"inside story". >> this is aljazeera america, live from new york city, i'm tony harris. fixing the police force. chicago mayor, rahm emanuel's plan to prevent officer shootings. out on bail, bill cosby back home after being charged with sexual assault. eavesdropping, why the nsa was spying on benjamin netanyahu. and a gas leak spewing methane

into a los angeles suburb for months. the uproar following a series of fatal officer-involved shootings has brought change in chicago. mayor rahm emanuel says that the city's police force will be retrained. and they will be taught to escalate the confrontations while deemphasizing the use of force. >> reporter: good evening, tony, increasing the tools in the toolbox, that's how mayor rammel an well described the action plan. the goal is to change the way that chicago police officers think, making lethal force the last option instead of the first. chicago mayor, rahm emanuel cut short a vacation in cuba to emphasize police tactics. >> just because you train and

can use force doesn't mean that you should, and helping the officers with the training that goes with it is essential. >> reporter: he said that they will focus on deescalation training to help officers resolve deadly confrontations instead of using force. >> the officers are trained to make sure that they get home safely. and when you take all of this together, and you talk about the heat of the moment, the goal is to make sure that everybody goes home safely. >> reporter: the plan is to double tasers, from 700 to 1400. putting one in every police vehicle. >> besides the change and revision for the policy, we're looking for best practice. and by no means was our policy ever shoot first and ask questions later. quite the contrary. >> freedom, freedom! >> reporter: the changes come after weeks of unrest following the dash cam video that the city withheld for over a year.

it showed the chicago policeman firing 16 shots, killing laquan mcdonald, who was carrying a small knife. and just last weekend, a police officer responding to a domestic service call shot two people. the mother of five, betty jones, and the police have called the fatal shootings a tragic accident. in recent weeks, rahm emanuel fired his police superintendent and the head of security stepped down. on tuesday, a small number of protesters demonstrated outside of mayor emanuel's north side home, calling for him to step down. >> i don't foresee rahm emanuel stepping down or resigning, but he understands, because he's a politically savvy animal, somebody who knows the lay of the land, and he has a lot of fence mending to do, and it's not going to be easy, and it's not going to be fast.

>> reporter: it's not clear whether the mayor's plan is going to be enough to call for a resignation. but it won't be the last. the department of justice is investigating, and more reforms will likely be called for. currently only one in five chicago police officers is trained to use a taser under mayor emanuel's new plan. and all of them will be trained to use them by june of next year. >> thank you, and at the bottom of the hour, my conversation with the head of the chicago urban league about the mayor's plan, and if it can help the department to regain the trust of the community. bill cosby appeared before a judge today to face charges that stem from an 11-year-old case. it is a stunning turn of events for cosby, coming a year after which seven women publicly accused the entertainer of assaulting them. he's now facing criminal charges, and john terrett joins

us live from elkins park where cosby was arraigned. >> reporter: good evening, and bill cosby was a broken man when he appeared before the judge this afternoon. looking only straight ahead or down, and he walked with the help of his attorneys. one of whom said that the criminal charge against cosby is unjustified. and he will be exonerated. >> cosby, how do you respond to the charges? >> reporter: bill cosby, arriving in the judge's office. there have been sexual abuse charges against the entertainer for years, and now the first criminal charge, criminal assault in pennsylvania. >> these charges stem from a sexual assault that happened on an evening in 2004 at mr. cosby's home in montgomery county. mr. cosby is charged with aggravated indecent assault, this is a felony of the first

degree. >> reporter: kevin steeling stee taking over as da in january. >> the charges are the result of new information that came to light in 2014. and the statute of limitations is 12 years. >> reporter: that statute runs out this week, as they filed a civil suit in 2005. it stems from an alleged 2004 incident where she went to the house for dinner. he gave her wine and he assaulted her. in a civil suit, cosby said that they had consensual sex, and that suit was settled in 2006. wednesday, they said we wish to express our appreciation to the montgomery police department and the detectives and of the police department for the current see that they have

shown andrea during this difficult time. gloria allred who represents many of the women who said that cosby assaulted them, said that in 40 years of practice, she has never seen anything like it. >> some of them are upset that there has never been a criminal prosecution, and we're not sure if there ever would be. so i'm very happy that this case has now received new and close scrutiny. >scrutiny. >> reporter: the criminal charges come after a year of upheaval for cosby, a pioneering entertainer. he was one of the first black actors to have a role in a network tv show, "i spy." he's one of the giants of television and combi, and he became america's favorite tv dad, cliff huxtable, the cosby show playing all over the world. but there of long been rumors

about his behavior toward women, and now cosby faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. he was driven to the police station for fingerprinting and the posting of $1 million bond. heeds due to appear in court in about two weeks. adds cosby was leaving, someone shouted, good luck, sir, and he said, thank you. there will be a period of research for evidence to place before a jury, and they will have to decide who they believe. andrea could no constandt, or bl cosby. >> in missouri, the surrounding rivers are reaching historic heights. it's the worst flooding seen in years, and andi, what's the latest? >> tony, the mississippi river is heading toward its record high of 47 feet. and the maramack in st. louis

is heading toward its record high of 46 feet. we'll know in a few hours if they will reach that stable n the meantime, the department of transportation is starting to put sandbags on interstate 55 heading out of st. louis, ands this a big deal. because interstate 54 heading west out of st. louis is partially closed, along with 200 other roads in missouri. so tony, the problems will persist. more rescues today, rest of st. louis, adding to the thousands of people already chased from their homes by floodwaters. the missouri governor said that it's the worst his state has ever seen. >> floodwaters are expected to be above the crest in 1993, which caused widespread devastation. >> reporter: columbia homes and business owners who just missing flooded in the past realized that this time their luck had run out. and for others, the race to

recover what they can is still on. >> it's brutal. trying to get everything out. we didn't get all of it, but got what we could. >> reporter: the maramack river has never been this high before. and it keeps creeping up on this convenience store in fenton, missouri. >> i've never seen it this bad before. >> neither has the state's department of transportation. authorities have closed a 20-mile stretch of 24, just south of st. louis, and mother nature has closed highway 41. >> reporter: so this is a very important highway to the st. louis region. they have around 50,000 vehicles a day. and today, it has water on t >> reporter: it's worse so so w. no one can get out by car, including melissa harrison's parents. >> they can't get out? >> they won't try. that car over there is stuck, and my car is pretty low to the ground. so i walk.

many people are using whatever they have to get around. these guys are relying on an inflatable raft. >> we feel bad for all of the people who lost houses, my uncle hasn't done so well. >> the flooding even overwhelmed a sewage treatment plant. meaning that the water's contents are as dangerous as it's height. fenton, missouri. and back out here live, we can tell that you the national guard has moved in with the effort to clean this place up. and president obama has offered his services to the missouri governor if he needs them. and tony, we expect the rivers to crest in the next few hour or so. >> it was always going to happen, the rivers were going to crest at some point. and what happens then?

>> reporter: well, the rivers, once they reach the crest, they won't go back down again for about 24 hours, because it's so cold out here, and that will continue to be part of the problem. and on interstate 55, the department of transportation tells me that even though they're putting sandbags down on that part of the interstate, the water could cause huge problems. >> yeah, andy, thank you. and the governor of puerto rico said that it will not make a $37 million payment ode to creditors by monday. this will be the second time that the island will miss a payment to its $72 billion debt. ronort ray is live for us in san juan, so robert, you can't pay down the debt, but the government employees get a christmas bonus this year? >> reporter: tony, you've got it exactly right. they do. they receive the christmas

bonus in total, $120 million distributed to government employees this holiday season. and the governor today, he said that even if he wanted to change that, he wouldn't have the authority to do that. it's under puerto rico law. so he couldn't make any changes to that. we have a rare chance to sit down with governor alejandro garcia today. and we did a one-on-one interview with him. we asked him a multitude of questions, but one of them was, who is to blame with all of debt and the problems here in puerto rico? >> the crisis, also, more than one governor here, two more, and more than one -- gave us too much money. >> reporter: there are many people who have criticized the way that you've handled this situation. they said that some of your language has been bombastic and flamboyant, and what's your reaction? >> this is not political, this

is mathematics, they just need to do the numbers. they should look at the numbers, and they will see that there's only one. >> reporter: you know, tony, he says that it's not political, and yet he blames congress for part of the issues here, and he blames previous governors of puerto rico, and we wanted to know what his relationship was with the new speaker of the house, paul ryan, and if he feels like mr. ryan will make any headway with congress and the senate. here's what he had to say. >> i think that he can lead the house to produce a comprehensive bill that will allow puerto rico to restructure debt. we present what they ask, five year fiscal control plan. so they now have our part. we need theirs. and if congress, if ryan moves,

i think that that will help the senate to -- that will compel the senate to move too. >> reporter: so tony, they're going to default. the payment was expected january 1, and because of the holiday, it has been moved up to january 4, which is monday. but they're going to default on $7.3 billion, and they said that the funds were not guaranteed and it's a wash, and paying them. >> this country didn't let the big banks default, they were bailed out and they didn't allow the auto industry to go under ground. and the auto industry was bailed out. and will puerto rico be bailed out? >out? >> reporter: that's a great question. here's the thing, this is a commonwealth. and a lot of the way it works is like a state. you can't necessarily bail out a state. you can bail out a city or a

corporation, and let's look at illinois, $127 billion in debt. and new jersey, $87 billion in debt. so there won't necessarily be a bailout bailout, but as the governor eluded to us today, this is one of the first that we have heard him say something like this. in the conversations with paul ryan, what he's proposing, a five year plan where the governor can take the interest on that and they can figure out how to get the debt down. whether or not we call it a bailout or a path to reconstruction. you name it. >> the idea of restructuring, robert rayer us in san juan, puerto rico, good to see you, and up next on the program, spy games. turt ailing the surveillance on friendly leaders, but the nsa continues to spy on one of them. and plus, the invisible

disaster. natural gas leaking, and what's being done to stop it? bring your family and friends together

to discover the best shows and movies with xfinity's winter watchlist. later on, we'll conspire ♪ ♪ as we dream by the fire ♪ a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight ♪ ♪ watching in a winter watchlist land, ♪ ♪ watching in a winter watchlist land! ♪ xfinity's winter watchlist. watch now with xfinity on demand- your home for the best entertainment this holiday season.

tand that's what we're doings to chat xfinity.rself, we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. >> we're just learning today that iranian ships fired off several rockets near a u.s. naval aircraft carrier last friday. according to the u.s. navy, the unguided rockets came within

1500 yards from multiple vessels as they passed through the straight. but the navy said that it was highly provocative. this is the third time that such an incident has occurred since last year. members of congress, despite a promise to curtail spying on leaders friendly countries. i asked aljazeera's rosilan jordan why the u.s. might be spying on its ally. >> reporter: according to the wall street journal, the concern was that the israelis would be very much opposed to any sort of deal with iran over its nuclear program, the administration which already had a very strained relationship with the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. basically wanted to make

certain that they were not caught off-guard by any efforts by the israelis to disrupt the talks, and the officials were telling the wall street journal that their worst suspicions came true, and they did find out that the israelis were trying to lobby various parties here in the united states to not support the deal. and not support the administration in these negotiations. >> you know, rosalind, a piece in the wall street journal suggested spying on members of congress as well. and isn't that against the law? >> it is against the law. it has been against the law for decades, but the way that the wall street journal explains the situation is that even though the information is supposed to be couched in terms of american persons or american companies had an interaction with the tart of the spying, in certain cases, if the white

house wants to know exactly who it was from the united states that was having this contact with someone overseas, then they could ask, so that they could have contacts. i use that word in quotes. but it does raise questions, because remember congress is a separate branch of government. and i don't think that members of congress are going to like the idea that the obama administration was privy to their conversations, and to their contact with people and governments overseas. they do have the right to talk to whomever they want without being worried that someone was one, listening in, and two, going to try to use that information against them. >> roz, good to see you, thank you! >> . >> serving in the obama administration for capita fairs and in the white house, and before that it's good to have you back on the program.

curtailing the eaves dropping on friendly heads of state, which is what the president promised a couple of years ago after a couple of embarrassing revelation doesn't mean ending the eaves dropping. anything in this wall street journal report surprise you? >> frankly, no, tony. the promise to curtail intelligence gathering on allies was something discussed, and that was met as the line was drawn at nato leaders, so angela merkel from germany and president of france, they were taken off the list, but other countries are still being monitored, according to the wall street report. and while there's still a national security threat, it's in the best interest of the country to continue such surveillance, and let's not forget the broader point.

this is not just the u.s., and diplomats, but u.s. officials and citizens are often the tart of intelligence gathering by our nation as well. a couple of years back, the governor of the state of new jersey was the direct target of an israeli agent who infiltrated his household. and unfortunately, this is part of the broader diplomatic game. >> now, if it could be proved that the administration purposely engaged in spying on members of congress in doing whatever it was doing with israel, that would be alarming, wouldn't it? >> absolutely, and someone says that it's even alarming, the degree to which intelligence gathering on u.s. citizens, but in this instance, there's no confirmation that congress was a target. and in fact, it was the

unprecedented case of a foreign leader lobbying american officials, coming to american soil to lobby against u.s. policy that prompted some additional gathering on israeli sources, and those sources picked up conversations with american representatives on the line, and that's highly unfortunate, but it shows the degree to which we have national security challenges, even here at home in the u.s. >> so you get to the point where you turn a corner for me that i want to get to. what does the timing of this report suggest to you? coming as it does, a little dubious here, just two days after iran put it's nuclear material, enriched to 20%, on russian ships. >> reporter: you have to look

at who is deal it is for iran. >> do you think that there's any link? is israel attempting to pour cold water on the administration at an important moment when the u.s. wanted and the israeli leader described as a historic had mistake appears to be holding? >> i'm not one prone to conspiracy theories, but i can tell that you behind closed doors, information is shared. and election are often conveniently tied for political or policy gain. >> what do you expect? do you expect a formal challenge of this by israelis? >> not at this point. there have actually been some interesting up sides, that i think that the israelis, even on a recent visit that i made over the summer and meeting with government officials, the israelis are starting to see that the sunni states and the gulf states are also concerned

about the insurgeness of an iranian regime. and this might be the opportunity for israel and several of the sunni states, and hopefully bringing a broader conversation forward in the middle east. >> she served in the obama administration, director over cabinet affairs, and also in the state department. happy new year. still on the program, big changes for police, but will the mayor's initiative be enough to reduce police shootings, and win back the trust of the public? and violence in america, a look back at the mass shootings of 2015 and an emotional response from the president. ♪ amazing grace

>> the city of chicago is overhauling it's police tactics and procedures in response to a series of deadly officer-involved shootings. the changes were announce this afternoon by mayor rahm emanuel. the officers have access to tasers, and they will be trained to use the devices before resorting to lethal force. mayor emanuel said that the goal is to teach them to deescalate. >> we want to make sure that our officers are not just

operating in first gear or fifth gear, but use the gears in between to respond appropriately to each situation. force can be the last option, and not the first choice. >> sherry runner is from the urban league in chicago. and welcome to the program. did you hear anything in today's news conference that you liked? >> i think that it's interesting that there's an understanding now that the culture of the police department needs to change. and that there are some systemic issues that have been recognized. i think when the mayor said that he recognized the fact that this culture has been around for more than 40 years, that we have some major amendments and changes to be made. >> 40 years. why has it taken so long to come to this day. >> well, i mean that's the real question. and the recognition of that means that we also are -- it's going to take awhile to make changes, to make sure that we

understand what changes need to be made. and there's not going to be any quick fix for this. >> use of force the last option, and not the first, and one in five of the officers in chicago are trained to use a taser, and there's going to be a rollout and expanded use of tasers, despeculation techniques, and do these go far enough in your opinion? >> i think that the fact of tasers is not the answer. it's ex sessionive force. in chicago, we just had a case where a prisoner was killed with tasers, so just the idea of having a taser instead of a gun is not the issue. but it's the issue of how do we change the culture of policing in impoverished communities, that allows poem to understand the difference between excessive force and the cultsers that they're working. so sherry, here's a concern of mine, and i don't know how to calibrate how much of a

concern it is, given what happened this year. but we learned from the washington post yesterday that in most cases when officers kill somebody, they're going up against somebody who has some kind of a weapon on them. do you worry that today's announced reforms could put the lives of officers at greater risk? >> well, you know, several months ago, before the release of the laquan mcdonald video, the mayor eluded to the fact that the idea of the ferguson affect, where the police officers are not able to use force appropriately, because they're second guessing their ability to be able to administer their duties, i don't. i think that police officers well trained and police officers who know what they're doing, who know their communities, are going to be able to figure out a way to use force wisely if they know what they're doing, and i think most of them do.

and i think that the factors that we have here is, when they don't, and they're not held accountable, it's a problem. and that leads to distrust in the community. and it creates a cycle of violence, and it's not good for anybody. >> yeah, yeah, and i should also add that as part of that research, that data for the washington post, we learned that blacks are three times more likely to be killed in america than whites. did you read in the new york times today, the assertion put forward by the new york times editorial board was that tamir rice would be alive today had he been a white 12-year-old playing with a toy gun in just about any middle class neighborhood in the country. given what you know about the quinn antonio la grier case, would he be alive if he lived in a middle-class neighborhood america? >> i would have to say so,

that when someone called to say that there was a domestic disturbance, and a woman, betty jones, had opened her door, she may not have been dead, and neither quinn antonio. this excessive use of force, that's why the department of justice is here, and how do we correct that? one of the things that came out of the news conference today with the mayor was, some of the processes that he's thinking about using are coming from other cities around the country where the department of justice has intervened. chicago is a very different city with a long history of excessive force, and there are going to need to be some real thought given about what to do, and what's different about chicago and what needs to happen. we may become the model for other cities. >> sherry, thank you for being on the program. the interim president of the chicago urban league.

just indicted, the man accused of aiding the san bernardino killers. he's a former friend of syed farook, and prosecutors say that he bought two of the guns used to kill 14 people on december 2nd. he was indicted on charges, including one, providing material support to terrorists. mark is being held in custody, and he's due back in court on january 6th. a steady increase in mass shootings over the years. that's according to harvard researchers, and one occurs every few days. and aljazeera's allen schauffler takes a look back from the school shooting this year that shocked the town of southern oregon. >> reporter: welcome back to roseburg, oregon, a town that you may never have heard before

be october 1st. umpqua unit college, eight students and a teacher killed, he shot them as they lay on the floor and killed himself when the police arrived. sarah cobb and hannah miles were in the classroom next door. >> life afterwards is very hard. >> reporter: going back to school and reliving the horror with classmates has sparked new friendships, they say, which sparked emotions that bubble up from that day. >> oh, yes, i feel very guilty. why did i make it out? i was so close. >> reporter: hannah said that she'll never forget. >> some days you wake up and you want to stay in bed and cry, and you don't know what makes it a bad day or a good day. you have to take every day in stride. and i don't know, it's just very weird. >> reporter: and of course it was hardly the only mass shooting in 2015.

motorcycle gangs battled with each other and police at a waco, texas bar. leaving nine it dead and 18 injured. in an african-american church in charleston, south carolina, nine parishioners gunned down, the suspect an avowed white supremacist. in chattanooga, tennessee, four marines and a sailor kid by mohamed abdul aziz. one killed and nine injured at a planned parenthood clinic in colorado. and in san bernardino, california, 14 dead and more than 20 injuries. syed farook and tashfeen malik killed in a shoot-out with the police. the fbi called it a terrorist attack. the deadliest on u.s. soil since september 11th, 2001.

those and others this year as defined by the website. four or more people killed or wounded in a single location, excluding the shooter. most are gang shootings, or drug or domestic violence. as the umpqua college scene was still being cleared, a clearly frustrated remember took aim at gun laws. >> somebody somewhere will comment and say, obama police department sized this issue. this is something that we should politicize. >> that stance didn't get a lot of support in roseburg, where hundreds of anti-obama and pro-gun right advocates gathered. >> we want to be able to promote our families. >> reporter: in congress, the fence is just a fence again. the classroom where it happened remains closed.

around town, you'll see shows of support. to rally behind the survivors and the victim's families. holiday decorations are out. but roseburg beacon publisher, david jakes, said that it will be a somber season for many here. >> we're 60-plus days out. and it almost seems a little bit surreal. like we read about this somewhere, but we're walking through it for a lot of the families. >> reporter: while sarah cobb feels positive change in the air. >> we're a super strong little town, and you don't mess with roseburg, it will bounce back to where it all was. >> miles is speaking for the interior country. >> life is not going to go back to where it magically was, and we may never get back to that place where we were at. >> reporter: a town recovering, a country still

reeling. allen schauffler, roseburg, oregon. >> so according to the associated press, the negotiate of the so-called affluent teenager is expedited back to the united states, but ethan couch is still in mexico. a judge blocked his deportation. the process could take days or weeks. couch used affluenza as a defense in a fatal drunk driving crash that killed four people. he was arrested along with his mother. just outside of texas, residents at a porter ranch are dealing with the fallout of an environmental disaster. for the past nine weeks, a gas well has been filling with methane. jennifer joins us now with the latest on this. >> reporter: tony, don't be fooled by what appears to be an idyllic neighborhood at the end of another beautiful southern

california sunny day. methane gas has continued to fill the air, making many people here sick. this is what an environmental disaster looks like. a massive natural gas leak, spewing methane into the air since late october. captured by infrared cameras. downwind of the leak, 30,000 people living in the upscale community of porter ranch, 28 miles north of los angeles. >> it's tough to go outside, and we have to close all of the doors and the windows. >> first came the smell. >> i thought that i left the barbecue on. so i ran over because i smelled gas in the air. >> reporter: in the beginning, the stench was annoying, then irritating and then sickening. >> our three-year-old, she has had three science infections in the last 2 and a half months. our ten-year-old daughter continues coughing. she has very bad migraines. >> reporter: they have been

renting this home in porter ranch in the last few years, and they're in the process of buying what was supposed to be their dream home. and now that i say they're living a nightmare. >> it's our life. saving up everything that we have worked so hard to make this home. >> reporter: the leak is coming from a blown well at the natural gas storage facility. first detected on october 23rd, the leak has continued to release methane for the last nine weeks. it's enough to equal the carbon foot of 300,000 cars on the road for one year. since the leak began, other residents have complained about handshakes and knows bleeds and breathing problems. two schools are closed, thousands have been forced from their homes, and thousands of others are on a relocation waiting list. if you drive through it, it looks more like a ghost town.

there are so many residents in need of assistance, a resource center is now open. the gas company has agreed to pay for temporary housing but it's unable to keep one the demands. >> there's a line out from the gas company every day, people trying to get answers. >> reporter: also trying to get answers, porter ranch is in his district. >> how does something like this happen in today's environment. where we have technology where we can monitor these situations, and why does something like this go so unchecked for so long. why are the regulatory teeth not there? >> are you able to get answers to the questions? >> no, i'm not. >> reporter: the gas company said that it's working as fast as possible to stop the leak, but without shut off valves, it will take months, and the residents say that they need help now. >> why is it taking so long to

relocate people? >> we understand, and we are sympathetic with the customers. we don't want anybody to have to stay in their home any longer than they want to. >> but you have people that are stuck in their homes, and why aren't they being relocated? >> well, we're working through the backlog, and what we acknowledge is, this is a nuisance for our customers. >customers. >> reporter: is nuisance the right word? when you have people having to be moved out of their homes because they're sick and schools are closed down, is that a nuisance? >> the terms of impact on health, we understand that certain people are more susceptible to the impacts of the odorant that are in the gas, we understand that. >that. >> reporter: the city of l.a. has filed suit with the gas company for its handling of the leak, and declared a local state of emergency, and the residents are calling on the governor to a doo the same. >> where's our governor at?

this is a state of emergency. >> reporter: what's it like for you living in porter ranch right now. >> well, we have an extra bedroom upstairs, and we're going to stay here for the next months to see what life really is. >> it's possible that he could visit down there if he sees that it's necessary to do that. >> and he could also proclaim a state of emergency if it's from the perspective of necessary in this case, he would do that, but at that point, all of the agencies that have a role in this are actually actively involved in trying to get this gas leak stopped. >> reporter: the state tells aljazeera that it's launching an investigation into the cause of the lake but for thousands of families, that does little to help theming breathe easier, as methane gas continues to escape into the air above their homes. a federal probe is also underway. the environmental protection agency, the epa tells us in a

letter that it's conducting an investigation, and as for the schools closed, roughly 2,000 students will have to be bussed to different schools in the san fernando valley and that will happen with the winter break is over. and the relocation of the students is expected to last through the end of the school year. >> okay, jennifer london in porter ranch, california. coming up nix, a death in north korea leader, kim jong un's inner circle, and its causing many questions about world war ii era sex slaves.

>> tomorrow in north korea, funeral services will be held for one of king jong un's closest allies, kim yung gong, killed in a traffic accident yesterday. and victoria has the story. >> reporter: very few details have been released about the circumstances surrounding the car crash that killed kim yann gonzaga. the member of the central community in north korea, and the democratcratic people's republic in korea died sadly in a traffic accident at the age of 73. >> reporter: the secretary of the ruling worker's party, he

was one of north korea's most senior officials. he was an experienced negotiator, and he played an important role with south korea. in august, he'sed tensions between the two sides with soldiers in the border of north korea. the south korean government has paid tribute to his skill and hard work during those takes. >> we offer our condolences with the death of kim yan gon. he was kim jong un's closest partner, but his death is raising questions about what's really happening inside of north korea's secretive government. south korea officials say that kim jong un executed at least

70 officials, including his uncle since becoming supreme leader six years ago. >> he came out showing his condolences, and we see many signs that there is some kind of a surprise on their side. it looks like other cases where we have serious speculations, this one, i don't think is that they deserve as much of the speculation, but it looks and sounds like a traffic accident. >> reporter: his funeral will take place on thursday, but it's not clear what such a death of an experienced adviser will mean for north korea. >> hundreds of south koreans rallied outside of the japanese embassy in seoul today. activists are calling for japanese primary primary to apologize to the so-called comfort women, the sex slaves that worked in japanese broths in world war ii.

on monday, they agreed with the restitution of ¥1 billion. jonathan betz is here. >> at 8:00, deadly flooding, and lives lost and orders in effect in missouri. tonight, a state struggling to fight back against heavy rains and a rising mississippi river. a beloved comedian now charged with sexual assault. bill cosby is free after posting $1 million. he's fighting for his freedom and for his name. we'll talk about cosby's experience and the reaction to the developments. fighting for her identity. >> i'm happy, i got my passport. a woman came out of hiding to

fight the witness protection program for an important piece of her life. and also tonight, climate change on display. one artist's portraits have disappeared because of the changing icebergs. all of those stories in minutes. >> apple is shelling out $348 million to italy to settle a dispute over tax. italian prosecutors claim that apple failed to pay corporate taxes from 2008 to 2013. it reduced it's taxable income by booking profits through its irish subsidiary. the deal comes as the eu and other governments are cracking down on profit fielding arrangements. up next on the program. the dead sea of canada. how it and other salty lakes like it could provide information against climate change.

>> in canada, researchers say that they may have found a match process that's helping to take carbon out of the air. as danielle reports, it involves very assaulty lakes. >> reporter: they call this the dead sea of canada. it's so salty that only microscopic creatures can live in it. rivers in and not out. farmers know not to plant crops on the shore, but there's a spa, like the real dead sea, and it has been here for decades. >> in the 20s and 30s, the

people came from all over to visit the lake, and they bathed in the waters and put the mud on themselves for exfolients, and it was a health place. >> saltwater lakes are well-known in this part of the world. and aside from this one, they're seen as a nuisance, but there's research that shows that a lake like this with saline waters may be performing a valuable service. researchers at the university of regina say that the alkaline lakes have carbon. they store the carbon in mud as a stable element. more than 1 million tons a year, up to one-third of the vast carbon monoxide output of saskatchewan farms, and it's an entirely natural process. >> i think that lakes have been under appreciated in the

carbon budget just because total surface area, relevant to oceans and forests, are not huge, but the rates at which they're processing carbon is far, far faster than the open ocean.

jonathan betz is back with more of today's news right now. >> okay, thank you tony william, we begin with one of america's legendary tv dads for the first time facing charges in a sexual assault case. prosecutors in pennsylvania have charged bill cosby with ftc sexual assault in 2004. just before the statute of limits et cetera have run out. john elkins is there. john. >> jonathan, are looking only