. >> reporter: i'm nikole killion with the fight ahead for some of the president-elect's most controversial picks. >> one week after the fall of assad. >> reporter: the country's minorities are cautiously optimistic about the future. >> reporter: i'm holly williams in eastern syria where there are fears that isis could use the collapse of the regime to stage a comeback. >>> holiday rush. it begins this week. what you need to know before hitting the road or flying out. >> what do you think is driving these record numbers of people? >> i actually believe coming out of covid created a new urgency, a new appreciation for travel and experiences. >>> and later, a christmas tradition from across the pond. ♪ ♪ delivering holiday cheer. i'm tina kraus with the clever crafters giving the famous mailboxes a festive makeover. >>> this is the cbs weekend news. from new york. with jericka duncan. >> good evening. jericka is off. i'm nancy chen. we begin with new developments following the murder of united make ceo brian thompson. the suspect remains in a pennsylvania jail and now with a new high-profile

cbs's nikole killion has that. >> reporter: fresh off his whirlwind weekend on the world stage -- >>hat a nice group. >> reporter: -- president-elect donald trump appeared on nbc's "meet the press," where he was pressed on his agenda weeks ahead of taking office, from tariffs -- >> can you guarantee american families won't pay more? >> i can't guarantee anything. >> rorter: to the border. >> is it your plan to deport everyone who is here illegally over the next four years? >> well, i think you have to do it. and it's a -- it's a very tough thing to do. >> reporter: on his mass deportation plan trump said he would prioritize criminals who are in the country illegally. he also said it could include families with mixed citizenship. but he indicated he's open to allowing dreamers, those who were brought into the u.s. as children, to stay. and he reiterated his pledge to end birthright citizenship. >> the 14th amendment, though, says that, "all persons born in the united states are citizens." can you get around the 14th amendment with an executive action? >> we'll have to get a change. we

nikole killion has that. >>> fresh off his whirlwind weekend on the world stage, president-elect donaldmp appeared on "meet the press" where he was pressed on his agenda weeks ahead of taking office, from tariffs. >> can you guarantee american families won't pay more? >> i can't guarantee thinking. >> reporter: to the border. >> is it your plan to deport everyone who is here illegally over the next four years? >> well, i think you have to do it and it is a very tough thing to do. >> reporter: on his mass deportation plan, trump said he would prioritize criminals who are in the country illegally. he also said it could include families with mixed citizenship, but he indicated he is open to allowing dreamers, those brought into the u.s. as children, to stay. and he reiterated his pledge to end birth rye citizenship. >> the 14th amendment says, quote, all persons born in the united states are citizens. cn you get around the 14th amendment with an executive action? >> well, we will have to get a change. maybe we will have to go back to the people but we have to end it. >> reporter: the presi

cbs's nikole killion reports from capitol hill. >> reporter: president-elect donald trump's pentagonk is not backing down after multiple sources told cbs news trump could be seeking to replace the embattled designee with florida governor ron desantis. >> have you had any conversations with the president-elect about replacing you with governor desantis? >> i spoke with the president-elect this morning. he said, keep going, keep fighting. >> reporter: so you're in this all the way? >> why would i back down? i've always been a fire truck. i'm here for the war fighters. this is a personal and passionate for me. >> reporter: hoping to combat a flood of negative headlines pete hegseth went on a full-court press starting with the "wall street journal" op-ed defending his conduct at two veteran nonprofits where he was accused of mismanagement and in an interview he addressed accusations of excessive drinking. >> first of all i never had a problem. no one approached me and said, you should look at getting help for a drink. >> reporter: his mother took to the airwaves and appealed to lawmakers

cbs's nikole killion is tracking the transition from trump headquarters in west palm beach, florida.reporter: this week the holiday rush is on, with more of president-elect donald trump's picks hitting the halls. health and human services designate robert f. kennedy jr. starts his first rounds monday. the independent turned trump ally has been heavily scrutinized for promoting disproven theories that vaccines cause autism. >> rfk jr. said let's go through and have more science and study mre to make sure that the safety and efficacy is there. and that's what president trump is saying. >> reporter: this week at the army-navy game the president-elect hobnobbed with congressional leaders alongside many of his other controversial designees. from kash patel to lead the fbi to tulsi gabbard for direction, of national intelligence. and pentagon pick pete hegseth. >> i asked him point blank, were you drunk in a bar and got up and said let's kill all the mslims? he said no. >> reporter: while some senate republicans say they're on board -- >> president trump deserves his team so he can get to

cbs's nikole killion leads off our coverage tonight with new reporting from capitol hill. evening, nikole. >> reporter: good evening, norah. sources tell cbs news at least four republican senators would likely withhold their support for pete hegseth if a confirmation vote were held today, although he and his team tell me they continue to go through the process to answer lawmakers' questions. defense secretary designate pete hegseth continued to make the rounds on capitol hill today seeking support. what is your message to senators while you're here? >> i welcome their advice. >> reporter: but top republicans are now voicing concerns about the 44-year-old former fox news host who was forced to step down as head of the nonprofit concerned veterans for america in 2016 after staffers accused him of financial mismanagement, sexual misconduct, and repeated intoxication. a lawyer for hegseth has denied the allegations. >> these allegations that have come up just in the last 12 to 14 hours are a surprise to all of us. and so yes, he does need to address those. because this was not

jericka. >> nikole killion from west palm beach. thank you so much, nikole. >>> turning now to the manhunt for the suspected murderer of unitedhealthcare ceo, brian thompson. police have new evidence in the case. however, they still don't have the weapon. cbs' shanelle kaul has the very latest. shanelle, good evening. still so many questions in this one. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, jericka. and despite police gathering over 200 images of the suspect and offering a substantial cash reward, authorities have not positively identified the person they believe carried out this vicious and targeted attack. >> these new images released by new york city police on saturday appear to show the masked gunman inside a taxi just 20 minutes after he murdered unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson. the only surveillance photos of the man's full face released by police were taken when he checked into a nearby hostile. investigators say he switched to a blue surgical mask before taking the bus to uptown manhattan wednesday morning. sources tell cbs n

nikole killion, cbs news, west palm beach, florida. >>> coming up this morning, mystery drones. what the federal government is saying about the sightings in the sky over new jersey. >>> and flight investigation. who investigators say they blame for a turbulent trip that caused serious injuries. es. big story ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance... ♪ ♪ ...at each day's start. ♪ ♪ as time went on, it was easy to see. ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪ and for adults with type 2 diabetes... ...and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine, which can be fatal. stop jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, trouble breathing, or increased ketones. jardiance may cause dehydration that can suddenly worsen kidney function and make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or weak upon standing. genital yeast infections in men and women, urinary tract infections, low blood sugar, or a rare, life threatening bacterial infection between and around the anus and

cbs's nikole killion joins us now from capitol hill with all the breaking details. ng, nikole. >> reporter: good evening norah. this is trump-backed bill was released, which means leaders have to go back to the drawing board again. tonight, a glimmer of hope. >> sometimes it takes a while to reach a consensus, but we will do the right thing tonight. >> reporter: republicans emerged from the speaker's suite after hours of closed-door negotiations. >> the tenor in the room is a collaborative one. we are making progress. >> reporter: the new bill salvages portions of the scuttled one, including a three-month extension of government funding through mid-march, more than $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in assistance for farmers, but it adds a two-year increase in the debt limit through january 2027, a key demand of president-elect donald trump, who touted success in washington, adding on truth social, "now we can make america great again very quickly, which is what the people gave us a mandate to accomplish." the post quickly retweeted by elon musk, who lobbie

cbs's nikole killion is going to lead us from capitol hill to explain all that is happening up there.d evening, nikole. all right, where does this bill stand right now? >> reporter: good evening, norah. this has put capitol hill into a tailspin. the spending bill was released 24 hours ago, and now congress says it has collapsed. tonight, chaos in congress, with vice president-elect j.d. vance on capitol hill, telling lawmakers what to do. >> well, what the president believes is we should support a clean cr so long as it contains a debt limit increase. >> reporter: it follows an intense pressure campaign on x by none other than its own ceo elon musk. the billionaire tapped to colead a commission on government efficiency posted nearly 100 times since the early morning hour. he bashed the 1500-page bill as "pork," warning, "this bill should not pass." >> elon and vivek and i are on a text chain together. they understand the situation. they said, it's not directed at you, mr. speaker. we don't like the spending. guess what, fellas? i don't, either. >> reporter: the stopgap measure would k

>> margaret: nikole killion in west palm beach, thank you. well, now to syria, where the search continues for american journalist austin tice. he vanished there more than 12 years ago, and the fbi has released this age-progression image showing what tice might look like now. meanwhile, travis timmerman, the missouri man who turned up in syria this week, was flown to jordan today, after syrian rebels handed him off to u.s. forces. while many in syria and around the world are celebrating the ousting of dictator bashar al-assad, there is concern about syria's future. cbs's imtiaz tyab is there. [gunfire] >> reporter: this is idlib, the de facto capital of hayat tahrir al sham. its fighters, syria's new rulers in waiting. in the city center, the revolutionary flag, a symbol of victory. in 2016, when bashar al-assad's regime forced a rebel retreat, many of those fighters and their families came here, already one of the country's most conservative corners. most global western powers, including the u.s., have designated hayat tahrir al sham as a ter

thank you very much nikole killion.ecord number of americans are expected to be on the move over the holidays. aaa estimates nearly 120 million people will pack the nation's airports and highways between now and new year's day. our senior transportation correspondent kris van cleave has everything you need to know about the holiday rush. ♪ on the 12th day of christmas tsa said to me ♪ >> reporter: tonight dreams of trouble-free travels dance in the heads of flyers coast-to-coast as an estimated 2.8 million deck the halls of the nation's airports. the airlines are expecting record crowds, leading to these long lines at seattle's airport starting around 3:30 this morning. >> that was definitely the busiest i have ever seen any airport. >> reporter: anne marie steinebronn missed her flight to orlando last night after getting stuck in an airport traffic jam. how frustrating is that? that you are sitting at the airport, but you can't get to the terminal? >> super frustrating, and it's like, it's just like watching the minute

>> norah: nikole killion with that new information. nikole, thank you.you plan to ship some holiday gifts, some important deadlines are quickly approaching. we've got them for you. what you need to know next. ♪ ♪ what you need to know next. ♪ ♪ it's a bit of a dinosaur. albuterol only treats your symptoms, not inflammation— a cause of asthma attacks. treating symptoms and inflammation with rescue is supported by asthma experts. finally, there's a modern way to treat symptoms and asthma attacks. airsupra is the first and only dual-action asthma rescue inhaler fda-approved to treat symptoms and help prevent asthma attacks. airsupra should not be used as a maintenance treatment for asthma. get medical help right away if your breathing doesn't improve or worsens or for serious allergic reactions, like rash, mouth or tongue swelling, trouble breathing or swallowing, or chest pain. using airsupra more than prescribed could be life-threatening. serious side effects include increased risk of thrush or infections, or heart problems like faster heart rate and high

>> norah: nikole killion with all that new information thank you very much.l, tonight, millions of americans are bracing for a blast of wintry weather, with snow moving into the upper midwest and northeast. this is time-lapse video from wisconsin. watch as i-94 fills with snow and driving conditions deteriorate in just a matter of minutes. it's not just snow, but wind and frigid temperatures are also on the way. cbs's lonnie quinn is with us now and following it all. good evening, lonnie. >> good evening, norah. there is even a chance for new york city to potentially see a couple of inches of snow tonight. this is a story, the storm that pushed through wisconsin. it is a snow maker, it sure is. it will be hitting the great lakes. it will put down snow in terms of lake effect snow, moving into the ski areas in new england and they pick up snow. how much snow? what are we talking about? look over here. the numbers are not that impressive coming to see that area and white is about an inch. but zoom in tight around watertown, new york, that big flash of pink is 6

>> norah: nikole killion with all that new information, thank you very much.l, tonight, millions of americans are bracing for a blast of wintry weather, with snow moving into the upper midwest and northeast. this is time-lapse video from wisconsin. watch as i-94 fills with snow and driving conditions deteriorate in just a matter of minutes. it's not just snow, but wind and frigid temperatures are also on the way. cbs's lonnie quinn is with us now and following it all. good evening, lonnie. >> good evening, norah. yeah, i think it is going to be the combination of snow combined with big winds. some tough days out there, the next 1-2 days. currently, right around new york city, there is some snow showers falling, and if we look at the map from high up above, the system currently not even being displayed -- okay, there we go -- it is right now going to be pushing from the great lakes into the northeast. we are seeing some of those leading snow showers currently for the northeast. it puts down a pretty good blanket of snow around the new england ski areas, but how

nikole killion, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> south korea's president has replaced his defense minister push from opposition lawmakers for his impeachment and a police investigation for insurrection. it all comes after he stunned the world on tuesday and temporarily declared military control over the country. cbs's ramy inocencio has more. >> reporter: thousands of angry south koreans marched to the office of embattled president yoon suk-yeol, chanting demands he resign, be arrested or impeached. after he uturned on his shock declaration of martial law from late tuesday night. which saw soldiers and police block access to the legislature and civilians fighting back. 35-year-old an gee reong grabbed the barrel of a soldier's rifle. "i didn't think," she said in an interview. "i just knew we had to stop this." lawmakers fought through the security cordon to vote to unanimously block the president's stunning action. >> this presidency right now looks like it's in the hands of his own party. it depends on how many of them might vote for impeachment. >> reporter: and south korea's reputation

cbs' nikole killion has the details. >> reporter: good evening.was president-elect trump's fifth time attending this historic football rivalry. while he didn't take sides, he thanked the cheering crowd. the soon-to-be commander in chief took in the game. >> we're glad to have the president-elect in the house. we may not all agree with everything but it's good he's supporting america's game. >> reporter: he was joined by vice president-elect jd vance, pete hegseth and elon musk. he invited daniel penny who was acquitted of a chokehold death on the new york subway train after a dinner with apple ceo tim cook. others courted the incoming president with cash, pledging million dollar donations to his inaugural fund. just over a month until taking office, his cabinet selections remain under scrutiny, including his health pick robert f. kennedy jr. submitted. a polio survivor warns him to steer clear >> i took the polio shot in the 1950s. p polios seems to prevent. anything good should keep. >> i don't think he'll get rid of the vaccinations just make th

as nikole killion reports, those plans include mass deportations, which could sweep up immigrants who are in this country legally with their families >>>>president elect donald trump says border security will be top on his list. following through on a campaign pledge. >>>>is it realistic to deport everyone who have no choice? first of all, they're costing us a fortune. but we're starting with the criminals, and we got to >>>>do it. in his first post-election interview on nbc's meet the press, trump said his mass deportation proposal could include families with mixed citizenship. >>>>the only way you don't break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them >>>>all back. but he's open to allowing dreamers those who came to the u.s. as children, to stay and he wants to end birthright citizenship through executive order. >>>>can you get around the 14th amendment with an executive action, a change? we'll maybe have to go back to the people, but we have to >>>>end it. the president elect also vowed not to go after political rivals like president joe biden. >>>>i'm reall

>> reporter: cbs's nikole killion asked hegseth about that today between senate meetings. >> when youe at concerned veterans for america, were you ever drunk while traveling on the job? >> not going to dignify that with a response. >> reporter: hegseth, who has been tapped to president-elect trump to overhaul the massive department of defense, was already dealing with allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a republican convention in monterey, california, in 2017. but he was never criminally charged, and alabama senator tommy tuberville, who met with him today, said it doesn't bother him. >> what i have talked to him about, what i've read and studied and been around him, i would vote for him. >> reporter: hegseth is not the only contentious picked being weighed by senate republicans. over the weekend, trump announced his choice to lead the fbi, 44-year-old kash patel. >> i would shut down the fbi hoover building on day one. >> reporter: patel held leadership roles in defense and intelligence in the first trump term, and has promised to use the fbi to go after those he says h

>> reporter: cbs's nikole killion asked hegseth about that between senate meetings. >> when you werened veterans for america, were you ever drunk while traveling on the job? >> i'm not going to dignify that with a response. >> reporter: hegseth, who has been tapped by president-elect trump to overhaul the massive department of defense, was already dealing with allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a republican convention in monterey, california in 2017. but he was never criminally charged. and alabama senator tommy tuberville, who met with him, said it doesn't bother him. >> what i've talked to him about, what i've read, what i've studied and being around him, i'll vote for him. >> reporter: hegseth is not the only contentious pick being weighed by senate republicans. over the weekend trump announced his choice to lead the fbi, 44-year-old kash patel. >> i'd shut down the fbi hoover building on day one. >> reporter: patel held leadership roles in defense and intelligence in the first trump term and has promised to use the fbi to go after those he says have targeted trump.