Laura Crane is still coming down from a high -- the highest wave she's ever surfed. And just maybe, the highest any woman has. Haley Ott has the story.

Laura Crane, a 30-year-old surfer from Britain, recently surfed the biggest wave of her career off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, a location renowned for its massive waves. The ride occurred after the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge was halted due to a technical fault, but Crane remained and caught a wave she described as both 'insane' and 'kind of scary.'

Crane is now awaiting the official measurement to see if her wave surpasses the current women's world record of 73 feet, held by Brazilian Maya Guevara. Achieving this record would secure Crane a place in surfing history, a goal she has dreamed of for years.

Did Laura Crane surf the biggest wave ever by a woman?

30-year-old Laura Crane of Britain is still coming down from a high, the highest wave she has ever surfed, and just maybe the highest any woman has. Crane is still waiting for the official measurement. Here's Hayley Ott. It's the wave Laura Crane hopes will get her into the record books, a picture-perfect swell at sunset that could be the biggest ever surfed by a woman. It happened last weekend off the coast of the Portuguese fishing village called Nazaré, where the perfect conditions create the largest waves anywhere on earth. It's become a mecca for surfers from around the world looking to ride giant waves, like Crane, who was taking part in the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge. When the competition stopped because of a technical fault, she just couldn't bring herself to leave. Catching a wave she said kept growing as she was towed into it. For me, years, I've dreamed to see a wave like this. To have Nazaré alone, more or less, with conditions like that was just insane. Kind of scary, too, but insane. The current record for the largest wave ever ridden by a woman is held by Brazilian Maya Guevara, an astonishing 73-foot swell. But Crane hopes hers is bigger, setting the new world record she says would be the best Christmas present ever. Hayley Ott, CBS News, London. Well, official or not, that was incredible. Congratulations, Laura.

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Damascus

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Providence

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Washington

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Palmyra

Middle East Conflict

U.S. launches retaliatory strikes on ISIS in Syria

The U.S. Justice Department released a new trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, bowing to pressure from lawmakers who forced their disclosure with a new law.

Washington County

Justice Department releases new tranche of Epstein files

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Kyiv

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Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

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The man believed to be responsible for carrying out the Brown University shooting and killing an MIT professor was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire on Thursday, officials said.

Salem

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Council of the City of Sydney

Australia announces gun buyback program after Bondi Beach shooting

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Beijing

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Brussels

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President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro has more on that and the president's year-end address from Wednesday night.

Trump signs executive order reclassifying marijuana

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Rio de Janeiro

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Los Angeles

Nick Reiner appears in court on murder charges in killing of parents

The United States on Wednesday (December 17) approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, marking the largest ever U.S. weapons package for the island, which is under increasing military pressure from China.

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Nick Reiner made his first court appearance on Wednesday since being arrested for the killings of his parents, Rob and Michele.

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Vladimir Putin said Russia would achieve its goals by diplomatic or military means and would seek to expand a “security buffer” zone in Ukraine.

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Newly-released surveillance video shows Nick Reiner at a gas station convenience store just hours after he allegedly fatally stabbed his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, and minutes before he was taken into custody.

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U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media a "total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers" going in and out of Venezuela. Some details remain unclear, including when the order would be implemented and how many tankers could be involved.

Caracas

Trump orders blockade on Venezuela oil tankers

A man who allegedly opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's famed Bondi Beach has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism, New South Wales Police said.

Breakdown