Powerless to get the United States congress to tighten gun control laws. The president was announcing what he would do by executive action without congress when the memories of these victims, 20 first graders from newtown, connecticut, six or seven years old, choked mr. Obama in midsentence. Every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. And, by the way, it happens on the streets of chicago every day. Pelley there have been 13 mass killings during the obama presidency. Each time republicans voted against gun legislation. But last month, after san bernardino, mr. Obama decided to act on his own. Given the limits of his power, his actions today are not the most significant simply expands background checks for gun sales online or at gun shows. Currently, about 40 of sales have no background checks at all. Chief Legal Correspondent jan crawford is at the white house. And from every family who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun. Reporter it was an emotional appeal. We maybe cant save everybody, but we could save some. Reporter and a political call to action. So the gun lobby may be Holding Congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold america hostage. applause we do not have to accept this carnage as the price of freedom. Reporter the president repeatedly callses the actions common sense steps. And he expressed solidarity with the white house a father who lost a sevenyearold. The daughters of a pastor at a church, and a congresswoman nearly killed after being shot in the head. Our right to worship freely and safely. applause that right was denied to christians in charleston, south carolina, and that was denied jews in kansas city, and that was denied muslims in chapel hill, and sikhs in oak creek. They had rights, too. Reporter the directives focus largely on a system of background checks including requiring all gun dealers, even those who sell firearms at gun shows and on the internet, to be licensed and conduct background checks. Improving the Current System by hiring more investigators to make background checks more efficient and effective. And increasing Mental Health treatment and reporting to the background check system. Although the issue of stricter gun laws remains highly support background checks, but the president in the wake of the sandy hook shootings failed to get legislation through congress that would have expanded them. Today, he said he wants voters to kick ardent gun rights supporters out of office. This is not that complicated. The Reason Congress blocks laws is because they want to win elections. And if you make it hard for them to win an election if they block those laws, theyll change course. I promise you. applause reporter now, the president could face constitutional challenges that these actions exceed his president ial authority. But the n. R. A. In a statement, scott, indicated it may hold off, saying these actions dont really appear to change anything and are simply political theater. Pelley jan crawford at the white house. Jan, thank you. Well, if it is political theater, republican president ial candidates played the president s proposals as high drama today. Nancy cordes was in the reporter obama wants your guns that was the warning on the president ial Campaign Web Site for texas senator ted cruz today, alongside a mockup of the president in military garb. Cruzs fellow candidate marco rubio called the president s plan unconstitutional. Barack obama is obsessed with undermining the Second Amendment. Reporter House Speaker paul ryan accused mr. Obama of a dangerous level of executive overreach. Texas republican john culberson, whose suck commit controls funding for the department of justice, threatened to cut the purse strings. If the president , through these orders, has overstepped his authority, i will take immediate action to restrain him. Im not going to wait for a court order, not going to wait for a lawsuit. Our Second Amendment rights are too precious. Reporter the National Rifle association reacted to the president s remarks with a hail of tweets in real time saying, president obamas executive orders will do nothing to improve public safety. This warning to any lawmakers thinking of siding with the president , fyi all n. R. A. Grades are subject to change. Sadly, its what ive come to expect now. Reporter congresswoman Elizabeth Esty is a democrat whose connecticut district includes sandy hook elementary where 20 children and six adults were gunned down in 2012. What do you say to republicans who argue the president just doesnt have the constitutional right to take these actions . Its not good enough to say, i dont like what youre proposing. Then bring forward your proposals but for gods sake, do something. Reporter many Congressional Democrats applauded the president s actions today, but they dont control congress, and if he wants more money for things like additional a. T. F. Agents, hes going to have to win over some republicans and right now, scott, that seems unlikely. Pelley nancy cordes on capitol hill. Nancy, thank you. We want to note that demand for guns is soaring. The f. B. I. Says it conducted a checks last year. Mr. Obama also cited a hero in the battle against gun violence, an innocent teenager who last month found himself in the way of a gang shooting. Zaevion dobson was a sophomore at Fulton High School in knoxville, tennessee. He played football, beloved by his classmates and his teachers. The week before christmas, he headed to a friends house to play video games. He wasnt in the wrong place at the wrong time. He hadnt made a bad decision. He was exactly where any other kid would be. Your kid, my kids. And then gunmen started firing. And zaevion, who was in high school, hadnt even gotten started in life, dove on top of three girls to shield them from and he was shot in the head. He gave his life to save theirs. An actor act of heroism a lot bigger than anything we should expect from a 15yearold. Greater love hath no man than this than a man who lay down his life for his friends. Pelley there has been an arrest in the death of zaevion dobson. There has also been an arrest in the shooting death of a College Student in denton, texas, in what may have been an act of road rage. The suspect is a marine corporal, eric johnson. He was arrested today in yuma, arizona. He is accused of gunning down a 20yearold girl early new years day as she drove with friends home from a party. In another big story today, floodwaters are receding along some part of the mississippi, but rising in others. Tonight, 23 illinois counties have been declared disaster areas. David begnaud is in olive reporter this is where the Mississippi River is pouring into one of the poorest counties in the state of illinois, Alexander County. Im standing on the lynn small levee, which failed four days ago, and now that breach is nearly a mile wide. More than 125 properties in Alexander County have been flooded. David willis owns three of them. The Mississippi River is at his front door. It looks like you built this in the middle of a lake. 30 years ago this didnt happen. Reporter after a flood in 2011, willis was one of the People Living in a flood zone who accepted a state buyout and agreed to leave. When did they offer you the buyout . Right after the floodwater went down. Reporter in 2011. Yes. Reporter and you took it. Yes. Reporter have you gotten your money . Nope. Four years, seven months, probably. Havent heard a word. Reporter he had the money to move away and wait for the state to reimburse him. Retired truck driver Richard Johnson turned do you want offer. Afford to move. You cant just up and move like that. Reporter johnson says he doesnt have the money to start over. The middian income in Alexander County is just under 27,000 per year, less than half of the states median income. As for david willis, whether or not he gets his money, hes made up his mind. Think youll ever come back. Nope. Reporter because of that. Because of that. Reporter that is the levee that was breached by floodwaters further north and killed 25 people in illinois and missouri. It may be two years before this breach is repaired. It could be two weeks before those flooded areas in Alexander County are dry. But the good news is the waters receding back into the mismiriver, which is above flood stage from here to louisiana. Pelley david begnaud, thanks. In the west, storms are going to hit one after another, powered by the warming Pacific Current known as el nino. Heres ben tracy. And dogs out here, folks. Reporter the rain came down hard, up to an inch an hour, snarling roadways and covering part of the 101 freeway in mud. This mini cooper was no match for the megarain. Ground. People living in areas chared by evacuate. Steel netting has been installed in some places to catch large debris. Hal hayman lives below the mountains and decided to leave. At night time i dont want to go to sleep wondering if the debris is going to come down again. Reporter bill patzert is a nasa climatologist. We tend to now focus on the negative impacts of this, but the fact of the matter is we need all of this rain. This is going to be a fantastic down payment on drought. We could anticipate anywhere between four and six inches of rain here in los angeles, which is normally double what we get in january. Rushing tonight, sending billions of gallons of water out to the ocean. The good news about that is that is what prevents los angeles from flooding. Scott, there is more rain in the forecast, expected to hit Southern California tomorrow. Pelley ben tracy reporting this evening. Ben, thank you. Today in afghanistan, one u. S. Service member was killed, two others were wounded in a fierce battle near the Southern City of marjah. The taliban have been advancing. American special operations sources are supporting the afghanistan military. In the race for the next commander in chief, Ronald Reagan once said the 11th commandment is thou shall not speak ill of another republican. Well, he wouldnt recognize the melee just four weeks before iowa. Heres Major Garrett. Reporter this ad from a superpac backing ted cruz mocked marco rubios Foreign Policy toughness. Get this fantasy football thing right . Reporter cruz took his own fire from rick santorum. You want someone to read one hell of a bedtime story . Ted cruz is your guy. If you want to protect america and defeat isis, Rick Santorums your president. Reporter the superpac pushing rubio branded Chris Christie an outofstep liberal. Chris christie one high tax, common core, liberal Energy Loving obamacare medicaid commanding president is enough. Reporter rubio and cruz sell themselves as positive candidates who dont attack their opponents leaving leaving that job to their milliondollar superpacs. The superpacs are supposed to operate independently from the campaigns, although rubio today said he does support his groups message. These are serious policies. So theres nothing in those ads that are inaccurate. Reporter superpac ads dont necessarily tip the scale. The group back jeb bush has see bushs poll numbers tumble, leaving bush to scramble for attention on live today, today, vowing hes been tougher than anyone on donald trump. I think thats my job. You gotta take on the bully head on, and thats what im doing. Reporter christi told the Washington Post today that rubio cannot slime his way to the white house. Scott, that those attacks came from a Rubio Superpac and not rubio himself was a distinction apparently lost on christi as it may very well be for voters the. Pelley Major Garrett on the muddy campaign trail. Major, thanks very much. In new york, in the democratic race, Bernie Sanders to do aim today at frontrunner Hillary Clinton over her ties to with the. He said wall streets gried is destroying the fabric of the nation. And here is a new years resolution that i will keep if elected president , and that is greed, we will end it for them. applause . Pelley sanders also vowed to break up the countrys biggest financial firms. A documentary leads to a campaign to release a convicted murderer. And a ceremony at west point marks a milestone for women when the cbs evening news continues. 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For it to go from a few thousands signatures to upwards of a quarter million siewners is phenomenal, really shows that this. Is tapping into a national conversation. Reporter its all due to this Series Making a murderer launched last month, which tells the story of stephen avery. Hello. Reporter hes the wisconsin man who served 18 years in prison for rape before being exonerated in 2003. We, the jury, find the defendant guilty. Reporter only to find himself in prison again on a murder conviction in 2007. Since the debut, millions of viewers have spent hours Binge Watching it and discussing the case in online chat rooms. Many viewers concluded avery was framed by authorities who lied and planted evidence. Ken kratz, who prosecuted avery and is now receiving death threats, says the series is misleading. Stephen avery is right where thats in prison for the rest of his natural life. Reporter averys lawyer, dean strang, says, though, that the reaction to the series has included useful information for the defense. We cant afford not to at least sift and consider something that might be useful to one human being who right now is facing a slow death in prison. Reporter here in wisconsin, Governor Scott walker has the power to pardon someone, but during two terms in office, he has never used it. And, scott, his aides say he is not going to change that strategy now. Pelley Dean Reynolds in madison for us tonight. Dean, thank you very much. The Justice Department takes action after a cbs news thats next glad i could help you plan for your retirement. Alright, kelly and promise me that youll try that taco place on south street. And we have portfolio planning tools to help you manage your ira. Yeah, youre old 401k give me your phone. The rollover consultants give you stepbystep help. No setup fees. Use your potion. Sorry, not you. My pleasure. Goodnight, tim. 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Reporter ron clark, a former teacher of the year founded the Ron Clark Academy in 2007. Its a private, nonprofit middle school, part hogwarts, part harvard. Learning comes to life at warp academically diverse and often low of lower income. The viral video stars includes seventh grader jaydon linsey. The message to get out there was to say that we can do fun things while learning at the same time. Reporter every student but gone on to college. Mason calhoun, another seventh grader. Its very indescribable the amount of love that is shown from the teachers towards us, and it really motivates us to push ourselves, be great academically, and just be amazing citizens. Reporter is there a message in the video . I think the message of this video is about who we are. At the Ron Clark Academy were all about relationships with kids, building bonds, and showing kids that you care because when kids know youre willing to meet them with they are and learn about their culture and interact in a positive way, theyre going to respect you more and work harder. Reporter by breaking the mold, ron clark and his kids keep bustin the right moves. Mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. Pelley and thats the cbs evening news for tonight. Around the wor announcer youre watching kcci 8 news. Cynthia governor branstad proposes diverting sales tax money for schools and using it for clean water projects. Why schools are in favor of the plan. Steve plus, president obama tightens controls on unlicensed private gun sellers. See which iowans support the plan and who is opposed. Cynthia roosevelt high alum and world class hurdler lolo jones on cbs this morning. What she says about another run at an olympic gold medal this summer in rio. Governor branstad is considering diverting a portion of sales tax money designed to help schools to also help clean up iowas water. Steve some lawmakers have already said they oppose the plan because it puts the needs of schools against the need for clean water. Cynthia the governor unveiled his plan this morning with