captioning funded by cbs good morning. it is wednesday, december 20th, 2017. welcome to "cbs this morning." the senate passes a massive tax reform bill overnight cutting tax rates for businesses and most americans. we'll talk with house speaker paul ryan about the gop plan and how it may affect you. new details on the bus crash. recreational marijuana will be legal in california on new year's day. we'll take you to lab where researchers are take

who get stoned. the kennedy honoree spills the secrets how he created ground-breaking series like "all in the family" and "the jeffersons." but we begin this morning with today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. the tax cuts pass. is this helping people living paycheck to paycheck? hell, no. >> republicans will probably lose the house and senate. >> my view is if we can't sell this to the american people, we ought to go into another line of work. in mexico, a deadly bus crash. the investigation continues into that deadly amtrak derailment in washington state. records show the emergency brake was not manually activated. >> bernard law, a key

died. >> a lock and painful and tragic chapter. >> the thomas fire now the second largest in california history. firefighters expect the winds to whip up again. >> all that -- >> a massive volcanic eruption in ecuador. the first major activity in a decade. >> -- and all that matters. >> the marines training. simulating combat situations. >> i'm not sure why they had to have their tops off. i was told simply it's a marine thing. >> -- on "cbs this morning." a kid from new york battled his teacher off and both of these guys have moves. >> oh, my gosh. >> yeah. >> i love this. >> reporter: this morning's "eye opener" presented by toyota. let's go places.

welcome to "cbs this morning." i'm norah o'donnell with gayle king and anthony mason. just five days to christmas. >> uh-oh. i'd better get shopping. >> and i'm going to give that contest to the teacher. >> very nice. >> he did a nice job. >> very well done. big news day today. president trump is getting ready to sign his first major piece of legislation, a sweeping overhaul of the tax system. the senate approved the historic legislation. the house must now take one more step before sending it to the president. >> the bill dramatically reshapes the tax code, cutting taxes for corporations and most individuals. on twitter, the president called it the biggest in history, tax cut and reform bill. he plans a news conference at 1:00 eastern time. >> the bill received zero support from democrats who says it does not provide enough help to the average american.

good morning. >> good morning. congressional republicans have been dreaming for this day for more than a decade. a 40% cut to the corporate tax rate, across the board cuts to individual rates. and now the bill will have to go back one more time to the house, but this is essentially a formality after both the house and the senate passed it yesterday. >> the tax cuts and jobs act is passed. senate republicans pushed their tax plan through in the wee hours of the morning. >> after eight straight years of slow growth and underperformance, america is ready to take off. >> analysts project the bill will cut taxes at every income level next year. on average taxpayers will see a savings of $1,600. >> you're going to owe less money to uncle sam, so you're going to get a take-home pay raise. it's as simple as that. >> senate democrats argued it's not that simple. >> it's government for sale. >> by 20278 every income bracket un

increase. >> by the end of the decade, this legislation will provide 83% of the benefit to the top 1%. >> house democrats issued the same warning. >> is this bill about helping people who are living paycheck to paycheck? hel hell, no. >> but house republicans also prevailed and accused the minority of fearmongering. >> what you're hearing on the other side is complete, false, and absolute lies. >> the american public has to be pretty confused by now. they've got one side saying this is going to be a huge gift to every taxpayer and the other side saying it's a disaster. >> well, they're not confused. look at every poll. 2-1, they don't like the bill. >> republicans insist public sentiment will change. >> when the economy improves and we start increasing because we're full employment, americans will realize this is good m

priority that republicans were able to pull this across the finish line without any democratic support, but now they have to pass a government spending bill by friday to prevent a government shutdown, and there they probably will need to compromise, norah, with democrats. >> nancy, thank you. house speaker paul ryan celebrated the moment when members voted for the bill yesterday. >> the conference report is adopted without objection. the motion's considered it's laid upon the table. >> speaker paul ryan joins us from capitol hill. good morning, mr. speaker. i know this is something you've been working on for your entire career. >> good morning. merry christmas. it is exciting. we're going to give people a big tax cut before christmas, and most importantly, this is going to help people get more jobs and better wages and simplify the tax code, and we're very excited about that. >> i think people want to understand.

corporations for a tax cut. why are you convinced they're going to use that to increase wages and hire more people. >> first of all, go to fairandsimple.gop. the average family of four in america earning $75,000 is going to get a pay cut. when you double the per child tax cut and lower the rates across the board for every income group, that's real relief for families of individuals. that's republican helpful and something i think that's needed in these difficult economic times where people are literally living paycheck to paycheck. on the business side, when you're taxed at such high rates, we're losing in that global competition. more importantly, u.s. businesses are moving abroad and becoming foreign

because of our tax laws. we're going to be one of the best tax systems in the world. it's going to bring dollars back into our economy from overseas and give us better wages, more jobs. 's why we're doing this. >> mr. speaker, i think polls show that most people view this bill as kind of of, as you points out, as far more generous to corporations than it is to individual taxpayers. are they wrong? >> yeah, they are. i think what it is, you've had this big debate on tv where republicans and democrats were arguing with each other. pundits in the media were saying this and that. more importantly, when it gets in place, when people see their paychecks getting bigger in february because withholding tables have adjusted to reflect their tax cuts, when businesses are keeping more of what they earn, when they can write off their spending and hire more people, that's going to change s

so i think there's just tons of confusion out there as to what this does or doesn't do. a lot of people think it's going to raise their taxes. so the proof is in the puds, and i think the results will speak for themselves. >> you're right. it is confusing. yesterday senator schumer on the floor said, listen, this is a disgrace. we don't expect him to say that. they point out in 2027 that for the middle class this actually isn't a break, that their taxes will actually go up. how do you address that. >> >> first of all, what they're basically saying is we're cutting them. and then because there's a sun set in those tax cuts at the end of the decade, because of senate rules, they'll go up. now, we have no intention of allowing that to happen, but it's unfortunate because of these senate rules that we have to comply with that has that sun set. but congress has every intention of making sure that does not happen. this has been done over and

we don't allow these to ever occur, but i think to acknowledge there's an increase down the road is to acknowledge we're cutting people's taxes right now. >> many of your republican colleagues who voted no on this bill voted no because there's a tax on local state and tax deduction. what's your message to those constituents? >> first of all, i would take a look at people in every state, but especially for the high tax states, you basically have $10,000 you can write off for property and income taxes to begin with, none berry one. number two, lower tax rates. we're doubling the standard deduction. still, they get a tax cut. now, i'm sure there are people, especially high income people, who will lose a lot of deductions because we're simplifying that code that won't see it that way, but the average taxpayer gets a big tax cut and what you basically have is about 46 states paying higher taxes than their f

so about four states can raise their taxes on their constituents, so for many who are not from those states, they don't see it as fair that they pay higher federal taxes which are soakeded up. >> can you tell us about big rumors. >> this is d.c. speculation. gayle, i didn't mean to cut you off. >> yes, you did. >> i'll stop. go ahead, please. i love and respect you too much to do that. >> i feel the same about you, but there were very credible rumors that you were stepping down. you, of course, stepped out and said, no, that's absolutely not true. where does that come from? did you say in passing to someone i'm thinking about it? >> no, i never did that. that's what surprises me about it. that's why i thought it was a very irresponsible piece. the idea of passing tax reform, that that's the only thing i care about, e

and leave, it's ridiculous. i see this as rank speculation among the d.c. beltway press, speculating these things. i think it was fairly irresponsible speculationle it's faulty speculation. i'm not going to get up and leave my conference and our responsibilities in the middle of this term. we've got so much more work do. gayle, you know i'm working on poverty next year, working on welfare, criminal justice reform and welfare and all of these things. we've got a lot of work do, we're excited about it. we're banking a big win. i want to get back to work and get more things done, not the least of which is to get the military rebuilt. that's why i'm not going to be leaving soon. >> all right, mr. speaker. did you ever think when you were a waiter at tortilla's coast that you would be? >> probably i think the same as you. did you ever think when

a cub reporter you would before hosting a cbs morning show? >> i did not, touche. a tourist bus killed a dozen people and hurt 18 others. several americans were injured. the bus was carried several passengers to mayan ruins when it flipped. it happened in eastern mexico at cos cos costa maya port. >> reporter: good morning. investigators here are trying to figure out what caused the crash which killed a tour guide and 11 tourists, including a child and a 78-year-old grandmother. the tour bus crashed and flipped over just after 9:00 a.m., more than halfway into an hour-long trip from the port to the mayan ruins. bodies could be seen strewn along this

highway after the accident. local investigators believe it may have drifted off. as it tried to get back on the road it turned upside. >> we went by it. it was pretty horrible. the bus -- the front windshield was out like some people had gone through it. >> reporter: carrie was traveling back with her daughter from the ruins when she came upon the crash site. >> it's hard to imagine their lives are gone. >> reporter: the excursion included travelers from two royal caribbean cruzs, the celebrity of the sea and the equinox. >> everybody reboarded the vessel just wondering what was going on. >> reporter: among the dead was a 78-year-old grandmother from mi

other family members. two were injured. the other two are unaccounted for. royal caribbean released a statement saying, our hearts go out to all involved in the bus accident in costa maya. we're doing all we can to care for our guests including assisting with medical care and transportati transportation. authorities have not yet confirmed the nationalities of those who were killed in the crash. those who were injured are being treated at local hospitals, but because the ships have now left, it's unclear when they'll be able to get home if they recover. >> very stad stoad story. investigators on the train crash are focusing on speed. they say he did not apply the emergency brakes as the train approached the curve at 80 miles an hour, 50 milesover the speed limit. david begnaud is in washington looking at safety. go

>> reporter: good morning. positive train control was being installed on the tracks but it was not yet installed at the time of the derailment. it could have slowed down the locomotive. ptc has also led some people to say, had it beenive, we wouldn't be talking about a derailment and deaths. cranes have been busy lifting the amtrak off of the interstate and onto flatbed trucks. new photos from inside the passenger compartment show the destruction it caused when it derailed. >> the emergency brake was automatically activated rather than being initiated by the engineer. >> that suggests the engineer never slowed the speeding train before it crashed. the event data recorder shows that the train was traveling at 80 miles an hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. anothing other questions they're

engineer was distracted or impaired. >> distraction is one of our most wanted lists of priorities at the ntsb. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board said there were actually two people. both were injured in the crash. friends and family members are mourning the deceased including zack and james, two local rail enthusiasts who were on board to celebrate the inaugural run of this brand-new line. lloyd flem is the executive director of all aboard washington, the advocacy group that both men belong to. >> it's a terrible tragedy and terrible irony knowing that they left us doing what they loved and doing what they had worked for is a little bit of a cons e consoling feature. >> there were cameras on board the train. they were damaged. but they're on their way to d.c. to be

derailed and fell onto the freeway. it became a traffic nightmare. even if you don't drive here some of people waited in traffic for nine hours. one man went one mile in one hour. some of their best options were a 65-mile detour. >> i-5 is that important. thank you very much. david begnaud. cardinal bernard law who was at the center of the catholic church sex abuse scandal died earlier this morning in rome. he was the head of boston's archdiocese in 2002 after "the boston globe" revealed he failed to remove sexually abusive priests from its ministry. globe investigative reporter was part of the spotlight team that broke the story. >> he was very, very influential, not only in the united states but worldwide. he knew a priest had spent 30

years in six parishes molesting more than 150 children, and yet he continued to allow john geoghan to continue practicing and molesting more children. >> law was never convicted of any crimes. >> a former assistant to harvey weinstein speaks out about an encounter he had with a colleague. >> you accused him of attempted rape. >> yeah, yeah. >> and he denied it. >> yes. he said nothing at all had happened and he swore on the life of his wife and his children, which was his best "get out of jail" card that he used a lot. >> ahead, why the

>> announcer: this national weather report sponsored by toyota. let's go places.

california's bracing for the potential of more drivers impaired by marijuana when recreational marijuana becomes legal in the state next month jo ahead how researchers are gaining new ways to keep stoned drivers off the roads. >> you're watching "cbs this morning." fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions.

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♪ hear the angels' voices o night divine o night when christ was born ♪ a massachusetts grocery store employee with an incredible voice is bringing christmas joy. he's been merry and bright. he used to be a professional singer back in brazil. he moved to u.s. two years ago. he since andre

"time to say good-bye." that's my favorite song. >> mine too. >> it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. when he sings that song, people are weeping. >> i wonder what happened. >> we're having a male/female divide. the women think it's beautiful, men say it's annoying. >> i'm not in the group that says it's annoying. >> let's just say anthony wanted to do a story about sea turtles and cocaine. i rest my case. >> it was a seal. >> but we love you both. >> you won't see that because theyn't royed to see this. >> merry & bright. welcome back to "cbs this morning." all singers welcome. here are three things you should know this morning. the republican tamt swaping overhaul is expected to getgo to the president today.

it also doubled the $1,000 per child tax credit to $2,000 and includes a $10,000 limit on the deduction for state and local taxes. uber lost a major legal battle this morning. the european union's highest court determined it should be regulated like a taxi company. the european court of justice ruled uber is a transportation company, not an information provider that marches riders to drivers. in a statement to cbs news, uber said, quote, this rule hello not change things in most eu kun industries where we already offer under transportation law. a tennessee woman gave birth to an embryo that was frozen for 24 years. the donated embryo was frozen in 1992 and that's just a year and a half after tina the mother was born. it's believed to be

a birth. the baby's very cute and very healthy too. >> that's a nice story. a former assistant to harvey weinstein is breaking her silence alleged the hollywood mogul tried to rape one of his employees. zelda worked for miramax in the 1990s. she felt pressure to quit after confronting weinstein over the accusation. jericka duncans, good morning. >> good morning. zelda perkins said she wanted to go public years ago but was bound by a nondisclose your agreement and wasn't allowed to keep a copy of it. she feels if she would have broken it sooner, other people would have been spared. zelda perkins told the bbc's emmy maitlis she was completely

the consequences of what would happen. >> perkins says he attacked her during a 1992 film festival. she pulled him out of a meeting to confront him. he did not question me when i called him out of a meeting. he came out right away because he knew why i was as angry and as serious as i was. >> and you accused him. >> yes. and he said he did nothing at all and he swore on the life of his wife and his children which was his best "get out of jail" card he used a lot. she was advised to hire a lawyer. >> i naively believed if we went to disney, they would be horrified and would fire harvey or, you know, help

proceedings. >> the walt disney company who owned miramax at the time did not reply. she signed a nondisclosure agreement in 1998 which perkins says she now regrets. >> he put an enormous amount of energy into humiliating men and an enormous amount of energy in getting women to submit. >> weinstein's lawyer released the statement. quote, mr. weinstein cat gore eckly denies in engaging in any nonconsensual conduct or alleged threatening behavior and will seek the protection of the uk or irish courts if you proceed with the broadcast of these allegations. >> jericka, thanks very much. the new year will mark the official start of recreational marijuana sales in california and it fears it could lead to

among those who testified positive for drugs, more than a third in 2015 had used marijuana. barry petersen visited the university of california san diego where researchers are trying to help police defect whether a person is too high to get behind the wheel. >> reporter: when you drive on tom's simulator at the university of california san diego rngs he's not checking how good a driver you are, but how bad a driver you may become high on pot. >> move to the far right lane and take the freeway exit. >> so the idea of the off ramp is actually something that the police suggested to you. >> because in their estimation, that's one of the areas that are most difficult for impaired drivers to handle. >> reporter: the real test subjects light up. some with a real joint, others with a placebo. then they're put through the simulator challenges, like

drive through a yellow light. and they're faced with a multi-tasking test, to find a circle. it's all to create a tool, perhaps a tablet, for police to determine roadside if someone is too stoned to drive. >> the outcome is to see whether or not we can really help law unforcement those who are impaired to can bus or are and are not impaired. >> reporter: unlike alcohol, there is no accepted marijuana breathalyzer. tests could be inconclusive and to make it more complicated, pot affects different people differently. >> there are indications the more experienced you are, the more tolerance you develop. >> so a person who smokes a lot might actually have less effect when it comes to driving. >> that's correct. >> because their body is adjusted to it, they know what to expect. >> reporter: california highway pa trow man

teaches drivers how to recognize a driver under the influence. >> how much of it is making a judgment call if that is the right word? >> i think it is a juchlkts call. we want our officers only arresting people who are impaired. >> reporter: right now officers rely on mostly subjective line or is there a pot smell in the car. and while a lot of californians are looking forward to january 1st when recreational pot goes on sale, glazer and police across the state are scared. >> the biggest scare is going to be the people who try it for the first time january 1 and not know how it affects their body. >> reporter: one day the simulator may lead to the answer and help catch someone impaired by pot before getting too high gets someone hurt. for "cbs this morning," barry petersen, san diego. >> well, i'm glad they're figuring it out, s

>> i don't think you should get behind the wheel of a car under any circumstance. >> i agree. when you're intoxicated. no, no, no. >> stay home if you have to do it. ahead, seth zone surrounded by outadvice of a nearly $60,000 christmas tree that's being called the mangy one. >> reporter: here it is in all its glory with all of its needles coming off in the street. rome's christmas tree catastrophe coming up on "cbs this morning." hey, guys. where are the cookies for the... bake sale? bake... bake sale? need to bake in a hurry? use new country crock buttery sticks with sunflower oil. there's no softening required. so baking is delicious and easy. ooh, cookies! ah, ah, ah! (laughter) what is this? when we love someone, we want to do right by them. but some things we can't control like snoring. (snoring)

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the official tree in rome is getting a lot of itattention th morning over it sick look. it's a $60,000 price tag. seth doane is in rome where the tree is losing its needles very fast. good morning. >> good morning. rome is decked out for the holidaying with lights and decorations everywhere, but at the center of it all in this rather magnificent location is that rather sad tree brought in

from north italy. romans who have a good knack for giving it a good nickname gave it an italian name for mangy, threadbare. there it stands looking a little like a tree neighbors should have taken down weeks ago, tomaso stegagno said it's full of problems. >> it's a sad tree and it's world wide. >> everybody knows about it. >> everybody knows it it. >> reporter: yes. spelacchio has been red cool and bullied online. it's been likened to a toilet brus. it now has a twitter account. when they compare the tree to others in washington, d.c. or new york city, it is a tad reminiscent of this. >> what a tree. >> reporter: as if to rub it in, just down the street, the

in front of st. peter's. >> reporter: whithis is kind of like coming to the cemetery. >> yes. >> reporter: fabrizio depascale brought it flowers. the city of rome paid more than $55,000 for the tree's delivery and disposal and hasn't said anything about the controversy. so some see an elegance to it with its 600 silver balls. this mother and daughter from australia were surprised to learn of all of it. >> we're passionate about it. >> reporter: was it abused, poisoned? social media users are demanding answers and some are calling for a funeral. >> listen, i learned from a charlie brown christmas, every tree needs love. isn't that what you love? >> i don't want

looks like a toilet brush though. i get it. every tree needs love. >> i will say if i brought that tree home, my kids would fire me. >> yes. all right. good report. thank you, seth. up next, a look at this morning's other >> announcer: this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored

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numbers, mortgage engine and how many children are in your house. it was left online by a marketing analytics company. they say it does not pose an identity threat to any consumers. it's the first gene therapy for those with eye disease. analysts predict the treatment will cost around $1 million. >> that's encouraging. >> the "verge" says facebook's facebook recognition now looks for people in photos including ones they're not tagged in. facebook will send users a notification saying a photo was posted that might include them. users can tag the photo themselves, they can say it's not them, or they can report the photo if they think it's in appropriate. a battle over baked goods moves from the kit

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good morning. it's wednesday, december 20th, 2017. gayle told me to do that. welcome back to "cbs this morning." congress says yes to a massive tax overhaul. ahead, the next priority for house speaker paul ryan and republicans as they look to entitlement. plus the new jersey mom with a market for her cake pops. find out why it's illegal for hem to sell them for a profit. but first here's today's "eye opener" at 8:00. president trump is getting ready to sign his first peep of legislation, a sweeping overhaul to the tax system. >> a 43% cut. across-the-boaut

far more generous to corporations. >> a lot of people think it's going to raise their taxes when every income tax group on average gets a tax cut. the proof is in the pudding and i think the results will speak for themselves. investigators here trying to figure out what caused the crash which killed a tour guide and 11 tourists. positive train control was being installed, but it was nottive at the time of the derailment. >> ptc has also led people to say we would not be here had it been activated. >> cardinal bernard law who was in charge of the sex abuse scandal at the catholic church died in rome this morning. >> reporter: at the heart of this rather magnificent location is this rather sad tree. >> i learned from "charlie brown's christmas" every tree deserves love. >> i don't want a tree that looks like a toilet brush. i get it. every tree needs love.

i'm gayle king with norah o'donnell and anthony mason who wants to remind you it's how many days until christmas, anthony? >> i think we should ask norah. she knows. >> it's fives days, so i say be merry and bright. >> five days. >> it's real now. >> getting real. we will begin with this. president trump has waited all year for congress to pass a major piece of legislation and he is now getting his wish. >> the senate approved the final reform bill overnight over angry objections from democrats. >> this is serious stuff. we believe you're messing up america. you could pay attention for a couple of minutes. >> okay. >> president trump congratulated senate republicans by tweeting, the united states senate just passed the biggest in history tax cut and reform bill. terrible individual mandate obamacare repealed. nancy cordes is on capitol hill.

>> good morning, nancy. the house will have to take one last vote this morning, but they're essentially passing the same bill they passed yesterday with a couple of tweaks made to it to comply with senate budget rules, so it's essentially a formality. and then this afternoon at some point the president will be holding a press conference to do a victory lap. he has said that slashing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and providing across-the-board cuts for individuals at all tax levels will jump start the economy. but the reductions in personal knicks tax rates are temporary, ending in 2026. mr. trump has also insisted that these cuts won't personally be good for him. however, independent analogies of top income earns could actually be a big boon for him and members of his family. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said republicans will be able to sell skeptical amic

start to see extra money in their pockets. >> my view of this if we can't sell this to the american people, we ought go into another line of work. >> reporter: once the president signs this bill into law, the changes will take effect in january. and in february folks should start to see those changes to their withholding when they get their weekly paychecks. norah? >> congress now has to work to keep the government open by friday. what are the chances of a holiday shutdown? >> well, normally leaders figure out a way behind the scenes to work this out and they certainly don't have any appetite for a shutdown this time around, but there are also a number of contentious issues that have been wrapped up in this must have year end spending bill. democrats want to see protections added for young people who were brought to this country illegally. they're also pushing for

reinstating those subsidies that are mandated under obamacare but president trump stopped making a couple of weeks ago. and house and senate republicans are at odds over what to do about those two inches. so we could see a lot of horse trading going on over the next couple of days as everyone tries to get out of here before the holidays without turning off the lights in government. >> we hope that doesn't happen. nancy cordes, thank you. house speaker paul ryan says congress needs to focus next year on spending. we spoke with him and asked him about cutting entitlement benefits which accounts for over 64% of the federal budget. i know you're a budget wonch. if you look at the pie of where spending is, it's entitlement spending. you have talked about reform for a long time. senator bob corker said he had a conversation with you about that. so will congress take up

bob and i see a lot of things very similarly. we have to address entitlements, otherwise, we can't get a handle on our future debt. we have to get a control on it. number one, grow the economy. number two, reform entitlement programs. it's unfortunate that our health care bill didn't get passed. we need to revisit that. and them back to the welfare issue. we right now are trapping people in poverty and it's basically trapping people on welfare programs, which prevents them from getting to hecht their potential and getting in the work force. the problem we're going to have with a faster growing kmirk it's a good problem, we're going to need more people working, so we need to work on our welfare program so we can ease the pathway and wree deuce barrier from getting people from welfare to work. that's very significant entitlement reform as well. that's something we're going to tackle next

>> vermont senator bernie sanders said republicans want to make the most cuts. >> a south florida man faces attempted murder charges after dragging a policeman for half a mile. he looked inside the car with two sleeping inside. the driver apparently pulled away when the officer pulled over the door. he drove for half a mile before the officer was able to get loose. the officer needed surgery but we're happy to say he is expected to recover. >> that's scary. ups plans to buy 125 of tesla's semielectric trucks. tesla says this is the largest public order placed so far. the trucks will cost about $200,000 each. tesla claims they can travel up to 500 miles before they need to be ch

other companies including walmart and pepsico also create orders. tesla plans to work on solar mega charging stations which needs to be ready. i think this is incredible as we move away from oil and gas into a different type and the consequences that it will have for not only our economy but also our environment. >> and if they can deliver them, it's a big question. >> elon musk always thinking outside the box. >> he really does. >> he really does. >> he really does. pop star lady gaga is heading to las vegas. the poker-faced singer will start a two-year residency at mgm's park center. dates of the show has not been revealed. the seats are 53,000 making it far more intimate. in a tweet announcing the news, she wrote,

dream to be a las vegas girl. i'm so overjoyed. >> those shows make a lot of money, right? >> yes. and you don't have to go on the road. you stay right there and people come to you. >> vegas loves it, the artists love it. >> and you get audiences from all over the work. >> win/win. bringing in dough is complicated for homemakers in new jersey. >> you'd be a complete criminal. >> i would be a criminal. a cake pop crill nall. ahead, why bakers believe they're getting a raw deal from the only state that bans

norman lear says there should have been nothing controversial about his tv shoes like "all in the family." >> you were fearless over the topicing use tackled. bigotry, sexism, abortion, racism. >> everything you have just listed, nothing was unfamiliar to every family in america, not one subject. >> ahead, the kennedy center nominee on his own family problems and how they inspired him. you're watching "cbs this morning." we'll be right back. see ya. -take care.

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selling homemade baked goods is not a piece of cake in new jersey, you could say. home bakers in that state are pnow suing the government over law that bans items not made in a commercial-grade kitchen. new jersey is the only state in this country where home bakers can sell treats for charity, but not for profit. meg oliver spoke with one baker who spoke about how making kitchen creations could bring in much needed cash. good morning. >> good morning. the ability to sell home baked goods could be a financial addition but they'll get fined if they break the laws. >> you're known for these cake pops, right? >> yes, i am. yeah, it's something i never expected that

>> reporter: heather russinko started breaking for her son's school programs. >> i was doing it for sports and family and friends and it caught on. the good thing about creating cake pops is you always smell like chocolate. >> reporter: she's a single morph. her cake pops were so popular she started selling them for extra dow but she quickly learned it was illegal. >> what did you learn? >> it was crushing because i always wanted to have my own business. i believe in creating your owner destiny and being self-sufficient. >> early willer this year a judge in wisconsin ruled the ban there unconstitutional, leaving new jersey as the only holdout. earlier this month a group of home bakers filed a civil suit against the new jer

the ban on home baked goods sales violates the state's constitution. >> how much could you make selling cake pops. >> i would estimate $20,000 to $30,000 a year. >> how much would that help? >> oh, my gosh, it would be amazing. >> they can create baked goods if they rent a commercial oven outside the home. erica smith is their attorney. >> the bakers here, they didn't just jump and file a lute. they have been fighting for ten years to get this law passed in the legislature, and one man has stood in the way, senator batali. >> i'm just asking there be some level of inspection. >> reporter: he's the chairman of the senate's health committee. >> so this isn't about competition for you. your big concern is health

bakeries. they said, we don't care. that's not my concern. this is a business model and it doesn't really talk about liability insurance and what if you make something and someone gets sick or you leave a tooth pic in it. >> the nchlk department of health says it does not comment on pending litigation. she said if the bill was overturned she'd start immediately. she could set up a college fund for her son and eventually open up a store front and she said she would open up her kitchen any day of the week. >> she needs to send senator batali some cake pops. it could happen anywhere. >> she can now set up a pass-through business and only pay 21% in tax. >> there you go. >> there you go. >> senator vitale. >> thank you, meg. president trump has plenty of tough talk about north korean

>> rocket man is on a suicide mission. >> he is a sick puppy. >> this man will not get away with what he's doing, believe me. >> well, in our series "issues that matter," former cia dep puth director mike morrill and evan osnos will talk about it. we invite you to subscribe to our "cbs this morning" podcast. you ee get the news of the day, extended interviews, and post cad originals. find them all on itunes and apple's ipodcasts. i can tell you they're very, very good. right, gayle? >> very good. exceptional. >> the best. >> there's a picture of our beautiful earth. you're watching "cbs this morning."

that song never gets old for

>> me neither. >> that song's been around for a long, long time. mariah carey is singing that. we're going to bring you your headlines sooner so we can talk on "issues that matter." there it is. mariah carey's "all i want for christmas" hit the top ten for the very first time. the holiday staple was released, listen to this, 23 years ago. ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> it's been around since 1994. it's still relevant today. >> do you like it, anthony? >> i do like it. it's a great song. "the wall street journal" reports on a problem for bitcoin millionaires for getting their password. many who bought bitcoin confident aren't their security code to get their bitcoin. it's estimated up to 3.8 million

bitcoins are lost. some investors are sitting on a small fortune. at time this year the bitcoin surged more than 20-fold. our partners at cnet says "star wars" appears on the list of worst passwords. once again, the worst is 123456. there are some new ones. number 7, letmein. 10 is iloveyou. and "usa today" looks at how dim jong-un is stealing christmas in north korea. the north korean leader has banned alcohol and, norah, singing at parties. you cannot go to a party in north korea. the intelligence service says it's meant to stop it. sanctions will take hold. ahead we'll talk about the challenges with

north korea in "issues that

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secretary of state rex tiller sob will meet with foreign leaders next month in a show of solidarity against north korea's nuclear program. the standoff is one of president trump's biggest challenges overseas. >> reporter: north korea fired a missile into the sea of japan last night. >> things have reached a rather dangerous level. >> following the death of warren him, they're considering a

>> do you believe north korea should be responsible for his death? >> yes. >> kim jong-un celebrated what would be pyongyang's first icbm test. >> they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. >> rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. >> north korea has concluded its nuclear program. >> they cluaim the rocket is capable of reaching the united states. >> america and its allies will take all necessary step to ensure a denuclearization and ensure this regime cannot threaten the world. >> cbs news senior national security contributor michael morrell was acting director of the cia and evan osnos

for "time" magazine and he's back. we're glad about that. your article is very harrowing to read in all canal of placesful let's stake with you, miechlkt do you think his tough talk helps, rocket man, lock and loads, fury like you've never seen. is that helpful to this conversation? >> i think if you're going to make a threat, if you're going to say if you don't give up your nuclear program, that we're going to take military action, that you had better already have decided you're going to do that because if north korea doesn't blink and they move forward and you end up doing nothing, right, you've lost a tremendous amount of credibility. and i think that the language in that respect is dangerous. >> does anybody think north korea's going to blink? >> i don't think so. i think this program is incredibly important to him fm

a political perspective. he's not going to stop until he's demonstrated the capability of putting a u.s. city at risk of nuclear attack. >> and, evan, we know that a u.n. undersecretary mr. feldman has been to north korea, laid out a couple of potential proposals. he told me he wants bilateral talks. the north koreans are saying no, we're not interested. which suggests there are more missile tests ahead, correct? >> the north koreans right now feel like they're in a pretty good place. they've been able to get through this program. i get their objective. they can hit an american city. they're not there yet. it could happen next year. their plan is to put off negotiations to put them in the best position and then negotiate at the table. >> you say it's struck to be most of all by how little the two understand each

>> that surprises me. we've got incredibly intelligent people working all the time. the reality is north korea is developed in a fog. kim jong-un said we should vournld ourselves, make ourselves impenetrable from others around the world. in some ways he's done that. james clapper said if we with don't have any sort of conversation going, we are, in fact, flying blind. >> you also rigwright between t two leaders there are only seven years of political experience and you're dealing with two very volatile personalities, but it's interesting to hear north korea's view of americans and mr. trump. what did you learn about that? >> when i was in pyongyang and was with foreign ministry officials whose job it was to listen to president trump and read his tweets, they say, frankly, we're mystified. they can't figure out if he

down a subtle strategy. when we send mixed messages or confusing messages, they're not quite sure what to make of it. >> one of the things as you try to contain north korea and increase sanctions, the russians have actually increased their trade with north korea. in fact, shipping over enough oil that the price of oil has gone down in north korea. and i asked the president's national security adviser about that yesterday. has president trump asked president trump to stop those oil shipments? what is russia doing? >> russia's strategy globally is to undermine the united states where it can. so russia's interest here is to simply make our life more difficult, make it more likely that we will not be successful in north korea. that's what vladimir putin is trying to do. >> what is kim's endgame here? >> if you ask people in pyongyang, really cut through what it is they're trying to achieve, the thing they return to over and over again, is they

hussein. >> do you think it's that determined -- to act -- does he want to have nuclear capability to become an increasing bully around the world? >> there's two reasons that everyone agrees with p. one is he wants them to deter us from attacking him and he needs us politically at home because he's told his people, we're under threat from the united states, we need to protect ourselves and this is going to be my legacy to you. the one possibility that people are starting to discuss is does he want these weapons to try to coerce the united states in south korea. in other words, once he has them, will he be more aggressive on the korean peninsula. the question is how do you deter that, and that's more difficult. >> is there a viable military option that's not catastrophic in. >> i don't believe so. ped it's not viable from two

military option that can achieve the military's objective of destroying all the military weapons and missiles. we can't get to them all for reasons i can't talk about. the other is there's not a military option i know of that doesn't have a high likelihood of a second korean war, possible missile tacks on guam and possible missile tacks on america. >> the one military guy you were walking around said push us, push us hard, and we will not die alone. >> it's part of them. producer norman lear, you know him. he led a tv comedy revolution back in the 1970s with hits like "all in the family." >> i want one picture taken with my friend archie bunker and me. >> you and me? >> yes. now on three. ready? one, two, three. it's still funny all these

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hey, hey, did you ever see th this? this guy giving you the big yes, sir? >> that guy's going to be working for me. because you've about got enough green in your pocket, black is going to be his favorite color. >> archie bunker and george jefferson, two of the most famous characters created by norman lear. he's part of the 2017 kennedy nominees. he's director of "all in the family," kwf jeff "jeffersons," and others. we went to his california home to talk to him about his career and the personal challenges he has conquered. ♪ boy the way glenn miller played songs that made the hit parade

those were the days ♪ >> you really weren't trying to be controversial with "all in the family?" >> i promise we were not trying to be controversial. it turns out because we were serious, we were controversial. >> you don't have to be nervous because a colored cried. >> so inappropriate. >> what may have been uncomfortable territory for some would become a trademark for producer norman lear. >> come on, the weather? that's not what's bugging you. it's sex, isn't it. >> for a thursday found out i was pregnant at my age, he'd laugh himself sick. >> it changed the landscape of television. >> one, two, three. >> the biggest problem our family faced in the years before "all in family" was tha

was coming to dinner. >> yeah. >> well, i lived through more serious times. >> leer drew inspiration from his own life experiences. one that was the most formative was in 1931. that's when his father was convicted of fraud. >> when your father is going off to jail and your mother is selling the furniture and the leather chair you and your father lived in to hear comedy, sports, and so forth is being sold and the guy who you sell it to puts his hands on your shoulder and says, well, norman, you're the man of the house. >> and you're 9. >> i was 9. >> leer says his dad inspired "all in the family's" archie bunker. >> you are a meathead. >> he was described as a loveable bigot. i always hated that term. is a

>> the intention was to show love. i never thought of him as a hater. >> dumb pollock. >> a fearless man. ♪ my home sweet home >> behind the scenes norman lear and ar carroll o'connor who played archie failed to see eye to eye. >> why did you butt heads? >> i don't think i can get through this. >> that was a heavy responsibility, somebody who was as unpleasant in the eyes of so many people. >> come see my son. >> but i knew that carroll's face and

>> a little boy. >> would make him love snoobl i don't want to argue with you no more, maude, and i want my chair back. >> reporter: leer created "maude" as a spin-off in 1972. "good times" came two years later. >> the show was a hit, but there was a lot of turmoil with the cast of goodtimes. >> estelle rolle and john amos who played the first african-american parents family, heavy responsibility. the country had not seen this before. these were the people representing their race to the rest of the world, so we had to understand that was really difficult for them. >> baking grease in my collard greens. >> reporter: the show faced accusations of promoting stereo times. >>

>> even prompting an in-person protest from the black panther party. >> you say they showed up to your office saying that i were looking for the garbage man, and the garbage man was you. they were tired of the portrayal. >> they were very upset. why does the only black man on television who had two jobs took a third to make a living. >> it's a good question. >> it was a great question. >> that inspired us to go to "the jeffersons." >> reporter: "the jeffersons" quickly became another hit pick-off. >> i didn't know the jeffersons had a couple. >> a couple of what? >> a maid and a butler. >> reporter: sherman hemsley

>> he's real rich. >> hold on. we are the jeffersons. >> the topics were bigotry, sexism, racism, abortion. >> everything you listed, nothing was unfamiliar to every family in america, not one subject. >> reporter: leer was fearless, both inand outside of his career. as a world war ii combat veteran, he continues to take a stance on what he believes in. >> it's dangerous because that clown has access to a button. >> reporter: politics is one of the many jikts he discusses in his new weekly podcasts. yep, he has a podcast. >> russell, god, he's funny. >> who do you think is getting it right. >> if i want to be sure of a laugh, i will go to "south park," and i do believe laughter adds time to your life. >> my name is norman lear. >> and i have hundreds of

stood behind an audience when they belly laugh, and you will find them. they come a little bit out of their seats, they go forward like this and they come back like this. i don't know a more spiritual moment than a belly laugh. >> music to your ears, right? >> yes. it adds music to my ears and time to my life. ♪ gee our old lasalle ran great those were the days ♪ >> love you, norman lear. you can see the 40th annual kennedy awards right here and check out the "cbs this morning" podcast on itunes and apple's podcast app to hear about him from his son-in-law dr. john la mike. he says

be sure to t

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♪ wow. good morning. and welcome to "great day washington." i'm markette sheppard. >> and i'm andi hauser, kristen berset harris is on assignment in seven springs. >> that's just a lilt taste of sound check. they're a band we have in studio, they are debuting their christmas song. it hasn't been played on tv before. but today you're going toker this whole thing a little later in the show -- to hear the whole thing a little later in the show. >> my favorite thing is all girl group. so awesome. girl power. but before them now lady gaga is following in the footsteps of britney spears. >> and kristin bell takes

the american frontier, meg oliver reports. >> reporter: christian bail plays a hero. starring in "hostiles." he is full of hate and prejudice until he escorts a dying war chief to his land. >> this dying man coming to reconciliation and hope and return to humanity. and the question of can he ever manage to turn off hatred? >> reporter: since shooting it. he has shaved his head and gained 40 pounds for his newest role as vice president dick clay knee in an upcoming biopic. no sign of kevin spacey at the beverly hills premiere of all the money in the world. the actor was cut from the film after allegations of sexual misconduct and his scenes were shot with christopher plumber taking over the role. mark wahlberg is the movie's co- star. >> it's very sensitive subject mat score we lad to deal with it -- matter and we had the