Transcripts For KPIX CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley 20131220

Pelley good evening. This is our western edition. There is breaking news to want from london. Part of a theater has collapsed as hundreds of people were watching a play. The Police Say Dozens have been hurt, some of the injuries are serious. Charlie dagata is on the scene for us. Charlie . Reporter scott, the very latest from the London Ambulance services tonight. More than 80 people have been wounded, a handful of those seriously wounded, theyve been taken to the hospital. Several people were trapped inside when the ceiling collapsed. We understand from authorities that they have since been rescued. Part of a ceiling collapsed in the middle of a performance of blockbuster play packe packed wh over 700 theater goers. A loud bang, i dont think it was an explosion and the ceiling came down. A lot of dust, chandelier, wood and all that sort of stuff. Reporter many said they thought the loud noises were part of the play. We originally thought it was sound effects of the theater and then of the play, yeah. Then we looked up and the whole ceiling it was like slow motion. It just kind of came down. Reporter other london theaters became Triage Centers for the walking wounded. Some theater goers were taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. One of the actors said watch out. We thought it was part of the play initially. So that was our reaction, wasnt it . And a bang, everything, debris, dust, everything. Everything, everywhere and then initially got up and it was like you couldnt see anything. You didnt know what was going on. Reporter as weve been here, weve seen paramedic teams evacuating more wounded. Theyve been coming out on stretchers. Weve seen people with head injuries. The vast majority of the people wounded were treated here at the scene. Only those with the more serious injuries were taken to the hospital. Scott . Pelley charlie, the Apollo Theater is a little more than a hundred years old. Is there any word now on how this happened . Reporter no, but the witnesses we spoke to, scott, the people on the top balconies said it wasnt the balcony collapsed. They heard a crack, they saw people in front of them starting to move and then everything started to fall in and the place filled with dust. So theres a suggestion there that the ceiling it collapsed on to the people below them and not a balcony and thats what theyre looking at now. Weve seen fire crews up on top of the building checking out the ceiling. Pelley more on this on the broadcast tomorrow and on cbs this morning. Charlie, thanks very much. In another big story tonight, the secret service is investigating one of the largest thefts of credit card and debit card information ever. Of millions of people who shopped at target stores all over the country from thanksgiving eve through last weekend when the breach was discovered. Chip reid has our story. Reporter as customers poured into target stores to kick off the Holiday Shopping season three weeks ago there was no way to know that millions of them were about to be scammed. Heres how investigators believe it worked first, a sophisticated hacker possibly a criminal organization broke into targets Computer System and gained access to the companys credit and debit card terminals. Then when shoppers swiped their cards to make purchases, the hackers stole the card data of up to 40 million customers including names, card numbers, expiration dates and security codes. Sean henry formerly led the Cyber Crime Division of the f. B. I. And now heads the high Tech Security croudstrike. Once they get that private data, they can try to sell credit card numbers to others who will purchase it for pennies on the dollar and those people down the line will try to use it for fraudulent purchases through online transactions, et cetera. Reporter in a letter to its customers today, target wrote shopped at targe be ember 2 decembe shoul our a for s s r unusual activity. The letter the letter said customers who found anything unusual should contact their bank to make sure theyre protected from loss. Those who used a target credit card were told to contact target. But the companys Facebook Page today was swamped with angry complaints from customers who couldnt get through online or by phone. Sean henry says this kind of scam could happen to almost any company as big as target. Youve got networks that are so vast and so large that its virtually impossible to protect them from every type of attack. Reporter at this point, scott, it appears that only people who shopped at actual target stores were victimized by this scam. People who shopped online were not affected. Pelley chip, thanks very much. Today president obama commuted the sentences of eight prisoners serving long terms for possession of crack cocaine. All had been convicted under laws that required longer sentences for crack than for powdered cocaine. Former Oil Billionaire mckale the e said fre eight was just a matter of fairness. In a surprise today, president putin of russia said that he would pardon a famous political rival who has spent ten years in prison. Former Oil Billionaire Mikail Khodorkovsky was convicted of tax evasion but the case was widely seen as a crackdown on political opposition. Putin also said he would grant amnesty to two members of a rock band that had been critical of him. Amnesty to two members of a rock band that had been critical of him. Two embarrassing human rights questions now answered before putin host it is Winter Olympics in february. Today the United Methodist church defrocked a pennsylvania pastor for officiating at his sons same sex wedding in 2007. Methodists make up one of the largest protestant denominations in this country, with eight million members. As Terrell Brown reports, pastor Frank Shaefer says that despite the punishment, hed do it again. I did it out of love for my son. My son had asked me. I had to say yes. He did not choose to be homosexual. Reporter reverend Frank Shaefer has been a methodist minister for 20 years. He was given a choice recommit to upholding Church Doctrine in regards to samesex marriage or surrender his ministerial credentials. He refused to do either because he says three of his four children are gay. Think about how i can reconcile continuing to do ministry to the l. G. B. T. Community which includes gay marriages and uphold the church law at the same time. I had to say ultimately i cant. Im sorry, but i cant reconcile that. I cant uphold the book of discipline our church law book because it has those discriminatory laws in them. Reporter United Methodist church rules outlined in its book of discipline describes homosexuality as incompatible with christian teaching. It also states ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers. Spokesperson john coleman read a Church Statement explaining the move against shaefer. He no longer holds the Ministerial Office in the eastern pennsylvania conference by virtue of his decision. Is it worth it . I would not change. I could not have said no to my son to perform his wedding because i love him so much and i just wanted to affirm him. Reporter this is the second time that a methodist minister has been defrocked for conducting a samesex marriage. Reverend Frank Shaefer says he will appeal that decision and he will continue to speak out on behalf of gays and lesbians who he feels are treated as second class citizens, scott. Pelley terrell, thanks very much. Weve been following the story of 19 elite firefighters who were killed in a wildfire in yarnell, arizona, back in july. Well, today, we learned that the families of 12 of them plan to sue the state and local governments for more than a quarter of a billion dollars. But the families are also offering a deal that they believe will prevent a similar tragedy. Carter evans covered the firefighters deaths and has this followup tonight. Reporter a firefighters helmet camera recorded the final radio calls from the Granite Mountain hot shots. This is the voice of crew leader eric marsh. He and his shot shots were deploying their protective fire shelters. In his voice, what i heard was he knew. I think and i believe that he knew that they were all going to die. Reporter juliana ashcrafts husband andrew died in the fire. He joined 11 other families today to file court papers seeking a total of 237 million from state and local officials. But they are also offering a deal a smaller settlement in exchange for stricter Safety Standards and funding for new equipment, training, and firefighter education. The families cited 31 mistakes they say led to disaster. Those errors were highlighted in a state report earlier this month. As weather conditions changed, commanders chose to evacuate the command post but allowed the Granite Mountain hot shots to continue to work downwind of a rapidly progressing winddriven fire. I will not stop until i can do everything in my power to make sure no other wife is sitting in this chair talking about their husband who should have come home but that policies and procedures werent followed. Reporter and some of the changes the hot shot families would like to see are better fire shelters that can resist the high heat of a fire in the wildfire conditions. They also would like to see g. P. S. Locators on firefighters in the field. Scott, if the hot shots had had those, when all else failed the air tankers would have known exactly where to deliver a life saving water drop. Pelley carter evans in our los angeles newsroom. Carter, thank you. A blast of arctic air is causing a deep freeze on the great lakes tonight. The annual chill has come early this year, creating massive sheets of ice that are choking the critical seaway. Tonight Dean Reynolds reports crews are busy breaking up the ice. Reporter these coast guard ice breakers near duluth, minnesota, are out weeks early. Singledigit temperatures have nearly solidified parts of Lake Superior and slowed the multibillion dollar shipping business there and in the other great lakes. This week, 13 of Lake Michigan is covered by ice that was nowhere to be seen this time last year. Sailing around chicagos ice clogged burnham harbor is like being on a polar expedition. Were out on the city of chicagos icebreaking tug boat called the commissioner which is out on the water three weeks earlier than usual because serious ice is already forming here on the lake front. A path through ice is essential for the shipping industry in the great lakes which can move 15 to 20 of its annual total cargo during the ice season. The concern for a lot of the commercial shippers is they simply cant get their boats in and out to transfer goods. Reporter phillip willink, a Research Biologist at the shed aquarium joined us as the commissioner plied or plowed the harbor to keep the ice from setting. But, he says, the ice can benefit the lake which had been hurt by years of low precipitation. The ice acts as a blanket and sort of traps the water in the lake, preventing it from evaporating away. So the ice cover is actually helping to raise lake levels. Reporter and that blanket is likely to get thicker in the coming days with highs in the teens on monday when the real winter will be just getting started. Pelley in los angeles, a jury has settled a tugofwar over a portrait of Farrah Fawcett. The Insurance Industry has named the safest cars on the road. And confronted by a gunman, bus passengers fight back when the cbs evening news continues. Suddenly youre a mouth breather. A mouth breather how do you sleep like that . You dry up, your cold feels even worse. Well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. Cold medicines open your nose over time, but add a breathe right strip, and pow it instantly opens your nose up to 38 more so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do. Sleep. Add breathe right to your cold medicine. Shut your mouth and sleep right. Breathe right. Add breathe right to your cold medicine. So when my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis them. Was also on display, id had it. I finally had a serious talk with my dermatologist. Pelley the Human Rights Group Amnesty International said syrians fighting to overthrow the dictatorship of Bashar Al Assad are confronting a new kind of tyranny, this time from islamic militants who have pushed out moderates among the rebel fighters. And thats what our Clarissa Ward found along the syria lebanon border. Reporter the group calls itself the Islamic State of iraq and syria isis. And it has sworn allegiance to al qaeda. These prisoners arent government soldiers but other rebels who dont share the groups extremist views. At first, many syrians welcomed the militant group who quickly scored key victories on the battlefield against the syrian regime. But now they are chafing under the strict islamic law it enforces. Activist abu layla had to leave syria after criticizing the groups tactics. We asked we not show his face. What did they threaten to do to you . The letter said we will finish you off easily he told us. Either with a bullet or with a car bomb. Jihadists have streamed into syria from across the arab world, europe, and even america. Weve come here from all nationalities to defend this land, this islamic land. Reporter according to one intelligence estimate, as many as 60 americans have gone to syria to fight. Radical cleric omar bakri teaches englishspeaking muslims over the internet from his home in lebanon. My students are from australia, america, britain. Reporter have any of your students shown interest in fighting in syria . Oh, yes, some of them they left and went to syria. Reporter bakri boasted to us that he provides would be jihadists with introductions to groups like isis. He also said he shares the groups desire to see jihad spread beyond syrias borders. Do you want to see the war in syria come to lebanon . Oh, beyond that. Im in favor of that because, after all, the war in syria, it is really for the sake to establish islam if the regions and i believe the birth of the Islamic State is really started in syria. Reporter so are we going to see an increase in terrorism . You want to call it, you know, terrorism, its up to you. Reporter more suicide bombings . Oh, yes, definitely. Reporter a chilling prediction in a region that has already seen so much bloodshed. Clarissa ward, cbs news, tripoli, lebanon. Pelle pelley today a jury in los angeles ruled that an andy warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett belongs to her longtime companion ryan oneal. When faucet died in 2009 she left all of her art work to the university of texas. But oneal took the warhol painting saying that it was a gift from the artist for arranging the portrait session. The school sued, but the jury voted 93 today to let oneal keep it. Are you driving one of the safest cars on the road . Well have the Insurance Industrys list next. Noninsul. For a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar, but it didnt get me to my goal. . W so i asked my doctor about victoza®. He said victoza® is different than pills. Victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. Its taken onceaday, any time, and comes in a pen. And the needle is thin. Victoza® is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. Victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. It is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Victoza® has not been studied with mealtime insulin. Victoza® is not insulin. Do not take victoza® if you have a personal or Family History of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat, fainting or dizziness, very rapid heartbeat, problems breathing or swallowing, severe rash or itching. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza®, including inflammation of the pancreas pancreatitis , which may be fatal. Stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis, such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back, with or without vomiting. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. Taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. The most common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and headache. Some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. If your pill isnt giving you the control you need ask your doctor about noninsulin victoza®. Its covered by most health plans. [ woman ] my father loved the sea. He taught me that whales leave footprints, glassy circles on the surface that show us where theyve been and sometimes where theyre going. He would always say, if you know where youre headed, you can make the smart choices to help you get there. And his legacy has helped me achieve my goals. [ male announcer ] let pacific life help you create a legacy for the ones you love. To find out how, visit pacificlife. Com. Pelley today the Insurance Industry put out its annual list of the safest new cars. Last year, 130 cars made the cut but this year there were only 39 because the standards are tougher now. Heres transportation correspondent jeff pegues. Reporter the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put nearly 200 cars through a battery of tests, including a new one that measure askars ability to protect occupants when a portion of the vehicle strikes another car or object. The cars that earn the highest rating top safety pick plus have systems that go beyond simple crash worthiness. They help prevent crashes from occurring in the first place by either warning drivers of the danger ahead or stopping or slowing the car before an impact. 22 vehicles earned that top rating. Among them, the honda civic hybrid, ford fusion, volvo xc 60 and the honda odyssey. Adrian lund, the president of i. I. H. S. , says automakers know that safety sells. Consumers should be encouraged because this change in the ratings shows that the state of the art of Motor Vehicle safety is changing and its changing for the better and its changing rapidly. Reporter scott, the i. I. H. S. Says crashavoidance Technology Like auto braking is the kind of technology that has automakers moving toward eventually producing cars that can actually drive themselves. Pelley jeff pegues. Thank you, jeff. Today prosecutors in seattle released Surveillance Video of a violent confrontation on a city bus. It happened last month when an armed robber started taking gessengers phones. But when the gun was pointed in the face of this rider, he was preoccupied with his own phone. The man suddenly pushed the gun away and fought back. You can even see him put his phone in his pocket with one hand as he punches with the other. Other passengers jumped in to help subdue the suspect. And well be right back. Back. [ doctor ] and in a Clinical Trial versus lipitor, crestor got more highrisk patients bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. Way to go, crestor yeah getting to goal is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors. Because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. So, when diet and exercise arent enough to lower cholesterol, adding crestor can help. Go, crestor oh, yeah [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone, like people with Liver Disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. Tell your doctor about other medicines youre taking. Call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin or eyes. These could be signs of rare but serious side effects. Crestor yes [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about crestor. If you cant afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. You know how painful heartburn can be. For fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. Only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up relieving the pain quickly. Try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. Relieving the pain quickly. But with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive,y first. I saw my doctor. A blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. We talked about axiron. The only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. Axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. Women especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. Report these symptoms to your doctor. Tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. Serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. Common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and increase in psa. Ask your doctor about axiron. Affected. Next on kpix 5 weather talent appears at wx center with generic pinpoint filling monitor the take special pelley time seems to pass so quickly. It was 25 years ago this weekend that a bomb brought down pan am flight 103 in lockerbie, scotland. All 259 on board most of them americans were killed. Along with 11 others on the ground. Tonight, Wyatt Andrews tells us about the message that was left by one young passenger. What about your father . Hi, dad reporter this home video of 16yearold Melina Hudson was taken one month before she died in the bombing of pan am flight 103. She was a new York Exchange student then in england and to her father paul hudson the tape captures her kindness and spirit. She was a beautiful 16year old teenager. She had always been strong willed. Reporter the tape held melinas last words to her family until nine months later when residents of lockerbie recovered melinas possessions from the debris one in particular took hudsons breath away. One of them was a School Notebook which she had done doodling on the outside cover. And under that there was a statement no one dies unless theyre forgotten. Reporter you felt like she was speaking to you. I felt like this was a motto as well as a cause of action. Reporter he responded to his daughters call by organizing two separate groups of lockerbie victims families. The groups demanded and won a more aggressive investigation of the bombing. The opinion of our group is overwhelming outrage. Reporter and they repeatedly pushed congress to improve airport security. How many bomb detectors have been installed . How many have been ordered . How many . Zero. Reporter his Mission Continues today. He now leads a Nonprofit Group that fights for the rights of airline passengers. Do you think youve tried to fulfill her words . Yes. And when and when my time is over i hope that shell say okay, you did what you could. Thats thats in my dreams, anyway. Reporter hudson often visits the lockerbie memorial at Arlington National cemetery where the names of all 270 victims are etched in cast iron. He comes here to tell his strongwilled 16yearold that her words and message are still alive. Im not going away. Reporter Wyatt Andrews pelley and thats the cbs evening news for tonight. For all of us at cbs news all around the world. Good night. Captioning sponsored by cbs your realtime captioner is mrs. Linda m. Macdonald will bart workers ever go on strike again . Not if the agencys brandnew board president gets his way. Good evening, im elizabeth cook. Im allen martin. Bart workers went on strike twice this year but it could be the last time they are allowed to. Don knapp with a plan that would ban bart strikes. Don. Reporter im not hearing ifb. Reporter bart Union Leaders say they were shocked to learn of plans for a bart district vote on workers right to strike. The plan comes from the incoming board president , joel keller. The news broke as unions were meeting with bart to work on a fix for the socalled mistake in a family leave provision in the new contract. Heres mr. Keller basically stirring it up for lack of a better word while we are trying to reach agreement. Reporter kellers no strike plan comes in the aftermath of contentious negotiations interrupted twice by strikes. And i think a strike by the bart workers constitutes a serious threat to the lives, property and welfare of all the people who live in the bay area counties. Reporter not surprisingly the unions disagree. I think its disingenuous to put forward your proposal about banning strikes. It was clear from the beginning that unions were opposed to striking. We reserve the right but it was very clear frothbenning that it was your intention to cause a strike. Reporter a districtwide vote would just reflect the sentiment of the voters. Only the state legislature can enact a ban on strikes by Public Transit workers. But getting such a law passed would be difficult according to todays chronicle. Lawmakers took nearly 3 million in Campaign Contributions from the unions representing bart workers. It sounds tidy just to say we could take away the strike. But thats not what they mean. It means to take away the power of the unions or the workers to even have a voice in their own