the story from cbs' kenny choi. >> i feel it. oh, my god. >> reporter: california, jolted by the state's strongest earthquake in more than five years. >> it was definitely pretty frightening having to worry about whether the ceiling was going to collapse on us. >> this all began to sag. this wasn't sagging before. and then right up here, you can see that there is also a crack. >> reporter: angie chavez works at a restaurant in rio dell, not far from the epicenter and gave this harrowing account. >> it felt very nerve-racking because we're trying to quickly exit the building and i'm losing my balance because of the swaying motion of the earthquake. and with refrigerator doors swinging open, back and forth, in front of me, i'm having to dodge all the bottles and merchandise that is falling out of there, while also holding on to my two co-workers. >> reporter: the offshore quake quickly triggered a tsunami warning and evacuation. before it was canceled, residents were told to seek higher ground from the oregon border to as far south

kenny choi, thank you very much.was a busy day again on capitol hill as donald trump's embattled pick to run the pentagon tried to salvage his chances of landing the job as defense secretary. but again today, pete hegseth was forced to answer questions not about his plans for the u.s. military, but about his character. cbs's scott macfarlane reports from the hill. >> reporter: is there anything that would convince you to stand down from this nomination at all? former fox news host pete hegseth, a fourth day of door-to-door visits with senators who will decide his fate. do you think you're picking up momentum or losing momentum? hegseth has denied allegations he committed sexual assault struggled with alcohol, and mismanaged two nonprofits, but a source close to the trump transition team said time is running out. pressed you on the issue of alcohol? >> no, we have had great conversations about who i am and what i believe and, frankly, the man i am today. i'm a different man than i was years ago. and that's a redemptio

thank you, kenny choi reporting live from fort point. >>> the winter weather has been a pain for many holiday travelers, but now in the bay it's a little different. here's a peek what it looked like at oakland international airport today, big crowds, long queues, but no flight delays or cancellations. people flying out of the bay into mexico say they're looking forward into some family time and a little home cooking. >> we're going to do some cooking. what else are we going to do, have fun? yeah. >> we love being together and just enjoying family time. we actually just did christmas with my family on saturday and now we're flying out to do christmas with my husband's family. we're going to see mom mom and papa. >> tsa says they expect about 40 million people flying for the holidays, more than 6 million people expected to pass through sfo, more than 500,000 expected at oakland airport, more than 300,000 at san jose international airport. the best travel advice this season? always get out early. >>> a fire in caldecott tunnel causing delays, the right bore shut down in the eastbound dir

kenny choi reports from san francisco where experienced surfers are taking their chance. >> reporter: here at four point experienced surfers are testing the limits. this latest storm and swell are bringing in powerful sets and pounding surf. wicked waves pounding into the shoreline. ripping leashes and swallowing up boards. chris took his chances. >> definitely nothing to take lightly. i am an avid water person. >> the surfer escaped safely. not before the board got pounded into rocks and snapped in half as waves are projected to reach 15 feet. >> not friendly. that is what i would say. a lot of water moving. >> reporter: the powerful northwest swell brought 50 foot waves and surf conditions in hawaii for the big wave surf event. >> this one is different. it has had the entirety of the pacific to really generate across. >> reporter: for all beaches along the pacific coast, the weather service sent out an extreme weather risk warning of dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions. >> the swell is actually showing up a lot larger and a lot earlier than we initially thought. so

whale watching dog named bear who went viral this summer and helped boost ticket sales and now kenny choi shows us a special delivery aboard the boat to cap off a comeback year. >> reporter: captain joe nazar was getting the kitty cat ready on it take people whale watching in the bay. it started off like any other day aboard san francisco whale tours. >> i did a double-take, a triple-take and there was a puppy hanging out of sam. >> reporter: sam, his recently rescued german shepherd, had tied with bear, his now viral watching dog deckhand who has become a star of his own pulling rope and assisting the crew moor the vessel at pier 39, but a few weeks ago an early surprise. >> my jaw dropped. >> reporter: as sophie jumped into action, sfpd's marine patrol unit also arrived to assist soon after nazar called 911. they helped deliver the tiny pups one by one in 30-minute intervals seven times. >> it turned into the best morning of work i've ever had, definitely the craziest experience i think i've had in my entire life. >> reporter: sam is settling into her new role. soon some of the pups wil

our kenny choi has all the details. >> reporter: after a two-month delay the california department of fish and wildlife says the commercial crab season will begin officially january 5th. local fishermen say they're excited to ramp up and get on the water, but not being able to start during the holidays is costly. >> we see it in our income. we got a lower price for our crabs, kind of hurts our pockets, for sure. yeah, it's tough. >> reporter: but there are stipulations. the season will open in the new year from the sonoma and mendocino county line to the u.s./mexico border, this area subject to a 50% crab reduction, meaning crab fishermen can only drop half the amount of pots as usual. >> it's sad, but i'm starting to expect it every year. january is kind of like the new normal and it's pretty sad. >> reporter: the fishing zones north of mendocino up to the oregon border will remain closed for further testing. it's supposed to decrease the amount of gear and vertical lines in the water. marine wildlife advocates are still concerned about the timing. officials with the center for biolo

kenny choi spent time with researchers to understand the new tool they're calling sequoia. >> this is an example of asking them to shoot. >> reporter: identifying specific genes within that tissue is just one hurdle in the fight against certain cancers. >> and specifically for wrest cancer gene sets are being used to determine treatment. >> reporter: clinicians have dyed the selection of cancer treatments including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone based therapies to recommend to their patients based on what organs cancers affect, and which gene they're using to fuel their growth and spread. stanford medicine's new a.i. problems, sequoia, could analyze the tumor biopsy and determine with a genes are likely turned on and off in the cells that they contain. >> it means that the gene is very active, and the blue mean it is is very inactive. >> reporter: requiring costly and costly genomic testing. >> it is very dependent on the cancer type. and it is rather uncommon. >> reporter: it is often inperceptible to a human eye. so they turned artificial intelligence to find these pattern

kenny choi takes to us pleasanton where he got a firsthand look what it takes to create this wonderland whitmer have been toiling away like elves to make christmas a little brighter, hand painting and touching up whatever gnome needs some love. >> turn him around and get the face. >> reporter: most of the time the married couple of 55 years agree, but every once in a while even santa and his wife can see things differently. >> it's a little lighter red. >> it's perfect. >> reporter: one thing, though, is certain in whitmer world. >> all this is handmade. >> reporter: from needed stitches to mend a hole so that rudolph can stand tall -- >> it's hard because there's so much stuff. >> reporter: -- to customize stands that perfect his holiday train set display, it's a joyous family obsession that only continues to grow after more than 40 years. >> we started this when the kids were young and they're still helping us with it. so it's a good family project. >> reporter: lights abound, the 28-foot tall tree alone in the front yard has more than 5,000 lights and adds a few extra digits to the e

as kenny choi shows us, one month after his arrest, that deputy was emotional after the announcement from the county's top prosecutor clearing him of any wrongdoing. >> reporter: the san mateo county district attorney steven wagstaffe made it abundantly clear saying sheriff's deputy carlos tapia should never have been arrested and that the evidence establishes without question that the deputy did not commit any crimes. holding back tears and embracing his family, san mateo deputy sheriff carlos tapia defended his name that's now cleared of wrongdoing. >> i'm grateful to the district attorney's office for recognizing these charges for what they were. yet another attempt at retaliation from sheriff corpus. >> reporter: november 12th the san mateo sheriff's office arrested tapia for felony charges of time card fraud, grand theft, and obtaining money by false pretenses. his daughter says tapia was arrested and charged one day before his birthday. >> i'm proud of him for standing strong throughout his struggle and continuing to fight for his members. >> reporter: tapia is president of the

our kenny choi explains how san francisco and the berkeley long term cybersecurity center are teamingreporter: food banks and other nonprofits often collect sense testify financial information from donors and also those they serve, but unlike companies with larger budgets dedicated to information technology and security, nonprofits too often have very little wiggle room to protect themselves. >> they have to go up against professional criminal organizations that are out to try and steal money from them. >> reporter: sarah puwazik is a researcher at the berkeley center for long term cybersecurity. nonprofits are the second most targeted sector by cyberattacks after government agencies and among the least prepared to defend themselves. she helped lead a study of 68 local nonprofits to better understand their needs. >> what we're doing is not just creating results, but connecting them to folks who are able to fill those needs. >> reporter: that's where local governments can play a larger role. it's a move that makes sense for cities which help fund many of the nonprofits providing servic

kenny choi spent time with researchers to understand the new tool they're calling sequoia. >> this isof asking them to shoot. >> reporter: identifying specific genes within that tissue is just one hurdle in the fight against certain cancers. >> and specifically for wrest cancer gene sets are being used to determine treatment. >> reporter: clinicians have dyed the selection of cancer treatments including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone based therapies to recommend to their patients based on what organs cancers affect, and which gene they're using to fuel their growth and spread. stanford medicine's new a.i. problems, sequoia, could analyze the tumor biopsy and de

kenny choi on their demands and the potential impact on the busy holiday shopping season.>amazon says the strikers participating are almost entirely outsiders and not employees. it's just one aspect of this latest battle as workers continue to fight for higher wages and other benefits. >>>>brian weston has been working full time at amazon's san francisco bay view warehouse since the pandemic. he desperately needed a job then and is now demanding more. >>>>i can barely make it >>>>by. weston is working 40 hours a week with full health benefits, but the father of five and grandfather of 12 says his hourly wage of $23 isn't paying the bills. >>>>i would like to be able to,

kenny choi reports from san francisco where even very experienced surfers admitted it was rough out therewicked waves pounding into the shoreline. ripping leashes and swallowing up boards. chris took his chances. >> definitely nothing to take lightly. i am an avid water person. if you were not you would be in a different situation. >> san francisco surfer escaped safely but not before his board was pounded into rocked and snapped in half as waves are projected to reach 15 feet. >> not friendly. that is what i would say. a lot of water moving. >> the powerful northwest swell brought 50 foot waves and epic surf conditions in hawaii for the big wave surf event. >> this one is different. it has had the entirety of the pacific to really generate across. >> reporter: for all beaches along the pacific coast, a weather risk warning of dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions. >> the swell is actually showed up a lot larger and a lot earlier than we initially thought. hence the reason we have high surf warning out but we have the coastal flood warning out.. >> reporter: the sizeable s

kenny choi introduces us to the k-9 deckhand, listing a business that was once struggling to stay afloatter: he is a deckhand but with four pause. they are, a 120 pound german shepherd, gets to work.'s back he has taken to see life that has excelled and he enhances our morale. >> he pulls in the white lines. none of us want to do that. but he loves it. >> reporter: curious all work is admire and stare at the six-year-old canine. eagerly helping the crew. sophie is a naturalist for san francisco whale tours and she set up an instagram and take talk forbear this summer. and started posting. >> he almost has 10 million views on video. he went make a viral. he blew up. >> reporter: the captain steered into the whale watching season not knowing if this would be his last. hotel bookings in san francisco are down significantly in 2024, as tourism numbers have been a big letdown. >> we decided that we are going to give everything we have this year this is either going to be a make it or break it year. >> reporter: ticket sales plummeted since covid but the combination of bears growing popularity

kenny choi takes us to pleasanton where he got a look at what it takes to create widmer world . >> reporterbrighter, hand painting, touching up whatever gnome needs some live. most of the time the married couple of 55 years agree that every once in a while, even santa and his wife can see things differently. one thing is certain in widmer world . >> all of this is handmade. >> reporter: to customize stance that protect his holiday train set display, it is a joyous family obsession that only continues to grow after more than 40 years. >> we started this when the kids were young and they are still helping us with it, so it is a good family project. >> reporter: the tall tree in the front yard has more than 5000 lights and it adds a few extra digits to the electricity bill. this year the display took a little longer than usual, his son-in-law who lives next door spent months running for a city council seat during a crucial time to ramp up finishing touches and won the election. >> it is good for him, but not so good for me because i know all the meetings they have to go to so i'm going to lose

he helped dock those boats as they landed and now as kenny choi shows us a special delivery capping offr: captain joe was getting the kitty cat ready to take people whale watching in the bay. it started off like any other day aboard san francisco whale tours. >> i did a double take. a triple take. and there was a puppy hanging out of sam. >> reporter: sam, his recently rescued german shepherd, had tied with bear. his now viral whale watching dog deck hand who has become a star of his own, pulling rope and assisting the crew of the vessel at pier 39 but a few weeks ago the early surprise. >> my jaw dropped. >> reporter: sophie bel air jump into action, sfpd's marine patrol unit also arrived to assist soon after he called 911. they helped deliver the tiny pups one by one in 30 minute intervals seven times. >> it turned into the best morning of work i have ever had the definitely the craziest experience i think i had in my entire life. >> good girl. >> reporter: sam is settling into her new role. soon some of the pups will have new homes. that czar offered the pick of the litter to first r