the high seas. cbs news, joins the patrol as homeland security works the waters. >> reporter: this is one of the dozens of motorized vessels that they use to track down the drug runners. >> evans: plus, making a comeback-- low tech in high demand. ♪ ♪ ♪ and later, giving back. the atlanta rapper taking mom's advice and helping kids in need. >> this is the "cbs weekend news." >> evans: good evening, i'm carter evans. adriana diaz is off. tonight, new cases of the covid variant omicron are cropping up around the world. britain, belgium, the czech republic, germ me, italy, israel and hong kong all with confirmed cases, botswana reported at least four. the u.k. reimposes mask mandates as prime minister boris johnson has this warning today: >> it does appear that omicron spreads very rapidly, and can be spread between people who are double vaccinated. >> evans: cbs' debora patta is in johannesburg, south africa, where omicron was first discovered. >> reporter: the discovery of the new variant has sent a chill across the globe, and scientists are understandably worried. omicron has over 30 mutations, which could make it more transmissible and vaccine resistant, and many countries have rushed to slap travel bans against south africa. but public experts, bike epidemiologist salim abdool karim, warn that the virus is probably already in many countries. >> stopping travel from one country, or even a small group of countries, very soon becomes superfluous. it's really not the solution. >> reporter: international travelers have been left stranded as the u.s. joins countries in europe and asia in closing their doors to south africa, suspending air links and hay intng ne quarantine rules. >> i have to quarantine in a hotel on my cost for 10 days. i don't have the money. i don't have the 2,000 pounds to quarantine in the hotel. >> reporter: it's another blow for south africa's tourism industry, which has already been decimated by more than 18 months of the pandemic. in a strongly worded statement, south africa's foreign ministry criticized the travel bans, saying excellent science should be applauded, not punished, and that the country was being penalized for its ability to detect variant quickly. carter. >> evans: debora patta in south africa for us tonight. thank you. well, new york governor kathy hochul declared a state of emergency today in the face of the new covid variant, telling new yorkers it's coming. cbs' michael george examines how health officials around the country are racing to prepare for this latest threat. michael. >> reporter: well, carter, doctors nationwide are keeping a close eye on this new variant. and while efforts are being made to contain it, they're also preparing for the possibility it could be he were soon. as millions of americans travel this holiday weekend,s u.s. officials hope to keep omicron out by restricting travel from several southern african nations. some travelers say the new variant doesn't concern them yet. >> i like to travel, so i'll just have to see. >> you know, it seems normal now. >> reporter: cbs news chief medical correspondent dr. jon lapook says these new travel restrictions might slow but likely won't stop the spread of omicron. >> it wouldn't be at all surprising if this variant were already in the united states, and people shouldn't panic if that happens. >> reporter: the new variant appears to be highly transmissible, but there's still much that we don't know. >> we've seen that the vaccines are effective against delta and other variants. can we say yet whether or not it's effective against omicron? >> reporter: we don't know yet how effective the existing vaccines are against omicron. but theoretically, they should have protection. even if the vaccine were not originally designed for this variant, it's likely there w got it. >> reporter: johnson & johnson and pfizer are already testing whether their vaccines work on omicron. and manufacturers say they have plans to adapt their vaccines if necessary. for now, dr. lapook says to keep doing what medical experts say already works. >> get vaccinated. get boostered, if you're eligible, and do all the other mitigation things like social distancing, wearing a mask, testing. >> reporter: and this all comes as the nation is still struggling against delta. cases are up in many parts of the country, and there are concerns we could see a holiday surge. carter. >> evans: michael, thank you. president biden is closely following developments on all of this as he closes out his holiday weekend in nantucket, massachusetts. cbs' weijia jiang is traveling with the president.arood ening you. houssay prt ia briefing today about the latest with the omicron variant, and that he is in regular touch with health officials from around the world. today, president biden also went to church with his family here in nantucket, and did a little holiday shopping to try to highlight small-business saturday. now, many of these stores around the country are struggling to stay afloat amid supply chain and inflation issues that are driving up costs. of course, the omicron strain brings another financial challenge with the stocks taking a dramatic tumble yesterday. the president, though, said he is not worried at all about the markets, focusing on keeping the new variant at bay instead. today, dr. anthony fauci, the president's chief medical adviser, agreed that the variant is probably already here. in the u.s. in countries like israel and belgium, but he says blocking toes stfrom certain couriesbu aner j how dangerous omicron really is. carter. >> evans: thanks, weijia. and tomorrow on "face the nation," margaret brennan's guests include dr. anthony fauci. former f.d.a. commissioner dr. scott gottlieb. and amazon worldwide consumer c.e.o. dave clark. well, millions of americans are facing wintry weather as they head home after the long thanksgiving weekend. in the pacific northwest, pounded by heavy rain for a week now, could see several more inches in the days ahead. heading east, a fast-moving system is expected to bring snow around the great lakes, and the plows are already out in buffalo, new york, as lake effect snow falls across the region. shoppers turned out in large numbers on black friday, but so did smash-and-grab thieves. organized groups storming stores and taking off with arms full of merchandise. they've hit california retailers especially hard, and cbs' lilia luciano is in los angeles with the latest. lilia. >> reporter: well, carter, it's been a busy small-business saturday, but l.a.p.d. is bracing for what could be another night of those smash-and-grab robberies. eager shoppers are filling the streets of los angeles, crossing off items on gift lists to work around shortages and shipping delays. any particular deals you're looking for around this area? >> um, just some cool pieces. >> reporter: millions of americans braved the crowds at shopping malls nationwide, spending almost $3 billion in stores, a jump of 21% from black friday 2020. after a year of barely surviving, small-business owners are hoping for some of those customers to come their way. >> you know who the money is going to, and you know where your products are coming from. >> reporter: despite a spike in sales, big retailers are facing a smash-and-grab crime spree in cities from san francisco to chicago to new york. ( bleep ) in l.a. county, thieves stormed a home depot store, stealing sledgehammers and crow bars. >> it was crazy. it was crazy. >> reporter: another smash-and-grab crew in los angeles hit a high-end designer store, prompting police to go on an all-hands-on-deck tactical alert. but it's not keeping shoppers away. >> i'm not concerned, personally. i'm more concerned for people that work in the stores. it seems really frightening, but hopefully i see more security walking around, so hopefully people will be okay. >> reporter: the rash of robberies has now turned deadly. a security guard that was protecting a news crew in san francisco that was covering the crime spree died today. the former police officer was shot on wednesday when the gunman tried to steal a news camera. of course, that hits close to home for all of us. carter. >> evans: sad news. lilia, thank you. and straight ahead on the "cbs weekend news," chasing down drug runners on the high seas. we'll take you along. hitting the "return" key as locked down writers go old school. and later, a rising rap star pays it forward. >> evans: the coast guard unloaded a huge haul in florida this week, more than half a billion dollars' worth of cocaine. with the caribbean becoming a popular drug corridor, the coast guard is increasing controls to chase down trashers at sea. cbs' jeff pegues joined the high-speed hunt. >> reporter: this 26,000-pound cocaine haul has a street value of more than half a billion dollars. seized during multiple operations in the pacific oc ocean,s where increased patrols are forcing drug smugglers to look for other routes, beyond the pacific to the u.s. tony salisbury leads homeland security investigations in miami. are they looking for weak spots in law enforcement? >> the drug trafficking organizations, the cartels, they're always looking for the easiest point of drespp. >> reporter: the vast waters and islands of the caribbean are now ground zero. in the past three years, cocaine seizures in the area have more than tripled. to intercept drug boats, armed teams train relentlessly. we're off the coast of mimeo a u.s. coast guard small boat. this is one of dozens of motorized vessels that they use to track down the drug runners. members of the coast guard drill how to board boats and subs with drugs and guns. the most dangerous seizures involve the coast guard tactical law enforcement team. >> it's very dangerous. >> reporter: frank florio commands one of the units. >> we'll chase them either until they break down or where our guys are actually shooting from a helicopter to disable their engines only. >> reporter: with mexican drug lord sandra guzman in a u.s. prison, u.s. prosecutors say venezuela's cartel of the son, which salisbury says is protected by the government, is now a major player. >> you're talking about unfettered access to collect, put dope-- put cocaine on a-- on a boat, and then start launching it into the caribbean. the venezuelans are laundering enough money to make sandra guzman and the mexican cartels blush. >> reporter: much of the seized cocaine ends up here in a heavily secured secret location. so how many bricks of cocaine? >> there are about 800 bricks of cocaine. this weight you have about $42 million worth of street value in cocaine. >> reporter: salisbury watching from his high-tech command center. what are they looking at on the screens. >> air traffic, boat traffic on the florida straits. straits. >> reporter: ever shifting to supply america's seemingly insatiable demand for illegal drugs. jeff pegues, cbs news, off the florida coast. >> evans: and still ahead on the "cbs weekend news," a man released after serving 43 years for a crime he did not commit. he light up christmas with joy. >> evans: a new fountain of lava this weekend from that volcano on the spanish island of la palma. the fast-moving lava flow took out several homes and businesses in its path. more than 2,000 structures on the island have already been destroyed since the volcano first became active two months ago, forcing some 7,000 people to evacuate. well, the afghan girl made famous in a 1985 "national geographic" cover photo has been evacuated to safety in rome, three months after the taliban takeover. sharbat gula was a 12-year-old orphan when this photo was taken. italy's prime minister personally granted her refugee status to escape afghanistan's new regime. well, here in the u.s., tributes to composer stephen sondheim are pouring in. fans are leaving flowers and notes outside the new york theater bearing his name. broadway stars, including patti lupone, paid tribute from the stage last night. the 91-year-old sondheim died friday shortly after entertaining friends at thanksgiving dinner. a big honor for a kansas man recently released from prison after serving 43 years for a triple murder he did not commit. kevin strickland participated in a local tradition, by lighting up his home town christmas tree. with no restitution from the state of missouri, online donors have raised well over $1 million for him. and next on the "cbs weekend news," are you tired of your tablet? well, it's one reason why the typewriter is clacking back. >> evans: the covid lockdowns and remote work led to online overload, and for some it sparked a longing for a little old-school tech. today's "weekend journal" comes from our boston station. here's wbz's david wade. >> reporter: at first glance, it is a graveyard-- keys and ribbons, space bars and knobs, a mound of machines. >> probably 400, 500. >> reporter: ...with stories written and forgotten years ago. >> this is all i need. >> reporter: but tom furrier has fought to keep the typewriter alive for decades. >> at the end of the very first day, a voice in my head said, this is it. >> reporter: that first day at cambridge typewriter was 41 years ago. he's gone from young apprentice to owner as the world went from typewriter to tablet. >> the business was decimated. >> reporter: was there a time where you thought the business was just done? >> i was weeks away from telling my landlord that that's it. i'm cashing out and closing down. >> reporter: but over the past two decades, typewriters became vintage, vintage became cool, and then, the pandemic hit. >> my phone started ringing off the hook. >> reporter: when the lockdown began, tom decided he was going to start selling his typewriters curbside, so people would literally window-shop, coming up to the window, pointing at the typewriter they would want to try, and then tom says they would come outside to this bench to see if that typewriter was just their type. >> we are the busiest we have ever been in 41 years. >> reporter: in a time of doom and zoom, customers tell tom they want something simple. >> i'm sick of my laptop. i'm throwing it away. quick. sell me a typewriter. for real. >> i had more time at home. >> reporter: 15-year-old abbigail geffken is an aspiring writer. she started her own newsletter during the pandemic. >> can i try that one? >> reporter: she's one of tom's frequent visitors. >> i think the really cool thing about the typewriters is you feel kind of connected to the people who have used it in the past. and then, of course, there's the clickety-clack everybody loves. >> reporter: computers crushed the typewriter, a pandemic has brought them. back. and tom furrier is busier than ever, happily refusing to turn the page. >> my wife my find me with a spring hook and a screwdriver in m hand slumped over a typewriter some day, and that will be it. >> reporter: david wade, cbs news, arlington, massachusetts. >> evans: and when we return, the rap star honoring his mother and his roots by giving back in a big way. >> evans: and finally tonight, the 28-year-old grammy-nominated rapper known as gunna, goes back to school in atlanta to give back to students in need. he's cbs' mark strassmann. >> reporter: atlanta's mcnair middle school teaches about struggle. lots of kids come from single-parent homes. they're old enough to realize what families like theirs live without. >> they're mad. and they're not mad at us. they're just mad at the situation that they just left. >> reporter: principal john madden told us every student here qualifies for free or assisted meals. you have a number of families barely hanging on? >> we have over 900 students, and over 900 struggles. we have to deal with that. >> reporter: right next to the gym, this space softens the stress. it opened this fall, gunna's drip closet, stocked with groceries, snacks, new sneakers and clothes, all free. >> i have heard it gone through my children. i have heard of gunna. i did hear of gunna. >> reporter: kids will keep you connected. >> almost definitely. yes. you have to stay connected in middle school. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: gunna is a grammy-nominated atlanta rapper. when his mother told him, "never forget where you come from," he listened. >> i was a cool kid. >> reporter: oh, you were. >> right. >> reporter: that cool kid was born sergio kitchens, and eventually went to mcnair middle school. do you see yourself in some of these kids? >> most definitely. >> reporter: gunna is now 28, but he tricked out this store as though he was 14 again. >> everything that's in here, all of these are, like, some of my go-toes. >> reporter: everything in here restocked weekly. he pays for all of it. >> put my whole grocery store. clothes, shoes. >> reporter: you've got jeans. you've got sneakers in there. why was that important to you? >> that was stuff i wanted when i was a ked, like, i knew i couldn't go to my mom and ask for. >> reporter: but mcnair's kids and parents can go to gunna's closet. >> they're provided a bag, and whatever they fit in the bag is theirs. >> reporter: they go home with. >> they gohome with. >> reporter: for free. like jasmine king's two girls. janilla, a sixth grader. >> they have the vans. >> reporter: this was her family's second trip to the closet. groceries for their table, clothes on her daughters. >> this is my favorite color. >> reporter: what kind of a difference did that make for you? >> when i walked into the store, to know that i had that burden lifted. >> reporter: for a couple of weeks. >> right. >> reporter: you could breathe easier. >> yes, you're absolutely right. >> reporter: gunna's goal all along. what are you getting out of this? >> this is what you say you are going to do, me being a man of my word, me just being solid. that's what i did it for. >> reporter: gunna's drip closet also offers free life lessons: live up to your promises, and listen to your mother. mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. >> evans: and that's the "cbs weekend news" for this saturday. later on cbs, "48 hours." i'm carter evans in los angeles. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access roup at wgbh live from the cbs bay area studios this is kpix 5 news. the death of a security guard shot on the job sending shock waves through law enforcement and bay area tv news. this is a man who cared so much about our safety. he drove an hour out of his way to make sure i made it hope. >> the entire tv market is feeling the loss. we remember the former police officer and family man who dedicated his life to protecting others. plus new video of the moment chaos erupted at a local high school football game. the shooting in a parking lot that sent players and fans running for cover. >> the community helps to keep us alive. there's definitely after effects of last year. >> today is the day to lift up small business. how one peninsula community is showing its support. good evening, i'm brian, jewels is off tonight. we are saddened to share that a security guard who regularly worked at kpix 5 and with other bay area tv news crews has died. kevin was shot while guarding a crew from cron 4 in oakland earlier this week. max joins us in the stud wroa. and max, it's obviously a shock to everybody who worked with him. >> loved ones say he was a joyous, fun loving, hard working individual with an infectious life. he meant a lot to the bay area news community as well. when reporters and photographers went out with him on stories, they always felt like they were in great hands. >> kevin made a difference in a lot of people's lives. as a police officer, as a security guard, as a family man, and a a friend. he dedicated his life to the safety and well being of others, including the team here at kpix 5 and other bay area news crews. >> he was part of our news family. and the loss is just tremendous. >> it hurts to say was. he was the kindest