tv CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley CBS February 10, 2014 5:30pm-6:01pm PST
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>> pelley: tonight, another round with the weather. ice storms predicted in the south. snow in the northeast and after a long drought, major relief in the west. mark strassmann, dean reynolds and john blackstone are on the story. video is revealed of u.s. commandos capturing a top terror suspect. david martin that has pictures. will a near-certain draft pick for the n.f.l. become thrst to test the tolerance of pro sports? >> i'm a college graduate, i'm african american, and i'm gay. >> pelley: james brown of the n.f.l. today on michael sam. and a trip to wonderland. jamie yuccas takes where the sight of ice is a pleasure. >> i won't forget this. it's too special. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley.
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>> pelley: good evening. this is our western edition. today, water managers in california were taking a look at the historic drought trying to figure out how much relief the state got from a weekend storm. a weather phenomenon known as the pineapple express brought moisture from hawaii. in some places, more moisture than they can handle. john blackstone is by the river side in marin county. john? >> reporter: scott, after 14 months of virtually no rain here, the pineapple express turned out to be the perfect storm. the rain is gone now, but the runoff is still flowing into this reservoir in ma rib county north of san francisco. the reservoirs on marin county's mount tamalpais was getting low at the end of last week. that changed when the rain started friday night. mike swayze is watershed manager. >> we got in excess of 20 inches in the storm total.
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>> reporter: is that unprecedented here? >> i don't know of any more intense event than that. >> reporter: the reservoirs here supply water to 185,000 people. >> we saw a 25% increase in the water in our reservoirs out of this storm which is saving our bacon. it was outstanding. >> reporter: getting 25% increase in storage in one storm -- >> out of one weekend. that's pretty phenomenal. >> reporter: roads were underwater in sonoma county where some places received 15 inches of rain. this is wine country and the parched vineyards needed the moisture. further north in oregon, the storm brought heavy wet snow that proved deadly. in sisters, oregon, an elderly couple was found dead in deep snow near their home. in lane county, a thick layer of ice snapped trees and power lines. seattle got three inches of snow, the most in two years. it was fun for some but driving was dangerous.
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mount rainier was closed because of high avalanche danger. here in california, all this new water still isn't enough. rainfall totals statewide are still only about 40% of normal. scott, we need several storms like this be to end the drought here. >> pelley: and blizzard warnings up for the inner mountain region. john, thanks very much. also tonight, a winter weather advisory is up across much of the south, from texas and oklahoma to georgia and the carolinas. this is why: a new and potentially dangerous storm packing freezing rain, ice, and snow. it's the same kind of storm that caught atlanta off guard two weeks ago causing massive traffic jams on ice-covered highways and forcing drivers to abandon vehicles. tonight, a state of emergency has been declared in a third of georgia. mark strassmann is in atlanta for us tonight. mark? >> reporter: scott, when the winter storm hit the city two weeks ago, state officials later
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called the inadequate response "a terrible mistake." they're promising this time will be different. in metro atlanta, drivers have been warned to be off the road by early evening. georgia governor nathan deal. >> do not put yourself or your family in jeopardy. the clearer the roads are, the more we have the ability to treat those roads and get them open as quickly as possible. >> reporter: on january 28, two and a half inches of snow and ice paralyzed atlanta. stranded motorists spent the night in stores and cars and 2,500 children had to sleep at school. more than 2,000 drivers abandoned their cars. georgia's governor apologized for the poor emergency response. no one told him the forecast had changed. >> i do not know that it had been upgraded and a more serious warning had been issued. >> reporter: at georgia power, the worry is that ice will snap trees and power lines. over the next two days, parts of georgia could see the most
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significant ice storm in ten years. it will begin with sleet and could turn into a half inch of ice beginning tomorrow night. emergency officials have been much more aggressive with this storm. major school systems have already canceled classes tomorrow and wednesday and, scott, tractor-trailer drivers have been told to stay off i-285 which is the major highway that ring this city. >> pelley: mark, thank you very much. in the midwest, this winter is on track to be one of the ten coldest on record. crane lake, minnesota, hit 27 below today. dean reynolds is in chicago. dean? >> reporter: scott, chicago dropped below zero for the 20th time this winter and the record of 25 days below zero set back in 1885 now lies within reach. in a city where residents joke that 20 above is the new 40, the cold has been painful. a blown water main froze cars on
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to this north side street for days. one frustrated resident took an ax to the ice to liberate his dodge. lenore joseph a neighbor. >> but this is really, really bad. some of these cars have to be pulled out. >> reporter: in such conditions, windchill advisories are almost routine. overnight, the real feel was 18 below if you're keeping score at home. and chicago has been buried under more than five feet of snow this winter, scott, making it the third-snowiest on record. >> pelley: dean, thanks very much. eric fisher is our our chief meteorologist, he's the meteorologist at cbs boston station wbz. eric, what are you looking for in the forecast. >> reporter: good evening scott. a lot of mess across the south in particular the next few days. a lot of mess across the south in a few different waves. wave number one is passing through with a light wintery mix
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on the low end of the scale. tomorrow another wave moves through brings more ice, sleet and snow. the main part of this comes through wednesday into thursday. this brings a significant ice storm as well as snow to places like atlanta, columbia, charlotte and raleigh then climbs the coast wednesday night and thursday. so a big area of wintery mix. birmingham by tomorrow evening dealing with the icing. atlanta could be looking at one of the biggest ice storms in ten to 20 years in the metro. also through parts of south carolina towards charlotte and raleigh the wintery mix will cause big travel delays and the potential for quite a few power outages that could extend for several days. as this goes up the coast wednesday night into thursday very difficult rain/snow line. it goes through boston, new york, philly, and d.c. looks like the heaviest snow just to the west but still a couple days out so the line should shift as we look forward. >> pelley: complete weather coverage first thing on "cbs this morning." eric, thanks very much. today first lady called n.f.l. prospect michael sam an inspiration. some predict he will break down another barrier in pro sports as jackie robinson broke the racial barrier in baseball.
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james brown host of "the n.f.l. today" and a cbs news special correspondent has our story. >> i'm not afraid to tell the world about who i am. i am michael sam, i'm a college graduate, i'm african american, and i'm gay. >> reporter: with those words, university of missouri all america defensive lineman michael sam became the first openly gay n.f.l. prospect. he is projected to be picked in the middle rounds of this year's n.f.l. draft. >> i am a team player, i can make plays, i can help teams win games and that's all that should matter. >> reporter: since sam came out in interviews with espn and the "new york times" on sunday, he has received public support from several players and the league. but in a recent interview, all pro linebacker jonathan vilma left no doubt that a gay player will be a culture shock in
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imagine if he's the guy next to me and, you know, i get dressed naked, taking a shower the whole nine, and it just so happens he looks at me. >> reporter: last year pro- basketball player jason collins came out but he was an unsigned free agent near the end of his career and no n.b.a. team picked him up. if sam makes an n.f.l. roster, he would be the first publicly gay active player going to come from this. >> pelley: james brown joins us now. james, you've been talking to your sources all over the league today. what are they saying? >> scott, in conversations i had today with current players and highly regarded ex-coaches the reaction does indeed run the gamut. michael sam's reception will depend on the team that selects. a team with younger front office and younger players like the superbowl champion seattle sea hawks could be more welcoming. but the biggest concern that n.f.l. team officials is that we in the media-- because interest
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is high and scrutiny will be intense-- will make his rookie season an ongoing story. in the locker room by and large that which matters most to the players is can he play and help us win? >> pelley: it will be an interesting draft. j.b., thanks very much. late today, president obama made an election year concession to some businesses delaying for another year the employer mandate for obamacare. major garrett is at the white house for us tonight. major? >> reporter: scott, this is the second time the obama administration has delayed the affordable care act's employer mandate. this latest change gives mid- sized businesses an extra year to comply. the biggest change will reflect 115,000 businesses with 50 to 99 full-time employees. those businesses will not have to provide insurance coverage in 2015. employees will not to be covered beginning in 2016 or the business will face a penalty.
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the other delay allows companies with more than 100 employees to cover just 70% of their full- time employees next year instead of the 95% previously required. these employers must increase coverage to 95% in 2016. only 4% of u.s. businesses are hit by the employer mandate, half of those already provide insurance coverage, but those that didn't lobbied for more time and got it. in a midterm election year, scott, the white house simply did not need any more health care headaches. >> pelley: major garrett at the white house. thank you, major. today we got a rare look at american special operations commandos capturing one of the f.b.i.'s most wanted terror suspects. the video was first scene today on the "washington post" web site. anas al libi was grabbed in tripoli, libya, last fall. here's david martin. >> reporter: al libi's car stopped before his house shortly before dawn. a white van pulled up next to him and delta commandos leapt out.
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freeze the video and you can clearly see one of them standing in front of the car. his pistol trained on the front seat. another van pulled into blocking position as a second commando went for the driver's side door. they wrestled al libi out of his car and into the van and sped away. the next day, al libi's family described the attack which was presumably recorded by this security camera. a few dings and one broken window were the only evidence of the violent confrontation. by then, al libi was being interrogated aboard a u.s. navy ship in the mediterranean. he is believed to have once been close to osama bin laden and is accused of playing a role in the 1998 bombings of two american embassies in africa which left more than 200 dead. from the ship, he was taken to new york where 15 years after he is awaiting trial for the embassy bombings. he has pleaded innocent to the charges against him. american commandos have been
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carrying out kill or capture raids virtually every night in afghanistan and before that in iraq. but it is extremely rare to actually see them in action, especially in a country like libya where the u.s. is not at war. >> pelley: david, the associated press broke a story today about the white house considering a drone strike against an american citizen overseas. you've been looking into that. what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, officials confirm that indeed the obama administration is trying to decide whether it can legally launch a drone strike against an american citizen who is working with al qaeda in an unnamed foreign country. in effect, execute him without a trial. but what the justice department first has to do is make a case that this american is actively plotting to kill other americans and the pentagon has to determine there's no chance to capture him alive and that a drone strike would not cause civilian casualties. >> pelley: david martin at the pentagon. david, thank you very much.
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and i felt this horrible pain on one side of my back. all i knew was it hurt. i had 16 magic shows to do. i didn't know how i was going to be able to do these shows with this kind of pain that i was in. i called my wife and said "i'm in trouble." i got this thing that's hitting me right in the back. i don't know what it is. she went on the internet and she said "i think it's shingles." it's something that stays in your system from when you get chickenpox. as a professional magician it's just not about the magic. it's about the connection i make with my audience. the kids. instead of being able to connect with my audience
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all i could do was really count each one of my tricks going two more, one more, that's it. i could feel the shock in my back and it was like "wow its got to get better than this or i'm in big trouble." why do people count on sunsweet pruneit's made only from prunes, the inothing else. it works, simple as that. it's a natural source of fiber and 5 essential vitamins. it's the smart choice for me. try sunsweet's amazing juices and new amazing prune light. smoke? nah, i'm good. [ male announcer ] celebrate every win with nicoderm cq, the unique patch with time release smartcontrol technology that helps prevent the urge to smoke all day long. help prevent your cravings with nicoderm cq. >> pelley: for a.o.l. it was the ultimate instant message and the company's c.e.o. got it loud and
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clear. tonight, a.o.l. is dealing with a national backlash against some controversial comments about the cost of employee benefits. here's michelle miller. >> reporter: a.o.l. announced its best earnings in a decade last week, but the news was overshadowed by the explanation c.e.o. tim armstrong gave employees about delaying company contributions to retirement accounts. he blamed higher health care costs and then said: >> people started asking my husband, you know isn't that your baby that he's talking about? >> reporter: deanna fei's husband works for a.o.l. their daughter meela is a healthy 16-month-old now but she was born four months premature and spent three months in the neonatal intensive care unit. >> the suggestion that her very
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existence could be called into question and blamed for corporate cost cutting made me really furious. >> reporter: it also angered many at a.o.l. who were disgusted with armstrong's examples and the idea of receiving retirement contributions once a year instead of on payday, delaying a.o.l.'s contributions to employee stock plans would allow it to keep more cash on hand but over time could deny employees better returns. the backlash at a.o.l. was so severe armstrong reversed the policy and called the fei family to apologize. armstrong and a.o.l. declined our request for an interview. in an e-mail to employees, armstrong wrote: >> i just hope that in the future we'll be more careful when we reduce a human life to a monetary figure. >> reporter: c.e.o. tim
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armstrong was at the center of controversy last summer when he fired an employee in front of a thousand people. scott, he later apologized. >> pelley: michelle, thanks very much. president obama welcomed french president francois holland to the united states today. they celebrated their country's long-standing ties by touring monticello, the home of thomas jefferson who was an early u.s. envoy to france. tomorrow there is a dinner at the white house, holland is not expected to bring a date. he recently split with his partner. we'll be right back. we'll be right back. we tackled your shoulder pain. you make him rookie of the year. we took care of your cold symptoms. you take him on an adventure. tylenol® has been the number 1 doctor recommended brand
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banking for the life you have investing for the life you want chase. so you can >> pelley: time is running out tonight on a desperate evacuation of mostly women and children. it's happening in the syrian city of homs, about the size of detroit, which has been under siege by government forces. civilians began to emerge from the rubble friday during a three-day cease-fire negotiated by the u.n. homs was the first city to rise up against the syrian dictatorship. it's been shelled ever since. these u.n. vehicles were the first lifeline that many had seen in three years. the only cover the cars provided by was the u.n. symbol, but that was enough to take a chance on roads that had been ruled by snipers. the u.n. tells us 800 have been rescued. the convoys were fired on and 11
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died. for many families it was a terrible risk but hunger was killing them anyway. today, a federal appeals court gave california two more years to reduce overcrowding in state prisons. california has more than 117,000 inmates. that's about 5,000 more than the limit set by the courts. in just a moment, nature this winter has created a lot of havoc, but it's also created some amazing works of art. [ woman ] i've had it with my moderate
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coricidin hbp. lower? next on kpix 5 weather talent appears at wx center with generic pinpoint filling monitor then we take special >> pelley: finally tonight, it's been a cold, hard winter for much of america and it seems to us there are a couple of ways to approach it: you can complain about the ice or, as some folks are doing, you can embrace it and see the beauty. here's jamie yuccas of cbs minneapolis station wcco. >> reporter: it's a challenge for the thousands making this mile-long hike across ice to an isolated stretch of coastline on lake superior. this is the reward. >> wow! >> reporter: caves seem to be covered in crystal and icicles dangle from cliffs two stories high. >> it's just fantastic. it's better than we thought it would be. >> reporter: jim mclaughlin is
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from hayward, wisconsin. give me one word that describe this is place for you. >> awesome. awesome. >> reporter: the one billion- year-old sandstone is full of cracks. lake water seeped in and froze on the walls and ceilings. james fuchs has come here twice from shoreview, minnesota. s it's so unique to see water in so many different forms and different colors and the way it's sculpted and it's just incredible and you couldn't dream this up. you could haven't a mind's eye to almost create this. you have to come and see it. you have to come and see it. >> reporter: winter access to the caves is only possible when the ice is thick enough to safely walk on. conditions haven't been right for this to happen in five years. some fear this unusual event could become even more rare. although it's been a brutal winter, a study of the great lakes ice pack found over 30 years it decreased by 70%.
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park superintendent bob krumenaker refers to climate change. >> we're referring to it as an endangered national park experience because like endangered animals, we can't predict its future and it may not be there. >> reporter: for those lucky enough to enjoy this year's show, it's a moment frozen in time. >> it's in my mind. i won't forget this, it's too special. too special. >> reporter: a spectacle that ends when winter finally begins its surrender to spring. jamie yuccas, cbs news, cornucopia, wisconsin. >> pelley: and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org
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f0 live, from the cbs bay area studios, this is kpix 5 news. you might think that all our reservoirs got some much- needed refills, but kpix 5 has learned some are even more empty now than before the storms. good evening. i'm ken bastida. >> and i'm elizabeth cook. some areas were left flooded during the storms, but technically still in a drought. kpix 5 reporter len ramirez joins us live from the south bay where the wet weather didn't really do much for the reservoir levels. len? >> reporter: elizabeth, definitely a case of the haves and the have-notes when it comes to water storage. you're looking at lexington reservoirs, definitely one of the have-nots. we've found that this reservoir actually has less water today than it did a month ago. there are signs all around the
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valley of the continuing drought. this is not supposed to be a joke. it only looks that way because of the drought. the ponds, which are used to recharge underground water supplies, have gone dry, because the valley water district stopped diverting reservoir water to refill them. >> we're not refilling the water supply and we're using more of it. >> reporter: there was little or no change in reservoir levels, despite days of rain. about a quarter ofan inch fell on the san jose area, up to 3 in the mountains where joe lives. >> nothing torrential, but steady, for four days. that's good. >> reporter: good but not enough. reservoirs like stevens creek still have a severe ring-around- the-bathtub look. in some cases, reservoirs are even more empty now than a month ago. here's why. to meet federal and state wildlife regulations, the
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