Transcripts For KPIX CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley 20150121

President obama is about to do something he has never done before he will address a congress controlled completely house and senate, by the opposition party, as he reports on the state of the union and lays out his agenda for the final two years of his presidency. The question, of course, is how much of that agenda the republican majority will accept. Among the things the president will say, this country does best when everyone gets their fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett has the speech hot off the press. Major. Reporter scott, the president will tell the country the time has come to turn the page on an era defined by recession and direct u. S. Combat in afghanistan and iraq. In another excerpt just released from the white house, the president will say from the white house, the president will say reporter for the f reporter for the first time in office, the u. S. Economy is an asset to president obama. His Approval Ratings and Consumer Confidence have risen as he prepares to deal with another first a congress run by republicans. In the latest cbs news poll, 53 of the country describe the condition of the u. S. Economy as good. As good. Thats 16 Percentage Points higher than when the president last delivered a state of the Union Address. The poll also gave the president a 46 Approval Rating, seven points higher than it was in october. The president has already crisscrossed the country unveiling tonights domestic policy ideas. The goal to help middle classmili families through paid family leave, tax cuts, and Lower Community college costs. Republicans have rejected these and other proposals. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell but when weve asked the white house for constructive engagement, what weve seen, at least so far, has been pretty discouraging. We need to change this dynamic. We need to turn the page. Reporter in a sign that confrontation is coming, the white house has already issued eight veto threats to republicans bills. Two of those came just hours before the president travels to the capitol hill, scott, to tell the country he can and will seek compromise. Ek pelley major, thank you very much. Bob schieffer is our chief washington correspondent and anchor of face the nation. Bob, what are you looking for tonight . Epor reporter well, ill tell you, scott, the president is addressing a nation that is deeply divided. But it is fair to say most people are at least in a better humor than they were a year ago. The economy is better. Wages are still stagnant, but unemployment is the lowest of the Obama Presidency and a million jobs were created over the last year. That is the good news. The president will talk a lot about make the tax code fairer raising taxes on rich people. Republicans, he knows, will oppose most of that, but heat the wants to get it into the conversation. They were saying over at the white house today, if republicans have better ideas, then lay them out and well talk. Expect a lot more talk action less probable. Were also told he will devote about a third of his speech to foreign policy. Back at the beginning of the administration, his people had hoped that, by now, most of the troops would be back home, and the war on terror, as they called it back then, would be over. It did not work out that way, as weve been reminded in recent weeks. And when it will be won is one question we can be sure he will not be able to answer tonight. Pelley bob will be with us for our cbs live News Coverage of the state of the Union Address and the republican response, beginning at 9 00 eastern time, 8 00 central, 6 00 in the west. One likely area of political bridge building is, well, bridge building. The nations infrastructure of bridges, roads, and pipelines is sorely in need of renovation and we saw fresh evidence last night when part of a highway overpass being demolished in ohio collapsed, killing a construction worker. Heres jeff pegues. Reporter the concrete from the overpass above interstate 75 nearly crushed the cab of this truck. O the driver of the semi somehow survived. It was a routine bridge demolition gone terrible wrong. The 90 Million Construction project began over a year and a half ago. There are thousands of Infrastructure Projects just like it across the country. One in nine bridges in the u. S. Is rated as structurally deficient, and 32 of major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Chad moutray is the chief economist for the National Association of manufacturers. When we talk to many of our manufacturing members, 70 of them said that, overall, infrastructure in the United States was not up to par. We need a quality infrastructure to be able to continue to compete. Reporter in washington lawmakers havent been able to agree on how to Fund Infrastructure improvements. The highway trust fund, which is financed by the gas tax, is falling short for more than a decade. Now, some cities are turning away from washington for answer. Were going to the Capital Markets for a quarterofa billion dollar bond. Reporter kasim reed is the mayor of atlanta. The state of our National Infrastructure is embarrassingrr and we all know it, and its really starting to adversely affect people in Rural America and in urban america alike. Reporter right now, the country is spending just 13 billion annually to fix bridges. Scott, thats 8 billion shortth of what the federal Highway Administration says is needed annually to fix deficient bridges by 2028. Pelley jeff, thanks very much. And speaking of repairs, that scaffolding on the capital is part of a total restoration of the civil warera dome. The scaffolding should be down late this year. Today, james holmes went on trial two and a half years after the Movie Theater massacre in aurora, colorado. Holmes appeared in court with dark hair neatly trimmed. It could take months to pick a jury out of the pool of 7,000, the largest in u. S. History. His lawyers admit holmes shot 12 people to death and injured 70 but he has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. We learned today the air asia plane that crashed last month was attempting an extreme maneuver more common to a fighter jet. Bob orr has the latest. Reporter in the final moments before air asia flight 8501 crashed into the java sea the passenger jet was in a steep and dangerous climb, pushing the limits of safety. New information from the planes flight data recorder reveals the jet was ascending at a rate of 6,000 feet a minute, three times greater than normal for the airbus a320. The pilots were apparently trying to quickly climb above bad weather, but the data and radar information suggests the flight crew pulled the planes nose too high, likely causing the jet to stall and pitch over in a deadly dive. Flight 8501, with 162 people on board, crashed into the water. The fuselage and tail shattered on impact. After listening to the planes cockpit voice recorder investigators say there is no evidence of terrorism, no sounds of threats, gunfire, or explosions. Instead, investigators say, the two air asia pilots seemed to be alone on the flight deck, busily trying to handle the jet. While a mechanical failure or bad weather cant be completely ruled out yet, its clear at this point investigators are focused on the pilots, scott, in what appears to be a series of mistakes made in the cockpit. Pelley bob orr in our washington newsroom tonight. Bob, thank you. Today, isis threatened to execute two more hostages. The Islamic Militant group which controls a third of iraq and syria, has beheaded at least five hostages, including three americans. Holly williams is following this. Reporter dressed in guantanamostyle jumpsuits, the two japanese men knelt in silence as an isis militant bargained for their lives. You now have 72 hours to pressure your government in making a wise decision by paying 200 million to save the lives of your citizens. Reporter one of the men is believed to be kenji goto, a japanese journalist who was reporting on syrias civil war when he disappeared last year. The other is thought to be haruna yukawa, who described himself as a private security contractor before his capture in august. The militant in the video seems to be the man known as jihadi john, who has appeared in several isis execution videos. Though the American Government says it refuses to negotiate with terrorists, many other countries are willing to pay for the release of their citizens. Isis made an estimated 20 million from its trade in hostages last year alone. The release of the video publicly demanding ransom money comes at a time when the group has very few western hostages left. It also follows intense u. S. Led air strikes on syrian oil facilities, which the extremists depend on to fund their self styled islamic state. The strikes and the recent drop in Oil Prices May now be hurting isis financially. And the air campaign also seems to be succeeding in clawing back territory in iraq. In syria, though, scott, the situation is more complicated. While isis appears to be losing ground in the strategically key city of kobani, elsewhere inko syria, it may actually be gaining territory. Pelley Holly Williams reporting for us from istanbul turkey, tonight. Holly, thank you. The mayor of paris said today she intends to sue fox news after its guests and at least one host claimed Islamic Militants control parts of france and britain, and police are afraid to enter these so called nogo zones. Fox news has acknowledged it got it wrong and has apologized. Measles outbre the Measles Outbreak isin spreading. At least 46 cases have been traced to a disney theme park in southern california. Now, some students who are healthy are being banned from school. Heres ben tracy. Reporter students at Huntington Beach high school have more to worry about than their upcoming final exams. In a letter to parents, Public Health officials said a student with measles was at school on january 68, and that simply being in the same room with someone who has measles is sufficient to become infected. Dr. Eric handler is orange countys health officer. He says the infected student had not been vaccinated for the disease. This is a very contagious serious disease. You can develop ear infection, pneumonia, encephalitis, and can die from it people can die from it. And here you have something that, if you get your shots, you can prevent the disease. Reporter 24 other unvaccinated students will not be allowed to return to Huntington Beach high for 21 days, the measles incubation period. 17yearold holly is concerned. We almost wiped out this disease, and then it comes back because people dont get vaccinated. And i think that thats the scary part to me is that it can come back. Ep reporter Californias Department of Public Health tracks vaccination rates at schools. The red dots on this map represent some of the highest risk schools in orange county. More than a third of students enrolled are not fully vaccinated. Fiveyearold sheridan hagmier is one of them. Her mom, dotty, is concerned vaccines cause more harm than good. The Measles Outbreak is now just miles from her home. Is it possible that youve underestimated the potential threat to your children . For me, i feel very comfortable with the decisions that. That ive made for my kids. N i dont feel like everybodyal getting vaccinated is actually e whats keeping everybody safe. Reporter now, California Law does require that School Children get vaccinated for measles, but parents can get anet exemption if they sign something known as a personal belief waiver, and, scott, the percentage of those waivers usedqu has quadrupled since 2000. N ou pelley ben tracy in our los angeles newsroom. Ben, thanks. The pope uses some colorful language. And if we ever get to mars these twins will deserve some credit when the cbs evening news continues. Without raising Blood Pressure. So look for powerful Cold Medicine with a heart. Coricidin hbp. When heartburn comes creeping up on you. Fight back with relief so smooth. Its fast. Tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. And neutralizes stomach acid at the source. Tum, tum tum tum. Smoothies only from tums. Pelley pope francis, who takes his name from the patron saint of animals, has been seen petting dogs, carrying a lamb, and holding birds. Well, now hes raising eyebrows by bringing up rabbits in a discussion about the church and family. Heres elaine quijano. Reporter pope francis was returning home from the philippines, a trip where he was embraced by a population that is more than 80 catholic. He held an hourlong News Conference aboard the papal plane and gave a blunt response to a question about the churchs stance against contraception. Speaking italian, he said, some think that excuse me if i use that word that in order to be good catholics, we have to be like rabbits. No, responsible parenthood this is clear. Theres a stereotype, i think, that if youre a good catholic family, you have to have ten or 12 kids, and hes going against that. Reporter father james martin is a jesuit like pope francis. Was he giving a green light to contraception . No, he wasnt. In fact, at the beginning of the answer, he talks about the churchs traditional teaching on contraception, and this has been said by a number of popes back to paul vi responsible parenting. Hes actually not saying anything new. Its the way hes saying it, as is typical with pope francis. Reporter he also used colorful language to rail against corruption. He recounted the time when, as a bishop in buenos aires, people offered to donate 200,000 if they got to keep half for themselves. In that moment, i thought, what should i do, either insult them and give them a kick where the sun doesnt shine, or play the fool . Hes stirring things and trying to get us to look at things in a fresh way, and i think thats ultimately good. Reporter the pope will come to the u. S. In september with stops in washington and new york. Scott, his visit will culminate with a mass pelley elaine, thanks very much. Well be back in a moment. Well be back in in a moment. If you have high blood sugar ask your doctor about farxiga. Its a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. Along with diet and exercise farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. With one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. And, although its not a weightloss or bloodpressure drug farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower Blood Pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. Do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling or difficulty breathing or swallowing. If you have any of these symptoms, stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. Do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems are on dialysis or have bladder cancer. Tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. Farxiga can cause serious side effects, including dehydration genital yeast infections in women and men low blood sugar, kidney problems, and increased bad cholesterol. Common side effects include urinary Tract Infections changes in urination and runny nose. Do the walk of life yeah,you do the walk of life need to lower your blood sugar . Ask your doctor about farxiga. And visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. Alkaseltzer plus presents the cold truth. I have a cold, with terrible chest congestion. Better take something. Ill catch up later. Awww. Truth is, theraflu severe cold doesnt treat chest congestion. Really . New alkaseltzer plus day powder rushes relief to your worst cold symptoms plus chest congestion. Oh, what a relief it is. Here we go woooo woooo and now, alkaseltzer plus has a complete line of powders to treat your worst cold symptoms. They challenge us. They take us to worlds full of heroes and titans. For respawn, building the best Interactive Entertainment begins with the cloud. This is titanfall, the first multiplayer game built and run on microsoft azure. Empowering gamers around the world to interact in ways they never thought possible. This cloud turns data into excitement. This is the microsoft cloud. Pelley if mankind is to explore ot explore other worlds, well need to overcome the toll that space flight takes on the body. Nasa has an opportunity to get some answers from two americanswers from tw with exactly the right stuff. And heres don dahler. Reporter astronauts scott and mark kelly have never gone into space together, but their Yearlong Mission apart may prove invaluable. Hi, my name is scott kelly. Reporter once scott boards the International Space station in march, he will undergo a daily battery of medical and psychological tests. 229 miles below in a nasa lab, twin brother mark will undergo those same tests, all to try to figure out how long durations in space affect the body. Well, we know what the effect is for sixmonth missions, and now we need to know what it is between six months and a year, and what those negative effects are and how to mitigate them. Vi reporter in zero gravity, heart muscle weakens, balance becomes shaky, and the eyes can lose their shape, affecting vision. Astronauts have to exercise two and a half hours a day to minimize bone loss. Do you think that the human body and the human mind are capable of. Of long trips in space. Right now, what we do know . The physiological, the medical stuff, the stuff like radiation and loss of bone mass m and muscle mass and density, its those things that we need to figure out. Reporter genetically, the kellys are nearly identical, so mark will be the control subject, a baseline for how the extremes of space alter his brother physically and mentally. Nasa scientists hope what they learn will some day make a threeyearlong round trip to mars survivable. Don dahler, cbs news, houston. Pelley if the state of the union is strong, its becauseke folks like jason gibson make it that way. His story is next. Hat you might be at the corner of looking for a good deal and sheesh, i wish id looked some more. Thats why walgreens makes it easy to switch your prescriptions and save money. Just stop by. And leave all the legwork to us. Switch your prescriptions to walgreens where you could save even more on Medicare Part d with copays as low as zero dollars. At the corner of happy and healthy. It may seem strange, but people really can love their laxative. Especially when its miralax. It hydrates, eases, and softens, to unblock your system naturally. So you have peace of mind from start to finish. Love your laxative. Miralax. [guy] i know what youre thinking youre thinking beneful. [announcer]beneful has wholesome grains,real beef,even accents of spinach,carrots and peas. [guy] you love it so much. Yes you do. But its good for you, too. [announcer] healthful. Flavorful. Beneful. From purina. Major ok fitness class heres our new trainer ensure active heart health. Crowd yayyyy heart im going to focus on the heart. I minimize my sodium and fat. Gotta keep it lean and mean. Pear uhoh. Heart i maximize good stuff like my potassium. And phytosterols, which may help lower cholesterol. Major im feeling energized already. New delicious ensure active heart Health Supports your heart and body, so you stay active and strong. Ensure. Take life in. What makes thermacare different . Two words it heals. How . With heat. Unlike creams and rubs that mask the pain, thermacare has patented heat cells that penetrate deep to increase circulation and accelerate healing. Lets review heat, plus relief, plus healing, equals thermacare. The proof that it heals is you. Pelley america is a union not only of 50 states, but of more than 320 Million People who give the union its strength, character, and spirit people like jason gibson. Hell be sitting with the first lady tonight, and david martin has his story. Reporter theres a famous poem about flying which begins i have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughters silvered wings. It was written during world war ii, but it describes jason gibson to a t. Once youre up there, youre flying. You can go anywhere. Thats what it feels like and you can see everything. I just love that feeling. Reporter on earth, jason is tethered to a wheelchair because he lost both legs so high up, he cannot wear prosthetics. It happened on patrol inin afghanistan in 2012 when he took a knee and set off a roadside bomb. Ust have broug it must have brought all your vital organs that much closer to the blast. Im just lucky nothing worse happened. Reporter how did you survive . I dont know, a miracle. Reporter a miracle of medicine and the human spirit. Since then, jason has competed in four marathons, hit the slopes in sun valley, and cast for trout in montana. I tell people ive done more stuff with my life with no legs than when i had legs. Reporter but he was still tethered to some sort of wheelchair until he got his pilots license. In a wheelchair, youre earthbound. Yup, and there are obstacles. Like coming here, the sidewalk is pretty bumpy and uneven, and that doesnt account for buildings that dont have ramps or other places. Reporter no stairs at 20,000 feet. Nope. Reporter when president obama visited jason in the hospital, no one could have imagined he would one day fly. Jason was so tranqed on pain meds, he didnt even know it was the president. It didnt register who he was. I have this. There are pictures of me just, like, glaring, like, who is this guy . What is he doing here . Reporter last october, he wrote the president a letter. Saying, you know, when you saw me, i dont know if you remember or not, but, you know here is my life after that point, you know. There is good, you know, from bad things. Reporter jason and his wife, kara, performed another miracle, kara a baby girl. I cried in the operating room as she was born. It was the most amazing thing ive seen. Reporter given his wounds, jason had thought he would never be able to have children. But here, thanks to in vitro fertilization, his quinn is on her way to washington for tonights state of the Union Address. It wasnt done here on earth. Reporter notice how jasonea ends every statement a chuckle. None of us would envy his condition; all of us should envy his spirit. Pelley and thats the western edition of the cbs evening news for tonight. Well be right back at 6 00 with the state of the Union Address. With thanks to the Jones Day Law Firm for this window on washington, and for all of us at cbs news, all around the world im scott pelley. See you in a minute. Captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org you tell us what you want to pay and we help find options to fit your budget. Nah, nah, insurance, nah, nah, nah, discount. My names flo, you want to go out with me . No. Uhhuhhuh this is a cbs news special report. President obamas state of the Union Address to a joint session of congress. From washington, here is scott pelley. Pelley good evening. Barack obama was first sworn in as president six years ago today today. He will leave office two years from today. So he has just entered what he calls the Fourth Quarter and hes about to let us in on his playbook. The opposition will be tougher now as he tries to get his agenda through congress. For the first time in his presidency, both houses are controlled by republicans. As he reports tonight on the state of the union some key numbers are moving in his favor. The Unemployment Rate and gasoline prices are down, and his job Approval Rating is up to 46 . Joining