not a sign of strength to insult people with profanity. it's not a serious thing. >> reporter: a new quinnipiac national poll found clinton ahead of trump, and clinton 47 to 50%. effectively tied with marco rubio and ted cruz. norah, that survey also found 50% of voters say they would be embarrassed to have trump as president.

garrett, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be

swipe at donald trump in an interview with national public radio. the president said trump is capitalizing on the resentment of working class men who have seen their bills go up while their wages stay flat. >> you combine those things and it means that there's going to be potential anger, frustration, fear. some of it justified but just misdirected. and, you know, i think somebody like mr. trump's taken advantage of that. i mean, that's what he's exploiting during the course of his campaign. >> o'donnell: mr. obama also claimed some of the republican resentment toward him can be

first black president. tonight, we're learning more about the american service members killed yesterday by a suicide bomber in afghanistan. it was the worst attack on u.s. forces there this year. margaret brennan is at the pentagon. >> how you doing? >> reporter: after his first tour of afghanistan, joseph lemm came home to surprise his children and his wife. but his second tour came to a tragic end this week. he was among the six u.s. suicide bomber who drove a motorcycle packed with explosives into the american patrol. lemm was a 15-year veteran of the new york police department and a member of the air national guard. major adrianna vorderbruggen was the highest ranking officer killed and one of the first openly gay female air force officers killed in action. special agent peter taub also lost his life. his mother runs this washington restaurant and posted a note on the door saying they were closed to mourn this horrible loss. a regular customer, vivienne ramgeet, left a teddy bear and a

door. >> i'm grieving for my friends. and i'm -- i'm -- i'm truly devastated. >> reporter: the three other airmen killed were michael cinco, chester mcbride, and louis bonacasa. only a day after the american ambush, u.s. and british soldiers went to the aid of the struggling afghan army trying to hold off the taliban takeover of a crucial southern province. the taliban has been gaining strength ever since the end of the u.s. combat mission and draw-down. today they released a photograph of the bomber they claimed attacked the americans. tonight, the pentagon will release officially the names of the fallen. but, norah, these deaths are especially heartbreaking for so many families coming right before christmas, and just months after president obama decided to extend the longest war in american history. >> o'donnell: margaret brennan, thank you. a grim milestone has been reached in europe's refugee

the u.n. refugee agency said today more than one million people have entered europe this year after fleeing war and poverty in the middle east and north africa. half came from syria. nearly 3,700 died on the journey or went missing. today, f.b.i. director james comey visited the bureau's l.a. field office to thank agents and police who investigated the massacre in san bernardino in which 14 people were killed. and for the first time, we're getting a look at the visa application filed by one of the terrorists to get into this here's homeland security correspondent jeff pegues. >> reporter: eight months before syed farook entered the united states with his bride-to-be, he applied for a fiance visa for pakistani-born tashfeen malik. in the document dated december 31, 2013, farook, an american citizen, wrote that they had met through a matrimonial web site. farook wrote in a statement that

meet each other. that happened when they both attended the hajj pilgrimage in mecca saudi arabia, n october 3, 2013. and it is on this day, he says, that we got engaged. he signed that statement january 20, 2014. immigration officials asked for and received proof. visa stamps that both were at the hajj. ultimately, the application was approved, clearing the way for the san bernardino killers to come into the country. in a statement, the u.s. citizenship and immigration services says, what they didn't -- they were subjected to numerous background checks and those did not reveal any malik. what they didn't know about what the f.b.i. discovered after the shooting messages about jihad, and evidence that both farook and malik had been showing signs of radicalization long before the

the k-1 visa application relies on self-reporting, and in a separate part of malik's immigration file she reportedly answered no when asked if she had ever engaged in terrorist activity. norah, obama administration critics believe there were major gaps in the vetting of that application. >> o'donnell: all right, jeff pegues, thank you. today, army sergeant bowe bergdahl was arraigned in military court on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. he could face life in prison if convicted, or of the latter. he did not enter a plea. bergdahl walked off his post in afghanistan in 2009 and was held as a taliban prisoner for five years before being swapped for five guantanamo detainees. a grand jury in texas has decided not to indict anyone in the sheriff's office or jail in connection with the death of sandra bland. she was found dead in her cell in july, three days after her confrontational arrest during a traffic stop.

coming up, what's taking so long to clean up this radioactive mess? a close call on the slope for a world cup skier. and a christmas surprise when the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. (cell phone rings) well the squirrels are back in the attic. exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. r it's what you do. where are you?r it's very loud there. are you taking at

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>> o'donnell: we've reported extensively about an unusual number of cancer cases north of st. louis, where several have low-levels of radiological contamination. tonight vinita nair reports even more sites have tested positive and now there's a federal health investigation. >> reporter: 300 residents of north saint louis county crowded into a local gym last week, anxious about what they would hear. soil near their local creek was contaminated by improperly stored nuclear weapons waste in the 1960s and 70s, and people have been getting sick. the army corps of engineers delivered the latest test results. >> seven additional parcels that have been identified. >> reporter: those seven new areas of low-level nuclear contamination were discovered as crews tested the creek this summer. the new sites include four commercial properties and three homes. add in the five sites already slated for cleanup, and that is

contamination. >> they found the tumor, about the size of a golf ball. >> reporter: last fall, angela powers lost her nine-year-old grandchild, jordan, to a brain tumor that is rare in children. >> if it came from this, wow, we want some answers because it's making me angry. she was my only grandchild. >> there it is right there. >> reporter: it was a variety of rare illnesses that caught the attention of resident jenelle wright and her neighbors. four years ago, the group created a facebook page that has since logged 2,700 cancers and autoimmune conditions around town. they begged federal health authorities to investigate. >> we've had to go through many battles. i don't even know if i can recount all of them, all the different agencies, literally calling an agency 30 times and not returning your phone call. >> reporter: this month they finally got results. the centers for disease control sent a health assessment team to

>> you must advocate for yourself. >> reporter: mary oscko has stage four lung cancer and blames it on the contamination. why is the government getting involved now? >> do you notice that the table's shaking? if i shake the table enough, you can't eat your meal off of it. if i make enough noise, you want to listen to me. we're standing up and saying, "hi, i'm mary. i'm dying of cancer." >> reporter: residents are hoping the health study might help them in their legal fights over compensation for medical bills but the assessment could take two years, and, norah, some folks like mary are worried they won't be around long enough to see the results. >> o'donnell: such an incredible story, vinita nair, thank you. >> o'donnell: someone stole a secret service agent's gun in washington. that story is next.

>> o'donnell: police in washington say a secret service agent's gun was stolen from his car outside headquarters yesterday. the agent, a member of the division, had gone inside for 45 minutes. when he returned, a bag containing his gun, i.d., badge, and a thumb drive were gone. the agent will likely face disciplinary charges. hit by a drone today during a race in italy. crashed just inches from marcel hirscher. he was carrying a tv camera and was shooting the race. hirscher didn't seem to notice and came in second, but afterwards he said this can never happen again. a surprise homecoming in oklahoma. kim gornick wasn't expecting to see her son, wyatt, this christmas. [ screaming ] >> o'donnell: but as you can see he made an unexpected appearance after returning home from marine

she called the moment priceless. a nice, big hug, too. still ahead, why are these kids so happy? we'll show you when we come

>> o'donnell: finally tonight, the holidays are supposed to be the happiest time of the year for kids, and some eager volunteers are making sure that it is. here's chip reid. >> reporter: more than 1,000 kids were in dallas recently for four days of nonstop joy. there was no limit to the games, the rides, and the fun. >> lightsabers up! >> reporter: and it was all free. if you're wondering why these kids and their parents were treated like such heroes, well, they earned it, the hard way. every child here lost a parent in the military. every parent here lost a spouse. chase sullivan is seven, his

their mother bree can't remember the last time they were this happy. >> they get to be with other kids who get it, who understand what it's like to lose a parent. >> reporter: michelle karnoski brought her 13-year-old daughter, sammie. >> it's heartbreaking knowing that all these kids have lost a parent while on active duty military. it's hard. >> reporter: this is the tenth anniversary of the snowball express, a nonprofit charity named for an old disney movie. some families return every year, like carol baruch and her daughter, amelia. her husband, john, did two tours in iraq. >> he had a larger-than-life personality. and when he came back from his second tour, that personality had changed. >> reporter: suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, two days after christmas in 2007, he took his

>> around christmastime, like, a classmate will complain about a present they get, their dad gave them, that they didn't like and it's kind of frustrating because i'd do anything to get a bad present from my dad. >> reporter: snowball express is always held during the holiday season because for many here it's the most difficult time of the year. >> because-- >> i can't imagine not coming. like, i can't imagine not ever having this in my life. >> reporter: chase and jake sullivan feel pretty much the same way. >> i just wish we could stay here a year. >> i wish we could stay here forever. >> reporter: forever in a place where everyone understands. ( applause ) chip reid, cbs news, dallas. >> that's the overnight news for this wednesday for some of you the news continues, for others later. for other news join anthony for cbs this morning.

york city, i'm nora o'donnel. >> this is the "cbs overnight news". >> hi everyone, welcome to the overnight news i'm demarco morgan. winter has only just begun it's already a season of weather extremes the northeast is basken in record high temperatures. and the pacific northwest and mountain states a much different story, driving rain along the coast and heavy snow in the higher elevations. john blackstone begins our coverage in california. >> much of the country is having a somewhat mild winter, it's not happening here in northern california or much of the west. the mountain that feeds this

rain, in fact more than 7 inches of rain since sunday. up in the portland area they're having the wettest winter on record. mountains of the west are being pummelled with snow, certainly the winter is roaring in the west. a powerful storm system making its way across the northwest is packing it dangerous mix of blinding snow, rain and violent winds strong enough to knock down powerlines. >> you can see the conditions, it's bad. >> reporter: several drivers were left stuck and stranded when portions of interstate 90 were buried under snow. >> we went off the first exit, if we would have known this, we would have turned around and went back. >> he used his truck to help drivers stuck in the side of the road. >> sf you don't have a guy like me that comes along, you'll sit

why not avalanche forced crews to suspend a search for a skier who disappeared over the weekend. in oregon winds gusts for miles an hour toppling trees and crashing into homes. >> i heard a loud boom and then the whole house, it was like it bounced. >> reporter: the winds were tractor-trailer off the road. portland area were without power. now up in the mountains where there has been no snow, there feet of snow already this winter. south is about to turn dangerous. meteorologists predict violent louisiana to georgia packing high winds, driving hail and possible tornados. the need for winter coats and hats. records have been falling up and down the seaboard. >> reporter: i can't believe

right now i'm not wearing any hats, any gloves. the temperature right now about 50 degrees here at central park. extended heat wave for the winter, having many people here in the northeast pleasantly surprised. >> it's beautiful here. it's incredible. >> reporter: at 52 degrees in for waiters and walks in the park. in a city that was slammed by 7 feet of lake effect snow last year, temperatures this week are more likely to inspire long walks on the beach. >> certainly a look at buffalo, up to 61 degrees. the focus on christmas eve moves to the northeast and we're talking 60s and 70s, the warmest christmas eve anyone alive has seen in that area. >> reporter: more than 2,600

lower 48 states this month. in washington, d.c., cherry blossoms arrives months ahead of schedule. in chicago, christmas shoppers wore light coats. >> i'm not complaining that it's not snowing right now. but it doesn't feel like christmas yet. >> reporter: but nowhere is this tail of two climates more obvious than the ski slopes. the connecticut resort can't keep the fake snow from melting. while in colorado the real snow just keeps coming, skiers there are enjoying being on the edge of a much larger cold weather band stretching from park city up to spokane. >> this is a tail and we're just watching to see if it's possible the stormy and snowy conditions out west will eventually come eastern on us. >> reporter: and meteorologists say the el nino factor is the main reason behind this unseasonably warm, beautiful weather. >> things are also heating up on the campaign trail.

is taking the gloves off. in his criticism of hillary clinton. the candidates have been trading shots ever since clinton called some of trump's comments a recruitment tool for isis. a poll shows prefer clinton to trump 47% to 40%. here is more on how the two frontrunners are squaring off. in case you just awoke and were wondering, though, the general election hasn't begun. but trump would like republicans to imagine him going toe to toe with hillary clinton. that's what this confrontation is all about. and other republicans are, as has been so often this the case in the campaign, just trying to get a piece of the increasingly obnoxious trump action. >> you're a loser. you really are a loser. >> in a rally monday night, donald trump fought through more than a dozen interruptions. >> there's another guy up there. they're very noncombative people. >> that's a very weak voice.

like he's mike tyson, he would never throw a punch. >> found plenty of time to challenge rival hillary clinton, assailing her accusation that isis used trump's words about muslims to recruit followers. >> turned out to be a lie. she's a liar! and the last person she wants to return against is me, believe me. >> reporter: trump made a mad reference to clinton's debate to the bathroom that lasted longer than the commercial break. >> sorry. [ laughter ] >> where did she go? i thought she quit. i thought she gave up. i know where she went. it's disgusting. i don't want to talk about it. >> >> he hit clinton for losing the 2008 nomination. she was favored to win. >> besides trump's lewd leap towards yiddish, he was accused of accepting the targeted killing of journalists.

let's see. no, i wouldn't. i would never kill them. i do hate them. >> reporter: she said the thrust of her criticism remains true. >> the hateful rhetoric that we're hearing from donald trump is blaing in the hands of other terrorists and other groups. rubio comes close to tying clinton. and clinton and texas senator ted cruz are tied at 44%. the new numbers come a day after lindsey graham, a candidate eesz whose numbers didn't race.

yesterday charlie rose gave us an inside look at the secret of the world of apple. this morning he's sits down with apple's ceo, tim cook to discuss one of the company's most confidential trade secrets, encryption. some say it let's terrorists communicate without fear of getting caught. here is charlie with tim cook for 60 minutes. >> in the government they say it's like you have a search warrant but you can't unlock the trunk. >> here is the situation, on your iphone, there's likely health information, there's financial information, there are intimate conversations with your family or your coworkers.

ability to protect it. and the only way we know how to do that is to encrypt it. why is that? it's because if there's a way to get in, then somebody will find a way in. there have been people that suggest that we should have a back door, but the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door is for everybody, good guys and bad guys. >> does the government have a point in which they say, if we have good reason to believe in that information is evidence of criminal conduct or national security behavior? >> well, if the government lays a proper warrant on us today, then we will give the specific information that is requested, because we have to by law. in the case of encrypted communication, we don't have it to give.

to those. >> help me understand how you get to the government's delima. >> i don't believe that the trade off is privacy versus national security, i think that's an overly simplistic view. we're america, we should have both. >> please stand and raise your right hand. national security isn't the only battle tim cook has been fighting with washington. apple earns two-thirds of the revenue overseas. rather than bring it balk back, apple like many, parks billions of dollars in overseas income in sub sid dares and countries like ireland. the practice is not illegal, but it's at the heart of a battle that has been unfolding in washington to reform the corporate tax code and bring that money home. >> how do you feel when you go before congress and they say, you're a tax avoider?

i'll tell you and the folks watching tonight is, we pay more taxes in this country than anyone. >> they know that and you should because of how much money you make. >> well, i don't deny that. we happily pay it. >> you probably also have more money overseas. >> we do. i said before, two-thirds of our business is over there. >> why don't you bring that home, is the question? >> i would love to bring it home. >> why don't you bring it home? >> it would cost me 40% to bring it home and i don't think it's a reasonable thing to do. this is a tax code, charlie, that was made for the industrial age, not the digital age. it's backward. it's awful for america. it should have been fixed many years ago. it's past time to get it done. >> but here is what they concluded, apple is engaged in a sophisticated scheme to pay little or no corporate taxes on 74 billion in revenues held overseas. >> that is total political crap. there's no truth behind it. apple pays every tax dollar we

>> reporter: tim cook has spent much of the last decade expanding apple's reach around the world nowhere more than in china. >> thank you. in october, cook made his ninth trip there since becoming ceo four years ago. in the last year apple sales in china have doubled. >> will there be at some point in the near future a bigger market than the united states? >> yes. i am as certain as i can be of that. that. >> the numbers tell us that, and not just the number of people, but the numbers of people moving into the middle class, that for a consumer company is the thing that really begins to grow the market in a big way. >> and most americans would be surprised to know that nearly

manufactured by one million chinese workers in the factories of apple factories including fox yet tim cook insist that china's primary reason for manufacturing it? >> it's skill. >> reporter: skill? >> they have more skills than american works? >> no. >> let me be clear is, china put an enormous focus on call, you and i would call vocational kind of skills. the u.s., over time, began to stop having as many vocational kind of skills. you can take every tool maker in the united states and put them in every room we're sitting in room. in china you'll have multiple football fields because it's a focus of their educational system. >> reporter: manufacturing in

concerns to apple about low wages, long hours, and unsafe conditions. after series of suicides at fox con in 2010, a company installed safety nets outside its employees' dormitories. >> reporter: do you have a responsibility to look at the labor conditions and make sure whatever might be for people to commit suicide is eradicated? >> the answer to your question is, yes. we have a responsibility and we do it. we are constantly auditing our supply chain, making sure that safety standards are, you know, the highest, working conditions are the highest. all of the things that you would expect us to look for and more, we're doing it. >> reporter: according to it's most recent internal review apple has limited the work week to 60 hours, raised pay and cracked down on child labor. but 30% of the facilities that

world still do not meet apple's own safety standards. >> we believe that a company that has values and acts on them, can really change the world. >> reporter: since taking over apple, tim cook has broadened his company's mission beyond making products. apple has invested billions in renewable energy to power data centers an operations. cook has become a strong advocate for human rights. his motives are personal. he grew up in segregation and last year he made a bold public announcement that he is gay. >> no other ceo of fortune 500 company that might be gay has come out. >> reporter: you said it was god's greatest gift to you. when you're in a minority group, it gives you a sense of empathy of what it's like to be in the

at things from different point of views and i think it was a gift for me. >> reporter: why didn't you come out earlier? >> honestly, i value my privacy. i'm a very private person. but it became increasingly clear to me that if i said something, that it could help other people. and i'm glad because i think that some kid somewhere, some kid in alabama, i think if they, just for a moment, stop and say, if it didn't limit him, it may not limit me, or this kid that's getting bullied or this kid -- worse, i've gotten notes from people contemplating suicide. so if i could touch just one of those, it's worth it.

the mirror without doing it. >> reporter: before we finished reporting our story, cook wanted to show us one more thing, as steve jobs use to say, a glimpse of apple's future, so we packed into four by fours and with cameras, drones and technicians supplied by gulf prowe ascended this giant mound of dirt. it is the company's biggest project ever. >> this is like a small city. >> it is. it's about 3,500 people working here right now and this is what people are commonly calling the spaceship. >> reporter: yes. 13,000 people that are working in this circle and it's going to be a center for innovation for generations to come. >> reporter: some have said it's a $5 billion project. >> it's a lot. it's a lot. >> reporter: i knew 5 billion is

have a place that inspires you. >> to see charlie's full report on apple, just click on our web site. right back. the only cold and flu liquid gel that's max-strength and fights mucus.

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>> nasa says it is scrubbing the plan to launch next march of the inside spacecraft that was supposed to be bound for mars. they discovered a leak in a key research instrument.

lined up for another launch for two years. they weren't drinking champagne at space x, they managed to launch a rocket into orbit and bring it back to earth. >> you might call it a high flying high-tech cost saving move. getting the rocket back to earth means that space x can use it again saving the company millions of dollars. the successful launch of the new falcon 9 rocket was just the first obstacle for space x to over come after lifting off to put 11 satellites into space the big challenge was getting the rockets first stage booster back on earth in one piece. >> space x is now clear to resume deliverly flights which have been on hold such a spectacular failure last june. >> that ill fated mission wasn't

previous landing attempts ended in disaster including this one back in april. that deter the founder of space x tesler ceo who tweeted this photo of launch and reentry, there and back again. jeff bezos founder of amazon responded with this tweet congratulating space x adding, welcome to the club. amazon founder recovered the rocket use to launch one of his spacecraft earlier this fall, that rocket was only going to sub orbital altitude, in other words, much less extreme than the falcon 9 experience going to orbit. >> but to be successful, space x needs to be profitable, which includes being able to reuse those $60 million rockets. >> pulling off this landing was a major achievement, perhaps historic it could be the first

launch cost. >> this rocket is the tester. it will be studied and expected to see how it weathered the launch and landing. space x hopes to start reusing the rockets next year. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. this holiday season? support i have a dream foundation. of a higher education. cbs cares. organ donation can truly provide a second chance at life. someone in need be a real survivor. go to donatelife.net. cbs cares.

support i have a dream foundation. help a child achieve the dream of a higher education. cbs cares. (franklin d. roosevelt) the inherent right to work is one of the elemental privileges of a free people. endowed, as our nation is, with abundant physical resources... ...and inspired as it should be to make those resources and opportunities available for the enjoyment of all... ...we approach reemployment with real hope of finding a better narrator: donate to goodwill where your donations help fund job placement and training

>> if you are the type who waits till the last minute to do your holiday shopping, amazon.com has something for you this season. amazon prime customers in some cities can order their holiday essentials and get them delivered to their door in just two hours. i paid a visit to one of amazon's fulfillment center right here in the heart of manhattan to see how they conjure up this christmas time magic. shoppers dart in and out of retail stores five floors above employees bring some of the yield tide joy to your door in two hours or less. >> one hour. >> using the prime now app last minute shoppers can choose from

amazon guarantees delivery of gifts until the clock strikes midnight. how does this change a retailer like amazon and also the competition? >> it changes the game for customers being able to get something deliver td to you in an hour. it is changing the game for our company too. we're adding more shopping days to the holiday season. >> urban fulfillment centers available in places like san francisco, houston, miami and atlanta are purposely centrally located. >> there's no way to get things in an hour if it weren't in the center of the city. >> as soon as the order is arrived it's processed and bagged. amazon prime customers will shell out an extra eight bucks to have their order in an hour. for those willing to wait for two hours, the service is free. here in new york deliveries are done by subway, bike or on foot. shannon says the prime now app

competition. >> most of the competitors you're looking at five to seven day shipping. amazon is always one to two steps ahead. >> you call it the procast nay tor screen, is that sending a bad signal. >> we like to serve customer's needs and we don't judge. midnight on christmas eve despite his family's wishes. >> i told them i will see them when i get home. >> the pressure to get it there on time. >> on any given window you can do maybe four or five deliveries. >> well, not at all, that's if the traditional holiday colors cooperate with the holiday cheer. >> and in case you're wonder what if i order seasoning and they don't have it, amazon insists that can't happen. they say the quick delivery app only shows merchandise that's in stock and ready to go. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you the news continues, for others check back