captioning funded by cbs good morning. it's friday, december 29th, 2017. welcome to "cbs this morning." a fire burns through a new york city apartment building killing at least a dozen people including four children. we're at the scene of the city's deadliest fire in a quarter of a century. the nypd plans an unprecedented level of security at times square on new year's eve. see what other cities are doing and where celebrations are already postponed because of the cold. plus president trump says the russia investigation makes america look bad, but he believes special counsel robert

nearly half of u.s. consumers are returning a holiday gift this week. find out why retailers are competing to make returns easier. but we begin this morning with a look at today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. we're here at the scene of an unspeakable tragedy. this will rank as one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years. >> a deadly fire stuns new york city. >> 12 people have died. we're shocked by this loss. >> i hate it. i hate it. >> millions are bundling up to ring in the new year in bone-chilling temperatures that are gripping wuch of the upper great lakes and the northeast. >> it's going get worse. >> in an interview president trump tells "the new york times" he thinks bob mueller will be fair and believes there was no collusion. >> security is being boosted around the world on new

eve. >> doug jones has won the special election for the u.s. senate. >> there's a one in a billion mathematical chance that was not a fraud. >> apple has admitted to cutting down connection to the iphone and will cut the price of a battery. >> he splashed into the river. >> all that -- and all that matters. >> rose marie has diechld she was best known for her beloved role as sally rogers on "the dick van dyke show." >> -- on "cbs this morning." this is a great tweet. >> what do you say? >> thank you? it's a banana. >> announcer: this

"eye opener" presented by toyota. let's go places. welcome to "cbs this morning." i'm bianna golodryga along with dana jacobson and vladier duthiers of our streaming network cbsn. norah o'donnell and gayle king are off. we begin with the deadliest fire in new york city in 27 years. it ripped through a five-story apartment building last night one block west of the famous bronx zoo. >> 12 people were killed including four children. that number could rise. the ages of those who died range from 1 to 63. the cause of the fire is unknown. >> survivors inside the building were forced out into the bitter cold with no warning. don dahler is at the scene of the fire in the bronx. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. police tell us the investigation is active and ongoing and of the 12 people killed, five were

dangerously fast moving. >> people were trapped. someone said, there was a baby in there. apartment 6, they were trapped. >> reporter: it took only three minutes for firefighters to respond to the fire in the bronx. but for many trapped inside the roughly 100-year-old building, it wasn't fast enough. >> i'm very sorry to report 1 2 new yorkers are dead including one child, 1 year's old. the search of the building continues, so we may lose others as well. >> reporter: the victims range in age from 1 to 63 years old. about 170 members of the fdny were on hand to battle the fire. at least 12 others were rescued. >> the fire started on the first floor and quickly spread up the five flights. people died on various floors of

>> looking real bad. what a sad christmas for everyone. >> reporter: stunned neighbors and victims flooded out of the burning building and into the sub-freezing temperatures outside. >> it was a bunch of smoke. that's it. >> people were screaming, fire, help, fire, help. we knew there was trouble. >> everyone this evening hold your families close and keep these families here in the bronx in your prayers. >> reporter: reports say city records indicate the building had a number of safety violations including a faulty smoke detector on the first floor. that is where the fire was believed to have originated. vlad. >> absolutely heartbreaking. don, thank you very much. a deadly cold snap is gripping more than half the country this morning. in western new york the waterfront along lake erie is crusted with wind-driven ice and snow. parts are expected to feel 20 to 40 degrees below

maine's rockport harbor is freezing over for the first time in years. dean reynolds is in chicago where a few people have died from the freezing weather. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you can see behind me lake michigan is beginning to ice up and chicago officials are urging people to stay inside and if possible off the roads, especially tonight when it's expected to be snowing. >> i hate it. i hate it. >> you can see your breath in the car. it's crazy. >> reporter: across the midwest and northeast millions are shivering. >> it's very cold out. i don't like the cold weather. >> reporter: and doing what they can to avoid the deep freeze. >> thermal, two sweaters, a turtleneck, two pair of gloves. >> reporter: water fountains in new york city are now mountains of ice. in new hampshire boilingat

at chicago's airport it was too cold to fly. more than 80 flights were canceled and nearly 250 were delayed. >> it was really hectic and a whole lot of people here. >> reporter: chicago officials say the temperatures can be deadly. >> extreme weather is more than an inconvenience. it remain as series of potentially life-threatening events. >> reporter: shelters are your flowing with people trying to escape the brutal cold. >> you'd pretty much die in the street. you'd freeze to death. >> reporter: he says they're not turning anyone away. >> it's bitter cold weather. it's extremely dangerous. a lot of our guests have health issues already. we want to make sure they're inside where it safe and warm. >> reporter: now the deep freeze is expected to last well into next week. but, hey, it's only 174 days until summer starts. dana? >> we like the optimism, dean. for all of us in studio, thanks for braving the

get a hat. we want you to wear a hat, not just the earmuffs. dean, thank you. >> reporter: all right. danielle niles of wbz-tv has more. >> it's stretching back into upstate new york and northern maine. 10 to 20 below zero for much of the great lakes. feels like zero in new york city right now. tomorrow, no big storms. there will be a quick moving disturbance, enhanced lake-effect snow across the northeast. last day of 2017, look at these temperatures. it's without the wind factored in. we're talking record cold high temperatures for the next several days. 30s all the way back down to dallas. the first day of the new year will feature single-digit readings. 30s all the way back down to atlanta. at least the precipitation forecast is

that positive note, we'll take a lot of sunshine across the nation for the first day of 2018. >> danielle trying to find something positive but there's nothing good about the temperature being lower than the date. don't like it. well, the bitter cold could force some of cities to change their new year's plans. ohm harks nebraska, is postponing their celebrations for a week. philadelphia is delaying its parade. for those going ahead, police are taking unprecedent measures to strengthen security. tony due kopi is at times square where over 200 million people are expected to brave the weather. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it's important to point out that the new york police department says there

attack but they're preparing. atz they prepare far their famed times square celebration, the nypd is take nothing chances. police commissioner james o'neill. >> out of an abundance of caution, you're going to see a stronger police presence than you've seen in years. >> canines, aerial spotters and snipers in hotels will protect the almost 200 million people watching the clock strike at midnight. it follows a pipe bomb explosion this month at a subway passageway at times square and a truck attack on halloween that killed eight people. >> our takeaway from this is people should feel safe. >> reporter: selves around the country are stepping up their efforts. the los angeles police didn't says they will have an increased visible police presence. in miami regular security will be in place at its outdoor

teams and salt trucks will be strategically placed to prevent vehicle attacks. following october's deadly shooting in las vegas, 800 steel pylons and rapid-fire defense teams will be in place. clark county sheriff joseph lombardo. >> as aushlgs law enforcement can't do this alone. i'm asking while you're out enjoying the festivities, be observant and notify police of anything suspicious. >> reporter: back here at new york's times square, the nypd is shutting down 125 parking garages. one more, markings on the exterior of the tall buildings so in the event of the attack, they'll be able to identify the floor very quickly. no credible threat here or any other city at this time.

>> tony, thank you. in a "new york times" interview the president denied colluding with russia during the 2016 presidential race 16 times. he defended his tax plan and took a tough stance on china. chip reid is traveling with the president in west palm beach, florida. good morning. >> good morning. the grilling took place in the hotel. there were no white house staff members anywhere in sight. he was introduced by a club member who brought in the reporter as a guest. >> russia did not help me. that i can tell you, okay? russia has repeatedly denied that russian interference in the u.s. election helped him in any way and in an interview with "the new york times," president trump said special investigation by robber mierl is bad for the country. it makes the country look very bad and puts the country in a bad position, he said.

himself, he said, i think bob mueller will be fair. the president's vote of confidence comes after conservative allies have spent days attacking political investigators for bias. but the president did suggest a willing bs to intervene saying i have an absolute right to do what i want to do with the justice department. >> this is, again, the biggest tax cut, biggest reform of all times. >> the president signed back at the critics of the tax bill he signed into law last week. it will be more than we anticipate. i know the details better than anybody, better than the greatest cpa. and he touted his quote with great chemistry with china's president xi jinping but may go at china on trade if it doesn't do more to curb north korea's nuclear ambitions. i have been soft on

they can solve the problem. they're helping us, but they're not helping us enough. the president suggested he'll be open to infrastructure and health care. he'll be talking more on that at camp david next week with republican leaders. vlad? >> chip reid for us. thank you, chip. democrat doug jones will be sworn in wednesday as alabama's newest senator. state election officials certified jones' victory yesterday. he beat republican roy moore by nearly 22,000 votes earlier this month. the judge rejected a last manufacture ben. alabama's secretary of state found no evidence of that. jones said on twitter he will work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get washington back on track. apple is apologizing after admitting a software update deliberately slowed some iphones. it's done to prevent sudden

shoulddowns in the iphone 6, but as a side effect, other apps run slower. they said, we know some of you feel apple has let you down. we apologize. we have never and would never do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any apple product. apple is discounting the cost of battery replacements on certain phones. dan ackerman is a section editor at cnet. great to have you at the table. this is confusing. explain how this all went down. >> it's a complicated issue. what apple did was come up with an entirely not unreasonable solution to a problem that's not easy to fix. that's batteries that we use for everything, as they get older, they can't give out the energy at the same peak levels. when you have apps on your phones that want to do

on their older phones, the phones would shut down. that happened to me with my iphone 6 plus. they had a software update. most are detaermed by the updates, that said we're going to tune up these peaks. they're trying to make the battery last longer. >> it's interesting. this did make me think when i read this story, when you had a blackberry, you'd take the battery out yourself and put a new one in. with the iphone, it's not easy to do. you actually have to go into the store and have it done for you. apple is now saying they're going to allow you to follow your battery life more easier -- easily on your iphone. explain that. >> yes. they're not going to change what the software update did in slowing your phone down to extend the battery life but they're going to add something to the

you monitor it and give you more information, transparency of how much space you have. that's why i think people were more upset is the lack of transparency, that they weren't telling you they were doing this to your product. >> you mentioned an apology. how big of a deal is this? we first heard of a little apology and now a big apology. >> that's true. over the years they've done these big apologies. one was antenna gate that happened in 2010 where they said your call won't go through if you're holding the phone wrong and then they came out with a bumper. look alt what happened last year with samsung when they had problems with their own batteries. they issued a big apology and shared a lot of information with people and people are still buying galaxy and note phones.

that. >> the reason they did it is so you would upgrade to a newer model of iphone. they've deny thad. what do you think? >> i think they were doing the opposite, they didn't want you to feel like the batteries would run out quicker. they ended up doing the on sichlt i had an iphone 6 plus that was getting pokey. i upgraded to a x when i gave it to a friend. they said, oh, man, you've got to get a new phone. >> it's rare you get an apology from apple. they explained that the batteries don't last forever. >> it's true. >> it's the slug itch finance that gets us ordering new things. >> thank you. >

a family blames an airline for a great grandmother's horrific fall down the escalator. >> why the airplane says her family made an important error. >> you're watching "cbs this morning."

you or joints. something for your heart... but do you take something for your brain. with an ingredient originally found in jellyfish, prevagen is the number one selling brain-health supplement in drug stores nationwide. prevagen. the name to remember. looking to lose weight this year? try fda-approved alli®. for every 5 lbs you lose, alli® can help you lose two to three more by preventing about 25% of the fat you eat from being absorbed. for the only fda-approved otc weight loss aid, try alli®. ...from far away. but they harryonly see his wrinkles. if only harry used some... ...bounce, to dry. he would be a less wrinkly, winning guy. pain from chest congestion can make this... when you have a cold, ...feel like this. all-in-one cold symptom relief from tylenol®, the #1 doctor recommended pain relief brand.

tylenol®. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how. when food is good and clean and real, it's ok to crave. and with panera catering, there's more to go around. panera. food as it should be.

there'that only uses 100% american oranges.and simply orange and tropicana ship in juice from overseas. only florida's natural grows all of our oranges in florida. great taste. naturally. you've got to get in i know what a bath is smile honey this thing is like... first kid ready here we go by their second kid, every parent is an expert and... ...more likely to choose luvs, than first time parents. live, learn and get luvs feel the power of thenew power...smax. ...to fight back theraflu's powerful new formula to defeat 7 cold and flu symptoms... fast. so you can play on. theraflu expressmax. new power.

and this is how i freestyle!rs freestyle program, ♪ ♪ this is how i freestyle! i've lost 82 lbs., and i can eat wherever i want. i'm freestyling with dessert, and i'm down 46 lbs. the new weight watchers freestyle program has over 200 foods that are zero points®. now you can count less and enjoy more. i freestyle any way i like. join for free and lose 10 lbs. on us! hurry, offer ends january 8th! see ya. -take care. ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions, the instructions are here in spanish as you requested. gracias. ♪ at walgreens, how we care will change over time, but why we care remains the same treating everyone with the care and attention they deserve.

ahead, what an investigation found about the dangers from tired truck drivers near the country's business yeftd ports. >> plus, how a mis

winner's responding to the organization's outreach after an e-mail scandal. your local news

a polish skier made an incredible run while competing in a world cup race in italy. he lost his balance for nearly two minutes an lost his ski. couldn't exactly stop well. >> i'm imfwresed though. >> i would try to stop on two skis. welcome back to "cbs this morning." here are three things you should know this morning. two people blame for hacking more than 100 washington, d.c., police surveillance cameras just

inauguration have been charged. investigators think the breach was part of a widespread ransomware attack. the suspects were arrested two weeks ago in romania. a photographier is accusing someone of an assault. the all-star tried to kiss her at a mall. she said she screamed and resisted until he gave up. quote, after a solid ten minutes of fighting. suh noe denies the allegation. major league baseball is investigating. they're testing at least nine children's makeup products for possible asbestos con tam nation. they have voluntarily been pulled from store shelves. a mother claims she found asbestos in her daughter's makeup. claire's said in a statement,

safety of our customers and products is our top priority. the items can be returned for a refund. counterfeit makeup is raising concerns. u.s. customs and border protection seized a record number of counterfeit goods last year worth over $1.4 billion. fake items are now more common than knock-off handbags. jamie you cao yuccas visited an very these customs officers are the first line of defense for catching illegal shipment and while the products here may be fake, they can have very real health consequences for consumers. beauty blogger tania agray ya found that out. most of the

likely snuck in under the radar. >> just want to know. can this be as good as the $50 i spent. >> reporter: she tested both eye shadows and when she woke up the next morning -- >> my eyes are really uncomfortable. it's really itchy and i'm going to have to go to the doctor to have this taken care of so it doesn't get worse. >> within the first 45 minutes i realized it was an eye infeksz. i couldn't get my contacts on. i look back at the footage and it was on the fake side, the side i used the fake product, 100%. >> reporter: arguelles isn't alone. went shopping under cover at the same downtown alley. most of the fake makeup sold

original. some vendors admitted the products were knock-offs but assured us they're just as good. back at arguelles' studio, we compared the makeup. the packaging is nearly identical. >> that's interesting. the colors show up pretty differe different. >> reporter: some makeup made in factories like these have reported to have found dangerous chemicals. we sent the fake and real versions of this mack lipstick and eye shadow to a lap where they were tested for 12 different metals. most concerning, some of the shadows in the fake palette had nearly four times the amount of lead as those in the real version. in one it exceeded the maximum of 10 parts per million. the li

amount of lead as the real thing. >> often the unsafe consumer goods are made in factories with unsanitary conditions so the quality is not what you need it to be. >> reporter: customs and border protection says these counterfeit products are costing the cosmetic industry about $75 million a year. they say reducing the amount smuggling into the country could be as easy as educating the customers. >> they think they're buying a fake palette. they don't think of it being ingredients that could put my health at risk. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning," jamie yuccas, lax. a great grandmother's family is suing american airlines after she fell down the escalator. the 75-year-old woman who fell in her wheelchair died three months after she was

>> good morning. her family made sure shi she arrived safely to her connecting flight, but now they're suing arguing that the airline did not provide the service as promised. bernice was coming home from a family vacation in ma we. she landed. surveillance video shows her wandering the terminal alone. >> she was provided assistance off the airplane and into a wheelchair by alaska's contract and she was left there and she became con fused and that led to the fall. >> reporter: she fell down head first while others tried to help her. the attorney took video statements from the family members. >> it was so devastating. >> reporter: kekona suffered multiple injuries. >> she was in

right foot became infected leading to am putation that led to surgery. she died a day after. >> reporter: alaska airlines said in a statement it appears that miss ke cota declined ongoing assistance in the term nall and decided to proside on her own to a connecting flight. the reservation did not note any cognitive, audio, or visual impairments. we reached out for comment from the wheelchair contractor but has not heard bad. the family's complaint does not specify any monetary amount but the medical bill totals $300,000. adriana? >> it's hard to get the images out of your mind with people around trying to help her. thousands of people convicted of drug

walk free. ahead, how drug use inside the state crime lab is behind the push for nearly 8,000 officials. and we invited you to subscribe to our cbs podcasts. you can find them all on itunes and apple's ipodcast. you're watching "cbs this morning." (hard exhalation) honey? can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase, making tomorrow uncertain. but entresto is a medicine that was proven, in the largest heart failure study ever,

and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ when can we do this again, grandpa? well, how about tomorrow? ask your doctor about entresto and help make tomorrow possible. ask your doctor about entresto this i can do, easily. i try hard to get a great shape. benefiber® healthy shape is a clear, taste-free, 100% natural daily fiber... that's clinically proven to help me feel fuller longer. benefiber® healthy shape. this i can do! that cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so...

why take 4-hour cough medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. when food is good and clean and real, it's ok to crave. and with panera catering, there's more to go around. panera. food as it should be. you're so cold, come in! what's wrong? it's dry... your scalp? mine gets dry in the winter too. walk free. it nourishes the scalp and... ...keeps you up to 100% flake free head and shoulders' dry scalp care

at least 8,000 drug convictions in massachusetts are likely to be thrown out because of a state lab drug scandal. they joined in pushing for the dismissals. the tainted cases are tied to former lab employee sonja farak. paula reid has more. good morning. >> good morning. if these cases are thrown out, many people will be getting out of prison, and it will be the second time in two years that thousands of drug

are being thrown out for official misconduct in the state. at least 8,000 cases are now in the hands of the massachusetts supreme judicial court. for eight years sonja farak worked at the laboratory as a chemist, analyzing chemicals in drug cases. she was arrested after a search of her car revealed even more stolen drugs. during her trial, farak admitted to using drugs in the lab and even manufacturing in the lab of crack cocaine for her own personal use. she was given an 18-month jail sentence. >> this is really a historic case here in massachusetts. >> reporter: carol rose is the director of the aclu. the group is seeking dismissal of all of the cases that farak handled. >> their loved ones had served time in jail and in prison. >> reporter: this isn't the first drug lab

in 2013 chemist annie 'do ookhan who worked at a state lab in boston pled guilty. in april the massachusetts supreme judicial court made the historic decision to dismiss nearly 22,000 wrongful drug convictions that dookhan worked on. >> she was just making it up. >> the magnitude of this disaster is grand to say the least. >> reporter: nicole deborde is a district attorney. she said the cases will be thrown out and they'll be difficult to prosecute again. 11 of the state's district attorneys believe some of the cases are still pursuable. the amhurst drug lab where farak works is now closed. they hope they can come to a decision by

>> paula, thank you. up next, ruling change for fracking on federal land. plus the two jackpots up for grans this wee the final days of toyotathon arunti >> announcer: this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by toyota. let's go places. sporty new 2018 camry and more.

right now during toyotathon. get great year end savings on a huge selection of our most popular models. offer ends january second. for great deals on other toyota's visit toyota.com this is short too. toyota let's go places. >> announcer: this portion of shawn evans: it's 6 am. 40 million americans are waking up to a gillette shave. and at our factory in boston, 1,200 workers are starting their day building on over a hundred years of heritage, craftsmanship and innovation. today we're bringing you america's number one shave at lower prices every day. putting money back in the pockets of millions of americans. as one of those workers, i'm proud to bring you gillette quality for less, because nobody can beat the men and women of gillette.

nick is a logistical mastermind. when it comes to moving packages on a global scale, nobody does it better. he's also an avid cookie connoisseur. dig in, big guy. but when it comes to mortgages, he's... less confident. fortunately for nick, there's rocket mortgage by quicken loans. it's simple, so he can understand the details and get approved in as few as eight minutes. apply simply. understand fully. mortgage confidently. rocket mortgage by quicken loans. mortgage confidently. i just finished months of chemo. but i don't want to talk about months. i want to talk about years. treatments have gotten better, so... i'm hoping for good years ahead. that's thanks to research funded by the american cancer society. the same folks giving me free rides to treatments, insurance advice, and a place to stay during chemo. i need that stuff like you don't know. and now that you do, please give at cancer.org.

her hair's a hot mess. her eyes are like... "oh, i'm late for work. i have to go." your dunkin' doesn't make you, you, but it helps. dunkin' donuts coffee. pick some up where you buy groceries. see ya. -take care. ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions,

gracias. ♪ at walgreens, how we care will change over time, but why we care remains the same treating everyone with the care and attention they deserve. walgreens. trusted since 1901. morning." these are some of the things we're talking about today. the rules were developed under the obama administration. companies would have had to disclose the chemicals used in fracking. environmentalists say the method in recovering oil and natural gas could be dangerous for groundwater.

drivers are risking their lives on the job. it shows 580,000 time violations. some port trucking companies dispatch truckers for shifts that last up to 20 hours a day six days a week. federal rules say truck drivers who spend up to 14 hours on the road muld take a ten-hour break. they deny breaking the fatigue rules. several former miss americas say all miss america board members must resign. some want former board member gretchen carlson to be the chair. current board members are accused of failing to take action when leaders made comments about pageant winners in e-mails. 2013's mallory hagan is leading the petition drive. she said the board needs to accept responsibility and step aside to allow new leadership to save the miss america program. about

it. president trump will undergo his physical at walter reed military medical center. he's the oldest commander in chief. the white house says the results will be made public by the physician. ""foshes" says the mega million and power ball are each over $300 million. it's the first time at the same sunshine i may stand out in the cold for that. >> a dollar from all of us, right? >> i never win it there's always a first. >> you can't win if you don't play. imagine giving airline food a good review. ahead we visit american airlines' secret restaurant

some high-flying celebrities. there's only one national orange juice brand that only uses 100% american oranges. simply orange and tropicana ship in juice from overseas. only florida's natural grows all of our oranges in florida. great taste. naturally. he's a nascar champion who's she's a world-class swimmer

but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe. here's how xarelto works. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective... ...targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding,

for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you've got to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know. tand, our adulte children are here. so, we save by using tide. which means we use less. three generations of clothes cleaned in one wash. those are moms. anybody seen my pants? nothing cleans better. put those on dad! it's got to be tide. feel the power of thenew power...smax. ...to fight back theraflu's powerful new formula to defeat 7 cold and flu symptoms... fast. so you can play on. theraflu expressmax. new power.

but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. the name to remember.

...don't know if you can hear chaos me, here! can we get a shot of this cold front, right here. [vo] progress is an unstoppable force. brace yourself for the season of audi sales event. ♪ [vo] the season of audi sales event is here. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select

it is friday, december, 29th, 2017. welcome back to "cbs this morning." cbs confirms a shakeup of president trump's political team is coming. ahead, the turnover in his first year at the white house. and after a record season for holiday sales, see how retailers are trying to help us bring back the gifts we don't want. but first here's today's "eye opener" at 8:00. >> the deadliest fire in new york city in 27 years. it ripped through a five-story apartment building. >> the investigation is active and of the at least 12 people killed, five were pronounced dead at the scene. >> lake michigan is just beginning to ice up,

officials are urging people to stay inside. >> windchills running 10 to 20 below zero zero in boston, stretching back to upstate new york and maichblt it feels like zero in new york city. >> there are no specific direct threats against the new year's eve celebration here in times square, but with two recent terror attacks, the nypd is putting together its strongest security measures in years. >> the interview took place in the grill room of the trump international hotel. there were no white house staff members anywhere in sight. >> bonjour, bonjour, bonjour, bonjour, bonjour. >> this server is going viral at new york city's diner. he sings every part from ""beauty & the beast.""

quite some talent. happy friday. i'm bianna golodryga with dana jacobson and vladimir duthiers of our streaming network cbsn. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> norah o'donnell and gayle king are off this week. mayor de blasio calls the deadly fire in the bronx an unspeakable tragedy. nearly 12 people are killed including one baby. >> families scrambled in 15-degree temperatures to escape. the fire is historic in its magnitude. >> in a department that's certainly no stranger to strategy, we're shocked by the loss and our hearts go out to everyone who's lost a loved one and everyone who's fighting for their livings. >> it's tragic. the cause sunday investigation. forecaster says the hard-hit

get hit by more snow. that's 2 feet on top of the record-breaking 65 inches dropped on the city already this week. the frigid temperatures are moved south. they'll see windchills of zero degrees on new year's eve. windchills are expecting 40 below zero in areas of the midwest. president trump is using the extreme cold to make light of the climate change. perhaps we could use a little bit of that global warming that our country but not other countries was going to pay trillions of dollars to protect against. mr. trump pulled the us out of the climate agreement earlier this year. senator elizabeth warren responded, quote, climate change is real. >> there's new confusion this morning for many homeowners trying to prepay next year's property taxes. they want to take advantage of the existing state and local tax

january 1st, but the rules vary from state to state. in massachusetts today is the deadline to prepay, but over in new york officials are working to allow it through the first half of next year. >> other states including california and pennsylvania do not allow prepayment of 2018 property taxes. the different rules and unclear irs guidelines reportedly are causing garon and frustration at many tax offices around the country. cbs news confirms this morning that white house chief of staff john kelly plan as reshuffle of president trump's political team ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. the brookings institution says at least one-third of the president's senior staff has quit, been fired, or were re-assigned since inauguration day in january. chip reid is in west palm beach, florida, near the mar-a-lago report with more. good morning.

under president trump, there's already been an unprecedented number of departures and more are expected to leave in 2018. the white house says it's not a big problem. >> this administration is running like a fine tuned machine. >> reporter: that was president trump days after a resignation of a major white house staffer national security adviser michael flynn. >> general flynn is over here. put up your hand. >> reporter: he became the kiss of death in february when he learned flynn lied to the president about his communications with the over the summer, more firings and resignations rippled through the west wing. praes secretary sean spicer stepped down when he objected to president trump's new pick for communications director, anthony scaramucci. >> the president is a winner. what we're going to do is

lot of winning. >> my chief of staff. where is reince priebus? >> reporter: priebus resigned when scaramucci called him a leaker and a liar. and then john kelly fired scaramucci. he's studied it for over four decades. for trump it's 34% at this point in the presidency, george w. bush was at 6%, obama at 9% and rake about was closest at 17%. >> if the team keeping training united have to bring people in and train them, it's very disruptive. >> we'll see what happens with mr. bannon. >> even if it led to more firings and resignations of people like steve bannon and tom price who got this warning from the president months befo

get the votes? you'd better or otherwise i'm going to say, tom, you're fired. >> reporter: just like during the campaign, he continues to rely on a very small circle of top advisers with a high amount of almighty. >> thank you, chip. ahead, "48 hours" reveals new information about the deadly siege of a cult in waco, texas, in 1983. >> i'm peter van sant here in waco, texas. it's been nearly a quarter of a century since more than 75 flowers of the religious leader david ka resch perished in a fiery standoff with federal agents. new revelations on the branch

predicted increase the federal deficit and some charities are worried about their bottom line too. ahead, why the tax bill could lower donations. you're watching "cbs this morning." that cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! why take 4-hour cough medicine?

with a great selection of our armost popular models. like the adventurous rav4, well equipped corolla, sporty new 2018 camry and more. and that means huge year end savings for a very short time. right now during toyotathon. get great year end savings on a huge selection of our most popular models. offer ends january second. for great deals on other toyota's visit toyota.com this is short too. toyota let's go places. essential for vinyl, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. morning." morning." xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma

and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. needles. a must for vinyl. but for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief. ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. an "unjection™". when food is good and clean and real, it's ok to crave. and with panera catering, there's more to go around. panera. food as it should be. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day.

republican leaders say the new tax code will save millions of americans money, but it could cause problems for charities. non-profits receive about $390 billion in donations last year, but by some estimates, the new code could result in a drop of $20 billion a year. jan crawford is at a charity that feeds the homeless in washington with why people are concerned that new law could mean less giving. jan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. for organizations, there tends to be a spike in donations. that's because people see charitable contributions as a way to cut their tax bill, but next year that might change. with temperatures in washington dipping below freezing, these salvation army volunteers are hitting the streets.

need. the organizations like these across the country rely on donations. in 2017 as many as 30% of taxpayers can reduce their tax bill by itemizing writing off donations. but in 2018 they may choose to double their deduction. >> there will be 30 million fewer people itemizing their taxes. >> reporter: united way ceo brian gallagher said his organization can feed over 63 million a year. >> the average contribution by a you nated donation donor is $350. >> those are the donors now that will have no incentive. >> less incentive. >> reporter: additional taxes on

it. >> we're not sure what's going to happen. >> reporter: eileen heisman of the national philanthropic trust said it could cause places to cut back on services. >> for hospitals it's about people who are sick, day care services, if you can imagine 10% of the budgets being affected, that could really be substantial. >> reporter: now nonprofit leaders are quick to point out that most don't give to charity just to get a tax break, but even a 4% or 5% decrease in donations could have a big impact on community organizations that are already struggling to stay afloat. dana? >> thank you very much. sort of sad to think of the charities that will lose out. >> impacting the people who need it most. >> exactly. new secrets are revealed around the deadly siege of a cult in waco, texas that

ahead on 48 hours a former ups drive shares how he unknowingly delivered weapons to the cult. you're watching "cbs this morning."

2018 marks 25 years since the deadly 51-day standoff between the davidian cult and the government in waco, texas. davidkoresh. for the first time a retired ups driver reveals how he unknowingly delivered weapons

the confrontation. peter van sant revealed the secrets from waco that haven't been told until now. >> i've kept my story secret for the last 25 years. i didn't want to take this to my grave. >> tell them there are women and children in here. >> reporter: this delivery man unwittingly armed the cult. >> i have been blamed for what happened out there. >> waco was a tale of a religious fringe group that decided to fight back against the federal government. >> reporter: their leader, david kore koresh, a self-proclaimed son of god. ♪ there's a mad man living in waco ♪ >> he was incredibly charismatic. >> i waited patiently on the lord. >> he was spellbindin. >> he was god in the human flesh. >> they would do anything for this man. >> even unholy acts. >> hue many young g

have sex with? >> i think at least ten. >> he was a gee zuft christ who loved guns, drug, and rock and roll, and he was going bring the end of times. >> reporter: lee hancock covered the investigation. she's a cbs consultant. >> my mom made the bulletproof vests. >> reporter: joann vega moved into the compound with her parents when she was an infant. >> they were getting shipments from an arms dealer. >> reporter: the davidian arms race turned more ominous when larry was checking a box in his truck. >> about six to eight grenades fell out of it. >> reporter: he told his wife deborah. >> somebody had to do something. >> reporter: deborah told the sheriff's department who called theal alcohol, tobacco,

firearms, the atf. >> we were all concerned. >> reporter: a two months of reconnaissance, atf authorized arresting david koresh and confiscating any weapons. >> showtime, showtime. >> my mom grabbed me off the bed. there were people lying on the floor that were dead. >> i took a flash bang and threw it in the window. when i get through the window, there's a man standing in the room with an ak-47. i shot him several times. >> reporter: several seconds later like this agent, he was shot buford on the hood of the vehicle was rescued by fellow agents. the fbi takes over. after 51 days, they begin ramming the main building. the horror was unimaginable. >> there were people who killed one ot

bullet wound into the center of his head. >> reporter: joann vega's parents died in the flames. >> she saved your life. >> i think about that all the time. >> your mother saved you. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: when people see the names, they're just names. i see faces. >> i've never failed at much in my life, but i failfailed. every day it crosses my mind. >> peter van zandt joins us now. millions of americans remember this siege. what was happened inside this compound? >> it was a real horror show on the inside. they were restricted on the amount of food they had. koresh decide all of the with imin the compound were his and he began having sex with girls as young as 14 years of able. itt it's believed

fathered 20 children. he committed statutory rape. >> they were his. he allowed others to leave. >> it wasn't long into the siege he let the children leave but inside those were biological children and he wanted to keep them with him. >> to see the pain on the ups driver's face that he has to live with this so many years later. we all remember this. >> he is a fantastic individual who telling his story for the first time on "48 hours." >> fascinating. we'll be watching. thank you so much. you can see peter's full report "the secrets of waco" right here at 8:00 p.m., 7:00 central right here on cbs. more than half are returning their gifts this holiday season. i hope you're not doing that. leigh gallagher is in studio 57 with how retailers are making it easier to return more than ever.

before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesn't have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesn't get us all killed, ben. what's so good about fios anyway? uh. what's so great about a 100% fiber-optic network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely? hey. did you take out the trash? haha, garbage boy! dad, i already took out ben. it's not funny. gaming is best on a 100% fiber-optic network. so get fios. now, just $79.99 per month

welcome back to "cbs this morning." right now it's time to show you some of this morning's headlines. the "minneapolis star tribune" reports that senator al franken is thanking his supporters before he resigns next week. he spoke in minneapolis last night. >> here's my promise to you. i may be leaving the senate, but i'm not giving up my voice. >> the minnesota democrat agreed to step down from pressure from other democrats after a string of sexual allegations. bloomberg reports citigroup was forced to pay a fine. it's accused

customers with hundreds of securities for nearly five years. they failed to correct the problem despite numerous red flags. they agreed to pay the claims without admitting to it. software from the company alphonso collects tv viewing data. it's used by more than 250 games. the software uses a software's microphone. it can identify audio signals in tv ads and shows. alphonso says its software is explained in app subscriptions and the consumer can opt out at any time. now that the tax law has en

say they're approached. there will be two sew nor eclipses in january. first super moon is named the wolf moon and comes new year's night. it's at the closest point to earth. the rare second moon comes january 31st. it's called the blue move since it's the second full moon. there's a total lunar eclipse. >> hopefully it gets warmer so we can go outside and actually look at the moon. our station in dallas-ft. worth says a big rig carrying avocados crashed on the expressway and caused a fire creating a mushy mess. firefighters raked through the avocados putting out hot spots. traffic was backed up for miles. and

carolina courier reports on mary lee. it was last spotted in june off of new jersey. ocearch first tagged mary lee with the transmit never 2012. since then they've tracked her throughout the north atlantic. it's possible the transmitter battery lost power. mary lee has more than 100,000 followers on twitter, more than all of us combined, i think. >> yes. no doubt, congratulations to her. holiday retail sales set a new record this year. shoppers spent more than $800 billion. some say that's up almost 5% from last year. online purchases rose 18.1%. 45% of consumers will return at least one item between decembe

that is forcing shops to find new ways to make returns convenient. fortune senior editor at large leigh gallagher is here with more. good morning. >> good morning. >> we know we want to get it quickly when we're talking about shipping. what about the returns? >> returns have been a huge headache for the consumer, for the retailers as well. and as online shopping has grown, it's become a huge point of friction in the process. researchers have spent the last few years trying to address this. this is not good for them. they need to find a way to deal with it. and the consumer, by the way, we have been so spoiled, we expect everything to be seamless and easy and, you know, they have to meet that need. so there's all kinds of creative ways to process returns this year. we're starting to see more of them. a big thing is the movement to buy online and return in store. so these actually easier for the consumer in many ways. it's cheaper for the retailer. it brings the cost down.

kiosks. it's promising you can return in under five minutes. amazon bought whole foods so now you can return. but amazon in this never did we think we would see this has forged a relationship with kohl's wruwhere you can buy on amazon and return at coles and also lockers and the whole thing. >> make it easier. other stores you can return physically. of course, a lot of retailers are extending the length of time you can have and paying for shipping, doing everything they can to make it easy. it's still going to require an errand which trips me up. >> i thought it was a big no-no. i do return things i order online back to the physical store. >> they want that. it's better for them. >> are some online policies changing? >> yeah, they're changing a little bit like extending the window and creating labels at home. of course, you need a

this is called reverse logistic is, bringing the project back through the cycle. they don't care about reverse logistics. we don't care about your inventory. we want this to be taken care of. a lot of people as you said have returned. it's what they're doing this week. i returned things yesterday. >> what are somt of the third-party vendors? you were talking during commercial. i have no idea what's about. >> they're trying to address this problem. any time anyone's spending a lot of money on something and there's a big headache, there are entrepreneurs that try to come in and make it easier. there are companies helping retailers to handle returns for customers, a company called happy returns. they're companies actually trying to make it at the front end easier to know what you're buying reducing the likelihood of a return.

i hate returning things. would they send somebody to my apartment? >> no. it's not about that. it's many of taking the pressure off of the retailer. you can go to a kiosk at the mall. there's a ways that a lot of retailers are telling them, put better photos online. there's a lot of innovation around that, pugt it tting it o. those things are important. the angle would be to reduce the amount of returns in the first place. think about it. in the holidays, you're desperate. you think, i can buy it or return it. that return likelihood goes up during the holiday season. all the pressures and all the convenience that it offers. >> the minute i receive a gift, i'm returning it. >> love my gifts, all of them. >> thanks for having me. >> leigh gallagher, thank you very much. happy new year. >> you too. ahead, kris van cleave

takes airport dining to a different level. >> this hallway leads us to the most exclusive restaurant in all of the area. we're nowhere near manhattan. this is the airport. the restaurant, classified. but coming up on "cbs this morning," we have your reservation inside. >> is there a velvet

when you think of let restaurants you do not think of airport dining. it's one of the trendiest and hard to get into restaurants. united airlines team up with the hospitality group to get the dining experience and kris van cleave scored an invitation to show us around. people walking by have no idea they're walking by the most sought off restaurant. we can't show you where it is. it's hidden on purpose, but we'll take you. through this door and down this long hallway a speak easy is

here your taste buds will score if you get an invite. it's steps from your gate. its exclusive guest lists include ceos and celebrities like madonna. >> it's very much like new york. it's secret. i actually had to take a little bit of time to find it. the hostess was very discreet, so i felt very special. >> united frequent flyer brie morrow was one of the first invited. >> i had oysters and very fresh salad with shrimp. i appreciate being able to have nice meal with a nice glass of wine. >> it rivals anything you would see at a new york city restaurant. it could easily set you back $100 if you don't order a $500 bottle of wine. he's with the culinary.

meeting room into classified. we talked with nate as he prepared a 42-ounce tomahawk steak, one of their signature dishes. >> most airports have prepackaged food and they're heating it in a microwave. here we're cooking from scratch, using a great product, and you can't find that anywhere. >> it's an unusual plan to create a restaurant where people don't know where it is and has to be invited into. >> reporter: rick blatstein is the ceo. >> we wanted to create a unique space that's out of the way but somewhere where you could enjoy a great meal, listen to nice music, have a delicious glass of wine, take it easy, get yourself away from everything else. >> people don't think of newark airport as a spot for trendy dining. >> they won't, but we hope they will. >> reporter: they look at classified a w

invited -- >> there's not one perspective. right now it is classified and it does remain a secret. >> was the idea to create one of the elite restaurants in new york in the new york airport? we didn't set out to make the most elite restaurant and most difficult to get into, but it kind of worked out that way. >> reporter: this is your ticket inside. the e-mail invitation. united said for the flyers who haven't gotten one, they can request to be invited but they won't say how long the waitlist is. >> our kris van cleave is there. i have not gotten my e-mail invitation yet. >> nor have i. >> my big pet peeve with restaurants at airports is they don't have bathrooms inside the restaurant. that mice question, do you have to go out to the actual airport? >> if classified has one, then you'll love

>> i would hope they get you through security. it would be nice if that in i havation came with help. >> anything that ups the game is certainly appreciated. >> that steak looked good is all i'm saying. coming up next, we're going to look at all that mattered this week. you're watching "cbs this morning."

"what if" more of the came from renewable resources? "what if" the electric grid could detect, fix and even prevent power outages? "what if" our grid were less vulnerable and more secure? "what if" all these "what if"s became a reality? well, they are. at dominion energy, we're completely transforming our power grid

hat if" to "what's next." dominion energy. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ it all starts with a wish. the final days of wish list are here.

in a new lincoln with zero down and a complimentary first month's payment. we would be remiss if we didn't say gayle king had a birthday yesterday. happy birthday. >> it was fun. >> it was with you both. be sure to tune in to "cbs evening news" tonight. as we leave you, let's take a look back at all that mattered this week. have a great weekend. >> top, thermal, two sweaters, a turtleneck. >> a dea

country minus double-digit windchills can cause frostbite in as little as ten minutes. >> this weather is going nowhere fast. >> more than five feet of snow pummeled erie, pennsylvania. >> it's beautiful. >> the deadliest fire in new york city in 27 years. >> of the aft least 12 people dead, five were pronounced dead at the scene. >> north korea is lashing out calling the sanctions an act of wafrmt north korea says its missiles can now reach anywhere on the mainland, u.s. >> the president claims he signed more bills into law than any modern president since truman. >> this is a big, big beautiful ship we're turning around. >> the allegations from unwanted kissing to propositions for

>> it certainly felt like there were a few more ways. >> an ohio woman who went to prison for a crime she said she did not commit. >> a former bachelor asks a former president -- >> cigarettes or gum? >> gum now, baby. >> flight 175 had been in the air for about four hours when it turned around and flew home. >> hey, guys. chrissy teigen here live. >> in this case cbs stands for chrissy broadcasting live. >> in this case we had an intrepid reporter. >> we have called it in. >> so inspirational. i feel so inadequate. >> i'll stay here at the table. >> i'll stay where it's warm. >> i'm fully inadequate, but i'll stay here. >> ll cool j is hot. >> ll cool j. >>

>> i decided not to act for ten years because i thought, i don't want to do it. i don't want to take my hat off. >> he's got a great head. i don't know why he won't. ♪ all night long >> lionel richie said he joined the band to meet women in college. not a surprise. are you a romantic? >> i'm a hopeless disgusting romantic. i can fall in love in 15 seconds on everything and everybody. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year note. >> a dinosaur is snowblowing. >> demarco, you cwe can barely you. >> one amish man had a creative way to get around. >> are we sure that's not demarco? >> i didn't get your christmas present this year. is it coming later? >> i don't -- >> i got you the same thing as last year but a different color. >> i know yo

i poured it into the coffee. that's why i'm in a good mood.

just became whatever whayou're about to dout to do after you get coffee. nothing comes before coffee. that's why we're introducing a new line of café-quality espresso drinks from mccafé. get a small peppermint mocha for just two dollars. and revisit the bestp interviews we've had in 2017. from writers and directors to hollywood superstars, we've got it all. it's friday, december 29th, and this is great day washington. ♪ well, good morning. happy friday. i'm markette sheppard. i'm kristen berset harris. and i'm andi hauser. wow, i am so excited about this show, because it truly highlights all the fun

i can't believe we're already getting close to 2018. i know. close. it's like we're already here. very close; right? this is the last time i'm going to see your faces in 2017. oh. end of the year. great, right. the show open really shows how much fun we have, but we have even more to show you about this year. yes. today we are revisiting our -- that's what we're going to do. we're going to revisit our top interviews of 2017. and antics, i think. there's always antics; right? there's always antics. well, first up, a true friend of the show who gave a moving stance on the take-a-knee protest that swept the nfl this season. i didn't know it was coming, but, you know, he's man, the myth, and the legend, my number one male cohost, montel williams. he is so much fun, i literally jumped for joy when he came back. oh, our friend montel williams is back on the show. we love him so much. it's good to be here. my goodness. when montel comes, i just want to jump on the couch. oh, oh, oh, are you kidding me. that's a tom cruise moment.

like i'm sandwiched in between greatness right now. it's so good to be back. my goodness. yeah, i when i was told you were going to be here the week before i started on the show, i'm like really, i have to follow montel williams. i heard you've been doing a really great job. thank you. thank you. you guys have been rocking it here. we've been having a lot of fun. i call up and check on you every now and then, make sure my friends are still watching. oh, of course. you know, everybody loved you when you were here, because not only are you fun, but you have substance behind you and you do a lot of great work. speaking of which, you're coming out a new movie that you executive produced. tell us about that. that's why i'm here. as a matter of fact, we're screening the movie today here in washington, d.c., and the movie is called "architects of denial." it's about a subject that is one that's rather controversial. people around the world have really come to understand that a genocide denied is a genocide in the future, and this is about the genocide that took place from 2015 to 2023, with the armenian people and the turkish ottoman empire.