Holiday travelers, gave each other gridlock for christmas. Yesterday traffic at Los Angeles International airport was bumpertobumper. Off to day things moving better. Across the coast at newark International Airport in new jersey, there was a controlled chaos. I figured everybody would be in for the holidays. But, i guess this is a huge travel day. Left a lot more time to travel. Thought it would take a lot longer. Nationwide, more than 60 flights were canceled. And over 1900 delayed. Many of them in snow yeef chicago. According to flight aware, and those numbers were expected to increase. Without a doubt the travel for the year end holiday has the, has, a lot to do with airfares being lower. And airfares about 20 lower compared few last year. Robert sinclair, a spokesperson for triple a which estimates that Holiday Travel will set a record for the ninth consecutive year. We think totally linked to the economy. Folks have more money, taking advantage. Spending it taking a trip. Reporter greatest number of travelers, more than 97 million are expected to take to the roads. Where a band of Winter Weather has already created dangerous conditions from nebraska all the way to maine. Of 70 of the United States is subject to ice and snow. Be aware. Hit the roads. Slow down. If you do have to travel. Pack lightly. Drive slowly. If all else fails, play the host. And have everyone else come to you. Demarco. Of Tony Dokoupil reporting. Tony. Thank you. Lets get latest forecast from meteorologist rob ellis at our chicago affiliate, wbbm. Good evening. Good evening. The big weathermaker the one that rolled through chicago and all that its heading east. It is going to impact unfortunately new england. For christmas day. Here is better news though, it is going to be heavy rain right along the coast from new york up to boston although eventually see snow wrapping around. But this is going to add snow to the ground. For those that are traveling. Unfortunately on christmas day. One to three, just inland of new york. However the totals go up quickly for new england with 6 to 12, foot of snow or more for locations. Unfortunate leave the lakeeffect snow bands are going to have to deal with that. Loits cases have picked up, one, three, four inches of snow in the midwest. It begs the question, who gets the White Christmas . Well some of the locations you kind of expect. We have the snow on the ground in chicago. But all way over off to new england. With the system that will roll through as we head into christmas day. For a good portion of the Northern Rockies and also up into locations that may not normally see a White Christmas. Places like, seattle. Especially some of the higher especially some of the higher elevations. Unfortunately, they do have some rainshowers that will start to change over to of a little built of snow. Thats going to make for snowy travel here and parts of the rockies when you head farther to the east. That snowy travel, not just if you are concerned abumt, traveling by air, but also if you are traveling on the roadways. Once the snowy system moves out. Builter bitter cold weather moves in. Two side of President Trump. Pratzed servicemen and women stationed around the world and took to twitter and blasted the fbi deputy director. Chip reid is in florida with the president. I just wanted to wish everybody a very, very, merry christmas. From his estate in palm beach, President Trump sent Christmas Greetings by teleconference to Service Members overseas. We are grateful for each of you who spend this christmas away from your families. But he had a very different tone on twitter. Lashing out once again at deputy fbi director andrew mccabe, mccabe had a supervisory role in the Hillary Clinton email investigation and mr. Trump claims mccabe was biased in clintons favor why because in 2015 when mccabes wife was running for the virginia senate, she received a large political contribution from a pac connected to clinton friend, terry mccaulough, in his tweet, trump wrote, mccabe in addition to getting awe the money from clinton puppet, he was using allegedly fbi office email to promote her campaign. Mr. Trump provided no evidence mccabe did that. Democrats say the president s attacks are just another attempt to divert attention from special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. Into the trump campaigns contacts with russia. Cbs news has learned that mccabe has decided retire from the fbi by march. White house official, mark short was asked if it is helpful for the president to repeatedly attack top fbi officials. I think the president believes the American People have a right to know what happened with that investigation. We are told the president is still celebrating passage of the republican tax cut bill. Sources with firsthand knowledge tell cbs news, that he told a group of wealthy people at his exclusive mar a lago resort you all just got a lot richer. Demarco. Chip reid reporting. Chip, thank you. Now to the miss america email scandal more former page enlt contestants are speaking out. Resignation of the top three executives is a start. A lot more needs to be done. Your miss america 2012 is beyond the miss america celebration, seen every year on tv. , a scandal is rattling the organization. The shakeup began after the Huffington Post published parts of leaked emails thursday aperg to show a handful of miss america officials ridiculing past winners appearance intelligence and sex lives. In this one, ceo sam haskell laughed when the pageant lead writer referred to former crown holders using a crude term for womens genitalia. But after dozens of former miss americas published this open letter, calling on the Miss America Organization leadership to step down, haskell was suspended and resigned along with the organizations president , and chairwoman. Still have a lot of work to do. We would love your sta part and your encouragement. Former miss americas like mallory hagan, who haskell called a piece of trash in an e mail are applauding the move. They say more has to be done. We have to laser focus on the actual benefits of the Miss America Organization. Actor writer, skate shindell won miss am k was derided by haskell in a leaked e mail. Where should the organization go from here. If we expect the public to believe miss americas are among the brightest, most intelligent, most educate the, most passionate, talented you name it young women in the country then we are to start treating them like every single minute. The cbs overnight news will be right back. That cough doesnt sound so good. Well i think you sound great. Move over. Easy booger man. Take mucinex dm. Itll take care of your cough. Fine ill text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. One pill lasts 12 hours, so. Looks like im good all night. Ah david, please, listen. Still not coughing. Not fair you guys waffles are my favorite ah why take 4hour cough medicine . Just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. It says you apply the blue one ok, letto me. This. Here . No. Have a little fun together, or a lot. Ky yours and mine. Two sensations that work together, so you can play together. Acts of kindness will be exchanged. They can have an impact on some one elses life and your own. Lee cowen shows us why in a story for sunday morning. Hark the herald wonderful thing about it is a wonderful life, the final few minutes. With George Bailey after a lifetime of doling out kindness, finally gets it all back. In full measure. To my big brother george. The richest man in town. Kindness rarely parades into your living room after all. But it can appear in places you dont really expect. All the trees were here. And there was some, in the back. For tracy bild, the parking lot of the dairy queen. 30 years ago tonight. Off awe my mom loves christmas. We were very much about christmas. We didnt have money for a Christmas Tree. That was the reality. Yes, on that Christmas Eve here in urbana, ohio, there is no tree, no presents, no money. Except for the few joins she and her brother scrounged out of the couch cushions. How much did you come up with . Wasnt much. Quarters, dimes. Probably a dollar. Nonetheless, they took their meager offering to the only tree lot in town. At the dairy queen. Run by a round faced man, nicknamed joe. Joe had win a marine. An ohio state trooper. Although, pretty stern faced in the photos. On that night. Seemed to tracy as soft as new fallen snow. You know the thought of my children, guys. Go this way. Walking a couple miles. In hopes of finding on Christmas Eve, a Christmas Tree to. Take home to their mom. I can imagine that must have touched his heart. Touched indeed. He not only gave him the tree. He gave them his biggest and best. No questions asked. It was about, the magic of christmas. Of, human kindness. And, and, somebody doing something for us. We did not expect someone to do. Not expecting it what makes kindness so special. Yet as unexpected as it is. We still crave kindness. Which may well be because, researches shows being kind is a natural part of the human condition. Jen itically, wired to be kindness. Our deepest identity. David hamilton, a former chemist from scotland. Its unhealthy. Not being kind, we feel separate, disconnected. Unhappy. And some things. And, some of it. He made a career, lecturing, writing how kindness isnt something we do. Or something we feel. It is something our bodies, actually need. Being kind because it makes you feel warm and connected. Changes the internal, biochemistry of your body. There is a physical effect. Physical effect. The opposite of strels. Really. There is a hormone that is produced every time we do something kind. It is the can iness hormone. One thing it does. It softens the walls of the arteries. Almost. Funny. Like, like a, as you become softer towards people, so you softer on the inside actually. Softens the walls of the arteries. When that happens. The heart doesnt have to push as hard to get the blood through. Blood pressure drops. You can get that healthy effect by doing nothing more than offering a smile. So doesnt have to be some, some, some grand gesture. Right . Its, it is the consistency of doing small things that thatter more than doing one grand gesture. Elizabeth Higgins Clark and her feeian stay found that out. When i gave when they set out to do one small act of kindness every day. For an entire year. What was the reaction . Well, a lot of our friend made fun of us. Correct. A lot of our friend made fun of us. Hoping to inspire others they posted their efforts on social media under the keepamka kind. They filled expired parking meters with coins. Sent pizzas to sheriffs departments. Little built here. Little bit here. And baked cookies for strangers. Construction workers. Construction workers. Crossing guards. Ups drivers. Anyone we could think of. When they ran out of their idea. They would seek tout nonproch its. Lying big sunday in los angeles. The day we visit theyd were making care packages for the homeless. They found, after 365 days of doing small acts like this that kindness was like a muscle. If it went unused it would atrophy, the urge to be kind would go away. Once you keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Build it up. An, and, it changes. Like a workout. The it is. The more you do it. The more comfortable you are. The better you are at it. Which would seem to suggest the earlier you start being kind the better. My job is to figure a we to go into a school and make kindness cool. Of and be brave yeah everybody is going to be kind . Yes. Everybody say change the world. Brian williams the founder of think kindness. The program he deviled up for schools to teach kids no kind act is too smault. I want to make sure i get to know you guys. Super is important that we start kids early to strain them. See, look. Every day you have hand opportunity to make a difference in the world. But of it is up to you, whether you will take action. Of at the elementary in reno, nevada. Awe off the person next to you. You can change the world. You can change the world. Person behind you you. Can change the world. He was recruiting what heel calls, do good deeds. Writing the teacher you are awesome. Keep if the up. Delivering that kind message. No one ever notices or that any the idea. When we see the acts of kindness. Reinforces our fwref. Like our world its awesome. People are awesome. We can all band together and make a difference. He works with of students at the nearby middle school where messages of kindness, respect, and are everywhere you turn. They organize campaign thalts students say have changed the schools culture. Make comments and stuff. That simple to be kind. Not something you tar going to go into classroom ate month. And the whole school its kind. It is going to take convincing for the kids who dont want to do it. Noesh nee nobody needs to convince tracy about kindness. And every Christmas Tree. Remind her. She comes to visit him, though he is long gone now. His name was Gerald Woodruff pitch the way. She kept in touch with judd any kids. Hi. How are you. Awe off i know. Iffage in all of the christmass that have come and gone. Just want to thank you for your dad. Yet here they were. Decade later. Talking about an act of kindness, their dad had done. That still retz nats. One act of kindness. How it grows. You never know. Never, thank you. Never. Just, he loved people. And just, just, wemt right in and helped. Yeah. Which gets us back to George Bailey. That hollywood ending did prove one thing kindness begets kindness. It is conday juls. Atta boy, clarence. Did you think about doing kind things a lot. No, i dont need to do that. Stupid. Why did we do that . Just do it. Sometimes a cough gets in the way of a good nights sleep. Thats when he needs vicks vaporub. Proven cough medicine. With 8 hours of vapors. So he can sleep. Vicks vaporub. Goodnight coughs. Recovering something lost. As something as important as the sound track of your life. Steve hartman on the road. Welcome to portland oregon. Steve goodman would like to play one of his songs for you. You have no idea how much he would look to play one of his songs for you. Its not the pianos fault. You know how to do this. It is the thing in my brain. I play something else. 3 years ago, steve was diagnosed with alzheimers. He had to give up his job as software designer. As we first reported a few months ago his wife joanie says the cruelest part is the toll it has taken on the music he composed. Losing the songs, would be, like losing him. Steve and joanie have been married 47 years. Along the way steve composed more than two dozen songs. Mostly for her. He played them daily. He never wrote them down. When his memory started failing. And song started fading. There was no we to get them back. Until, a family friend. Professional pianist offered to launch a rescue mission. If he can play through it. Even in pieces, i can learn it. And so for the past two years, they only has been reconstruction compositions, note by note. Downbeat. Yes, one downbeat. We are rolling. Of course theyre recording the songs never to be lost again. I realize there was a part of him that wasnt going to fade away. But this may be the best part. With naomis help. Steve was able to write a new song. Although he now forgets conversations and cannot add single digit numbers. Somehow is his mind dreamed up this. After the story they first aired. The cd was discovered by billboard. Screen writers want to make hey movie. Probably the biggest thrill, the repertory singers, performed his song, melancholy, florida. Alzheimers steals a lot. This scored one for the beauty left behind. Steve hartman in portland, oregon. The cbs yoifrz will be right back. We end with a unique christmas story. A California Family and their struggle to maintain a tradition that spanned three decades. Here is mireya villarreal. Joe and gina bought this scotch pine. In 1983 it was so small it could hold one string of lights. When the holiday was over out it went not to the trash or recycling bin but to a near round home in the yard. Its got its own shape and character. Still growing. A few years later, joe and gina had two little woiz who grew to love Christmas Morning around their tiny tree. Now, 27 and 31, it is the only Christmas Tree michael and joseph have ever known. Of if someone is traditional great. But it is really what the tree represents. Lick people. It has the good years, bad years. But you know when we thought it wasnt going to make it. They were all like. What if we cant get rid of this tree, dad. This is ow our tree. While it looks more like a christmas bush. With of a little it continues to thrive. Enjoy trimming it. Spend time. And how are you doing . Dont worry. A tree talker. Yeah, a tree talker now. He repotted the tree four times. And survived a fire. The homes front door had to be doubled in size so the nearly 300pound tree can be rolled in. I mean there is no perfect life. There is no perfect tree. We like it that way. And, the ornaments that we put on it, are not perfectly put in the perfect spot. But they mean something to us. The tree is a time capsule of their lives. It was here when ginas parents were alive and shared the holidays with them. It was here when mike cam was diagnosed with leukemia at 13. And five years later when he went into remission. Family member. Time for you now. Okay. Taken care of youve the whole year. Now it is your turn. Show time. Definitely represents tradition. Brings back memories. It will finn off to be here as the family makes new memories. Afterall, the skochl pine could well be around for another 100 years. So many people that have touched this. Our lives and part of that tree. We are getting older. And, and the tree is getting older with us. And, you know growing with us. Mireya villarreal, los angeles. Thats the overnight news for this monday. From the cbs Broadcast Center in new york city, im demarco morgan. Merry christmas its monday, december 25th, 2017. Merry christmas. This is the cbs morning news. Pope francis uses this christmas to remember those forced to flee their homes. It will be a White Christmas for millions in the northeast. The snow comes at a cost, difficult travel conditions. President trump attends Midnight Mass after taking a shot at the fbis deputy director. Good morning from the studio 57