Syrian rebels, mr. Obama is order, in about 50 special operations troops to step up the war against isis. U. S. Forces have struck inside syria before in lightning raids, but these troops are in for the long haul. The white house says their advisers, not combat troops, but they will be in harms way. David martin is at the pentagon. Reporter a pentagon official said American Special forces will spend up to 60 days at a time in the headquarters of u. S. Backed fighters in syria. They will north, for the foreseeable future, go out on operations against isis. Their mission to coordinate a drive by various bands of arab and kurdish fighters on the isis capital of raqqa with the help of american airstrikes. The number of jets flying strikes out of a nearby base in turkey will quadruple from just six to 24. We want to be prosecuting as many isis targets as possible in syria, the pentagon official said. American and allied jets have been bombing raqqa for months. Earlier this year, a jordanian pilot had to bail out over raqqa. He was captured by isis and burned alive. We are near iraq every day. Reporter but as Lieutenant Colonel mike jones told 60 minutes earlier this morning at the command center for the air campaign, a lot of time and fuel is wasted flying those strikes from bases 1,000 miles away. All of our fighters coming out of the arabian gulf, way down here, two and a half to threehour transit time, thats a tremendous amount of transit time that could be spent on station. Reporter with more planes spending more time over syria and with some u. S. Backed fighters within 30 miles, isis could be forced to pull back the front line in iraq to defend their capital. We can put pressure on there. We can strike them there, create fear, which makes them withdraw forces potentially from the mosul area and from ramadi. Reporter a pentagon official said it will take up to a month for special forces to reach syria and would not rule out the possibility that more could follow. As this official put it, scott, this is a start to gauge whats possible. Pelley david martin at the pentagon. Thanks. Now, that is syria, but u. S. Special Operations Forces are already on the ground advising and assisting kurdish fighters in northern iraq, and that is where we find Elizabeth Palmer tonight. Liz. Reporter scott, we know theyre here because we actually ran into a small group of them, quite by accident, in the headquarters of one of the kurdish commanders. They wouldnt say anything, but the kurds say theyre already an important part of the fight against isis up here. Some of them actually live and work with the kurdish fighters right on the front lines. Others help staff a joint command center here in the city of erbil. The mission includes target spotting, helping to coordinate airstrikes, and also going on joint operations like the raid on the isis jail last week that killed Master Sergeant joshua wheeler. The kurds say theyre hoping for more joint rates like that and also further cooperation. Pelley Elizabeth Palmer reporting for us tonight in northern iraq. Thanks, liz. So for insight into all of this, well going to michael morell, former number two at the c. I. A. And our cbs news Senior Security contributor. Michael, how much difference does it make to have 50 u. S. Special Operations Forces on the ground in syria . Scott, it doesnt sound like much but i think its going to make a significant difference for two reasons. One is these special forces will be with Syrian Kurdish fighters who are right up against the heart of isis geographically. Theyre up against the center of mass of isis. And secondly, the special forces will, i think, just as they have in iraq, make these fighters better strategically and better tactically, help them make better decisions militarily. Pelley now, the russians have troops on the ground at a military base in syria. Does this increase the likelihood of a u. S. Russia confrontation . Scott, i dont think so. Im not concerned about that. These syrian forces, these Kurdish Force forces that wereg to be supporting are focused entirely on isis. Theyre not focused on fighting the assad regime. So i think the chances of us butting up against the russians here is unlikely. Pelley michael morell, former number two at the c. I. A. , michael, thank you. In another important story tonight, the largest mass release of federal prisoners began today. Thousands of nonviolent drug offenders are walking free in a program to ease overcrowding. We have more now from our justice correspondent jeff pegues. This is about as far as i can go. Reporter after being in a Halfway House and under home arrest for five months, 50yearold William Higgins became a free man today. The former Public School teacher served 10 years in federal prison for dealing meth and ecstasy. I was released two years early and i am so grateful for that. Reporter he is one of some 6,000 federal inmates to be granted Early Release under a u. S. Sentencing commission program. In 2014, the Commission Voted to cut jail time for some nonviolent drug offenders. The average 10andahalfyear prison sentence is being reduced by two years. This program is part of a bipartisan effort to reduce the federal prison population, which has grown to more than 200,000 inmates. Also being addressed, evening out sentences for those caught with crack as opposed to powder cocaine, and loosening socalled mandatory minimum sentences. Critics say both practices have led to high incarceration rates and unfairly targeted blacks and the poor. Kevin ring represents families against mandatory minimums. Congress has decided over the last 30 years to spend billions of dollars locking up nonviolent, lowlevel offenders. So weve shifted our resources to locking up drug dealers and offenders who can be treated in other ways and with shorter sentences. Reporter but some sheriffs and Police Chiefs disagree, arguing that the mass release comes without a proper safety net for the former inmates. This is all going to be dropped into the lap of the american police. Reporter new York City Police commissioner William Bratton were letting them out of jail, but the treatment is not there, job training is not there, housing for many of them is not there. Reporter do you feel like your concerns have been heard at the federal level . No. Reporter the sentence reductions are not automatic. Federal judges are required to carefully consider whether there is a threat to public safety. Scott, so far, judges have denied about 26 of the total petitions that they have received. Pelley jeff pegues, thanks, jeff. Today, dangerous storms plowed across the southern plains. Parts of texas were hit with flash floods and destructive winds. Two suspects tornadoes touched down, and at least two people were killed by floods near austin where we find Omar Villafranca. sirens reporter thats the sound many residents in South Central texas woke up to today tornado sirens alerting them to take cover. The fastpaced storms dumped up to 16 inches of rain in just a few hours, flooding neighborhoods and knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses. Just outside san antonio, heavy winds ripped the roof off this high school and homes in the area. The same strong gusts tossed this tractor trailer on top of a hotel. So, its flooding here. Reporter near austin, a remarkably calm kerry packer shot this video after calling for help while still trapped in his car, swept away by the rushing waters. So you can see im floating down some sort of creek. Reporter packer was one of dozens who had to be rescued by Emergency Responders today. Theresa didnt have much time to grab her three dogs and get out. You have the Police Coming down your street ordering you out of your house, its a little overwhelming. Reporter brother and sister john and terra jones went into their austin house to get their kids and pets as the floodwaters crept closer and closer. What are you going to do tonight . I im not sure. Were going to call some friends and well find a place to go. Thats what we do. Reporter the man who shot that video in the car is okay. As for the residents in this austin neighborhood, many of them have already evacuated because this area and much of South Central texas are still under a flash flood watch. And, scott, more rain is on the way. Pelley Omar Villafranca in the thick of it. Omar, thanks. Today,ing for investigators began searching for the cause of yesterdays near disaster in south florida. A jet carrying 101 people burst into flames as it taxied for takeoff, and kris van cleave is looking into this. Reporter a new upclose look at the damage done by yesterdays fire at ft. Lauderdale airport. Engines on fire. Engines on fire reporter this is how it looked after daniela went down an exit slide surrounded by smoke as the boeing 767 burned. Today, boarding pass in hand, shes getting on another dynamic flight to venezuela. I just want to go home and go and do what i have to do there. Reporter a team from the National Transportation safety board has recovered the voice and data recorders and will sift through the fledgling Airlines Maintenance records for the nearly 30yearold plane. Tim lebaron is the lead investigator. The left engine is fire damaged. The left wing is fire damaged. One interesting thing is that going inside the cabin, you cant tell there was a fire inside. Reporter before the fire, another airline crew reported an apparent fuel leak from the plane. The cause remains unknown, but an airport Spokesman Says about 50 gallons of jet fuel had to be cleaned off the tarmac. Odds are that, you know, you could be struck by lightning than have an engine fire. Reporter retired Airline Captain ross amer flew 767s. He said when the pilot did a preflight check, the engines would have been off so no fuel would have been leaking. Initially, when he turns on that fuel valve, he doesnt know about that leak until somebody tells him or he gets an engine fire indication. Those fuel leaks are so minute that they cant see on instruments. Reporter another question for the n. T. S. B. , if the exit slide on the lefthand side of the airplane should have ever been deployed at all because thats where the fire was burning. Scott, nearly two dozen people suffered injuries during that evacuation. All of those injuries have been described as nonlife threatening. Pelley kris van cleave tonight. Kris, thanks. Today, the Republican Party pulled out of a president ial debate that nbc news was scheduled to host in february. The g. O. P. Is angry about the way another nbc outlet, cnbc, handled this weeks debate. Heres Major Garrett. Reporter in a letter from Republican Committee chairman Reince Priebus to nbc, priebus said the network and its subsidiary cnbc conducted wednesdays g. O. P. Debate in bad faith. , we simply cannot continue with nbc without full consultation with our campaigns, the letter said. Priebus accused cnbc of ignoring a commitment to ask questions about the economy and called the questions its moderators did ask inaccurate and offensive. Cnbc has endured withering republican criticism for the conduct of its moderators, typified by changes like this. What should we do . What we should do is be investing in all types of energy, john, all types of energy. Meaning government . No, john. John, do you want me to answer or do you want to answer . laughter how are we going to do this . Because. cheers and applause because i gotta tell you the the truth, even in new jersey what youre doing is called rude. Reporter nbc called the r. N. C. s move disappointing but today is, will work in good faith to revolve this matter with the Republican Party. G. O. P. Frontrunners ben carson and donald trump have both called for new debate formats. What its turned into is a gotcha. Thats silly. Maybe every moderator should shoah that they vote republican. The questions were so nasty. Reporter shefer republicans campaigns, dissatisfied with the current debate formats will meet sunday in washington to discuss changes in future debates, scott. Pelley Major Garrett reporting for us tonight in the washington newsroom. Major, thank you. Out of tragedy, one man is determined to stop the cycle of Domestic Violence. Flowers bloom in one of the driest spots on earth. And look who showed up at the white house when the cbs evening news continues. If youthen youll know howouth, uncomfortable it can be. But did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath . Well, there is biotene, specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants. Biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too. Biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth. Okay kids, lets go. No one can really fill your shoes when youre sick. Alkaseltzer plus day cold flu has three cold symptom fighters to relieve your tough symptoms. [deep breath] stay unstoppable. Alkaseltzer plus. For my frequent heartburnmorning because you cant beat zero heartburn ahhh the sweet taste of victory prilosec otc. One pill each morning. 24 hours. Zero heartburn. Pelley this is National Domestic violence month. More than 1600 women are murdered by men each year, almost all of them by a man they knew. A research group, the violence policy center, says South Carolina has the highest rate of deadly Domestic Violence, and Mark Strassmann is there. Reporter as a North Charleston firefighter, Christian Rainey responds every day to people in crisis. But nothing will ever compare to the call he got in 2006. What happened . You were in college. I got a phone call from my cousin telling me that i needed to fly home. Reporter detra rainey, his mother, was murdered by her new husband michael simmons. He also killed raineys four siblings. In one day you lost everything. Reporter and everyone. I call it everything because its everything to me. Reporter over the past decade, men killed 493 women in South Carolina. Thats one every seven days. Elmyra raven runs a womens shelter here. This former Police Officer was also once a victim of Domestic Violence. Something is different about this issue in South Carolina. Well, i think a lot of it has to do with our educatio educati. We have a lot of rural pockets in our state. People dont want to get involved in the Domestic Violence issue because they feel like its really not their business. Reporter Christian Rainey made it his business. When they say youre supposed to be a man, but what does that mean . Reporter the 30yearold goes to fire and police stations, schools, anywhere that invites him. He counsels men about male culture and how they treat women. His nonprofit, called real m. A. D. , men against Domestic Violence gets victims and abusers the help they need. Women can talk about Domestic Violence until were blue in the face, but when another man calls you out on it, you know, it shines a different light on it. Reporter four months ago, rainey helped push South Carolina to reform its Domestic Violence laws. applause stiffening penalties and banning abusers from having guns. But he knows that some things he can never change. You know, the work i do is therapy for me and if she was here, she would be, i mean, so proud of what im doing. Reporter raineys passion is saving lives. Its a fire that will never go out. Mark strassmann, cbs news, North Charleston, South Carolina. Pelley Steve Hartman is coming up soon, but next, an arrest in a series of church fires. We thought wed be ready. But demand for our cocktail bitters was huge. I could feel our deadlines racing towards us. We didnt need a loan. We needed shortterm funding. Fast. Our amex helped us fill the orders. Just like that. You cant predict it, but you can be ready. Another step on the journey. Will you bready when growth presents itself. Realize your buying power at open. Com. The wolf was huffing and puffing. Like you do sometimes, grandpa . Well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. It can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. So i talked to my doctor. She said. 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One bottle has the grease cleaning power of two bottles of this bargain brand. A drop of dawn and grease is gone. Pelley a suspect was charmed with arson today in connection with church fires in st. Louis. David jackson, who is black, is accused of setting fires at two African American churches. Hes a suspect in five other church fires. There were no injuries. There are usually few signs of life in chiles atacana desert, but a march rainstorm has produced a bloom. A dustbowl transformed into a field of lush purple and red. And have a look at this its pope was back at the white house today. Oh, sorry, thats just one of the kids invited to trick or treat there today. Theyre from military families and area schools. The treats included bo and sonny baseball cards, white house m ms, hersheys kisses and hugs. Well have a treat from Steve Hartman in just a minute. Bring us your aching and sleep deprived. Bring us those who want to feel well rested. Aleve pm. 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Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in Blood Pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid longterm injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. Insurance coverage has expanded nationally and you may now be covered. Contact your health plan for the latest information. Pelley we end tonight with our choice for High School Play of the month. Steve hartman has the video and the story on the road. Good job. Reporter after 25 years at West Blocton High School in west blocton, alabama, football coach gregg frenety said his proudest moment came last week with this relatively pointless extra point. Had no effect on the game whatsoever, but as youll soon see, that kick made his career. Frenety has lived for football all his life. He played as a kid, went into coaching after college, and most importantly, when he got married, he dreamed of having a son who could play for him one day. I envisioned him doing what i did, playing football. Reporter a little you. Yeah, a little me, thats right. Reporter but heres what he got instead jodie is the oldest of greggs two daughters, no boys, other than the 40 or so he pretty much adopts every year. After school was football. On the weekends is football. Off season, its football. So. Reporter so imagine jodies surprise when her dad recently announced he would quit coaching. I just got to thinking one of these days im going to blink my eyes and my daughters are going to be gone and ill have missed something, you know. Reporter the sport that had mattered so much for so long will now be replaceed by cheer competitions in girls softball games. I was like are you sure you want to do this . And i realized hes giving this up for me. I need to do something for him. Reporter which brings us back to that extra point. If you look closely, youll notice the kicker has a ponytail. Jodie practiced for months, got the teams permission, then scored one for her dad. The final point in his last home game. Good job, jodie i just started straight for my dad, and he hugged me and that was the best, that was the best hug. It was very exciting to see your daughter running off the field like that in full uniform, you know. Reporter better than a boy . Oh, yeah, absolutely. I wouldnt trade anything for my girls, nothing. I mean, if i had to go back and do it all over again, id say i want them two right there. Reporter and thats the great thing about young men who think they want a boy they grow up to be old dads dads who know better. Steve hartman, on the road, in west blocton, alabama. Pelley and thats the cbs evening news for tonight. For all of us at cbs news all around the world, im scott pelley. Sp ill see you sunday on 60 minutes. Good night. Captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org cant afford to let heartburn get in the way . Try nexium 24hr, now the 1 selling brand for frequent heartburn. Get complete protection with the new leader in frequent heartburn. Thats nexium level protection. Two words it heals. E different . How . With heat. Unlike creanams d 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. The Football Game will go on at wt woodson despite a classroom fire that sent several and a teacher to the hospital. Thank you for joining us. It all started as a chemistry demonstration but that fire got out of control. New tonight we are hearing the calls from emergency crewing say what they saw in the classroom while trying to get control. I have a fire in the classroom. Also a female with burns to the upper body. We saw a fire. We have fire in the room. I need to you find the sprinkler control and shut the system down. One student who was critically burned had surgery this