>> frightening to watch. >> that's it for kpix 5 news at 5:00. ♪ ♪ inaptioning sponsored by cbs >> ninan: payback time. clssian diplomats are expelled, compounds closed, as president obama slaps russia for meddling in the election. plus, new details on how the hackers did it. m so tonight, a brutal winter storm with millions in the crosshairs. after the berlin attack, new security measures are in place to keep the new year's celebrations safe. >> reporter: this room is going to be packed. >> it will be packed. >> ninan: and, debbie reynolds dies one day after carrie fisher. doctors tell us broken heart syndrome is real. >> it's often, but not always, triggered by a severe emotional stress. this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley.

>> ninan: good evening. scott is off tonight. i'm reena ninan. this is our western edition. president obama struck back at russia today for interfering with the presidential campaign. in america's strongest response yet to cyber hacking, the president is expelling 35 russians accused of posing as diplomats. he's closing two russian compounds believed to be used for spying, and he's sanctioning four of russia's top military intelligence officers. we have two reports, including how the russians did it. tirst, chip reid with the president. >> russia was engaging in malicious cyber activity intended to interfere with our election. >> reporter: and for that, white house spokesman eric schultz says, russia must pay a price. u.s. intelligence agencies say nte russians were engaged in an effort to harm hillary clinton's campaign, thereby helping the campaign of president-elect donald trump. the administration's retaliatory actions mean the 35 government officials from the russian embassy in d.c. and the russian consulate in san francisco have to leave the country within 72

hours. schultz says they cannot hide. >> well, all of their credentials will be revoked. o they won't be able to-- they'll have no protections here. they will have no diplomatic immunity here. they will be persona non grata. so they will have to leave the country. he reporter: in addition, two russian compounds believed to have been involved, one in new york and one on the eastern shore of maryland, will be closed. further, two russian intelligence agencies are being identified and sanctioned for edeir roles in the hacking, along with three companies and four individuals who allegedly assisted. and two russians have been identified as cyber criminals. the administration says one of s e men has stolen more than $100 million from u.s. onsinesses. the white house says additional hovert actions against the russians will not be announced nccause they are highly classified. on capitol hill, members of both parties have come out in support of the president's actions. republican speaker of the house paul ryan called them "overdue," and republican senators john mccain and lindsey graham say they "intend to lead the effort

in the new congress to impose ssronger sanctions on russia." a russian-- a spokesman for russian president vladimir putin reys, "there will be 'appropriate retaliation'." , for president-elect trump, he teleased a statement today saying, "it's time for our country to move on to bigger and better things." but he added that he "will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week to be updated on the facts of this situation." reena? >> ninan: chip reid, thank you. now let's turn to jeff pegues. jeff, so how did the russians do this? >> reporter: reena, u.s. intelligence services don't often release the details of their analysis, but today they did, as part of an ongoing effort to pull back the curtain on what u.s. officials believe is malicious russian cyber activity, code-named grizzly steppe. investigators believe the initial cyberattack of democratic party officials began in the summer of 2015 when the first hacking unit, dubbed a.p.t.-29, sent out a barrage of emails containing a malicious

link to over 1,000 recipients, including multiple u.s. government victims. eoce someone clicked on the link, the hackers were in the system. according to the document, the hackers successfully compromised nde u.s. political party and stole email from several coununts. about a year later, in the spring of 2016, another hacking unit called a.p.t.-28 also targeted democratic party officials, and once again, deployed malicious emails that tricked recipients into changing their passwords. according to u.s. intelligence officials, that hack likely gave russian operatives access to the information of senior democratic party officials, which was then leaked to the press and publicly disclosed. russia has denied the allegations, but a u.s. official says, "i would never expect russia to come out with their hands up and acknowledge what they did." while the public largely became

aware of the cyberattacks during the democratic national convention, u.s. officials believe that for about a decade, vissian intelligence services have been conducting cyber rapionage on a wide range of targets here in the u.s. ays. officials say that they have no reason to believe the rassians' cyberattacks will stop. reena, the other problem is, it is likely the russian hacking units hit targets that have yet to show up on u.s. investigators' radar. an ninan: jeff, thank you. well, another important story for millions tonight is the winter weather that's barreling into the northern new england areas. zaizzard conditions and a foot of snow are expected in some places. demarco morgan is in keene, new hampshire. demarco? in reporter: good evening. parts of new england are searting to see heavy snowfall. some areas could see up to two feet before it's all said and done. ore in keene we're looking at 3-4 inches, but you can see that traffic is still moving smoothly. now, on some of the roads that e nonot too far from where we are standing, drivers have

ndperienced whiteout conditions causing poor visibility for motorists. in pennsylvania, it was a messy warning commute. snow there made the driving treacherous. wod in upstate new york just outside of albany, you also had streets covered in snow, along with parking lots. but snowplow truck drivers were doing their best to keep that area clean, and kids, they also tat out and took advantage of the snowy day. but, reena, officials are saying stay inside, but if you just have to get out, be safe. >> ninan: demarco morgan, thank you very much. well, eric fisher is chief meteorologist at our cbs station in boston, wbz. eric, just how bad is this going to get? >> well, reena, this storm is a northern new england storm, so interior parts of new england seeing significant snow. and really, last winter, that barely happened. it was so warm outside, so ek wng a vacation week with new year's weekend around, it is good news for ski areas but bad news for travel. ne we're watching it overnight. coastal low becomes much stronger moving to the coastal parts of maine, bringing in some girong winds that might gust ster 70 miles per hour in

downeast maine and then bring one to two feet of snow. f r interior new hampshire and ine state of maine, that's where our highest totals are going to be by friday morning. now, a look forward into the foliday weekend for many making nsw year's eve plans, looking across the country-- weather does quiet down a little bit, st we will have some snow orowers in the northeast. our stormiest weather is going gu be along the gulf coast, rain breaking out across parts of southeast texas. new orleans will be looking at thunderstorms nearby on new year's eve. that rain spreading across the southeast as we head into new year's day. and then the big story into next week, a lot of cold air moving toto the northwest. ven ay even see record lows from washington down through the coast of california. reena? >> ninan: eric, thank you. millions are expected to brave whatever weather hits new york's times square saturday night to ring in the new year. en monday, the place to be will be pasadena, california, for the rose parade. thcurity at both will be tighter than ever. here's anna werner. >> reporter: two million people are expected to pack this space

to watch the ball drop, joined by some 7,000 new york city police officers. they'll be on rooftops, overhead in helicopters, and on the ground, screening revelers twice. at the 11 entrances to times square will be something new this year-- 65 garbage trucks filled with sand, each one weighing 40 tons. the sanitation trucks are designed to stop a terror attack, similar to those that occurred in nice, france, and berlin, germany. in those incidents, trucks were used as weapons and driven into crowds. police in california will be watching along the 5.5-mile route of the new year's day rose parade. rsere, heavy water-filled barriers will be in place at 00zens of intersections to try to protect an estimated crowd of 700,000 people. this room's going to be packed. >> it will be packed. >> reporter: chief james waters oversees counter-terrorism ntforts for the n.y.p.d. the department has said there is no specific threat regarding new

year's eve and times square. does that diminish the concern? >> no. in many respects, it raises the concerns, that we're perhaps missing something or not tuned in to something. >> reporter: so you're actually wre worried when you don't have ifspecific-- >> i have much more confidence when we're tracking the target because i have a great deal of confidence in the ability of the people here in new york city. te reporter: when i asked chief ena,rs what scenario he's most worried about, he told me, reena, it's that lone wolf attacker, the one who has been flying under the radar, but has decided that new year's eve is going to be his night to, as the chief put it, go from zero to hero. >> ninan: always a big concern. thank you so much, anna. well, 2016 has been a deadly year for america's police officers. we all remember the horror in dallas in july when five officers were shot and killed. they were among 135 officers killed this year in the line of duty, the most in five years. omar villafranca met the widow of one of the fallen in dallas.

>> the holidays were really rdrd, a lot harder than i thought that they would be. >> reporter: in july of this year, heidi smith lost her husband of 19 years, dallas police officer michael smith. he was one of the officers illed in an ambush in downtown dallas. >> i don't see any end to it. it just seems to be getting worse. >> reporter: according to the latest numbers, 64 officers were shot and killed across the country this year. this marks a 56% increase over 2015. heve officers were killed in the ambush attack in dallas. three more were killed in a similar attack in baton rouge, louisiana, just 10 days later. in total, 21 law enforcement officers were killed in ambush- style attacks across the country. frederick frazier is the head of the dallas police association and says there are simple solutions. >> you have to have more officers on the street. eaat's the-- that's the easiest answer because an officer needs a partner. he needs somebody to watch his

side, watch his back. >> reporter: for heidi and her two girls, the grief has been unbearable. back in july, ten-year-old caroline broke down when she told us about the last time she saw her dad put on his uniform. >> he was leaving to go to work, g d i was leaving to go to a movie. and he said to me, "what if this is the last time you ever kiss me or hug me?" >> reporter: did he always say that? >> no. that was probably the first time he ever said that. >> reporter: was this kiss any different? >> yes, it was. >> reporter: how? >> it just felt different to me. fefelt something bad was going to happen. >> reporter: texas and celifornia had the most officer fatalities this year. reena, the deadliest calls for officers to answer are domestic disturbances. >> ninan: omar villafranca, thank you. in syria, a new cease-fire has taken effect. earlier truces have not held for long.

roke one was brokered by russia and turkey, who are on different s des in the syrian civil war, which is nearly six years old. jlly williams joins us from istanbul. holly, what do we know? >> reporter: well, reena, the syrian regime has apparently agreed to this deal, along with one of the main syrian opposition alliances and the idea is, if it holds, this could tad to peace talks in january. dt there are dozens of syrian opposition or rebel groups, and we've spoken to some groups this evening who say they did not agree to this cease-fire. remember, also, that this cease- fire deal only includes the syrian regime and some syrian opposition groups. this deal does not include isis or a powerful kurdish group. so while this could be a turning point, it certainly isn't an end to the syrian civil war. >> ninan: how is the u.s. reacting to this deal, holly? >> reporter: well, reena, the u.s. has called this a positive development, but this deal has effectively sidelined america in

syria. russia's lethal air campaign in syria has managed to prop up the syrian regime, and it's helped orscow look like a truly global player, really for the first time since the end of the cold war. now, perhaps, this will allow hissia's president, vladimir .utin, to portray himself as a peacemaker. red russia has brokered this cease-fire deal, not with atshington, but with turkey, an american nato ally that is growing ever closer to moscow. >> ninan: holly williams in lltanbul. thank you, holly. today, tributes to debbie reynolds filled social media. the actress died yesterday at 84. there were drawings, many depicting reynolds with her daughter, carrie fisher, who died one day earlier. some showed reynolds in the rain gear she wore in "singin' in the rain," and fisher shown as "star wars'" princess leia. last night, fans raised light sabers in honor of fisher at

impromptu vigils all over the country. ynme dressed as "star wars" characters. reynolds' son, todd fisher, said the actress "went to be with carrie." well, coming up next, can you really die of a broken heart? ok. jon lapook examines that. and later, we're on the hunt for thieves stealing something more valuable than gold. when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums smoothies. it starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. smoothies! only from tums

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>> ninan: there is no official word on what caused debbie reynolds' death, but many nclieved it was no coincidence that she died just one day after the death of her daughter, carrie fisher. medical experts say broken heart syndrome is real. . re now from dr. jon lapook. >> reporter: it's unclear what led to debbie reynolds' death, just one day after her daughter's, but emotionally stressful events, like the death of a spouse or child, can trigger a sudden surge in stress

hormones that are felt to stunt heart and prevent it from pumping properly or cause an artery supplying the heart to go tto spasm. >> this entire part of the heart is not moving at all. ce reporter: cardiologist dr. harmony reynolds of n.y.u. langone medical center, has studied this under-recognized f ndition, which occurs mainly in older women, many of whom have no obvious preexisting heart disease. >> this is a heart attack syndrome that, unlike typical heart attack, occurs with the arteries completely open. and the area of the heart that's affected is quite large, but if urople survive the event, it all goes away. s reporter: symptoms can easemble a heart attack, including chest pain and shortness of breath, but may be , btle, causing women to delay seeking help. >> we don't necessarily stderstand why an emotional connection exists, but we know that the brain and the heart are closely connected. you can die of heartbreak, but osactly how that happens and exactly why, we don't know. >> reporter: most people fully recover, but death can occur

from problems like heart failure or an irregular heartbeat. in addition, a blood clot in the heart can travel to the brain, cusing a stroke. >> ninan: any idea how common is this is? >> reporter: it's probably relatively uncommon, but nobody knows exactly how common it is because it's probably been flying under the radar for years. but now doctors are getting increasingly better at recognizing it. in 2012, about 6,200 cases were diagnosed in the united states. that represents a 20-fold increase from just six years hafore that. >> ninan: incredible, the impact of stress hormones on the body. thank you, dr. jon lapook. well, when we come back, a view from the top of the world's ghghest bridge. bridge. due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. but no matter what path i take, i go for my best. so if there's something better than warfarin, i'll go for that too. eliquis. eliquis reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus had less major bleeding

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saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. if you're still just managing your symptoms, talk with your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. >> ninan: a medical study out today on the dangers of sitting made us stand up and take notice. researchers in dallas found that men who spend most or all of their day sitting were more than twice as likely to be obese as those who stayed mostly on their feet. to reduce the risk of obesity,

the study's authors say get up and move around. well, a walk across the new bridge in china could send your heart racing, because it's the world's highest and it opened today. mo stands more than 1,800 feet above the valley below. that's more than a third of a mile. uts bridge cuts the drive time between two southwest chinese cities from four hours to just one. nasa's mars rover curiosity is giving us a look at something you might not expect to see on the red planet-- purple rocks. the plum-colored boulders were captured in a series of images received last month near the martian mountain known as mount sharp. nasa says the color comes from a type of iron oxide in the rocks. well, coming up, we're on the chase for crooks stealing hot wheels of cheese. chase for crooks stealing hot wheels of cheese. ♪

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>> ninan: finally tonight, thieves are always after the cheddar-- except in italy, where reey're stealing a close cousin. here's seth doane. >> reporter: 9:30 p.m., eight officers keep watch from a convoy of three police cars. these patrols happen every night. gh every night, yeah. >> reporter: in 30 years on the force, alessandro vaccari has never seen a wave of robberies like this. police blame organized crime, no surprise there, but the target? this cheese can be quite valuable. >> yeah. >> reporter: yes, cheese. these are the streets of reggio emilia, italy, home to parmesan. "there have been so many thefts," vaccari explained,

"cheese is like gold here, the price is so high." exhibit "a," a single wheel of cheese can sell for over $500. the staple of spaghetti dinners everywhere is the economic backbone of these small italian l wns. parmesan is so valuable that it is used as collateral for loans. believe it or not, this is a bank. it is a vault filled with more than 120 million dollars' worth of cheese. to be certified parmiggiano reggiano, it must age for at least a year, so that means, cheese, a whole lot of it, is stacked up in warehouses on small, rural, unprotected farms. lorenzo pinetti showed us how thieves made off with $100,000 of his cheese in minutes. they'd make an assembly line and steal this piece, and then this piece.

italy's parmesan consortium figures about $7 million worth has been stolen in the last two years. aere's a robust black market, so stepped up patrols and new security systems are now in urace. "but surely, this will not be the last time thieves come to visit us" pinetti said. small, independent farmers are what makes this cheese so good and such a delicious target. seth doane, cbs news, reggio emilia, italy. do ninan: i don't think i'll look at parmesan quite the same way again. that's the "cbs evening news" nir tonight. for scott pelley, i'm reena ninan. thanks for watching. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

the u-s taking unprecedented steps to punish moscow for the campaign of cyberattacks. nica de la president obama telling russian diplomats in san francisco to get home. the u.s. taking steps to punish moscow store the campaign of siberia tax. good evening, i'm veronica de la cruz. >> i'm allen martin. president obama promised consequence against russia. kpix 5's melissa caen had he russian consulate in san francisco. any sign of moving trucks? >> reporter: not yet, allen. it's been pretty quiet here today. but inside, no doubt, some people are packing. today the the state department told 35 russian diplomats in san francisco and washington, dc they have 72 hours to get out of the country. >> this is kind of a cat and mouse game "tit for tat." >> reporter: kpix 5 security analyst jeffrey harp is a

former special agent for the fbi. he is not surprised by the expulsion of diplomats after u.s. intelligence claims russia hacked emails to manipulate the election. >> anytime have you these big sort of investigations happening, um, a result is usually somebody gets kicked out. >> reporter: in addition to the diplomats who are convicted out, the obama administration announced sanctions against four russian intelligence officials and five agencies including the main russian intelligence agency called the gru. according to harp, some of the diplomats in san francisco being forced to leave may actually be working for one of those russian intelligence agencies. >> people come here under diplomatic cover and they are doing things they probably aren't supposed to be doing. >> reporter: president-elect donald trump could lift the sanctions against russia. >> you can expect that the congress will investigate the russian involvement in our elections and i predict there will be bipartisan