Assaulting them, but today for the first time, the comedian, actor, and longtime moral crusader was charged criminally, a felony count of aggravated indecent assault, just days before the statute of limitations was due to run out. If convicted, cosby, who is 78 years old, could face five to 10 years in prison and a 25,000 fine. Tonight, hes free on 1 million bail. Jericka duncan reports from suburban philadelphia. Mr. Cosby, do you want to say anything . Reporter this afternoon, attorneys for Comedian Bill Cosby walked him into this small courthouse in elkins park, pennsylvania, to hear the criminal Sexual Assault charges against him. His accuser is andrea constand, a former Temple University employee who first told police about the alleged incident over a decade ago. Constand says in the winter of 2004, she went to cosbys house for career advice. Cosby offered, and she took, three blue pills and wine to relax. In the criminal complaint released today, she told police within a half hour, she experienced, blurred vision and difficulty speaking. Her legs felt rubbery, like jelly, and she had no sense of time. She says though she was unable to move or speak, she felt cosby fondle her breasts and vagina, and woke up about 4 00 the next morning, still in his home. Prosecutor kevin steele the victim came to consider mr. Cosby her mentor and her friend. Today, after examination of all the evidence, we are able to seek justice on behalf of the victim. Reporter when cosby was questioned by police back in 2005, he admitted the two had sexual contact but said he had given constand the allergy pill benadryl and that the contact was consensual. At the time, the District Attorney announced no criminal charges, citing lack of evidence. But investigators reopened her case this past summer after a judge unsealed portions of depositions from the civil suit constand filed in 2005, in which cosby admitted giving drugs to women. Constands attorney asked cosby, when you got the quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these quaaludes for young women you wanted to have sex with . Cosby replied, yes. He later said he misunderstood the question. The civil suit was settled in 2006 for an undisclosed amount of money. In the past year, more than 50 women have accused cosby of Sexual Assault, many of whom posed for this cover story in new york magazines july edition. Victoria valentiono is one of the accusers. Well, we were absolutely elated, vindicated, validated, and just elated. I cant i cant find a better word for it. Mr. Cosby, did you drug that woman . Reporter 78yearold cosby was able to leave jail after posting 10 of his 1 million bail and giving up his passport. Cosby didnt have anything to say when he left this courthouse, but later this evening, his attorneys released a statement that reads in part jim, cosby is expected to appear back in court for preliminary hearing on january 14. Axelrod jericka, thank you. Cosbys arraignment comes at the beginning of the criminal judicial process, not the end. But the idea of cosby charged with a sex crime would have been unfathomable a generation ago when he outpolled ronald reagan, billy graham, and Pope John Paul ii as americas most trusted and admired man. More than 30 Million People tuned in each week to watch the cosby show in 1986. Why, sir . Axelrod the first African American male lead in a tv drama, i spy, in 1965. How much . Hey, hey, hey axelrod the creator of the beloved kid show fat albert. Im going to sing a song for you. If youre in there, you sure are terrific. Axelrod the pitch man who was madison avenue magic. You mean it was. Axelrod and a man who at one time held more than 50 honorary degrees. Bill cosby is now center stage as the subject of a Great American fall from grace. Bill cosby never seemed like he was playing a character. He was this, you know, great husband. He was this wonderful family man. Axelrod renee graham is a contributing opinion writer for the boston globe. He was a fingerwagging moralist criticizes comedians who used profanity or young black men whose pants were too low. And you have this man who seems to represent this way to live and how to be a good citizen of the world, and meanwhile, you now have all these allegations, and on top of the allegations, you now have a charge of Sexual Assault. Axelrod and you think that makes this more significant, actually makes this historic . I think it does. Everyone knew bill cosby. And i think generally, everyone had a really positive opinion of bill cosby. So when you have someone who is that high, the fall is going to be, you know, that much more devastating. Axelrod now, of those 50 or so schools that gave cosby honorary degrees, at least a dozen have since rescinded them. There is breaking news tonight in calgary, canada. An air canada jet made an Emergency Landing after severe turbulence caused at least 20 injuries on board. Fire Officials Say some passengers were taken off the plane by stretcher and taken to hospitals. The jet was bound from china to toronto when the problem occurred. Another major story developing tonight, the historic flooding in the midwest. Rivers are still rising in missouri and illinois. At least 21 people have been killed there. Homes have been evacuated. The National Guard called out. And the rivers are expected to crest near st. Louis tomorrow or friday. Anna werner is in fenton, missouri, tonight. Anna. Reporter good evening, jim. And this is what many neighborhoods in the st. Louis metro area look like tonight. Some are even getting out the boats to use for transportation. Floodwaters here are rising more than one inch per hour, and residents are desperately trying to save their homes or simply escape. The Sterling Estates subdivision in arnold, south of st. Louis, sits in the spot where the overflowing meramec and mississippi rivers meet. As of this afternoon, half a dozen homes here had been lost, joining hundreds of others submerged in the st. Louis area. And volunteers filled and stacked sandbags trying to save the rest. Thanks. Reporter resident carla bryant helped organize the effort. There are homes, these are my neighbors. Weve done everything we can, and we still cant beat it. Reporter december rains swelled rivers around st. Louis and pushed water into nearby communities. The water was so high in this neighborhood, rescuers had to pluck a man and his dog off a rooftop. Dozens of others were also rescued from stranded vehicles. Officials issued evacuation orders for several communities, including valley park and west alton, on the banks of the mississippi, north of st. Louis. In branson, the army corps of engineers opens the spillways at Table Rock Dam in an effort to ease flooding along the white river. Workers tried sandbags at the Waste Water Treatment Plant with little success. There was simply too much water. This plant in fenton, missouri, had to be closed, and that meant untreated sewage was flowing into local streams and into the meramec. Thats the same river overflowing into carla bryants neighborhood. Tomorrows another day. New years is at the end of the week, so 2016s got to be better. Reporter right now, the Meramec River is expected to rise another foot and a half to a record 47 feet. That crest is expected to occur some time tomorrow afternoon, jim. Axelrod anna, thank you very much. There were long lines again today at the nations airports. Bad weather delayed more than 5,500 flights. More than 370 were canceled all together. Today, a mexican judge granted ethan coach, the affluenza kid, a threeday delay in his deportation. His mother was sent back to texas. Couch and his mother were arrested in mexico on monday after he skipped a probation checkin and spent almost three weeks on the run. Couch killed four people in 2013 while drunk driving, avoiding jail with the defense that his wealthy parents hadnt taught him right from wrong. After a series of Deadly Police shootings, today, chicago mayor rahm emanuel said officers should only use guns as a last option. Adriana diaz reports the mayor is revamping police training. Reporter rahm emanuel stepped before the cameras as a mayor under a spotlight, with a Police Department in crisis. Ultimately, what we are doing is injecting some humanity into the work of our Police Department and the Police Officers. Reporter the mayor called the new policies a dramatic shift in police practices. He is doubling the number of tasers for officers to 1,400. Increasing desk duty for Police Involved in shootings from three days to 30. And focusing on deescalation training to reduce the number of policeinvolved shootings. Tensions boiled over last month with the release of dash cam video showing officer Jason Van Dyke killing 17yearold Laquan Mcdonald in october 2014. Protesters have taken to the streets, demanding the mayor resign. Andy shaw, who heads the better government association, says thats not likely to happen. Hes trying to save his reputation and his legacy, and hes also trying to save a city in crisis. Reporter one made worse by this weekends Fatal Shooting of 55yearold bettie jones. She was accidentally shot as officers opened fire on 19year old Quintonio Legrier during a domestic disturbance call. What about the taser . Taser him down. Dont start shooting people, innocent people reporter thats a problem the mayor hopes todays announcement will solve. Theres a difference between whether someone can use a gun and when they should use a gun. And we as a city must train for that difference. Reporter on average, one person per week is shot by police in chicago. Jim, this month, the Justice Department stepped in to investigate patterns in the Police Departments use of force. Their initial report should be out in a year. Axelrod adriana diaz covering for us tonight in chicago. Thank you. Four secret Service Agents were seriously hurt in a headon collision in New Hampshire last night. The driver of the other car was killed. The agents had been assigned to a Hillary Clinton campaign event. In the president ial campaign today, the republican front runner kept on firing at the top democrat and her husband. Heres Major Garrett. Reporter at a rally in south carolina, donald trump said hes ready for a woman president , just not Hillary Clinton. I love, love, love having a woman president. Cant be her. Shes horrible. Reporter accused by clinton of using sexist rhetoric, trump again brought up former president bill clintons marital infidelities. And she wants to accuse me of things, and the husbands one of the great abusers of the world . Give me a break. Give me a break. applause reporter trump invited reporters aboard his elegant private jet tuesday. Try not to crash the woodwork if possible. Reporter to announce he would start spending 2 million a week on tv ads. Were going to be talking about a lot of things, including the border, including trade, including isis and security for the country. Reporter with a little over a month before the first voting begins, republicans hoping to be the mainstream alternative to trump have turned on each other. The superpac supporting jeb bush attacked marco rubio for missing senate votes to campaign and fund raise. Politics first. Thats the rubio way. Reporter Chris Christie joined in, saying rubio should have flown to washington to vote against the recently passed budget bill. The vote happened and thats my observation, and its its hardly an attack. If marcos that thinskinned, he doesnt belong in this business. Reporter rubio said his fellow candidates are getting increasingly desperate. Chris christie is a funny guy but hes never in new jersey. Hes gone half the time. Reporter a recent cspan Analysis Shows rubio cast fewer votes than any senator running for president. And jim, bush pulled off tv ads in iowa and south carolina, and sent most of his National Staff to those early voting states to help save his flagging campaign. Axelrod Major Garrett thank you very much. In new york city today, a final salute for a fallen hero. Thousands of Police Officers and u. S. Service members lined the streets near st. Patricks cathedral for air force National Guardsman and n. Y. P. D. Detective joseph lemm. He and five others were killed last week in a bombing near Bagram Airbase in afghanistan. Lemms fouryearold son wore his fathers hat and saluted his dad. Californias drought has killed millions of trees. Weve got the hightech pictures to prove it. And why so many seals and sea lions are in distress when the cbs evening news continues. I was able to quit in three months. And that was amazing. Along with support, Chantix Varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. It absolutely reduced my urge to smoke. Some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. Some had seizures while taking chantix. If you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. Tell your doctor about any history of Mental Health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. Dont take chantix if youve had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. 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Reporter this hightech flying laboratory has been soaring over california, measuring the impact of four years of drought. Theres a lot of red on this screen. Which is a sign that were over an area thats in trouble. Reporter scientist greg asner says his team has made a startling discovery 888 Million Trees in californias forests have seen measurable water loss since the drought began. Youre basically saying the drought has impacted nearly one billion trees in california. Thats correct. Reporter they can be this precise because their plane is equipped with stateoftheart lasers that scanned 15 acres of forest every second. Its like having xray vision that produces these firstof theirkind 3d images of the health of every single tree in the forest. The red areas on this map show severely droughtstressed trees. Blue areas are healthier. Your equipment reads how much moisture is in each individual tree . Yeah. The measurement is focused on how much water is in the foliage itself. Its like getting a blood test. Its really one of the key indicators of the health of a tree. Reporter the u. S. Forest service says more than 29 Million Trees have already died. Asners team has determined that 58 million more are on the brink. These severely stressed trees, are they passed the point of no return or are they recoverable . We dont know whether a stressed tree is going to absolutely succumb and be gone or if its going to bounce back over time. Reporter the hope is that el ninofueled storms will bring muchneeded rain. In the meantime, these new maps will help the Forest Service know which areas are most vulnerable and wildfire officials know where the greatest risks are. Ben tracy, cbs news, sacramento. Axelrod the white house is sharing its favorite photos from 2015. Thats coming up. ,, axelrod the north pole is famous for extreme temperatures, but not these kind of extremes. 34 degrees today in north pole, new york, and 41 in north pole, alaska. Even at the real north pole it was 33 degrees. That is 50 degrees above normal and the first time its been above freezing in december in 13 years. Off california, the warm waters of el nino have chased away the fish that seals and sea lions rely on for food. At least 4,200 starving sea lions have washed ashore this year and the situation is expected to get worse this winter as Ocean Temperatures rise. Today, the white house released the gallery of president obamas year in pictures. Among the chief photographers favorite shots, this snuggle with the first lady. The fatherdaughter chat where malia tells dad hes got something on his face. The selfie two brothers will never forget. A bride and groom greeting an unexpected guest at their wedding. And the one where Jerry Seinfeld came knocking. Two kids may have figured out the best way to honor Americas Service members. Thats next. Ext. Introducing centrum vitamints. A brand new multivitamin you enjoy like a mint. With a full spectrum of essential nutrients. Surprisingly smooth, refreshingly cool. I see you found the vitamints. New centrum vitamints. A delicious new way to get your multivitamins. Moms dont take sick days, moms take dayquil severe hey amanda, sorry to bother you but i gotta take a sick day. The nondrowsy, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat, stuffy head, no sick days, medicine. Over a bay area field. Tha next. Weather talent appears at wx center with generic axelrod we end tonight with axelrod we end tonight with a salute to a pair of determined young ladies. Chip reid tells us theyve been saluting american heroes and their families for years. Reporter 10 years ago, rachel okun, then 10, and her sister, kelsi, who was eight, told their parents they had a big idea. They wanted to say thank you to the troops in iraq and afghanistan by offering scholarships to their spouses and children. With some parental assistance, the precocious girls created their own charity called t. H. A. N. K. S. Usa, and soon they were online asking for money. In 2009, when cbs news paid a visit, t. H. A. N. K. S. Usa had raised a stunning 5 million. And i began seeing that really any person can make a difference, and what you give out to the world you get back 10 times, you know, fold. Reporter now, rachelle is in college, kelsi is a high school senior, and t. H. A. N. K. S. Usa is still going strong. How much money have you raised so far . We just cleared the 10 million mark. Reporter 10 million. Yeah. Reporter yes, 10. 3 million from an idea that began in a dinner table conversation. The money is raised through individual and corporate donations, golf and tennis tournaments, and an annual treasure hunt. So far, t. H. A. N. K. S. Usa has given military family members more than 3,400 scholarships of 3,000 each. What do you think about that organization . I love it. Dont hit the reporter with the help of t. H. A. N. K. S. Usa, kelly estep will soon get her bachelors degree and then plans to get a masters in social work. Her husband was killed in iraq in 2005. From my experience, i want to flip that into something positive and give back to the military and be there for other families that lose a loved one, son or daughter, husband, you know, wife. Reporter its a story of giving back that began 10 years ago with two young girls. You can change the world. One heart at a time. Reporter and a message thats as true today as it was then. Chip reid, cbs news, mclean, virginia. Axelrod and thats the cbs evening news. For scott pelley, im jim axelrod. Thanks for watching, and good night. Captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org tonight. The last minute me to stop the nfl from taki over a popular youth park. Good evening, im martin. Soccer kids versus the super bowl. Tonight the lastminute move to stop the nfl from taking over a popular youth park. Good evening, im allen martin. Im veronica de la cruz. The showdown in the south bay. Depending on what a judge decides, the nfl may have to rethink some plans for the super bowl. Kpix 5s andria borba is in the newsroom and has been looking over the complaint. What can you tell us . Reporter the suit was filed against the city of santa clara this afternoon. The 11 pages of court documents, lawyers want to stop a judge to stop to hand over the fields to the nfl. That handover was supposed to happen on monday. Monday is the first day the nfl could begin paving over the field. According to a suit to build a media village for februarys super bowl. The lawsuit says the city has not come up with a suitable alternative for 200 games set to be played on those fields. Among the complaints, once the fields with special soccer appropriate turf are trampled they wont be practice or gamesafe for months after the super bowl. Kpix 5s spoken to Santa Clara City Council member and soccer mom lisa gillmor last week on this issue. Obviously, the soccer community doesnt trust what they say in terms of bringing the soccer park back to usable situations. Reporter now, the suit also says santa clara violated its contract with youth soccer by failing to hold a public hearing on the subject and not charging the nfl for use of the field. Now, we have reached out to the city of santa clara tonight for comment but have not heard back yet. Live in the newsroom, andria borba, kpix 5. Expect some big changes when it comes to getting around during super bowl 50. The