a plan to do community service. >> every week he releases dechts not danger to society and simply can't pay the fines. >> it is completely illegal. you cannot be -- put in jail due to your economic status or economic inability to pay a fine. >> the justice department agrees. it sent this letter to every court in the country, discouraging the practice by calling it unlawful. a brennan center study found 15 states have user fees which are explicitly intended to raise revenue. how much money are some of these states making from these fees? >> the state of texas makes a billion dollars a year. >> billion a year? >> in state fees. >> you have. >> he says by releasing defendants who do not have the money, he is simply following supreme court directives. aren't you advocating a slap on the wrist? that's it? >> absolutely not. >> you are crying again. >> this woman got a break. >> yes, sir. >> you know i just need to -- get back on my feet. >> but across the country, others like her are still locked up. jeff pegues, cbs news, college station, texas. >> coming up next -- new technology could prevent drunk driving deaths. and later, the music world pays tribute to george michael. (achoo!) you can pick up the flu from surfaces for up to 48 hours. it's like having a sick family member in your home. but lysol kills 99.9% of germs including 8 cold and flu viruses. to help protect your home lysol that. 2016 may go down as one of the worst years for drunk driving deaths. on average. 28 people a day have been killed in dui accidents. one bad decision can lead to a lifetime of regret. here is transportation correspondent, kris van cleave. >> it must be a moment that you think about all the time. >> constantly. >> christine alexander knows the pan of drunk driefver can cause. she was one. >> reporter: when you got in the car that night did you know how intoxicate you'd were? >> no. >> reporter: did you think you should have been driving? >> i didn't think that i was that intoxicated. i, i thought i was fine to drive. >> that night in 2004, she had blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. driving home from the bar, she crashed into her boyfriend richard hale's motorcycle. he died. she want to jail. in 2015, 10,265 people died in alcohol impaired crashes. an increase of nearly 300 from the year before. 2016 could be even deadlier. >> itch yf you are drinking don drive. >> we are seeing these increases that we have not seen in 50 years. tragic. >> why do you think the drunk driving numbers are going up? >> that's one we are trying to figure out. >> hoping this technology will reduce the number of drunk driving deaths. it uses sensors to measure a driver's blood alcohol level. if too high, the car won't start. but for christine alexander it's too late. >> every -- every waking moment you live with it. and you can't take it back. >> virginia is planning to start testing the drunk driving prevention technology next year. the system could be offered as an optional feature in new cars, by 2020. chris van sleevkris van cleave, washington. >> when we come back, we'll remember george michael, a superstar who spanned the decades. ♪ the itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout. down came the rain and clogged the gutter system creating a leak in the roof. luckily the spider recently had geico help him with homeowners insurance. water completely destroyed his swedish foam mattress. he got full replacement and now owns the sleep number bed. his sleep number setting is 25. call geico and see how much you could save on homeowners insurance. ♪ freedom >> george michael's friend elton john called him the kindest most generous soul and a brilliant artist. singer paul young said michael's voice cut straight through your heart. well, george michael died in his sleep yesterday. jim axelrod has a look back. ♪ wake me up before you go, go >> reporter: he burst onto the scene in the early 1980s waking up post disco pop music world as one half of the duo wham. ♪ i'm not planning on going solo ♪ ♪ we're never going to dance again ♪ >> reporter: with his smooth, soul fell voice, george michael wasn't going to be anything other than a headliner all on his own. ♪ we could have done this dance forever ♪ >> reporter: born 53 years ago in london, michael would go on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide. ♪ when that love comes our devotion ♪ >> reporter: starting in 1987 with "faith." ♪ because i gotta have faith >> reporter: he had eight number one hits in the united states. ♪ i want your sex >> reporter: and won two grammys. ♪ why can't you do it ♪ why can't you set your monkey free ♪ >> the glare of fame's bright lights was too bright at times. in the tabloid for drugs, duis and highly publicized arrest for soliciting sex in a public bathroom which led to his coming out. what didn't get covered was his philanthropy, much done anonymously. earnings from his 1996 number one hit "jesus to a child." were donated to a hotline for kids in need. ♪ don't let the sun go down on >> royalties from the 1991 duet with elton john of don't let the sun go down on me were earmarked to britain's leading hiv schar tee. george michael's heart apparently failed over christmas weekend at his country home in england. ♪ freedom >> reporter: his fans will miss that remarkable voice. those closest to michael say what the world has really lost is one of its kindest and gentlest souls. ♪ you got to give for what you take ♪ >> thank you so much. >> next, a young scientist took on law makers and won. wait till you see what she is up to now. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the holidays are a time to catch up with old acquaintances and some who aren't so old. chip reid spent time with a getting bigger. >> when we first met olivia mcconnell two years ago she was leading a campaign to make the woolie mammoth the state fossil. >> olivia mcconnell. [ applause ] >> reporter: now 11 she is making headlines. she and friends, rhymy simms and emily palmer have won first place in seven science fairs in a row. >> remember, you cannot touch it. >> olivia insists they're a team. but it's pretty clear who is in charge. this prize winning experiment begins with the girls swabbing e.coli on to dishes and then soak paper in solution of tobacco, place the pamer on the e.coli, put it in an oven and wait 24 hours to see if the tobacco kills the e.coli. >> you think this could be a cure? for e.coli. >> possibly could. i hope it can. >> sound like a nobel prize for science in this? >> you think what i'm thinking. >> she is a pretty remarkable young lady. >> reporter: anne jack, university of kentucky tobacco researcher says olivia has all the makings of a great scientist. >> she has ability to persevere and get it right. >> reporter: persevere may be an understatement. whose house is that? >> mine. >> reporter: last year a massive flood destroyed her family's home. and all the tobacco she had so carefully prepared. did you think your experiment was over? >> i never think that. >> reporter: you never do? >> never. i don't like to think, i can't do this, because everything is possible. >> reporter: where did you get that attitude? >> probably from my grandma and my mom. i inherited it from the girls in my family. >> reporter: earlier this year, olivia and her team, believe it or not came in second at a science fair. they say a little adversity builds character. but it's hard to imagine she need any more of that. >> i've been told that. chip reid, cbs news, lake city, south carolina. that's the "overnight news" for this tuesday. for some of you, the news continues. and for others, check back with us a little later for the morning news and cbs this morning. from the broadcast center here in new york city, i'm margaret brennan. >> announcer: this is the cbs "overnight news." welcome. i'm tony dokoupil. while most americans are making plans for the upcoming new year's weekend, millions are still struggling to get home from the christmas holiday. severe weather has taken ahold across much of the northern plains. power is out to tens of thousand. whiteout conditions forced the closure of highways, airports. that's left a lot of people stranded. we begin our coverage with susan, elizabeth littlefield of wcco in minneapolis. >> reporter: strong winds. heavy snow. are blasting across both south and north dakota. creating whiteout conditions. and some places conditions are so bad, drivers are creeping along highways, coated in ice. >> 20 miles per hour or less is about all you can do here. >> reporter: snow and ice forced north dakota highway patrol to close several hundred miles of the interstate creating a virtual no-man's land. motorists are warned they travel in some regions at their own risk. snowblowers are clearing away a foot of new snow. forecasters warn some areas could get another 6 inches. >> i think i have done more this year than since i owned the snowblower. i hand shoveled ten tons of snow. and -- it's looks like we're in for a pretty hard winter. >> reporter: wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour and freezing rain are knocking out power in both north and south dakota. in minneapolis, a driver escaped serious injury when icy conditions caused this semitruck to tip on its side. but in utah, a a motorist died when his car slipped into traffic on a snow covered highway. high wind have moved in behind a weekend of rain and snow in minnesota. blowing, drifting snow today forced two of three run ways at minneapolis-st. paul international airport to close. wind gusts here in minnesota, up to 66 miles per hour, that is just below hurricane force. now they know how to fight snow on these runways, without wind it is tough to battle. there were 200 flights canceled or delayed. i'm demarco morgan. the storms caused flight delays weren't just in minneapolis. in north dakota, blizzard conditions transformed the international airport into a frozen tundra. >> oh, you ain't making it through that. mountains of snow blocked runways. strong winds and low visibility forced airport officials to completely shut down. as the storm travels east, so did the misery. >> i don't know what is going on. don't know if i will catch a flight. >> by midday, midway airport in chicago was leading the nation in delays and cancellation. southwest passenger, juan flynn thought he was going to atlanta. >> if you can't get me out today. you can't get me out tomorrow. you don't have any other planes? >> do you always travel during the busiest time of the year? >> no. >> reporter: holiday travelers like shirley wilson took the more than 70 delays and cancellations at newark's liberty international in stride. >> just come in early. because you will never know what will happen. delays, whatnot. come in early. everything will be smooth sailing after that. >> after a bumpy start here at newark airport, traffic is now flowing smoothly. the airline industry estimates, 73,000 more passengers travel in today during the holiday season. margaret. about a 4% increase over last year. >> thank you, demarco. >> his lawyers are scrambling to separate mr. trump from his vast business empire. it may not be so easy. julianna goldman has the story. >> this week, mr. trump will spend the holidays at mar-a-lago, meeting with advisers, finalizing staff picks and working to untangle any potential conflicts of interest. but we may never know the extent of the conflicts since mr. trump has not released his tax returns. >> at christmas eve service, president-elect donald trump and wife melania were welcomed with a standing ovation. earlier in the day mr. trump announced he would shutter the donald j. trump foundation to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as president. i have decided to continue to pursue my strong interest in philanthropy in other ways. >> i give a lot of money to people, charities, and everything. i love people. >> reporter: since the campaign a series of controversies surrounding the charity. according to its tax filings from 2009 to 2014, mr. trump did not give his foundation any money. and for 2015, found addition admitted to a practice known as self-dealing. the use of schar tee fund for one's own benefit, violation of irs rules. admission came after a series of reports questioning whether foundation money was used to settle business lawsuits. the new york attorney general opened an investigation and order the foundation to stop raising money. his office says while there is no time line for the investigation, mr. trump's charity cannot legally dissolve until the investigation is complete. >> started the foundation with one goal in mind. >> mr. trump's announcement followed son eric's move to stop raising money for his own charity amid questions that donors could be seeking to curry influence. in response the president-elect tweeted isn't this a ridiculous shame. newt gingrich, one of trump's closest al lies said the president elect needs to do more. >> this is not a country that wanders around, trusting people with power. this is a country that wants accountability. >> few details emerging about unexpected death of pop superstar george michael. he passed away sunday at age 53. jim axelrod reports. ♪ wake me up before you go, go >> reporter: he burst onto the scene in the early 1980s waking up post disco pop music world as one half of the duo wham. ♪ i'm not planning on going solo ♪ ♪ we're never going to dance again ♪ >> reporter: with his smooth, soulful voice, george michael wasn't going to be anything other than a headliner all on his own. ♪ we could have done this dance forever ♪ >> reporter: born 53 years ago in london, michael would go on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide. ♪ when that love comes our devotion ♪ >> reporter: starting in 1987 with "faith." ♪ because i gotta have faith >> reporter: he had eight number one hits in the united states. ♪ i want your sex >> reporter: and won two grammys. ♪ why can't you do it ♪ why can't you set your monkey free ♪ >> the glare of fame's bright lights was too bright at times. in the tabloid for drugs, duis and highly publicized arrest for soliciting sex in a public bathroom which led to his coming out. what didn't get covered was his philanthropy, much done anonymously. earnings from his 1996 number one hit "jesus to a child." were donated to a hotline for kids in need. ♪ don't let the sun go down on >> royalties from the 1991 duet with elton john of don't let the sun go down on me were earmarked to britain's leading hiv charity. george michael's heart apparently failed over christmas weekend at his country home in england. ♪ freedom >> reporter: his fans will miss that remarkable voice. those closest to michael say what the world has really lost is one of its kindest and gentlest souls. ♪ you got to give for what you take ♪ i'm so frustrated. i just want to find a used car without getting ripped off. you could start your search at the all-new carfax.com that might help. show me the carfax. now the car you want and the history you need are easy to find. show me used trucks with one owner. pretty cool. [laughs] ah... ahem... show me the carfax. start your used car search and get free carfax reports at the all-new carfax.com. overseas, syrian government troops are now in full control of aleppo. the rebel evacuation completed last week, fighting has moved on to other areas. aleppo is still the biggest city in syria. but years of shelling reduced some neighborhood to rubble. tens of thousands were forced to flee in the past two weeks alone. one was a young girl, whose story of survival made her an internet sensation. here is holly williams. >> we have been following that little girl on twitter along with hundreds of thousand of other people who were moved by her story of survival in aleppo. she has just lost her front tooth and loves harry potter. so far so normal for a 7-year-old. except just four days ago, they escaped the nightmarish violence of aleppo. and before that, as they moved under siege, they ran a twitter account that turned her into a social media sensation. with more than 300,000 followers. >> it showed the devastation of war through a child's eyes. the terror when the syrian regime's air strikes rained down on them. eventually, they told us, destroying their home. now in turkey, she is finally safe from the bombs. and she is making plans for the future. >> what do you want to do when you grow up? >> teacher. >> you want to be a teacher like your mum? >> yes. yes. >> you are kind of famous now? did you know that? >> yes. >> how do you feel about that? >> i am happy. >> she told us what it was like as a mother. >> where we live forever together. >> raising three children in a war zone. >> you must be very strong to give your family feel that they are also strong. >> reporter: their posts on twitter posted sympathy and outrage at the plight of civilians in aleppo. syria's president, bashar al assad called it a game and propaganda and others claimed the account was somehow a fake. >> they want to blind the truth. >> the two did show the world what happened in aleppo. and made it out alive. though even a little girl's pleas for help didn't stop the carnage. >> reporter: the two told us they want to go back to aleppo soon as it is safe to do so. but after the regime retook the city, we have no idea when that might be. thousands of americans lost limbs in the wars in iraq and afghanistan. one of them is marine sergeant john peck. he has undergone a double arm transplant. and so far, so good. david martin has his story. >> this dude, sergeant john peck. what? what? listed for a double arm transplant. >> reporter: two years ago when john peck, a marine who lost all four limbs to an explosion in afghanistan in 2010, learned he might not have to rely on prosthetic arms for the rest of his life. >> these things. they suck. i've mean, they're horrible. >> this summer peck was wheeled into an operating room at brigham and women's hospital in boston for a 14 hour surgery. packed in ice chests, arms from a young man who had been declared brain dead, 36 hours earlier, were rushed in to be attached to peck's stumps. dr. simon talbot led 60 surgeons, nurses and technicians. >> is there a moment of truth in the surgeries? the moment when you know you have succeeded and attaching that arm? >> there is a fabulous moment of truth. that's when blood can flow into the hand you see it turn pink. >> here we go. look at that. >> oh, yeah. >> feel your pulse. perfect. >> it's that moment when you get butterfly and you know this arm is, actually, back on and back alive again. >> tip of the thumb. >> when peck woke up the next day he had some one else's arms. >> i feel look these things are really compressing and everything. >> before he can use them his own nerves have to grow down to his new fingertips. a slow, some times agonizing process. >> there was one night in the icu i was crying. i was in a lot of pain. even through all of the med. i contemplated calling the doctor, look, doc, i can't handle this pain. take the arms off me. >> bring your arm up. straight out in front. >> he withstood the pain with his medical team constantly checking for any sign his body may rerejecting his new arms. >> reporter: you have hey lot of hard, hard work to do? with, with -- an uncertain outcome. >> yeah. >> that's pretty daunting. >> any day my body can say nope, not having it. then go back to brigham, get my arms reamputated higher than i was before. >> feel okay. or too snug? >> too snug. >> for now the arms in braces to protect them from strain. it could be a year before he has sensation in his fingers. >> it is very different. having, having -- to kind of relearn, right. because -- you learned with the prosthetic. and you got that down. and now you got these arms back. you have got to relearn how to use them. >> reporter: two years ago when weep first met john peck he was living in a handicap accessible house. just putting food on the table was an exercise in frustration. >> see, prosthetics don't really help with this. grabbing -- come here. >> all he is trying to do here is scramble a few eggs some one else has already taken out of the shell. >> that awe how i have to open up tupperware. >> kind of a pain? >> yeah, it its. >> put your arm up. >> even with new arms he has to learn how to sit up all over again. >> you are not able to push off with your arms yet? >> no. >> but you will be? >> oh, yes. as soon as those doctors give me the okay. i will be sitting up look a pro again. >> that's the head of the bed. >> every day tasks the rest of us take for granted are now within his reach, thanks to the arms of a dead stranger. you don't know who the donor is? >> i do not. >> but his family may be watching this. >> i know. >> what would you look to tell the family? >> i am just grateful that i am going to have this opportunity to be able to hold somebody's hand again, to possibly be -- to be able to fulfill my dreams, my lifelong dreams. >> the dream even when he had no arms, is to become a celebrity chef. >> i am going to compete on next food network star. i'm going to win it. then i am going to open a restaurant. >> reporter: if he never recovers enough dexterity to slice and dice, he says, then he will just run the place. david martin in boston. >> i just want few get in the pool. >> as far as becoming a chef. sergeant peck posted this picture of himself, using both arms to make dinner on my cold medicines' wearing off. that stuff only lasts a few hours. or, take mucinex. one pill fights congestion for 12 hours. guess i won't be seeing you for a while. why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours? let's end this. disinfect with lysol bathroom toilet gtrigger... just stay in the toilet. ... and lysol power foamer. they kill 99.9% of germs. to clean and disinfect your bathroom... ...lysol that. later this evening, cbs will air the 39th annual kennedy center honor celebration. the spotlight will fall on a stage full of performers, most of whom you probably know by name. but there is one you may not know. pianist martha argorite. seth doane has her story. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: there are few people on the planet who can make a piano do this. she has a dazzling ability to pull emotion from these 88 keys. the virtuoso mesmerizes audiences, critics, just about everyone, except perhaps herself. >> it is complicated. it is not a relationship like that i love the piano. and i love to practice. and i love to play. it is not like this. >> reporter: i'm surprised. >> it's not like this. some times it is like this. ah! not always. something, i don't want to practice. i don't want to play. what is this? i don't like the sound of the piano. i prefer other instruments. i like strings a lot. offstage the unpredictable performer, revoolz reveals a personality as complex. the piano doesn't love me today. when the piano doesn't like me, i don't play it. >> but the piano is an inanimate object. >> yeah, but i don't feel it like that. >> reporter: it certainly comes alive in her hands. she calls the piano her oldest companion, but specifies, it is not always a friend. to hear you speak it sound like you are talking about a person, a relationship. >> uh-huh. well that's what it is. >> reporter: that sometimes rocky relationship has taken her from her native argentina to the world's greatest performance halls. a documentary made by one of her three daughters shows her behind the scenes. at times, anxious about playing. >> i really don't want to play, you know. >> she is nonknown to cancel concerts. and dislike doing interviews. but on the day we met in a dressing room at rome's, she was warm, endearing. >> you think it goes okay? >> yeah. >> reporter: and treated us to a little concert. later, we watched her practice with her friend antonio popano, which leads the italy's famed orchestra. which she will perform with in the u.s. next fame. she rarely does solos, because they make her lonely. >> music is wonderful. but the profession is not. now, 75, she has battled cancer two times, had three marriages, and says the piano often kept her away from her daughters. during our interview she suggested one daughter, annie join us and share her seat. >> hello. >> she does things her way. >> we had a fun life, actually. we lived in a big how that was open all the time. >> and there was always music. particularly late into the night. >> soap i would go to bed. and i could hear -- >> trying to sleep, hear your mom practicing. >> i slept. normal for me to have piano. >> reporter: all the time. >> yeah, absolutely. >> reporter: miss martha -- >> it was annie who first learned her mother was going to receive the kennedy center honor and recognition from president barack obama. >> she doesn't just play the piano, she possesses it. as a critic once wrote, "she its an ununaffected interpreter whose native language is music." >> she seems to almost shrug off such praise. would you do it differently itch y -- if you could looking back? >> i think so. >> but i didn't choose it. >> reporter: what do you mean you didn't choose it? >> i was a peachianist before i could decide that i was one, or that i was going to. i didn't choose. it's not a choice. >> reporter: not a choice, rather, a natural ability. she told us, one always wants to do something one is not doing. it is a statement that revealed the human side of a genius. seth doane, rome. ♪ >> you can catch kennedy center honor sell brags,, did you get what you wanted for christmas? steve hartman caught up with a little girl who most definitely did. >> reporter: whenever i think of the true meaning of christmas, i am always reminded of this second grade classroom outside raleigh, north carolina. it was 2011, the guy in the santa suit had given every one of the kids the exact toy they asked for in their letters. every kid that is, but bethenny arnold. who refused to ask him for a single toy. dear santa my daddy is in iraq could you bring him home for christmas. that would be the best gift of all. >> reporter: did you know you were asking for something that does kind of tough? >> yes. but it's tough to go around the world in one night. >> that's true. >> i never wanted anything more than that. >> reporter: bethenny's dad, wendall arnold was a contractor in iraq, repairing the country's electrical infrastructure. ee understand he has to stay and help people. i miss him a lot. >> reporter: last time they saw each other they exchanged the key chains. >> this is his hard. the next time i see you i will give your heart back. >> unfortunately bringing two hearts together at christmas isn't always a government priority. which is why this year, bethenny decided to appeal to a higher authority. santa. she even asked him again at school. >> santa, for christmas, i want my dad to come home. >> reporter: and that's when her wish began coming true. that's when she got her heart back. and that's when i got my reminder of what this weekend is all about. >> daddy! >> reporter: there is not a toy in the workshop that ever got this kind of reaction. >> you sure you don't want something else. >> i'm just so happy that you are home. >> reporter: not a bow big enough to wrap the joy. since this story first aired, wendall is now back home for good. he says he missed his family too much to stay away another minute. proving the only thing better than a dramatic homecoming is a family you know will always be there. steve hartman, on the road, in raleigh, north carolina. >> there is one dad that was home for christmas. and that's the "overnight news" for this tuesday. for some of you the news continues. for others check back a little bit later for the morning news. and do not miss -- cbs this morning. from the broadcast center here in new york city, i'm tony dokoupil. ♪ it's tuesday, december 27th. 2016. this is the "cbs morning news." political dustup. president obama says he could have won a third term. to that, president-elect says no way. mall chaos, fights and fireworks, and people running for safety had forced the evacuation of several malls around the country. oh, that ain't good. >> thousands of travelers are still trying to make it home roter a winter storm shut down