>> pelley: tonight the grand jury reaches a decision. will ferguson, missouri, police officer darren wilson be charged in the fatal shooting of michael brown? officials urge calm. reports from mark strassmann and michelle miller. remember this? it's turning into this. after the record snowfall, jericka duncan shows us the preparations for the meltdown and flooding. juliana goldman reports the university of virginia is banning fraternities temporarily after a student says she was gang raped. and jeff glor reports a driver's homicide conviction in a fatal crash is thrown out. >> i never thought this moment would come. >> pelley: after gm admits the car was defective.

captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. before this night is over, we will know the grand jury's decision in the fatal shooting of michael brown by ferguson, missouri, police officer darren wilson. the panel has been hearing evidence in the case for three months now, and late today the announcement came that the jurors have decided whether there is probable cause to charge the officer with a crime. that announcement is expected about 9:00 eastern time. we have two reports tonight. first mark strassmann at the courthouse in clayton. mark? >> reporter: scott, security has ramped up considerably here in front of the county justice center where tonight's announcement will be made, more barriers, more police, all part of a security plan in the works for weeks to handle a coming wave of demonstrations. by mid-afternoon, there was a different energy among protesters outside ferguson police headquarters. they've waited three and a half months for this moment.

as soon as michael brown, sr., learned of tonight's announcement, he drove here to thank supporters. >> a decision is coming down today. how are you feeling about it in. >> just trying to stay strong. that's all. >> reporter: are you confident you'll get what you want? >> i believe in the lord. >> reporter: the grand jury, made up of seven men and five women, three of them black, nine of them white, have reviewed this case since august 20th. officer darren wilson was among the witnesses who testified. he could be charged with murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter or nothing at all. it takes nine of the 12 to agree to an indictment. on august 9th, wilson fatally shot 18-year-old michael brown during a confrontation on canfield drive. minutes earlier, this video shows brown and a friend allegedly stealing cigars from a convenience store. it's in the clear if wilson was aware of brown's involvement in the convenience store incident. what is clear is that there was a confrontation. wilson claimed he feared for his life and shot brown after a

struggle over the officer's gun. brown was unarmed. and some witnesses said brown raised his arms in surrender moments before he was killed. his body lay in the street for four hours. the shooting caused ten days of volatile and often violent protests. police wearing riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators. stores were burned and lootedded. dozens of people were arrested. protesters still insist officer wilson represents a national issue -- the racial profiling and unnecessary shooting of black teenagers. protester rick cannamore has stood outside ferguson police headquarters five times a week since august. >> if the grand jury charges officer wilson, will you be happy? >> it's just a start, because he needs to go to trial. there's going to have to be a trial, so we're going to have to wait that out. >> reporter: and if the grand jury doesn't charge officer

wilson? >> well,, like everybody, we just feel like it's just another slap in the face. >> reporter: ferguson schools will be closed tomorrow. hundreds of police officers here have begun to work 12-hour shifts as dozens of protest groups get ready to listen to tonight's announcement and decide how they intend to respond. >> pelley: mark, thanks very much. there is concern that the grand jury's decision could lead to a new outbreak of violence. michelle miller has more about that for us tonight. michelle? >> reporter: missouri governor jay nixon is holding a news conference at this very hour along with the mayor of st. louis and state and local law enforcement officials to reassure the community that order will remain here in ferguson and in surrounding communities. just before that, governor nixon was in ferguson to meet with several business owners whose shops sit along this avenue. that was the scene of some of the most violent clashes in the early days after michael brown's

death. since then, protests have mostly been peaceful with just a few arrests, but charles davis, who met with the governor earlier, isn't worried about the reaction to tonight's decision. >> the governor of the state of missouri comes into your burger shop and says, hi, how are you doing. >> right. >> reporter: what did you take from that? >> i just took that he was being concerned. he came by to make sure we were okay. >> reporter: do you plan to stay open? >> yes. i stayed open then, and i'm going to stay open now. >> reporter: now, governor nixon has set up a 16-person commission to address the concerns of this community, but, scott, the test will be tonight to see if that kind of outreach and preparation will keep the peace in ferguson. >> pelley: michelle miller in ferguson for us tonight. michelle, thank you. rikki klieman has been a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney. she's now a legal analyst for cbs news. rikki, let me ask you, if the grand jury were to indict

officer wilson, what would they have to find? >> well, they have to find one of a number of charges. it has to be nine members out of the 12. they must find there is probable cause, that is a fairly low standard, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which we have in a trial jury, but he has a possibility of being charged with various forms of murder, murder one, murder two, premeditated, intentional, three forms of manslaughter, that is heat of passion, reckless, negligent or it all goes up to what we call this high bar, scott, which is the high bar because there is an absolute defense for a police officer, not only to just use deadly force in self-defense, but in missouri, a statute, which gives him extraordinary power to be able to go after a fleeing felon. >> pelley: cbs news legal analyst, john rikki klieman.

thank you. after the historic snowfall in the buff he area last week, temperatures were well above freezing today. the seven feet of snow on the ground and on some rooftops is starting to melt. that's raising the risk of flooding. and then there is a nor'easter which is expected to hit the east coast on the eve of thanksgiving. we have more on the threatening weather from jericka duncan. >> reporter: higher temperatures and rapidly melting snow have buffalo's residents on edge. with the area's creeks expected the reach almost nine feet overnight, preparations are under way to contain the surge. this man lives 50 feet from this creek in west seneca. is this more destructive than the snow? >> yes, hands down because it's unstoppable. >> reporter: in the lexington-greene neighborhood, flooding is frequent. last january ice jams kazed flooding in more than 70 holmes and businesses throughout the area. today they're prepared. this emergency flood alarm is

warning the neighborhood that waters are getting dangerously high. jim nicholas works with the town's sewer department. >> we shut off a gate, and we turn on internal pumps that shoot the water back out to the creek in a separate pipe so that these people can remain safe and not have to worry about the flood. >> reporter: on top of potential flooding, 60mph wind gusts are expected this evening, which could down trees and power line, adding to extreme winter weather that came early and fast. >> it could get real bad. i hope it doesn't. i really don't. we've been through enough with all this. report while this area keeps a close eye on possible flooding, a nor'easter is expected to hit the east coast on wednesday, and, scott, that will likely disrupt thanksgiving travel plans for millions of people. >> pelley: jericka duncan in the thick of it tonight. jericka, thank you. a a.a.a. survey finds that more than 36 million americans plan to travel 50 or more miles over the river and through the woods this holiday season.

most of them will be traveling by car. there was a surprise announcement at the white house today. defense secretary chuck hagel resigned. hagel is the only republican on president obama's national security team, and he was apparently forced out after less than two years. david martin is at the pentagon. >> reporter: the appearance of president obama and defense secretary chuck hagel was the final act in the kind of theater that takes place only in washington. even before the mid-term election haipg l began talking to his president about his role in the final two years of the obama presidency. all the while reading news stories based on anonymous sources that change was needed in the administration's national security team. after three meetings in which the president never asked hagel to stay, the defense secretary, a veteran washington politician, took the hint and submitted his resignation. a decorated combat veteran whose body still carries shrapnel from his wounds in vietnam, hagel

seemed like a natural for secretary of defense under president obama. as a republican senator, he had accompanied then-democratic senator barack obama on a politically charged trip to iraq and afghanistan in 2008 and shared his scepticism about sending more troops to fight there. but starting with a lackluster performance in his confirmation hearing, hagel disappointed the white house when it came to publicly defending the president's policies, actually having to be corrected on the critical subject of robb. >> by the way, i have just been handed a note that i misspoke and said i supported the president's position on containment. >> reporter: for his part hagel told others he was fed up with micromanagement by the white house, a common complaint at the pentagon but hardly grounds for resignation. the bottom line, scott, is that hagel didn't jump, he was pushed. white house officials say the president simply lost confidence in his ability to run the

department of defense. >> pelley: david martin at the pentagon tonight. david, thank you. of course, afghanistan will remain a top concern for the next defense secretary. today two american troops were killed when a bomb exploded near their convoy in kabul. 52 americans have been killed this year in afghanistan. today was the deadline for reaching a deal over limiting iran's nuclear program, but there was no deal and the talks were extended for seven more months. in return for reducing its uranium enrichment, economic sanctions against iran would be eased under an agreement. we have two reports tonight, first margaret brennan in vienna. secretary of state john kerry said substantial progress was made, margaret, so why no deal? >> reporter: well, scott, one of the major sticking points is when sanctions would be lifted. iran wants all of them removed immediately. the u.s. is only willing to suspend some gradually if iran complies. on the american side of things, they want iran to get rid of

nuclear fuel that could be used to build a weapon. so while the talks continue, iran's nuclear program will be frozen as a result of an agreement they reached last year, but there is a big risk to dragging this out, and that's the republican-led congress. some of them think these talks are a waste of time and have threatened to add more sanctions, which could put these talks in peril. so secretary kerry has asked them to hold off, but he says, "we would be fools to walk away now." >> pelley: and let's walk over the liz palmer, who is in the iranian capital, tehran. liz work no deal, the economic sanctions remain in effect. how are they reacting to this? >> reporter: today's result was a crushing disappointment for the millions of iranians who had allowed themselves to hope that there would be a deal today. in fact, we went to the tehran stock exchange first thing this morning. it was full of investors watching for news from vienna that they hoped would give their battered economy an immediate boost. well, it didn't happen, but

president row eric rohanni was n television saying the deal was progress and he had no doubt there would be a deal eventually. the people feeling relieved in iran tonight are the hardliners. they never wanted a deal in the first place and they have zero interest in seeing any kind of warming of relations with the united states. >> pelley: so negotiations to continue for several months. liz palmer in the iranian capital, and margaret brennan traveling with secretary kerry in vienna. thank you both. today a texas judge threw out the homicide conviction of a woman involved in a fatal wreck. this after general motors admitted that her car had a defective ignition switch, the same defect that is linked to at least 35 deaths. jeff glor's following this. >> thank you. >> reporter: candice anderson walked out of a courtroom today after a decade-long struggle to clear her name. >> i never thought this memo

would come, never in my wildest dreams did i ever think it would come down to this. >> reporter: anderson was driving this saturn ion when it crashed in 2004. the air bags never deployed. her fiancee, michael erickson, died. >> the car went this way and here. >> reporter: in june she told us how she was thrown through the windshield and barely survived. >> the emotional guilt all these years, questioning if i was at fault for his death. i've carried it for so long. >> reporter: anderson did have a trace amount of anti-anxiety medication in her system, but no other drugs or alcohol. she was charged with manslaughter and pleaded guilty to criminal negligent homicide. now general motors has sent a letter acknowledging the vehicle was defective. it is information gm never released when anderson was originally prosecuted. bob hilliard is and isn't's lawyer. >> she's had to live with the conviction, but even worse than that, she's had to live with the

death of her fiancee, the death that did not have to happen. >> with anderson cleared, prosecutors in texas said they will explore criminal charges against gm. gm told us, "we have and will continue to cooperate with authorities investigating the ignition switch issue." >> pelley: anderson spent no time in prison but five years on probation. >> that's right. >> pelley: thanks very much, jeff. a top university is taking drastic action after reports of a sexual attack at a frat house. and we'll take you up close to a rocket disaster when the "cbs and we'll take you up close to a rocket disaster when the "cbs evening news" continues. the heart. to focn i minimize my sodium and fat... gotta keep it lean and mean. pear: uh-oh. heart: i maximize good stuff like my potassium... and phytosterols, which may help lower cholesterol. major: i'm feeling energized already. avo: new delicious ensure active heart health supports your heart and body, so you stay active and strong.

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>> pelley: all fraternity and is sorority activities at the university of virginia are suspended until the spring semester. the school president took that action over the weekend after female student's account of being gang raped at a fraternity house was published. juliana goldman is in charlottesville. >> bright, multicolored post-yets covered the doors of the admissions office on monday, messages of support, frustration and outrage over explosive allegations in a "rolling stone" article that details the brutal gang rape of an 18-year-old freshman at a fraternity party in 2012. tom bunting graduated last may and says he knows the student, identifies only as jackie. she sites a sense of entitlement on campus and says the community has been putting the school's

reputation above its students. >> if we cheat, you're suppose to out that person, if you assault or rape another human being and try to cover it up, that's not honorable. >> reporter: the elite university has expelled more than 100 students over the last 15 years for violations of its strict honor code, that code covers lying, cheating and stealing, but not rape. tommy reid is the president of the intrafraternity council. >> no individual alone can solve this cultural problem. it takes a strong and committed community. >> reporter: annie forest, who says she was sexually assaulted freshman year, says it's not just a problem here at uva. >> i do believe there is a rape culture on the grounds, however, i don't believe it's unique to uva. i believe it extends far past just our grounds. >> reporter: university president teresa sullivan has called the allegations appalling and will be meeting with student groups next week. scott, uva is one of more than 80 schools under federal

investigation for sexual violence. >> pelley: juliana goldman, thanks. president obama awards the nation's highest civilian honor to a very distinguished group. that's coming up. set, hike! (cheering) yeah!! touchdown! nice catch! who's ready for half time? yes! ok i'm going to draw something up new... wide receiver goes deep all the way to the corner and... who ate the quarterback? share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're grrreat! imany cold medicines may raisee your blood pressure. that's why there's coricidin hbp it relieves cold symptoms without raising blood pressure. so look for powerful cold medicine with a heart. coricidin hbp.

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>> pelley: today we got a close-up look of a launchpad disaster. new video from melt president angles shows the unmanned orbital sciences rocket exploding moments after liftoff last month then crashing, causing a second blast strong

enough to crack the limbs of one of the cameras. the cause of the malfunction is under investigation. today president obama awarded the medal of freedom to 19 people for their varied contributions to america. among them, ethel kennedy for her work for social justice. john dingell, the longest-serving member of congress, tom brokaw of nbc news, golfer charles seifert, who helped desegregate the pga, actresses meryl streep and marlow thomas, sicker stevie wonder and murdered civil rights workers james cheney, andrew goodman and michael schwerner. broadcasters quickly ran out of superlatives after witnessing "the catch" on sunday night football. odell beckham shook off a dallas defender and made a one-handed, behind-the-back grab.

lucky catch? maybe not. this was beckham practicing before the game. he even did it in college at lsu? his secret? huge hands. his glove side is 3xl. turning the page. we come to arthur's tale, a team of swedish adventurers say it found arthur, a stray dog, during a 430-mile race through the amazon jungle. after they fed him a meatball, he never let their side. when they slogged through mud or kayaked on winding rivers, arthur was always there. the dog has a new home now, the team took him back to sweden. we'll have an update on our top story, the wait for the grand jury's decision in the fatal shooting of michael brown when jury's decision in the fatal shooting of michael brown when we come back. dads don't take sick days, dads take nyquil. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold, medicine. [coughing]

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>> pelley: one last look at our top story. a st. louis county grand jury's decision in the fatal shooting of michael brown will be announced shortly. it's expected about 9:00 eastern time, 8:00 central. we will find out whether the 12 jurors found probable cause to charge ferguson police officer darren wilson with a crime. the evidence they heard over the past three months included testimony from wilson. late today governor jay nixon urged tolerance, respect and restraint no matter what the decision. cbs news will bring you live coverage of the grand jury's decision. again, that's expected at 9:00 eastern time. and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, i'm scott pelley. see you again soon. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

our night at the american music awards, or as some have been calling it, american marketing awards. >> trust me. everyone was selling something. meanwhile, did the censors water down the bang, bang and the booty? ♪ bang, bang into the room >> no slapping, no anaconda, no laying on the floor, nothing. >> hear what the stars told us about taking the dancing down a notch. >> actually they should have toned down all the marketing. we'll tell you who turned the show into their very own infomercial. >> plus, our fashion report. who nailed it and who failed it. >> and taylor's tears, what was going on with that? then, bill cosby is back on stage as even more accusers come forward. >> something was put in my drink. >> the woman who played his daughter on film is here. >> i was alone with him. >> t