capitol hill and former president george h.w. bush sends a letter to the soon-to-be 45th president missing the inauguration. good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs headquarters. rescue efforts are under way in italy where an avalanche buried a small hotel. a rescue squad told reuters many are dead. jonathan vigliotti is in london with more. good morning, jonathan zbhood morning, anne-marie. rescuers at this hour are trying to dig their way into this hotel which was literally buried under the snow. the avalanche happened early in the morning while many of the guests were presumably asleep. there were as many as 30 guests inside the hotel at the time.

the protection agency says they're still unaccounted for. video shows how complicated this effort is. a wall of snow three stories high, a road completely cut off. rescuers had to use skis to get to the sight. it's a popular destination for skiers. the avalanche was likely triggered after a series of strong earthquakes rocked the area yesterday. this is the same region where a deadly quake killed around 300 people over the summer against, this morning, anne-marie, search and rescue teams scrambling to find as many as 30 people still buried. >> all right, jonathan vigliotti in london. i'm sure we'll continue covering this story. thank you. back home just before noon tomorrow donald trump will be sworp in as the 45th president of the united states. the theme of his inauguration is america unique.

there will be shorter parades and fewer inaugural balls. the ceremonies begin today. he participates in a wreath laying ceremony at arlington national cemetery and he'll deliver remarks at a concert at the lincoln memorial. he's expected to spend the night at the presidential guesthouse, blairhouse across from the white house. kenneth has more on the inauguration. good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. the countdown is under way in washington. in just a few hours the president-elect will return once again before becoming president. he attended a pre-inauguration dinner honoring vice president-elect mike pence. >> the president-elect and our whole team are ready to go to work and really advance the kind of policies to borrow his phrase will make america great again.

>> cbs news is learnings what that focus will be. it's growing the economy and reducing fears about terrorism and what's being billed as a nonpartisan speech. >> it's going to be tough for donald trump for those who didn't support him to start to back him. >> mr. trump will deliver pre-inauguration remarks today during a concert at the lincoln memorial. an estimated 1 million people are expected here tomorrow. also on hand, nearly 30,000 law enforcement officials to keep them safe including thousands of officers from across the country gearing up for massive protests. >> just looking forward to being part of it and representing the city. >> this group of lgbt activists already began demonstrating last night holding a rally near the

d.c. home. more than 60 house democrats will not attend the inauguration in protest. and getting around town at this point is no easy task. more than 100 square blocks have been closed to traffic. that's close to three square miles, anne-marie. >> kenneth craig in washington, thank you so much. well, ahead on "cbs this morning," cbs news contributor bob schieffer has covered 13 inaugurations. we'll ask him how this one measures up. and, of course, cbs will bring you all day coverage of the president's inauguration beginning tomorrow on "cbs this morning." mr. trump will take office without most of his cabinet members being confirmed. the president-elect announced his final nominee sonny purdue for agriculture. >> reporter: congressman tom

price fought back that he used his office for personal gain during his confirmation hearing. >> i'm offended by the insinuation, senator. >> reporter: but democrats pushed mr. price on his claim he was unaware his broker purchased stocks before hthey introduce legislation. >> that's not true, senator. >> you decided not to tell them, wink, wink, nod, nod, and we're supposed to believe that? >> if confirmed he'll lead the fight to repeal and rae place obamacare. just down the hallway they tussled with another one of trump's nominees, scott pruitt. >> i do not believe climate change is a hoax. >> pruitt does not agree with president-elect trump that it's

a hoax but democrats couldn't pin him down on a cause. >> i believe it's subject to more debate on whether the climate is changing or the inactive contributes to it. >> pruitt sued the epa 14 times as attorney general. >> also on capitol hill picked to be u.n. ambassador nikki haley had a different view of nato than the president-elect who called the alliance obsolete. >> nato obviously has been an alliance that we value and an alliance that we need to keep and i think as we continue to talk to him about these alliances and how they can be helpful and strategic in the way they move forward, i to anticipate he'll listen to all of us and we can get him to see it the way we see it. >> hayley also took a difference stance on war crimes.

president obama spoke about u.s./russian relations, voting rights, and immigration. he talked about the need for activism. he painted a hopeful vision of the future though. >> sometimes i get mad and frustrated like everybody else does, but at my core, i think we're going to be okay. we just have to fight for it, we have, two fit it, and not take it for granted. >> the president also said he'll continue to speak out on issues he feels are important. >> and former president george h.w. bush remains in the intensive care unit of a houston hospital this morning. mr. bush is being treated for pneumonia. his wife barbara is in the same hospital. she was admitted in the hospital after suffering fatigue and coughing. >> president obama offered his best wishes at a final press conference. >> they have been a constant source of friendship and support and good counsel for michelle

and me over the years. they are as fine a couple as we know. >> just this past saturday mr. bush was treated for shortness of breath. despite his health issues, the 92-year-old has remained active. earlier this month he was spotted at an nfl game in houston. but one place mr. bush will not be is the upcoming inauguration. he wrote a letter to president-elect trump explaining why. he explained in part. my doctor said if i sit outside in january, it will likely put me six feet under. same for barbara. i wish you the best. >> he tweeted looking for a speedy recovery for george and barbara bush both hospitalized. thank you for your wonderful letter. former pretty george w. bush will be at the inauguration. omar sri a grab ka, cbs news,

houston. turning to weather and the storms that have been drenching the west coast are starting to move inland. the storm will produce snow in higher elevations. last night heavy rain hammered the santa cruz mountains. a massive mudslide forced drivers to take extra long detours. in houston a good samaritan rescued a bus driver and two passengers after they got stuck in fast rising floodwaters. well, coming up on the morning new, on deck for the hall of fame, we'll show you major league baseball's newest inductees. and get back. paul mccartney sues for beatles' copy right. this is the "cbs morning news." and blood sugar my a1c better than the leading branded pill, which didn't get me to my goal. lowers my a1c better than the leading branded injectable.

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capital. the building collapsed in a matter of seconds. firefighters had battled the fire for several hours after it broke out in the morning. well, there's an update on the flint water crisis a year later, and donald trump's hotel is declared a media-free show. those are some of the headlines on the "morning news" stand. the "washington post" reports the media are banned from donald trump's hotel during inauguration week. a spokeswoman said the privacy of the guests must be protected. it's a government owned building that mr. trump's company lease and renovated. "time" has a report on the flint crisis one year after the city was found to have been contaminated with lead. it's improved but they must still rely on bottled water. "the new york times" reports on a $500,000

it will develop and store vaccines to restore outbreaks. the "los angeles times" reports 2016 was the earth's hottest year on record. government weather trackers at nasa says that's the third straight year that happened. there was a jump last year 1.7 degrees above the 20th century average. still to come, tech giant oracle is being sued by the labor didn't for pay disparity and hiring discrimination.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ try to see it my way ♪ >> paul mccartney thinks he'll need lawyers to work out differences with sony. sir paul wants to make sure he gets the rights to 2018. u.s. law says works must be returned to their creators 56 years after the original copy right. sony calls the lawsuit unnecessary. on the "cbs moneywatch" oracle faces a lawsuit over alleged pay gaps and further interest rate hikes are predict.

jill wagner is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, jill. >> good morning. fed chair janet yellen says they will have raised the interest rate by 3%. she didn't say when the next interest rate hike will happen. she just said the economy is gross to achieving maximum employment and stable inflation. stocks on wall street were mixed. the dow lost 22 points yesterday, the s&p rose 4. that is the ninth day it's moved less than 0.4% up or down. the nasdaq gained nearly 17. the labor department is suing oracle because they say they pay white male workers more than nonwhite or female counter parts. or ak. says they ha s oracle says it is politically brought and without merit. the price of a first class

mail forever stamp is going up two cents to 49 cents. this is the first price increase since 2014. it does not include post cards or letters mailed internationally. anne-marie. >> thank you, jill. still ahead, headwear with a message. how pink caps are playing a role in saturday's march in washington. one pill fights congestion for 12 hours. no thank you very much, she's gonna stick with the short-term stuff. 12 hours? guess i won't be seeing you for a while. is that a bisque? i just lost my appetite. why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours? start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. i want to live a life lithat's full., full of a happiness found in living the life i want. full of the energy that comes with good health.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. an overnight upset down under. defending australian open champ

djokovic. djokovic second behind andy murray. the serb has six australian open titles to his name but he won't be hoisting the 2017 cup. and the door of baseball hall of fame is swinging the door open for three of the a greats. ivan rodriguez, jeff bag well, and tim rains. voters snubbed roger clemens and barry bonds both tainted by the substance scandal. now they're weaving a message of their own into hats. as chris martinez discovered it's a close knit movement. >> reporter: at this small knitting shop in los angeles a movement is growing thanks to these bright hats. >> it's called the pussy cat

project. >> it's meant to bring awareness to women's rights issues. >> when you're a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. >> i think for women's rights supporters to be able to take that word back and take that that isn't linked with shame is a really important thing. >> that message is resonating with women across the country. >> we put beads on some. >> elly rice has been knitting nonstop in new york to show her support. >> i hope that everyone in the march has one. >> reporter: elly's hats help make up the 70,000 donated so far. >> a symbol of unity, bringing women together, one pink stitch at a time. chris martinez, cbs news, los

angeles. well, coming up after you local news on "cbs this morning," a full inauguration despres view. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." and a rich cream to lock them in. (baby laughs) feels good, doesn't it? johnson's. for every little wonder. youthat's why you drink ensure. sidelined. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals.

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we're following two breaking stories this morning. rescue efforts are under way in central it will i where an avalanche buried a small hotel. a member of a rescue squad told reuters there are many dead. the avalanche hit last night following a series of four strong earthquakes. it's believed there were about 30 people in the hotel when the avalanche hit. all are missing. rescue efforts are hampered by the weather. the hotel is in an area hit by deadly quakes last year. and breaking this morning as well, in iran, a high-rise billing that was on fire has collapsed injuring at least 38 people. the 17-story building in tehran housed a busy shopping center.

the 50-year-old high-rise was one of the first burst in the capital. the building collapsed in seconds. firefighters battled the fire for several hours after it broke out in the morning. >> recently a supposed russian dossier by mr. trump was made public. charlie d'agata found the man who gave it credibility. >> anybody has reason to be concerned if they think the future president of the united states is somehow under russian or any other tutelage. >> reporter: it was the persistent rumors of the dossier that had sir andrew wood most concerned, explosive material that could allow the russians to black mile the president-elect. he met with senator john mccain at a security conference last november. >> it seemed to me that it was right knowing that i have a chance to see him, to speak to the senator, that there was any right for me to say, this does

exist. >> reporter: the dossier contains unverified allegations of mr. trump's sexual behavior and potential bribes. mr. trump says it's complete fabrication. the report was conspired by former british spy christopher steele. >> you know him. what kind of man is he? >> he's an honest professional and nobody in his position would wish to make this sort of stuff up. it, after all, is potentially dangerous for him. >> reporter: steele has now fled his home southwest of london and has gone into hiding. he told us he doesn't know if thegations are true but the tactic of sexual entrapment by the russia intelligence service, the fsb, is widespread. >> it's very common practice and for the fsb says they never use it is laughable. >> reporter: in 2013 mr. trump returned to moscow for the miss universe pageant and used the

occasion for other business ties. >> nobody knew he was going to become president then but why not give it a go and stick it away for possible use later. >> because that's what russians do. >> yes. >> wood told us he's not surprised christopher steele has gone to ground. besides journalists trying to track him down there will be government sources wanting to know where he got his information. >> that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

the whole thing is broadcast live on television we will let you know had we know so far. also breaking news this morning tragedy in it thely an avalanche buried a hotel in the the central part of the country and what caused avalanche and dr. rescuers are having a hard time reaching the hotel. and, more new names, battling flames in delaware and how many people were forc ed from their homes, we will tell you thursday january m jim done ran. i'm rahel solomon. lets check weather and traffic with lauren casey and meisha, good morning, lauren. >> welcome. >> yes, it is a gateway to our weekend are you excited for friday. >> you know it is true, i know you areau