though, their lives are in danger in this weather. >> yes. >> reporter: joseph desencelos works in minneapolis. we went along as he tried to get the homeless indoors. this is where people live? >> yeah, this is the spot. it's the reason why a lot of people choose this area here is because it's close to downtown it's close to many services where people can eat, shower. it's walking distance. >> reporter: it's under interstate 394, and it's hard to imagine, on a day like today that anyone could survive a night out. is there ever a time when you say, "look, it's just too cold we can't go out"? >> no. if our folks are outside, then we can go outside. anybody home? >> reporter: they live in makeshift tents with blankets and tarps on top to ward off the cold. but most were empty. i may look like a bank robber tonight, scott, but in minneapolis, this is self preservation. the temperature is one degree right now, and it feels like ten below. >> pelley: dean reynolds, our masked man in minneapolis, thanks very much. in washington, d.c., the temperature plunged from the high 40s for yesterday's inauguration to the 20s today. the president and the vice president began this day in prayer at the national cathedral. one pastor there said that our leaders need to find common ground. the president called for an ambitious liberal agenda in his inaugural address yesterday, and major garrett is at the white house for us tonight. major, the president made a special point of talking about immigration reform and climate change. how does he intend to move climate change forward? >> reporter: well, scott, there is no sign the president wants to refight a battle he lost in the senate in 2010, when democrats there refused to consider a house-passed bill to reduce carbon pollution. in fact, scott, the next administration move might not involve congress at all. the environmental protection agency is finalizing rules under the clean air act to reduce carbon pollution in future power plants, those yet to be built. and the administration may ask the e.p.a. to put together rules on reducing carbon pollution in existing power plants. that's a move environmentalists say could reduce carbon-based pollution by 500 tons by 2020. >> pelley: the president says he wants comprehensive immigration reform, which is something that president bush couldn't pull off. how does he intend to do it? >> right now, the president is deferring to a bipartisan working group in the senate that is trying to finalize a comprehensive immigration bill that would have four big goals. first among them, to legalize 11 million illegal immigrants here now, to create a way for businesses to verify the legal status of future workers, and to get future numbers and set them in stone for legal immigration and skills-based immigration. now, the fine details here politically charged though they are, are being worked out in the senate. and right now, the white house is deferring to that working group. >> pelley: major, thank you very much. the president faces an immediate challenge tonight all across north africa. today, u.s. military planes landed in mali to assist french forces in a battle against islamic fundamentalists. in just the last few months, four americans, including the u.s. ambassador, were killed by terrorists in libya. then, last week, three american oil workers were killed by terrorists in algeria. now, those french troops are engaged with fighters linked to al qaeda in mali. elizabeth palmer linked up with the americans there. >> reporter: when we arrived at the main military air field in bamako, we found u.s. transport planes had already started to land, five in all, bringing in more than 100 tons of gear, and soldiers from a military base in france. the fighter planes, the armored vehicles, the helicopters, they are all french. and so are the soldiers-- 2,800 french boots on the ground here in mali. but behind the scenes, this is an international effort. and the war very few saw coming. the u.s. air force role is critical. colonel kevin oliver is one of the operations commanders. >> it's a very dynamic situation. we expect the operations to continue for the next several days. >> reporter: here's what triggered the french assault-- well-armed fighters linked to al qaeda, financed by money from smuggling and kidnap ransoms had been taking over town after town in northern mali since last spring, and imposing their own harsh brand of islamic law. last week, with the extremists only 300 miles from the capital, and malian troops powerless to stop them, the french government launched a series of air strikes, this one captured by civilians on a cell phone. when french ground forces, along with malian soldiers, arrived in towns where the insurgents had been dug in, they'd gone leaving nothing behind but their weapons and local people grateful for what they see as their rescue. the ground troops will continue to push north. their goal is to force the extremists back into the desert. but france has warned that won't be the end of this fight. >> pelley: and liz palmer is joining us from the capital of mali. liz, the french are asking for even more assistance from the united states. what do they want? >> reporter: they want u.s. forces to supply midair fueling for the french war planes. now, there's real deep reluctance in the administration to be drawn further into what is really a very open-ended and unstable conflict. and so, that request hasn't been rubber-stamped at all. in fact, it is under discussion right now. >> pelley: still a long way to go yet. liz, thank you very much. there is evidence tonight that leaders of the catholic church in los angeles maneuvered secretly to cover up for priests accused of sexually abusing children. bill whitaker has our story. >> they completely ignored the children and left them to just twist in the wind while they hunkered down, covered up, and protected themselves. >> reporter: raymond boucher is a former altar boy, now the lead attorney representing 500 victims of sex abuse by priests in los angeles. the documents offer the strongest evidence yet of a cover-up that reached to the very top of los angeles clergy then-archbishop, now-retired cardinal, roger mahony. >> that has always been paramount to the church for decades-- protect itself from scandal. >> reporter: many of the documents are correspondence between mahony and thomas curry, his chief advisor on sex abuse. one concerns whether to allow the monsignor to return to his duties in l.a. he had secretly been sent away for treatment in new mexico for sexually abusing as many as 17 youngsters. no one in the church hierarchy alerted authorities. "i believe if monsignor garcia were to reappear here, we might well have some type of legal action filed in both the criminal and civil sectors." monsignor curry concurred. "there are numerous, maybe 20 adolescents or young adults that peter garcia was involved with in a first-degree felony manner. the possibility of one of these seeing him is simply too great." cardinal mahony issued this statement yesterday to the victims. "i pray for them every single day." it ends simply, "i'm sorry." victims held a press conference today. manny vega says he was abused from age ten to 15. >> conscious, clear decisions were made to hide these priests and move them around. and never did they consider the well-being of the children that they destroyed and left behind. >> reporter: scott, monsignor garcia has passed away, and monsignor curry has not returned our phone calls. as many as 30,000 more documents will be released in coming weeks. >> pelley: bill whitaker, thank you. police in houston today swung into action after a shooting at a community college. but as it happened, it was not an attack on lone star college itself. police say that one man shot another during an argument, and a bystander was also hit. officers are now trained in a new strategy for cases like that. it's now called the active shooter response, and it was developed after the columbine massacre. at columbine, that massacre unfolded while officers waited outside for the swat team to arrive. but now, bob orr tells us that that has changed all over the country. >> reporter: what you're watching is a training exercise at george mason university near washington. it began with reports of an active shooter. lightly armed campus police officers rushed into the basketball arena and toward the sounds of gunshots. they did not know the number of gunman or if hostages had been taken. university police chief drew tracy says the officers made the right move. first responders should not wait for backup. >> what we're teaching now is, if one officer can respond and have a visual on the suspect, or know where that individual is, we're telling them to make entry immediately. >> reporter: the officers moved fast. following their training, they bypassed the wounded and focused on finding the shooter. the goal-- to cut off escape paths and corner the gunman. >> you look at several of the incidents that occurred in this country, individuals have taken their lives, and they did it when they were confronted with a police response. >> reporter: so even getting one officer in there to put pressure on the suspect and at least disrupt what he's doing? >> that's correct. >> reporter: this police action represents a rethinking of tactics, prompted by the poor response to the 1999 massacre at columbine high school. first responders there waited for swat teams to arrive, even as the attack continued. >> prior to columbine, we know "contain, isolate and wait." now, it's not. it's train the first responders, equip your first responders, and go at an aggressive situation. >> reporter: it's mentally demanding. in this classroom shooting drill, officer james rapoli was the first cop through the door. >> police, police! >> reporter: how do you make yourself go toward the sound of gunfire? >> it's not easy. it's a lot of training. human instinct is to run from gunshots, and we, unfortunately, are the people we're going to the gunshot. >> reporter: so police continue to sharpen their response plans. that won't stop mass shootings but it could make a life-or- death difference when violence erupts. bob orr, cbs news, fairfax virginia. >> pelley: they escaped the war, but they're stuck in a no man's land with no heat or running water. and oh, say, did she sing? when the cbs evening news continues. ÷o [ male announcer ] how about v8 v-fusion. a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit. but what you taste is the fruit. so even you... could've had a v8. hey america, even though she doesn't need them, lisa rinna is wearing the depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even under a fantastic dress. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. we invite you to get a free sample and try one on too. my insurance rates are probably gonna double. but, dad, you've got... 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[ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands? >> pelley: the head of the united nations, ban ki-moon, said today there is little chance that syria's civil war can be settled by diplomacy now. russia, the best ally the syrian dictatorship has, began evacuating its citizens. about 60,000 syrians are dead, 650,000 have fled. it is extremely hazardous for reporters to enter syria, but our clarissa ward managed to reach a camp of syrian refugees. >> reporter: less than a mile from the turkish border, these syrians are stuck in no man's land, unable to go back to the bombed-out towns and villages they fled, and unable to cross into turkey, where the refugee camps are already full. for now, this is home. how many bathrooms do you have here? >> we have 90, and that's an improvement. >> reporter: 90 bathrooms for 12,000 people? >> yes. >> reporter: yakzan shishakly is the syrian american who owns an air conditioning business in houston, texas. four months ago, he came to visit and found hundreds of people sleeping in this olive grove. he decided to stay and help. he built what is now the largest camp in syria, relying mostly on private donations. what's the biggest challenge of running a camp like this? >> we don't have funding. that's the biggest challenge, we have nothing. do we need food? yes. do we need winter clothes? yes, we do. do we need the clinic with more doctors? of course. >> reporter: life here is spent fending off the cold and disease. there is no electricity, no heat, and no running water. fatima and her family of seven fled the bombing in aleppo three months ago. she said there's not enough food; there is only potatoes and rice. shishakly says he is working to replace this makeshift kitchen. he also wants to build a school with an actual roof. but for now, he struggles to get the children proper winter shoes. conditions in this camp are incredibly harsh, especially now in the winter cold. but this is arguably one of the safest places in the whole of syria, which means that hundreds of families from across the country continue to flock here and this camp just keeps getting bigger. when do you say "no more"? >> we cannot say no. it's not like we have a gate and we close it. people come with their hope to stay here, and we cannot turn them down. so we are open for everybody. they come with their hope, and we are their hope. >> reporter: the turkish government is building another camp, which can take up to 3,000 refugees. but scott, that's not much comfort to the more than 40,000 syrians who are stranded along that border. >> pelley: a two-year war with no end in sight. thanks very much. an inauguration day controversy when we come back. 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[ cheering ] any flight, anytime. the scoreboard doesn't lie. what's in your wallet? hut! i have me on my fantasy team. my achy feet made it tough to play with billy. until he got his number. right! the machine showed me my pressure points on my feet and it gave me my custom number. my arches needed more support. in two minutes, the dr. scholl's foot mapping center showed me my free foot map and my number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the support i needed. now, i play all day long! my feet. my number. my inserts. go to drscholls.com to find your closest walmart with a foot mapping center. i'm a believer! >> pelley: the top u.s. commander in afghanistan general john allen was cleared of miss conduct today. allen was investigated for sending potentially inappropriate e-mails to a woman linked to the david pa trace scandal, but pentagon investigators have now determined there was no miss conduct by general allen. in case you missed it, the president and mrs. obama attended two inaugural balls last night. at the commander in chief ball, they danced to al green's "let's stay together." you may remember the president singing a bit of that last year. the first lady's ruby red gown was designed by jason wu. he also designed her inaugural gown four years ago. beyonce's performance of the national anthem at the inauguration got rave reviews but today questions were raised about whether she was actually singing or lip synching. sources telling us that beyonce was singing live. but over a prerecorded track. she recorded that track earlier in case something went wrong. and the musical accompaniment by the marine band, that was a recording. there is one state in america where the glass ceiling has been obliterated, at least in politics. that story is next. why they're being targeted to pay for sa the bay area getting a new rail line, and it will cost some property owners. why they're being targeted to pay for the safety grade. next on cbs 5. >> pelley: finally tonight, you may remember a photo that we showed you a while back. it's new hampshire's congressional delegation and the governor. what's unusual? as you can see, all of them are women. we wanted to know more, so we in new hampshire, girl power is not just afraid. >> it's a fact. it starts at the top with democratic maggie ha p pen, the state's third female governor. then there are the state's two senator, democratic gene shaheen, the former governor and republican kelly ayott, the state's former attorney general. both of the state's new representatives are women, too. >> congress women. what's in the water in new hampshire? >> i think it's really what's on the ballot. we were laughing, senator shaheen said that new hampshire, we don't have binders full, we have ballots full of women. >> democrats say it's partly because new hampshire has such a art state legislature, 400 members, giving women plenty of opportunity to enter politics and then to help each other move up. >> senator shaheen has said that my mother who served for 25 years in the legislature was a great mentor for her. and then senator shaheen has been a great mentor for me and for carol. and so, the doors have been opened for us. >> and for governor hassan who was sworn in earlier this month by a female chief justice of the state supreme court in a ceremony presided over by a female state house speaker. >> i certainly think there's a camaraderie that comes from shared experiences. and i think that the fact that all of us are mothers, as well as public servants, as well as wifes and sisters and daughters certainly is something that binds us together. >> i've said if you can raised toker wills and teenagers, you know how to get to yes, you know how to bring people to the table. right now in congress that's what voters are looking for. >> how do the male politicians in new hampshire feel about the fact that they've been iced out of all these positions of power? >> there's still plenty. they're wonderful. >> and they'll be back. >> right. >> this is not permanent by any means. >> we're having a lot of fun, though. >> we're having fun with it. >> and serving as powerful inspiration, for new hampshire's next generation of women leaders. nancy cortes, cbs news, capitol hill. >> and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. for all of us at cbs news, all around the world, good night. right now: the oakland city good evening. i'm elizabeth cook. >> i'm allan martin. right now the oakland city council is meeting to decide whether to hire william bratton to help the police department deal with an out of control violence situation. joe vasquez is in oakland where some people think that there are better ways to spend the department's money. joe. >> reporter: allan, dozens of demonstrators are inside right now as the city council meeting is under way. there are perhaps as many police officers here to make sure the proceedings don't get out of control. meanwhile, it's the violence on the street that's out of control. several miles from here, in east oakland where this debate is resonating most profoundly. you want to know about violence in oakland? talk to gerline robertson. >> you have four sons? >> i have four sons. and out of the four sons, three of them been shot. and two of them been shot real severely. but through the grace of god they survived. >> reporter: at a time when politicians are debating whether to hire a $250,000 consultant and protesters are shouting down the debaters. >> no bratton, no contract. >> reporter: these officers were going door to door today looking for a guy who shot a cop. mrs. robertson lives near the scene. she's trying to figure out why her son, a college student was attacked last october. >> she was shot 17 times just in the driveway, going to his car to get his information out to study for a test. he is a 4.0 grade average student. that was so horrible that they walked in my yard and shot my son. >> reporter: just how do you stop the violence? that consultant, william bratton, the former police chief of l.a. and new york told cbs 5 last week he supports a concept called stop and frisk. >> for any city to say they don't do stop and frisk, i'm sorry, they don't know what the hell they're talking about. >> reporter: the very next day the oakland police chief seemed to shoot down that concept. >> we expect our officers to continue to practice good constitutional policing. so i don't agree that this stop and frisk issue is something that -- that we need to -- to deal with here in oakland. >> reporter: meanwhile. gerline robert says she'd like to see more conversations about getting more cops on the street. >> if they're going to spend money on a consultant to bring him in seems like they would spend more money on policing the city itself instead of bringing in the consultant that will take more money away from the city. >> reporter: so right now much of the debate is centering around stop and frisk. the police say no