>> axelrod: tonight, captured. those two escaped convicts who scammed their way out of a prison in florida, are now back in custody. jpmorgan and the department of justice reach a record $13 billion deal to settle proabz into how the bank ran its mortgage business. dozens of wildfires are out of control in australia, and firefighters fear the worst is still to come. and ranger school-- now that the shutdown is over, america's oldest park ranger is back to work. john blackstone shares the lessons she has for all of us. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> axelrod: good evening. i'm jim axelrod with a western edition of the broadcast. we have breaking news to report. two convicted murderers who walked out of the same prison in

florida the last three weeks, freed with forged papers, are now back in custody. they were captured early this evening eastern time, reportedly without incident, just about 100 miles from the prison where they had been serving life sentence. here's mark strassmann. >> reporter: there was a reward in orlando for anyone who could point police to joseph jenkins and charles walker, the convicted killers whose escape embarrassed florida's corrections system. today, walker's mother, lillie danzy, pleaded with her son to turn himself in. >> wement you to surrender yourself to someone who you trust, who will bring you back in safely. we tonight want any harm to come to you. >> reporter: jenkins and walker were serving life sentences for separate murders when forged court papers ordered their early release. jenkins was let out september 27, walker on october 8. they obeyed florida law and registered as freed felons at the orange county jail. a victim's relative was notified of the early release and she alerted prosecutors.

jenkins had been caught trying to free himself the same way once before and this has also become a prison scam in other states. in 2010, forged papers freed a convicted killer in wisconsin. he was recaptured a week later and also sprung an inmate in pennsylvania last year, convicted on tax fraud charges. no one caught on for several months, but that inmate is now back behind bars. >> inmates are constantly looking and watching at what we do. >> reporter: tony schembri is the former commissioner of new york city's department of corrections. do other states need to toughen up? >> absolutely. the inmates read the newspapers. they see the sham, the sham worked, and you're going to see others in different states where they're not paying attention to it. >> reporter: investigators believe the escapees were holed up somewhere here in orlando but instead they were discovered in the florida panhandle, jim, they surrendered peacefully. >> axelrod: the department of justice and jpmorgan chase have

reached a tentative deal on civil charges relate to the company's mortgage-backed securities business. the banking giant was being ed for, among other things, misrepresenting the quality of mortgages being used to back investments the bank was selling. as jeff pegues reports, it is the largest settlement ever between the government and a corporation. >> reporter: jpmorgan chase was one of just a few wall street giants to emerge from the depths of the financial crisis relatively unscaightd, but now the country's largest bank has tentatively agreed to pay $13 billion, an unprecedented price to address questionable practices in its mortgage business. sources tell cbs news the framework of the agreement is now complete. assuming the deal holds, chase is reportedly agreed to pay the u.s. government $9 billion in fines and penalties, an additional $4 billion for mortgage modifications for homeowners. jpmorgan chase is up 24% for the year, but because it has

mounting legal fees, the bank had its first quarterly loss under c.e.o. jamie dimon, for years celebrated as one of wall street's highest paid and biggest stars. he was one of a handful of c.e.o.s the president consulted with at the white house at the height of the financial crise. dimon and his company's top lawyers have been in negotiations with the justice department for some time. in late september, he was photographed going into a meeting with attorney general eric holder. >> this is something that is a priority for this justice department to hold accountable people who would manipulate companies, that would manipulate our financial markets. >> reporter: sources tell cbs news the deal was sealed in a phone call last night between holder and dimon. this is a civil agreement and it does not abvolve jpmorgan chase of future criminal charges but our sources are tell us that there aren't any pending. jim. >> axelrod: jeff pegues in our washington newsroom, thank you. with the government shutdown now behind him, president obama is trying to reset the agenda in

washington. he used his weekly address today to call on democrats and republicans to work together to grow the economy, fix the broken immigration system, and pass a new farm bill. >> we won't suddenly agree on everything now that the cloud of crisis has passed, but we shouldn't hold back on place where's we do agree just because we don't think it's good politics or just because the extremes in our parties don't like compromise. >> axelrod: joining me is politico's editor in chief john harris. john, what are the chances the from the can get any traction on any of these agenda items? >> jim, in the government shutdown, president obama proved that he can stop republicans from imposing their agenda on him. he hasn't yet demonstrated that he can impose his agenda on the congress. that's what we're going to see ever next three months, and it really comes down to one relationship-- president obama and john boehner. the big question in my mind is does john boehner now have enough credibility, having anyone along with the tea party caucus and saying, "okay, i'll

do what you say in the shutdown. now in the next round he says, look, it's time for to you follow me and do what i want. boehner and obama could cut the deal. whether they could bring their parties along on either side really is the big question. >> axelrod: let's talk about the political fallout for the republicans from the government shutdown going forward. you have the more establishment wing of the party and you have the tea party wing. who's got the upper hand within the party? >> well, look, at the moment, those two wings that you describe, jim, are furious with each other, really to the point of contempt, raises the question of whether you can keep the republican party together. what the establishment wing of the party-- and john boehner represents them-- look, we tried your way tea party. it did not work, and now you have to listen to us and that means being willing to compromise at the end of the day with president obama if they can get a good enough deal. >> axelrod: john harris from politico, thank you. one day after the new jersey are supreme court gave a green light to same sex marriage city halls

are adding extra weekend office hours to accept marriage license applications. same sex couples can begin marrying in new jersey this coming monday. australianaustralians are battln enemy southern californiaians know too well-- out-of-control wildfires fanned by strong wind. the fires outside sydney have already forced evacuations and destroyed or damaged 200 homes. alphonso van marsh tells us firefighters fear that number will grow much larger. >> at least 1500 firefighters are battling massive wildfires that. an elderly man collapsed and died while defending his house from approaching flames. those who lost their homes say they're devastated. >> all the hard work that you put in there, everything for all those years, and it's just gone. and you think, well, i'm 54 now,

and i've got to start again. >> reporter: australia's prime minister is promising money it & relief centers are now open to help fire victims. >> i've had to leave some animals behind. i'm really upset about that and, you know, the house that we live in, we've-- i've lived in there for 44 years. >> reporter: authorities say many fires are burning out of control. and they're predicting higher winds and temperatures will make things worse. >> optimism we had for good widespread rain seems to be disappearing. >> reporter: footage from one firefighter's helmet camera shows the danger they face. thick smoke and the intense fire forced this group of firefighters to retreat. >> fall back! >> reporter: the calls of the fire is still unknown. investigators are trying to determine whether a bomb-training exercise may have started it and are also looking into whether arsonists may be responsible. alphonso van marsh, cbs news, london. >> axelrod: later, two whistle blowers say there are safety hazards at a nuclear waste dump.

possible criminal charges against the scout leaders who toppled this bolder in a utah state park. and the second giant sea serpent-like fish in a week washes up on a california beach. those stories when the cbs evening news continues. >> axelrod: in walnut creek,

california, east of san francisco, two maintenance workers were struck and killed today by a b.a.r.t. commuter train. employees are on strike against the transit system, but some trains are being moved by managers. the deaths are under investigation. wilderness lovers are outraged and prosecutors are considering criminal charges. the toppling of an ancient rock formation in utah's goblin valley state park was an act of vandalism that went viral.

chris jones of cu tv has the surprising story of the men suspected of doing it. >> reporter: what took nature nearly 200 million years to build, glenn taylor toppled in just about five seconds. last friday, taylor and his friend dave hall were leading a group of scout through the goblin valley state park, known for the majestic and ear mushroom-shaped rock foundations. the two men say they came across a rock formation that they claimed was destined to fall and cause injury, maybe even death. >> that wasn't going to last very long. that wasn't going to last very long at all. >> reporter: they didn't sound all that worried when hall captured the moment on video. >> we have now modified goblin valley. >> reporter: if they were looking for viral fame they, got it. more than a million and a half views, and enough outrage to fill a canyon. the two have received death threats from around the world, and the boy scouts are investigating. >> we thought we were doing a

good deed. >> reporter: also, just weeks before taylor was captured on videotape, pushing that very heavy rock, he filed a personal injury lawsuit against the driver who crashed into him four years ago. taylor says he suffered permanent and debilitating injuries. meanwhile, the emory county prosecutor's office says they could file felony charges against the pair. reporting for cbs news, chris jones in salt lake city. >> axelrod: call it the pacific ocean's answer to big foot. a sea creature washed up on the beach in oceanside, california, yesterday, 14 feet long. it looks like a sea serpent but it's actually an oarfish. it's the second oarfish to wash up in a week in california next up. whistle blower blowers speakingn their safety concerns about the han fort nuclear waste dump.

saw danger at the hanford

nuclear reservation in washington state, where 56 million gallons of radioactive waste needs to be cleaned up, he said something. then he was fired. now he and a second whistleblower explain to carter evans why they think they've been targeted for retaliation. >> reporter: for more than a decade, dr. walt tamosaitis has raised questions about design flaws at this $13 billion nuclear waste treatment plant under construction at hanford. it's what he was paid to do. >> my job was to point out if there was a problem, to identify the problem, and offer solutions to it. >> reporter: earlier this month, tamosaitis was called into a special meeting with a manager. >> he says today's your last day. give me your badge, your blackberry. pack your things up and we'll escort you to the door. >> reporter: remember you surprised? >> shocked. >> reporter: did they give you a reason? >> they just gave the reason "we need to cut back. >> reporter: it was the end of his career with subcontractor

urbut his concerns are persist. >> if an explosion was severe enough it would be released to the public, as serious as fukushima. >> that's how bad it could be. >> he explained his concerns to congress in 2011. >> they include the trapping of explosive hydrogen gas in the waste that can lead to fires or an explosion. >> reporter: as a result the federal government halted work on a key part of the facility. >> reporter: so they basically stopped construction because of the red flags you raised. >> yes, sir. >> his testimony was truly crucial. >> reporter: oregon senator ron wyden verified tamosaitis' claims and he says his firing sends a clear message. >> it signals to all of the others who might be concerned about safety issues that they can be muzzled. their job's not going to be safe. that's unacceptable. >> it has an overwhelming chilling effect. >> reporter: george h.w donna ba manager, and smee and tamosaitis

have sued for whistleblower protection. she told me she's feeling the heat. >> the fact that he was terminated, it sent a resounding message to me. >> reporter: and you feel you're next to go? >> absolutely i do. >> let me show you the document that urs wants me to sign. it says in a nutshell, give us total legal immunity, and you get your severance pay. >> reporter: you have to give up your whistleblower claim against them. >> correct, exactly, exactly. and i don't plan to sign it. >> reporter: his case goes back to federal government next month. urs would not discuss personnel matters, but in a statement said it encourages its employees to raise any encourage concerns ab. >> you think it was retaliation? >> clear retaliation. >> last monthe energy secretary said: less than two weeks later, this nuclear engineer with 44 years

on the job found himself out of a job. carter evans, cbs news, richlandwashington. >> axelrod: and still ahead, a violin from the titan sick auctioned off and it goes for a lot more than a song.

the civil war at home, syrian refugees in ever greater numbers are risking a perilous journey from north africa to the italian island of lampedusa. so far this month, two boats making the trip capsized, claiming more than 500 lives. but as allen pizzey reports, the troubles don't end for the refugees who do make it to land. >> reporter: the barely sead worthy boats this italian navy ship are searching for are

increasingly loaded with migrants from syria. the u.n. refugee agency says since august, the number of people who fled from the war-ravaged country to italy is nearly 20 times greater than in all of last year. in 25 years at sea, chief petty officer ctd riff has never seen anything like it. >> i say how can they leave the country without knowing where they're going. what are they going to expect at sea? >> reporter: the overloded vessels have no safety equipment or navigational aids and only a satellite phone to call for help. being rescued by the italian agency isn't the end of the migrants' problems, however. once ashore they're dropped into the murky wateres of bureaucracy. this camp is the first port of safety for those who reach lampedusa island. kids already traumatized by what they have seen and experienced have no safe place to play in a camp that has three times as many inmates than beds.

for two years, the charity save the children tried to get permission to take small children out for a few hours >> we need a lot of authorization, a lot of bureaucratic things to do, but now, since last sunday, we are able to do it. >> reporter: two weeks ago, bureaucracy came up against an even greater force, as close as you can get to divine intervention-- pope francis. >> we knew that pope personally make a call and then the authorities let us do it. >> reporter: so it took a call from the pope to accomplish what you could not accomplish in two years? >> yes. it was. >> reporter: the migrants will eventually be moved on to accommodate the unceasing tide of newcomers, but even that won't be strong enough to carry them to the freedom they have risked so much to reach. allen pizzey, cbs news,

lampedusa. >> axelrod: an instrument from the band that played on as the "titanic" sank was auctioned off in england today. bidding was brisk for this violin found in its case strapped to the band master's body after the great ship went down. the price? a record for "titanic" art facials, nearly $1.5 million. coming up, our oldest park ranger with a timeless message.

among other things, the end of the government shutdown this week meant the reopening of our national parks, from biggest to smallest, and a return to duty for all the park rangers, from young toast most senior of all. here's john blackstone. >> reporter: during the government shutdown, anger and argument spread across the nation. >> we have had enough. >> reporter: but one federal employee, park ranger betty reid

soskin, watched it all with patience. >> i think i was optimistic because i've seen times that were equal to this in uncertainty. >> reporter: and things have worked out all right. right. >> yess, ultimately they worked out. longevity has its advantages. >> reporter: longevity, indeed. soskin is 92 years old, the nation easy oldest park ranger has her hat on again. >> yes, that's right. being under the hat is really important to me. >> reporter: the park, where soskin works, is small. the rosie the riveter historical park in richland, california. its reopening did not attract a huge crowd like the one that gathered at the national zoo, cheering when the gates opened again. in california, the closed sign was simply taken down at the visitor center. then, soskin helped another ranger put the most important ritual of the day. >> and that was a thrill. that was a thrill. that's the way we start our day every day.

>> reporter: that means something to you. >> yes. >> reporter: raising the flag. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> reporter: at the rosie the riveter park, soskin tells visitors how thousands of american men and women, black and white, became part of an unprecedented mobilization of labor to win the second world war, to ensure the stars and stripes was the flag of victory. >> it's funny. when i look at the flag, there are feelings that block words because the symbolism of that flag has meant so many things to me in so many points in history. >> reporter: with two weeks of national turmoil ended and a flag raised once more over her park, soskin reminds us that no matter our disagreements, the same flag flies over all of us. john blackstone, cbs news, richmond, california. >> axelrod: and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. i'm jim axelrod in new york. good night.

over and kills 2 workers dog maintenance on the tracks. is a tragedy of th breaking news. a deadly accident on day 2 of the bart strike. a train runs over and kills two workers doing maintenance on the tracks. >> this is a tragedy of the greatest proportions for the bart family. >> yeah. i think that this could have been avoided. >> tonight, how it happened and how the tragedy could impact the ongoing labor dispute. kpix 5 news is next. ,,,,,,,,

your realtime captioner is mrs. linda m. macdonald good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. we begin with breaking news in the east bay. a bart train has hit and killed two men on the tracks. this was