In burlington vermont for Donald Trumps latest campaign rally. He continues to hammer rival ted canada. He said he should go before a judge to determine if hes qualified to be president. Reporter ted cruz has argued nine cases before the United States supreme court, and was champion. None of that has prepared him for the birther debate now raging with donald trump. Or for trumps unsolicited legal advice. I dont like the issue. I dont like bringing it up. Reporter against all evidence, donald trump claims an aversion to birtherism. I like him and he likes me. Reporter but for cruz, born in canada to an american mother, the issue is an unwelcome, the real estate mogul offered cruz some legal advice. Go to the federal court to ask for a declaratory judgment. As a legal matter, its straightforward. I would note its occurred many times in history. John mccain was born in panama, but he was a natural born citizen. Reporter but mccain, a frequent opponent of cruz in the senate, offered no help. Thats different from being born on foreign soil. So i think there is a question. I am not a constitutional scholar on that, but i think its worth looking into. Reporter in new hampshire, jeb bush called the issue phony. This is donald trump trying to put everybody into his own reality tv show. Im not going to play it. Reporter and rand paul says one thing is for certain hes qualified and eligible canada. Reporter cruz is in the middle of a weeklong bus tour of iowa. Cruzs strategy is simple, harvest votes whenever and at whatever quantities he can. The population here is about 7,000. Four years ago, charlie, Rick Santorum carried this county with 101 votes. Back in washington, Vice President joe biden says he still thinks about what might have been. Bqden decided not to run for president because his heart wasnt in it. Now he says i regret it every day. Julianna goldman has the story. Reporter the Vice President did a r rnd of interviews to talk about president obamas executive actions on gun control, but just months after announcing he wouldnt challenge nomination, the Vice President made clear its still something he thinks about daily. Was the right decision for my family and me. Reporter in an interview with wvit, Vice President joe biden conceded he still is conflicted about his decision not to run for president. I plan on staying deeply involved. Weve got two good candidates. Theres a real robust debate between hillary and bernie. Reporter bidens remarks come nearly three months after announcing he would not run for president. I believe were out of time, the time necessary to mount a Winning Campaign for the nomination. Reporter the Vice President always said it was the grief over t death of his son, bo, from brain cancer that made the decision so difficult. I went out to denver and landed at a military base and met a whole group of military families. And a guy in the back yells, major bo biden, served with him all of a sudden, i lost it. Reporter days after he announced he wouldnt seek the white house, he said how his son felt about him running. Some people have written that, you know, bo on his deathbed said dad, youve got to run and there was this hollywood moment. Nothing like that ever, ever happened. As a matter of fact, it was the almost the opposite at that point. It was almost, dad, youve got to stay strong, because the family is going to look to you, dad. Winter has finally arrived on the east coast, and thats good news for ski resorts. The region still does not have much fresh powder. But at least its cold enougug to make snow. Runs. Reporter these are the days i really hate my job. Shawnee mountain was covered with snow by thanksgiving the past two years. But now because of this heat wave weve been going through in december, theyve had a hard time getting people on the slopes until january. Skiers are rejoicing. For this group of joyful skiers, you can mark january 6th as the best day of the year. Thats because snow has finally arrived on the poconos shawnee mountain. Well, not real snow, but a machine made blend of water and compressed air thats now covering a third of the slopes thanks to frigid temperatates. Were anxious to get the season started. Reporter jim tust is a managing partner and in his 35year career here there hasnt been a season quite like this. From a cabin named hope, he looked toward the brighter and colder future this winter and his machines could deliver. It has t t feel good to look out and see these machines blowing snow. Its terrific. I live close by and i can hear i know just from experience when its really making good snow. Were optimistic. Three quarters of the season lies ahead, so were looking forward to a good january and february. Reporter but december disappointed just about every ski resort in the northeast where the number of usable trails is only 43 . Compare that to 99 thats skiable out west. This is footage of my family skiing in wyoming a few weeks ago, where the snow was over 11 feet deep. You can blame this boom or bust season on the el nino weather pattern, which kept temperatures high and dry in the east. This lateseason freeze hasnt only held up those eager to hit the slopes, but nearly every local business connected to the ski economy. Its not close to what it was last year. Reporter she works at the starting gate Action Sports compared to a year ago. And for those resort employees as seasonal as the snow, its been no vacation. The pastits took a toll on us. Reporter she went more than a month without pay. What is it like for you when you havent gotten thatphone call and january comes around . What its hike for me, its just hard. Im not used to starting this late in the season. Its hard and theres bills to be paid. Thats the one that hurts the most, having to tell people, gee, we just dont have work yet. Reporter but jim tuss sees an opportunity for crowds looking to make up for lost time. Calling in sick to school. I hope thats okay. Take a snow day. Its all right with me. Are offering online incentives to convince people that even though it has. Been snowing, it doesnt 2450 mean you cant come skiing. The cbs overnight news will be right back. Im alex trebek. If youre age 50 to 85, this is an important message. So please, write down the number on your screen. The lock i want to talk to you about isnt the one on your door. Its a rate lock for your Life Insurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. But be careful. Many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the Colonial Penn program. Call this number to learn more. This plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income Life Insurance thats simple to get. Coverage options for just 9. 95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. Act now and your rate will be locked in for life. It will never increase. Your coverage can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, and your acceptance is guaranteed,d, with no health questions. You cannot be turned down because of your health. Call for your information kit and gift. Both are free, with no obligation. Dont wait, call this number now. [cough, cough] mike . Janet . Cough if you can hear me. Dont even think about it. I took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. He has that dry scratchy thing going on. Guess what . It works on his cough too. Cough guess what . It works on his cough too. What . Stop dont pull me spoiler alert she doesnt make it only mucinex dm relieves bothwet and dry coughs for 12 hours with two medicines in one pill. Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. When you think of mens fashion, you probably think of suits, ties, a nice leathth jacket. But as jamie wax reports, the Fastest Growing trend in mens wear is the festive sock. Revolution afoot. Wow these are great. Reporter a revolution deep in the sole of mens fashion. We just want to see your socks. A revolution in socks. Oh, wow banana socks. Socks are really easy fix to spice up your wardrobe. I really love the gown. Reporter brad goreski is seen. Has it surprised even you that socks have become such a big thing . It has, actually. In terms of this trend specifically, its kind of like the gateway drug to mens fashion. Anything that gives guys the courage to want to be more daring in their fashion choices, thats a really cool thing. Reporter one man driving the sock revolution is the always dapper dwyane wade. You think about socks and the thats all i used to have. Wade, fadeaway. Reporter the 11time allstar has his own line of fashion socks that he helps design. This is an accessory for men that we can have a cool moment underneath our pants or on our feet that we feel a little extra about our outfit. When youre able to spend 14, 15 on socks different from a watch. Reporter wades socks are created for the California Based Company stance. So this is the house that socks yes. Reporter which john wilson helped found after surveying the bland landscape below mens knees. The category itself was asleep. Reporter literally white space. White and black space. Reporter he filled that patterns. They made mismatched pairs a marketing tool. They went for fun and quirky and introduced a line for those looking to step into a galaxy and then there is basketball. On the court, where shoes have always been king, stance wants fans to see beyond or underneath the sneaker. It is literally a game changer. Reporter as of this season, stance is the official sock su prior to the nba. And though the details arent public, stance will have its logo on all the shins in basketball. How much has the nba deal represented to you as a company in terms of sales . Its been a huge contributor of growth, and its a good chunk of our overall revenue. Thats the kind of deal that you want. Reporter the sock market is a multibillion dollar business. Worldwide. So entrepreneurs are dipping their toes in. I think not a lot of people wake up on a certain morning and say, im going to refresh my whole sock drawer. Collections. They only sell socks in bunlddlebundles. And they aurnlg kus urge customers to dabble in them all. You go through five or six pairs in a week, so we bundle them and sell them to customers. Reporter naturally, there are holdouts. Not everyone has gotten the wear your fancily socks memo. Which begs a question do you think this trend in mens socks is here to stay in i hope it is. I dont know. One thing about fashion is things come and go. Some things surprise you when it stays around for a long time. The cbs overnight news will be right back. As a urologist, i have performed 9,421 and a half prostate exams. So why do i do it . Because i get paid. Und. On this side of the glove so, if you are a man over 50, talk to you doctor to see if a prostate exam is right for you. If we can do it, so can you. Author mitch albom has old 35 million copies of his book. His latest work focuses on how talents once we discover what those talents are. Jim axelrod has the story. Reporter before tuesdays with mory became one of the best selling memoirs of all time and the five people you meet in heaven sold 10 million copies. Mitch alboms dreams had nothing to do with writing. I was a musician when i began and i thought thats where my talent lay. I never wrote anything. Reporter the piano player moved to new york, booked any joint he could, while he knocked on record companys doors and got them all slammed in his face. Was it painful when it didnt happen . Yeah, it was the first time in my life that all the lights hadnt turned green. Reporter failure became fuel. In large part your trajectory was set my failure. Yeah. The effort that i put in to achieve what ive been able to do in the world of writing is it took a long time before music wasnt a wound for me. Time has healed that. And i can take joy in music again. Reporter the result is his latest book, the magic strings of frankie presto. I created this character that is so pure in his musical talent that his guitar string turns blue when he changes someones life. Everyone joins a band in life. Only some of them play music. Thats the truth. We all affect one another. Reporter its as much a project as a book. For a companion cd, albom gets reallife musicians to offer their takes on frankies fictional songs. Every time he hit a note his heart was breaking. Hits i invented. These artists took the name, the lyrics, and the year the song was supposed to have come out and made a song. Essentially they remade songs that never existed. Is there a chance that some day reporter among those playing on the cd, the author and his wife. Finally, albom has an album. You can die happy. Yeah. I was already going to die happy, but i can die happier and with a soundtrack now. Thats the overnight news for this friday. For some of you the news continues. For others, check back with us later for the morning news and cbs this morning. From the Broadcast Center in new york city, im elaine quijano. Investors head for the exits and stock prices plummet. What has wall street rattled . Also tonight, a massive gas leak in Southern California. On land. Lining up for painkillers. A landmark suit against drug distributors that allegedly got them hooked. Uncle sam cooks up a menu to keep america healthy. What Government Research says you should and should not eat. If you cant pronounce it, dont eat it. And saturday night fever. Millions of americans chase the biggest Powerball Jackpot in history. Why do i play . Because i want money. This is the cbs overnight news. Retirement accounts are taking a beating this week. For the third time, the dow suffered a tripledigit loss. 392 points this time, or 2. 3 . Investors are worried that the chinese economy, second largest in the world, is slowing more letting on, and that the governments haphazard attempts to intervene in its markets and devalue its currency are giving the impression that it doesnt know how to manage the trouble. Our Senior National correspondent Anthony Mason is following all of this. Anthony . Reporter scott, it was a painful day to check your 401 k . The dow is down more than 900 points since monday, thats more than five percent. The catalyst for the selloff once again was china. The Chinese Market shut down after less than half an hour this morning after plunging 7 . It was the second shutdown this week. Investors are worried the chinese economy is slowing. Gdp growth, which hit 12 five years ago, is now below 7 . If chinas in trouble, that could mean trouble for the rest of the world. And with this chaos in the shanghai markets, there are worries the chinese dont have a handle on their own economy right now, scott. And anthony, the chinese are of crude oil in the world. And youve been looking into the impact of that. Reporter yeah. Crude, scott, hit a 12year low today. 33 a barrel. The price has fallen by nearly half just since may, when it was 60. If you drive to work, its like a huge tax break, but its pretty painful if you work in the oil industry in houston. Theres just too much supply now. And if china continues to slow, there will be less demand and gas prices could stay low for a while, scott. Anthony mason, thank you very much, anthony. The folks at dow jones told us today that the plunge this week in the 30 blue chip stocks alone represents a market value loss of nearly 260 billion. Well, ted cruz is watching his stock rise, in iowa. Major garrett took a ride with the republican frontrunner 25 days before iowans cast the first votes of campaign 2016. Reporter we rode with ted cruz on day four of a sixday bus tour of iowa and asked about trumps legal advice. This issue is a nonissue. The law is quite clear that the child of a u. S. Citizen born abroad is a naturalborn citizen. Reporter you perceive this as an attack. Donald trump says hes trying to help you. The funny thing about politics, its fairly unusual for your opponents, who are running for the same position, to be actually trying to help you. I will hear their prayer and forgive their sins, and i will heal their land. Reporter cruz has climbed to the top of the iowa polls by reaching out to evangelicals and social conservatives. In 2012, 57 of republican caucusgoers describe themselves as evangelicals. 47 said they were very conservative. But cruz says his strategy does not rely just on iowa or new hampshire, whose more moderate electorate has not been as welcoming. There are a lot of candidates in this race who have to win iowa. Candidates who have to win new hampshire. From our perspective, we dont view any one state as a must win. Were going to compete hard and try to win everywhere. Reporter cruz has taken a harder line on immigration than trump, opposing trumps willingness to allow deported immigrants to return to the u. S. Does the fact you enter illegally permanently bar you from ever entering the country legally . I dont believe that anyone who has come here illegally should be eligible for citizenship. Reporter cruz faced the reality of that policy yesterday in storm lake when he met a woman protected from deportation by Obama Administration executive actions. Cruz told the woman, under a cruz presidency, she would have to leave and he told her, scott, breaking the law creates human tagedies. Major garrett in iowa for us tonight. Major, thank you. 17 miners who were trapped for ten hours in a salt mine in lansing, new york, were rescued today. They had gotten stuck in an elevator 900 feet underground. Just a few at a time. Nobody hurt, but they were cold. The shaft was 20 degrees. Today, there was a scare in paris on the anniversary of the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine. Mark phillips is there. Reporter this time the only body lying on the streets of paris belonged to the attacker. He had approached a Police Station carrying a butchers knife and shouting the islamist militant war cry allahu akbar, god is great. Police said there were wires coming out of his jacket, as if from a suicide vest, shot him dead. An examination of the body found no bomb, but police say they did find a handwritten note claiming allegiance to isis. Jawad rabi runs a Clothing Store nearby. I was really concerned because there was a school, you know, just near the Police Station. Reporter the attacker was petty thief known to police but with no known connection to any terrorist group. He apparently acted alone