Transcripts For KPIX CBS Overnight News 20161212

Welcome to overnight news. Im elaine quijano. More questions about russias possible interference in the election surfaced and concerns about the man said to be president elect trumps top choice for secretary of state. Exxon mobile Ceo Rex Tillerson has close business ties with moscow. Mr. Trumps own relationship with russia was an issue throughout the campaign. Here is errol barnett. I think it is ridiculous. Just another excuse. I dont believe it. Refusing to accept the cia assessment russia helped get him elected. President elect donald trump today said the report is political. I think the democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country. It is clear the russians interfered. But on cbs, senior republican senator john mccain detailed plans for a bipartisan investigation. Going to ask senator Lindsay Graham, as smart as any bed on the issue to be the chair with a really smart democrat and well go to work on it. Work immediately. Man while, senator marco rubio is voicing concerns over trumps possible choice of exxon mobile Ceo Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. A man who was awarded the order of friendship by the kremlin. Rubio wrote being a friend of vladamir is not an attribute im hoping for from a secretary of state. On abc this morning, president elect trumps chief of staff, Reince Preibus defended tillerson. The fact he has a relationship with vladamir putin and others across the globe is something that shouldnt be, shouldnt be embarrassed by it. Now with him leaving as chair of the rnc, a favorite to replace him, mitt romneys niece. The appointment could soften the blow of her uncle if not chosen as secretary of state. Not clear when mr. Trump will announce his decision for americas top diplomat. Errol barnett, thank you. Incoming First Lady Melania Trump expected to meet with attorneys in washington tonight ahead of a hearing tomorrow morning in mrs. Trumps defamation lawsuit against two web sites. Kenneth craig has the story. Reporter as Melania Trump moves into one of most pub rick roles in the world, her lawsuit against a political blogger doesnt mean Media Outlets can say whatever they want about her. The incoming first ladys defamation lawsuit cites an article on tarpley saying she worked as a high end escort. Mrs. Trump is suing the british tab little rock, daily mail, for referring to her very racy past. The daily mail says they never intended to suggest their statement was true. Cbs news justice correspondent paula reid. Melania trump has the resources to carry on a long legal fight. If she doesnt win it could serve as deterrent to smaller outlets that dont have resources to defend themselves. Daily mail and tarpley, retracted their stories, tarppley put out a statement said the lawsuit is without merit and attempt to. And also representing mrs. Trump. He says the statements about her were 100 false and tremendously damaging. The case its heading to trial in montgomery county, maryland, just outside of washington. For the next few months mrs. Trump is planning not to move into the white house but to stay here at trump tower while their son baron finishes the school year. Elaine. Kenneth craig at trump tower. Thank you. A massive wave of snowstorms is causing problems from the midwest to the northeast tonight. Some areas are also getting a blast of ice and rain. Tony dokoupil is in the thick of it. Reporter in western new york, jeff butera can barely keep up. How has it been . Terrible. Guys running over 22 hours straight. I give them a lot of credit for staying in it. I mean theyre tired. Theyre wore out. This snowstorm didnt quit. Reporter lakeeffect snow has been relentless since thursday dropping 30 inches in the county. We get winter. Buffalo new york gets all the credit for the snow. We get the snow. Reporter it may look pretty, county sheriff, joe jurasi says the snow is dangerous. Reporter your people handled 50 car crashes weather related. Weather related. Personal injury and Motor Vehicle collisions vehicles off the road. 50 in two days. Day four now. Reporter the winter storm caused icy conditions at Detroit Metro airport where this a delta airplane skidded off the run way. No injuries reported. Frozen roads and dangerous driving conditions caused this pileup saturday in oakland county, michigan. 33 cars and three semitrucks were involved. Thankfully no serious injuries. In illinois, transportation officials begged drivers to stay home. We want the public to ask themselves a simple question is this trip necessary boofr you leave the house . Chicago which had expected a foot of snow was mostly spared. With just over 3 1 2 inches. Back in upstate new york, jeff butara hopes he has seen end of the snow for now. Looks like it will stay more towards the area in buffalo. We are hoping. Haha. And miss us. We need a break. Reporter winter Snow Advisory in effect until noon monday for this county and much of central and southern new york state. But elaine, this area averages more than 200 inches of snow per year. Tony dokoupil reporting. Tony, thank you. Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist tracking the storms in chicago. Mary kay. A half a foot of snow in minnesota and wisconsin. Now michigan getting the snow also the northeast. In fact, Winter Weather advisories are up for the areas in purple. Winter storm warnings for the areas in pink. And cold air rushing in on the north side of the system. We have moisture from the south wrapping into the storm center. A lot of the california coast, new system pulls in rain. The Pacific Northwest as well. Rain at the shore fronts. Then as you move inland. Snow through the next 24 hours. Also, for the northeast, we have snow, moving through the daytime hours tomorrow. So, futurecast does show the system, during the day bringing rain and snow to the eastern seaboard. Finally in the evening, pushing offshore. It is going to be a mess for travel. Really. Along the eastern seaboard. We could have some slick roads, some flight delays and road closures with snow on the north end. Little icy mix there in the middle. Then we are bracing for the arctic blast, tuesday through thursday. Temperatures running, 20 degrees colder than normal in many states. Elaine. All right, messy start to the week. Mary kay kleist, wbbm. Thank you. The cbs overnight news will be right back. ,,,,,,, skier is lost in an avalanche this weekend. It happened in western nevada at Mount Rose Ski resort near lake tahoe. Mireya villarreal has the the latest. Reporter the search for the missing skier ended today after crews found a body in aegt to ten feet of snow. The 64yearold man was last seen on the jackpot chute, an expert slope that wasnt ready for skiers yet. Saturday, as a storm moved in, Officials Say the avalanche danger was high. Bob harmon with the Sheriffs Office says two skiers went around a gate and hiked to the top. This was a closed area. And, the skiers obviously made a decision that they wanted to, to make a run there. And, you know, obviously, this did not work for the best. Reporter experts with Sierra Avalanche Center say the missing skier may have triggered the avalanche. The skier who escaped called for help. After more than two feet of snow fell. Saturdays search was cut short. The skiers did not have safety gear, like beeping beacon. The scent was picked up by search dogs who led crews to the body. Elaine, the medical Examiners Office will take over the investigation. And work to confirm the identity and the notify the family. Mireya villarreal, mireya, thank you. Bombs killed dozens overseas this weekend. In cairo, egypt, a bomb went off in a christian cathedral. And targeting people outside a soccer stadium. Holly williams is there. Reporter a kurdish mill stan group, Kurdistan Freedom falcons claimed responsibility for the deadly attack which seems to have targeted police officers. 30 of those killed were members of the police force according to the turkish authorities. And today was a national day of mourning here as they buried their dead. The first explosion at around 10. 30. Last night was a car bomb. Followed 45 seconds later by a suicide bomber, detonating their device in a nearby park. According to turkish officials. Turkeys deputy Prime Minister said the car bomb may have used nearly 900 pound of explosives. And the blals coust could be he from several miles away. This follows a spate of devastating bombings in turkey over the last year. Some attributed to isis. Others also claimed by kurdish militants. Who were involved in a decades long conflict with the government here. And there was another lethal attack in cairo today. A bombing near the egyptian capitals main coptic christian cathedral and it killed at least 25 including children, and left dozens wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility so far. But elaine, islamic militants have targeted Egypts Christian community in the past. Holly williams in istanbul. Holly, thank you. In kenya, the driver of a gas tanker truck lost control and slammed into several cars. It exploded into flames killing nearly 40 people. In nigeria, 160 people were killed this weekend when the roof of a church collapsed. The church was still under construction. But hundreds were allowed inside yesterday for a ceremony to or dane a bishop. At the vatican today, pope francis parade for victims of this weekends terror attacks and also for the people of war torn aleppo. Francis says he praise for them every day. Coming up, our report from inside aleppo. A city under siege on the verge of falling. Ugh, its only lunchtime and my cold medicines wearing off. Im dragging. Yeah, that stuff only lasts a few hours. Or, take mucinex. One pill fights congestion for 12 hours. No thank you very much, shes gonna stick with the shortterm stuff. 12 hours . Guess i wont be seeing you for a while. Is that a bisque . I just lost my appetite. Why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours . Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. Im alex trebek. If youre age 50 to 85, this is an important message. So please, write down the number on your screen. The lock i want to talk to you about isnt the one on your door. Its a rate lock for your Life Insurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. But be careful. Many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the Colonial Penn program. Call this number to learn more. This plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable Life Insurance thats simple to get. Coverage options for just 9. 95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. Act now and your rate will be locked in for life. It will never increase. Your coverage can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. You cannot be turned down because of your health. Call for your information kit and gift. Both are free, with no obligation. Dont wait, call this number now. Over the weekend isis apparently reclaimed ancient city of palmyra. Forces drove the group out of the city back in march. But isis stormed back while the assad regime was focused on recapturing the Northern City of aleppo. Aleppo is syrias largest city. Once home to millions of people. Antigovernment rebels backed by the u. S. , took control in 2012. But syrian and Russian Forces appeared to be on the verge of taking it back. Debora patta has been documenting the fall of aleppo. This is the face of the war in syria. Exhausted and terrified civilians, fleeing the syrian and russian bombs, unleashed on their homes in opposition held eastern aleppo. People who are so weary of war, so tired of waiting for it to be over. We encountered many families who told us it was too dangerous to ever make a run for it. And so they stayed behind. Nothing to eat. Nothing to, to, to cook. No medicine. No schools. No, no, hospitals. Everything was, very, very bad. Reporter when the syrian army finally takes back a neighborhood, look at whats left. Those who make it out often end up in make shift shelters. These are people who have never taken a side in this war, but like mustafa al muhandez they want it to be over. Do you think this is the best way to solve the problems of syria. The country has been flattened. I cant lie the situation is terrible he tells us. But there is no other way. It has to be done. It is the civilians who have borne the brunt of the syrian and russian bombs and in a bitter eernirony they have to at food and shelter from the same Russian Military who has been destroying their homes. Then there are the children who have grown up in the war. 13yearold amal told me how she stopped going to school two years ago when a shell landed in the distance. She barely flinches. Reporter did you hear that explosion . I did. Reporter does it bother you . All too familiar to worry about. No. Reporter amidst all this pain there was one moment of joy that stood out, Mohammad Dahman cannot contain himself. This is the first time he has seen his mother. Zulia in five years. My soul, she sobs. You are everything to me, my son. And another son joins in. It has been five years since the war divided aleppo and ripped this family apart. For them, at least, it is at last finally team to go home together. Debora patta, cbs news, aleppo. The cbs overnight news will be right back. 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In addition to overseeing relations with other countries, the next secretary of state will have to address accusations of wasteful spending at the state department. Cbs news obtained the traft of a congressional report on how much the u. S. Is spending to build new embassies. Margaret brennan. Reporter the u. S. Striking embassy, a steel framed cube surrounded by glass will soon exceed its more than 1 billion projection according to House Overnight Committee chair. I feel very misled by the state department. If we arent opening the doors in february, the cost of the u. S. Taxpayer is about 100,000 a day to stay in a facility that we used to own. Reporter the facility, existing u. S. Embassy will be used to house our personnel until the new London Embassy is ready. A six month Lease Agreement according to chafetz counts for 22 million. The oversight, found quibbling over a glass wall in indonesia cost tens of millions in change order requests. Nearly 3 million spent on art at u. S. Embassy in pakistan. One of the biggest bills came from mexico. Where the u. S. Government paid 120 million for 15 acre lot. And 56 million on the design of diplomatic mission. Nothing has been built there yet. Chavetz, said costs will climb above 943 million estimate. Something has to change. Theyre building them slower. Coming in over budget. Theyre not necessarily as secure. And theyre so ostentatious. For the next secretary of the list, top of the list . Glad we have mr. Trump coming in. He will get it and know how to fix it. In a hurry. Reporter the strict Security Standards of building a post for classified diplomating work isnt your typical real estate project. State Department Spokesman mark toner. Reporter do you have any kind of time line as to when the embassies will be both secure and finished . All i can say is that, you know, our diplomating Security Bureau and overseas Buildings Operations Bureau and our Management Bureau work hand in hand to ensure that safety is foremost, first and foremost. Reporter state Department Officials told us that new Safety Standards require upgrading these embassies. And how the buildings look, does affect perception of the u. S. The end of the day, the state Department Says all these projects will remain within budget. Margaret brennan, cbs news, the white house. Up next, special correspondent james brown takes us to church, two churches actually. Healing the divide between their congregations. ,,,,,,,, why close in macon, georgia, where cbs news special correspondent, james brown has the story of two churches trying to heal the divide between their congregations. Put your hand together sunday morning and First Baptist church is making a joyful noise. Just around the corner, First Baptist church of christ is starting its worship. Like many churches in america the difference between the two is pretty much black and white. Thats First Baptist church. The one i pastor. You pastor. First Baptist Church of christ where i pastor. You guys have been just around the corner from each ts for how long . Since 11887. How often have you interacted . Once or twice. The pastors met two years ago and decided it was time for their congregations to got to know each other. Because not only do their churches share a name, but they share a history. In 1826 there was only one First Baptist church in may con. White slave owners worshipped in the front with their slaves in the back. But by 1845, Church Records show that the slaves outnumbered their owners 21. So, a separate church for blacks was formed. Most people are familiar with what dr. Martin luther king jr. Said the most segregated hour in america is worship hour. Is that still the case . Reality is it still is. I also think we wouldnt worry about so much of the one hour a week being divided if we werent so divided the other hours of the week. Reporter after the tragic murders at a Charlton Church last year, the two pastors got their two churches together for a series of meetings to talk about race and its impact on the community. We were the only nonafricanamerican people in the room. Reporter on this night just before thanksgiving, Church Members met to break bred. And walls that have separated them for years. And one daughter said, that was my first consciousness. For three hours they shared funny stories and sad ones too. And by the end of the night, the two congregations grew closer. We talked to members of both chur. S the next day. 19yearold Ethan Thompson may have summed it up best. It has taught me that despite what what the world is telling us right now that this kind of conversation is possible. Conversation that perhaps can build a new future. James brown, cbs news, may con. Thats the overnight news for this monday. For some of you the news continues. For others check back later. For the morning news and cbs this morning. From the Broadcast Center in new york city. Im elaine quijano. Welcome to the overnight news. More questions about russias possible interference in the election surfaced this weekend. Along with concerns about the man said to be president elect trumps top choice for secretary of state. Exxon mobile Ceo Rex Tillerson has close business ties with moscow. Mr. Trumps own relationship with russia was an issue throughout the campaign. Here is errol barnett. Reporter president elect donald trump today said the report is political. I think the democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country. It is clear the russians interfered. Reporter on cbs, senior republican senator john mccain detailed plans for a bipartisan investigation. Going to ask senator Lindsay Graham as smart as any bed on thor to to be the chair with a really smart democrat. We will go to work on it. We will go to work. Reporter senator marco rubio is voicing concerns over trumps possible choice of exxon mobile Ceo Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. A man who was awarded the order of friendship by the kremlin. Rubio wrote being a friend of vladamir is not attribute hoping for from a secretary of state. On abc this morning, president elect trumps chief of staff defended tillerson. The fact that he actually has a relationship with people look vladamir putin and others across the globe is something that shouldnt be we shouldnt be embarrassed by it. Reporter with preibus leaving adds chair of the rnc, a trump favorite to replace him, romneys niece, and could soften the blow if her uncle is not chosen as secretary of state. Not clear when mr. Trump will announce americas top diplomat. Errol barnett in washington. Thank you. John dickerson of face the nation got two different views on the russian hacking charges spoke to the chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee, john mccain, and kellyanne conway, Senior Adviser to president elect. The president elect says the notion of russians trying to be involved in the election is ridiculous. What do you make of the disconnect . I dont know what to make of it. Its clear that the russians interfeared. Whether they intended to interfere to the degree that they were trying to elect a can. I think that is subject. Facts are stubborn things. They did hack into this campaign. And they did it i think, with some apt least, what steamed to be effective, of sort of, every week or so there was new information. And were they hacking the republicans the same way . The Republican National committee . And if so, why didnt they, there is a whole lot of, use out there. It requires an investigation. The president has ordered an investigation. You are not going to find all this out in the next month between, between, administrations, its final with me if he starts an investigation. But it is going to require congressional involvement. It is going to indepth and by the way, the russians have interfered in a lot of other elections. The russians have hacked into some of our most secret military information. The russians have been active using as a tool as part of vladamir putins ambition to regain russian prominence and dominance in some parts of the world. The president elect would not interfere in the legislative branch in that way. But he has made very clear, in, in interview, on a different network, john, that he feels, a, there is a great deal of confusion. No ontherecord sources coming to a bright line conclusion about what happened here. He thinks people are trying to relitigate the election. People look senator mccain say that he has an interest in making sure that, Foreign Government hasnt tried to interfere with our look torl process. I respect him enormously for saying that. But there are others who arent so, arent so high minded about cybersecurity. This is the lateest atempt, first, jim comeys fault. Now well have a recount. Then, cia, now russian interference. I would till you there does seem to be a lack of certainty among agencies, no on the source records. Thats maybe why congressional investigations are at hand. You see it clear how he views this. We dont want any Foreign Government. He said it is ridiculous. Seemed to be critical of the idea it is worth looking into. But lets be fair to him. What president elect trump said, whats ridiculous is it was to help him become president of the united states. There is no evidence. Conflicting reports over whether an agreement has been reached to evacuate rebel forces from the besieged city of aleppo. Rebel held neighborhood in syrias largest city have been under heavy bombardment with antigovernment forces now crammed into an area about 2 miles square. The u. S. Plan would allow the rebels and their families to have an honorable departure. Moscow denies any final agreement has been reached. Debora patta is there. Reporter this is the face of the war. Civilians, fleeing the russian bombs unleashed on their homes in eastern aleppo. People who are so weary of war, so tired of waiting for it to be over. We encountered many families told us it was too dangerous to make a run for it. They stayed behind. Nothing to eat, nothing to cook. No medicine. No schools, no hospitals. Everything was very, very bad. When seertian army finally takes back a neighborhood. Look at what is left. Those who make it out often end up in make shift shelters. These are people who have never taken a side in this war, but like mustafa al muhandez they want it to be over. Do you think this is the best way to solve the problems of syria. The country has been flattened. I cant lie the situation is terrible he tells us. But there is no other way. It has to be done. It is the civilians who have borne the brunt of the syrian and russian bombs and in a bitter irony they have to accept food and shelter from the same Russian Military who has been destroying their homes. Then there are the children who have grown up in the war. 13yearold amal told me how she stopped going to school two years ago when a shell landed in the distance. She barely flinches. Reporter did you hear that explosion . I did. Reporter does it bother you . All too familiar to worry about. No. Reporter amidst all this pain there was one moment of joy that stood out, Mohammad Dahman cannotcontain himself. This is the first time he has seen his mother. Zulia in five years. My soul, she sobs. You are everything to me, my son. And another son joins in. It has been five years since the war divided aleppo and ripped this family apart. For them, at least, it is at last finally team to go home together. Debora patta, cbs news, aleppo. The cbs overnight news will be right back. You love the soft feel of your feet when you take care of them. And at amope we love it too. But that annoying hard skin just keeps coming back. And always way, way, way too soon. No matter what you do. Amope presents pedi perfect. A new level of hard skin removal. It removes hard skin thoroughly yet effortlessly and reveals the silkiest smoothness you can rely on. Because it lasts, and lasts, and lasts. This Holiday Season give the gift of long lasting smoothness. Amope. Love every step. That cough doesnt sound so good. Well i think you sound great. Move over. Easy booger man. Take mucinex dm. Itll take care of your cough. Fine ill text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. One pill lasts 12 hours, so. Looks like im good all night ah david, please, listen. Still not coughing. Not fair you guys waffles are my favorite ah some cough medicines only last 4 hours. But just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. Americans with disabilities act was designed to make everyday life more accessible to millions. The act has rules that all businesses must follow. If theyve dont they can be sued. But the act is also spawned an industry of socalled driveby lawsuits. Andersen cooper has the story for 60 minutes. Reporter at first glance this Convenience Store in fort lauderdale, florida may appear to be in compliance with americans with disabilities act. Parking space for disabled and an access ramp to the store. American with disabilities act has thousand of technical regulations and this store is in violation. What we see are typical red flags that attract lawsuits. There is a parking space. This has to be 8 feet. This has to be 5 afeet. Reporter attorney nolan klein says that disabled parking sign is also in the wrong spot. It doesnt say the words van accessible. That access ramp isnt right either. Whats wrong with it . Under the law this is not an access ramp. This has to be on an accessible route which is the area that they tried to create here. This is supposed to be 5 feet long. Reporter mike zaid who owned the store said no disabled customer ever complained about the rapp, sign or parking space, but that didnt stop him from having to hire attorney nolan klein when he got sued. Reporter the person who sued you you dont believe they were a customer. No, no. Reporter they drove by or stopped outside. Thats what i believe. The lawyer just driving around. Reporter it is called a driveby lawsuit. When a lawyer or disabled person notices violations outside a business and files suit. Mike zaid doesnt think the person who sued him was a ream customer because the the man claimed he encountered barriers inside the store that didnt exist. To me i feel it is not fair. To me i feel like that is stealing. We work hard for our money. These people driving around in the car. And violation here. Reporter do you know other store owners who have been sued . Two guys i know in broward they got sued twice. Same lawyer . Same lawyer, same guy. Reporter if you think driveby lawsuits hatch from the comfort of a car or novel way to enforce a law. There is another kind of lawsuit that requires less work. Lawyers call them google lawsuits. Whats a google lawsuit . Google lawsuit is where the suspicion at least is that the property was spotted on google, google earth, google maps, whatever the case could be. You could see things from google. See if there is a pool lift or not. Reporter a pool lift is a seat that can help disabled people get in and out of the water. Since 2012, all hotels and motels in america are required to be accessible to the disabled. Which in most cases means having a lift permanently attached to the side of their pool. This its what a pool lift looks like from google earth. In the comfort of your own home with the few clicks of a mouse you can see if a pool near you has one. If they dont appear to have a pool lift, like many hotel pools we looked up. You can file a lawsuit. Just look that. Harry runs the adobe hacienda hotel, in hollywood, fla flchlt he has a pool lift now. He didnt know he was required to install one in what he got sueded in what he suspects was a google lawsuit. Did a disabled person come and want to use the pool . At no time we had a person on the property that requested it or in a room that requested it. Reporter turned out the same man who sued him sued dozens of motel owners also for pool lift violations. It was about 60something lawsuits in 50 some days. 60 lawsuits in 50 days. 60 plus. From the same attorney . Same attorney and the same client. Last count that attorney has sued nearly 600 businesses in just the last two years. Many for not having pool lifts. Perry postham ended up paying 3,000 to buy a lift that so far no one has ever used. He also spent thousand of dollars in attorneys fees. He told us he believes the lawsuits are sometimes simply a money making venture for lawyers because under federal law, Business Owners have to pay both sets of attorneys fees. And if you dont settle, it can end up costing you hundreds of thousand of dollars in court. It is a game for attorneys. Thats what it is. Reporter every private business in america that is open to the public, millions of shops, restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, laundry mats. Nail salons and more have to be compliant with americans with disabilities act. Business owners we spoke to said it is almost impossible to be totally compliant with the law because the requirements are very specific. And there are thousands of them. You can find them in the 275 page manual that details everything from the exact height of a mirror in a bathroom, to the maximum thickness of carpeting, to the angle at which water can come out of a drinking fountain. Every door way, every door handle, every surface you walk on, every light switch, outlet, counter, you name it, are all covered by the americans with disabilities act. First passed in 1990. Tin theory, businesses only need to comply if it is readily achievable to do so. But in reality, if you are not meeting every single requirement, you can be sued without warning. Essentially you are saying that after 25 years, there is really no excuse for any biz nos not to be compliant. People say that they need a grace period. I would say 25 years is a grace period enough. The retired chief of the department of justices disability rights section. And was part of the team that wrote the americans with disabilities act. Is the law as written too specific, a mirror has to be 40 inches off the ground . Opposed to, 39, or, 41 . My first answer is no. Its not. Specificity is needed. Inches matter. If you have a lip on a curb ramp, a wheelchair user is likely to tumble into the street and injure him or herself. Reporter he points out the number of Disability Access lawsuits is small compared to the tens of millions of americans who have sorm form of disability. Are some people taking advantage of the law . I think some people are. There are some people who are engaging in what i think people have called shakedowns or frivolous lawsuits where they are not really looking at significant change for people with disabilities. Theyre looking to use the law to make money. Reporter when americans with disabilities act was being written, the department of justice was concerned about people take advantage of this part of the law. They intentionally did not include monetary damages for plaintiffs in federal lawsuits. The problem is, now many states do provide for damages. And john wodach says that led to abuse. Most notably in kcalifornia. Where with limited exceptions Business Owners have to pay not only lawyers fees and remodeling costs but minimum of 4,000 in damages each time a disabled customer visits a business with a violation. That can add up to hundred of thousand of dollars in some cases. Attorney Tom Frankovic one of the top filers of Disability Access lawsuits in california. Businesses here hate you. Will i would say that. How many lawsuits have you filed . 2,000, 2,500. I dont keep track. Reporter do you know how much you have made in the 2,000 cases you filed . Oh, i wouldnt dare, i wouldnt dare to say. Millions. I would say that. Reporter couple million. Could be. Reporter is it fair to say you are scaring people to comply with the law . I hope. You hope . I hope. Reporter so when people call you an extortionist, when people call you shack you artist you say what . Im acting as private attorney general and enforcing a law that precludes discrimination by you against people with disabilities. Reporter when you are filing hundreds of lawsuits for one client, its that fair . You know it is more than fair, andersen. What people dont realize is that i represent activists. What you find is that it takes courage to be an activist. Reporter not everyone is an activist. Some attorneys are being accused of recruiting disabled clients to file these lawsuits. Daniel delgado owns a medical Equipment Repair shop in california. In a wheelchair due to childhood polio and has a learning disability. He dent know much about americans with disabilities act until he was approached by attorneys, randy and tonya moore. What did they say to you . He goes, how would you look to make 100,000, 200,000 a year. He goes all you got to do is ada. I said what the heck is dad. He says he was told he would make 1,000 per lawsuit and would help improve access for the disabled. They were sag to you, not only were you going to make this money. Actually going to improve life for disabled people. Exactly. Reporter thats important to you . More important to me than anything. Reporter Daniel Delgado told us, they sent him to businesses he would not have visit itted with instructions to buy something and get a receipt. He signed off as plaintiff on dozens of cases. And says he was asked to recruit some of his disabled friends including john morales to File Lawsuits as well. What kind of businesses did you visit, john . Variety. I went to grocery stores. I went to restaurants. I want to a couple of just, like different stores. She would tell me, look for, accessible seating. If there is a table for the handicap. Or a restroom that you can go into. She told me what to look for. So i started doing that. You can see the full report on our website, cbs delsym helps control the impulse to cough for 12 hours. Which means, youre controlling your cough on your morning commute. And later when youre joking with beth. Even when most cough medicines stop, delsym is still working. Delsym. The 1 12hour cough medicine. Im gonna take mucinex sinusmax. Enough pressure in here for ya . Too late, were about to take off. These dissolve fast. Theyre liquid gels. And youre coming with me. You realize i have gold status . Mucinex sinusmax liquid gels. Dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine. Lets end this. The nobel prizes were handed out this weekend in norway. But the most famous honoree was missing. Bob dylan skipped the ceremony saying he had a prior commitment. Reporter bob dillons lyrics gave vis oice to a generation. Dylan has been elusive. So much so a movie made in 2007. The title im not there. And today bob dylan wasnt here in stockholm sweden. Supposed to accept nobel prize in literature for creating new poetic expressions in a career spanneding six decades. And what do you do now my blue eyed son he sent patti smyth, whose performance couldnt outshine the performance. Dylan explained he was too busy with commitments. The thing about the nobel prize is that it is just one more notch on the belt if you like. Because he has got the medal of honor. Two doctorates. Reporter while a nobel may be a notch. A 2004 interview on 60 minutes. The first interview in 19 years offers insight into his relook tans to accept celebrity. What was the toughest part for you personally . It was like being in an Edgar Allen Poe story. You are not that person, everybody thinks you are. They call you that, the prophet, the savior, i never wanted to be a prophet or savior. Elvis, maybe. Critics call dylans absence rude. The Nobel Committee said they respect his decision. Dylan initially silent for weeks after the prize was announced called the award hard to believe. Saying, who ever dreams about Something Like that . All of the people at kennedy park, write some,,,,,,,, Steve Hartman uncovered a special military operation on the road. Reporter for as long has he can remember, 19yearold, richi sharma has been fascinated with world war ii. It wasnt until recently that he real ied this history is still living. There are real super hero, world war ii vets out there. And the i want to meet them. In 2014 as a junior in high school, richi made it his mission. I ditched so many days of high school to do an interview. Reporter skipping school to interview vets . Yeah, started ride might bike to the local senior home. I interviewed those guys. I started driving. Reporter today he tries to meet one a day. Every single day. Reporter drives all over Southern California searching out every world war ii combat vet he can find. I had a lot of missions. Reporter marine tank commander, ernie eisley. They were going to make a big camp and attack us at night. Reporter richi talks to the guys for hours and gives the recording to the families. He interviewed 210 combat vets. Remarkable total. Monumental failure as far as he is concerned. He says we are losing 400 world war ii vets a day. He cant talk to them fast enough. Reporter it is amazing how much history and knowledge is encased in each one of these individuals. And how much is lost when one of them dies without sharing their story. The fact is i weak ake up to obituaries, guys i want to interview. I have to find out that they died. Reporter at this point i should tell you, richi doesnt come from a military family. His parents emigrated here from india. Yet he cares more about our greatest generation than any teenager i have ever met. My name is in addition to his daily interview he calls at least five world war ii vets a day. Just to thank them for their service and sacrifice. It means a great deal to me that you were willing to endure all of that so that i could be here today. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. Reporter thanking veterans and preserving their legacies is so important to richi he is delaying college, starting a go fund me and expanding his mission across the country. This is a map of all the places i am planning to go to. Multiyear trip. Yeah, i will be on the road for years. Yeah. But i thank you so much for your time. Reporter nice to know as long as there are world war ii veterans willing to talk. There will be at least one young man willing to listen. Steve hartman on the road, in california. You mean a lot to me. Reporter that is the overnight news for this monday. For some of you the news continues. For others check back later for the morning news and cbs this morning. Morning. From the Broadcast Centerom captioning funded by cbs its monday, december 12th, 2016. This is the cbs morning news. I dont know need to be told, chris, the same thing every day, every morning, same words. Nothing has changed. Lets go over it again. Opting out. The president elect declines daily intelligence briefings, while questioning the cias conclusion russia worked to get him elected. It could be russia. I dont really think it is, but who knows . I dont know either. They dont know and i dont know. Already this morning, a blast of wintry weather has grounded hundreds of flights. While the midwest is digging out, the northeast is lookin