>> axelrod: independence day for five americans who had been held in iraq. they are freed as the u.s. and other world powers, the sanctions on iran release billions in frozen assets. americans are among the survivors of a terror attack in west africa, but some are still missing. the water crisis in flint, michigan. movie director michael moore returns to his home town calling for the governor's arrest. >> 10 people were killed here because of a political decision. >> that's right. >> to save money. >> l.a. rams! >> axelrod: and the tale of two nfl cities. >> l.a. rams. >> axelrod: homecoming party for the los angeles rams, a fight in san diego to keep the chargers from bolting. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news."

>> axelrod: good evening. i'm jim axelrod, and this is a western edition of the broadcast. in a major diplomatic breakthrough today, the united states and iran conducted a prisoner swap. four americans held in iran, including "washington post" reporter jason rezaian, were exchanged for seven iranians held in the united states. a fifth american, a student, was released separately. hours after the exchange, the u.s. and five other world powers-- russia, china, britain, france, and germany-- lifted sanctions on iran and released billions in frozen assets, implementing the landmark nuclear deal reached last summer in vienna. charlie d'agata is there. >> reporter: among the four americans coming home are "washington post" journalist jason rezaian, former u.s. marine, amir hekmati, american businessman, nosratollah khosravi-roodsari, and christian pastor saeed abedini. the four men were exchanged for

seven iranians who were imprisoned or chargeed in the united states. cbs news contacted abedini's wife naghmeh in boise, idaho. >> it's a huge burden lifted, and the kids are so happy it's been amazing. it's like christmas and birthday and everything, all the presents, all in one. >> reporter: a fifth american, matthew trevithick, was also set free after 40 days' detention in an iranian jail. and tehran pledged to determine the whereabouts of robert levinson, retired f.b.i. agent who disappeared nearly nine years ago. the unexpected news broke just ahead of the i.a.e.a. announcement that iran had complied with obligations on the nuclear deal that will bring crippling sanctions to an end. the country of 80 million people has been on an economic time-out for more than 30 years. now it's open for business.

u.s. secretary of state john kerry: >>... that iran has followed through on the promises that it made. it has kept its word and we will continue to do the same, but we will also remain vigilant in verifying iran's compliance every hour of every day in the years ahead. >> reporter: the agreement means iran can now sell oil on the open market. the country will have access to the global banking system. iran can immediately recoup around $100 billion in frozen assets overseas. but while european companies can now do business with iran, for american companies, most restrictions still remain in place. and u.s. banks cannot trade directly with iran. the prisoner swap may be a gesture of good well between both countries, jim, but even before the nuclear deal was inked, the white house said there remains ample reason to distrust iran.

>> axelrod: charlie d'agata in vienna. thank you very much. once released, the americans will head to a u.s. military hospital in landstuhl, germany. and that's where we find elizabeth palmer tonight. liz, what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, the plane carrying the four americans hasn't left tehran, and conversely, in the united states, one of the iranians that the americans agreed to release as part of the swap hasn't left the jail where he was being held. so there are, clearly, some last-minute hitches. these negotiations have been going on for months. they were announced today, but really were-- began in earnest late this summer when it looked as if the nuclear deal was going to become a reality. >> axelrod: once the americans are released and they do end up land stall, what is likely to happen at that point? >> reporter: they will get a complete physical and psychological work-up to make sure they're okay.

they've been in a notorious jail for months, in some cases years. and so landstuhl has a long history and a lot of expertise in assessing how people are, americans who were kept hostage or prisoner overseas have come here for many years. it can also act as a bubble so that they can see family and readjust to the idea of being free before they face what, in this case, exwairks is going to be a media storm. >> axelrod: elizabeth palmer in landstuhl, germany. thank you very much. on the campaign trail, donald trump and ted cruz praised the release of the americans, but said iran never should have held them to begin with. as julianna goldman reports, that's about all the republican front-runners can agree upon these days. >> here we go. >> reporter: climbing out of a stuck elevator, ted cruz laughed off the possibility that a certain candidate is conspiring against him. >> who put donald trump in charge of the elevators?

>> reporter: it was a brief moment of levity in the snow balling feud between the two leading candidates, donald trump, and ted cruz, that has turned nasty and personal. >> it seems donald has a lot of nervous energy. >> reporter: cruz seemed to be prompting the gop front-runner. trump raised questions about whether crudz's canadian birth disqualifies him from being president, and his dismissal of new york values. >> i think in terms of a commander in chief, we ought to have someone who is isn't springing out of bed to tweet in-- in a frantic response to the latest polls. >> ther a lot of people do not e ted to, put it mildly. >> reporter: in new hampshire, trump said he's getting under cruz's skin. >> as it turned out, you know, he finally went off the wagon a little bit and went a little crazy. >> reporter: with the two insurgent g.o.p. rifles battling it out the race for an

establishment republican pick is also heating up. in iowa, marco rubio was battling on all fronts, alleged chris christie' policies were like president obama's, and calling out trump and cruz saying anger alone isn't enough to be president. the democratic race has also entered a more antagonistic fails as polls in iowa and new hampshire have tightened considerably and shows bernie sanders as a real threat to clinton in both states. jim, they'll square off in sowk tomorrow night, the last debate before the iowa caucuses. >> axelrod: julianna goldman covering for us tonight in our washington newsroom. thank you. several americans are among the survivors of a terror attack last night in west africa. at least 28 people were killed in the assault on a hotel and cafe in burkino faso. as jonathan vigliotti reports, the failt of some other americans is still unclear. >> reporter: video captured the moment burkino faso security forces, guns drawn, moved in

saturday morning. the target-- the splendid hotel, a luxury building in the capital city. inside, a group of heavily armed terrorists, their hostages, and many others hiding for their lives. the hotel and a neighboring cafe came under siege the night before. the attackers stormed in with guns, planted explosives, and reportedly debtinated car bombs. witnesses say they yelled allahu akbar" while opening fire. "people were lying on the ground, and there was blood everywhere. they were shooting people at point-blank range" said yannick sawadogo. three americans were rescued, four escaped, and eight sheltered in place until the battle was over. two remain unaccounted for. local police, supported by french commandose and two members of the united states military, eventually took back

control this afternoon. officials say three attackers were killed, including two women. more than 100 hostages, some of them young children, were brought to safety. paramedics were seen trying to save those who couldn't walk away, including this wounded soldier. the dust hadn't even settled before al qaeda and the islamic maghreb took credit for the attack. they are the same group that carried out a similar assault on a hotel in mali that left 20 people dead. and today's siege signaled an expansion for the terror group. jirnlg up until now, they've only carried out minor attacks along burkino faso's border. >> axelrod: jonathan, thank you. today, president obama declared flint, michigan a disaster area, clearing the way for federal aid. the problem is contaminating drinking water. adriana diaz is there. >> we need to get these pipes out of the ground! >> reporter: the president's announcement did not quell anger outside flint city hall, where flint-born activist michael moore blame the the governor for

a crisis that goes beyond water. >> it's not just the water crisis. it's a racial crisis. it's a poverty crisis. >> that's right. >> reporter: the problems began in april 2014 when the city switched its water source to the flint river to save money. but the corrosive river water wasn't properly treatd and stripped lead from pipes, causing a number of children with high lead in their blood to double. we spoke to flint's may have karen weaver momentes after president obama approved federal funds for flint. >> for almost two years we've been crying this and, you know, begging and asking for some clean water. >> reporter: lead in drinking water should not exceed 15 parts per billion. in flint, more than half of the homes sample head over 1,000 p.p.b. the highest rating was 13,200, more than twice what the e.p.a. considers toxic waste. dr. marc edwards of virginia tech conducted the water tests. >> this could have been stopped much, much earlier.

and, unfortunately, the state and e.p.a. misleading people for all this time, no one knew to even look for this problem. >> reporter: the problem persisted for a year and a half before officials admitted there was contamination and switched back to the original water source. but the damaged pipes still make the water unsafe to drink. that's why the national guard will be handing out water for the foreseeable future. michigan's attorney general is looking into whether state laws were violated in this manmade public health disaster. jim, he joins the federal justice deps and the e.p.a., who are also investigating. >> axelrod: adriana, thank you. another serious public health emergency continues to unfold in the louis suburb of porter ranch, where a natural gas leak has forced thousands from their homes. carter evans was there as the people of porter ranch packed a church demanding answers. >> what are you doing now to help us? ( cheers and applause )

>> reporter: three months after natural gas began pouring into their neighborhood, angry residents were in no mood to hear about long-term plans. >> we're not concerned about others. >> reporter: and with a litany of health problems-- >> nose bleeds, nauseous, just couldn't stop coughing. >> reporter: nancy and larry davis say they had to leave. the gas company is taig saig there will be no long-term health effects. do you believe it? >> no. i have a biochemistry degree, so i know. i-- i don't trust eye don't believe that. >> reporter: infrared video shows the enormous plume spewing from a damaged well in the hills above porter ranch. air quality measurements from independent researchers show elevated levels will of methane, 67 times above normal. could be two months before drilling is complete on a relief well, one short-term fix called for burning off the leaking gas, but state regulators are concerned that plan could cause an explosion.

>> there's just this holding pattern that the community's in. >> reporter: paula cracium is president of the neighborhood council. >> we have people that were in the process of selling their home here. they bought another home. they now have two homes because that one fell out of escrow. you have a home up here that you can't sell right now. >> reporter: along with the fear that their on town will never be the same. carter evans, cbs news, porter ranch. >> axelrod: still ahead, the latest on the nfl's possible west coast shuffle when the cbs evening news continues.

>> axelrod: the owner of the brand new los angeles rams made his first official appearance in his team's new hometown friday. but as jericka duncan reports, the team may not be the only nfl franchise in l.a. for long. >> i want to welcome you to the beautiful city of inglewood, california. ( cheers and applause ) the new home and hopefully the final home of the los angeles

rams. ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: after 21 years, the rams are back. owner stan kroenke. >> we know what's expected and what the fan experience has to be, and in southern california i would argue it has to be even better because this is the entertainment capital of the world. >> kroenke, who purchased the land for the stadium in 2014, plans to open a $2 billion facility by 2019. sport business journal writer daniel kaplan: >> he only took ownership of the team in 2010. >> reporter: do you think he had been planning this from the very beginning? >> i don't think there's any doubt that he wanted to move out. >> reporter: the nfl required the rams to build a stadium large enough to accommodate two teams. dean spanos of the san diego chargers has hay year to decide if he wants to join. if he pazs, the oakland raiders will have the same option. >> my guess is the chargers actually end up staying in san diego. >> reporter: really? >> yes. >> reporter: because of the bad blood between the owners? >> dean spanos wanted to build a

stadium with the raiders in carson, california. for about an hour last week, it looked like, yes, there was going to be the teams in carson. that got sproid destroyed. so now dean spanos, the owner of the team, has to decide does, he suck it up and go in with kroenke or try to get something done in san diego. >> reporter: as those teams figure out what's next, st. louis has been left in the cold. the city had secured roughly $150 million toward a new waterfront state stadeium. >> the next time nfl goes to a midsized city and says, "put up the dough," they're going to say, "look, st. louis did it and you said no. should why we." >> reporter: for now the rams will play at the coliseum. the rams say they're looking forward to having a second team to help create a true a.f.c.-n.f.c. rivalry. >> axelrod: a fear of birth defects prompts a travel warning for pregnant women. that's next.

>> axelrod: tonight the c.d.c. is out with a warning for

pregnant women-- do not travel to certain places in the caribbean, central and south america. the threat-- a virus linked to birth defects. here's marlie hall. >> reporter: after hearing about the zika virus, christine arceyee canceled a babymoon to aruba, a final getaway before the birth of her first child. >> i'm 14 weeks pregnant. i don't think mothers i've want to take that chance. >> reporter: the mosquito-borne illness can cause a birth defect if the mother is infected during pregnancy. the first u.s. case of a baby infected in the womb was reported yesterday in hawaii. officials say the mother likely contracted zika while living in brazil. more than 3100 women there had babies with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains, a condition known as microsevenly. that's why the c.d.c. is advising pregnant women to avoid travel to 14 countries and territories in latin america and the caribbean, including puerto rico, mexico, and haiti. >> the virus has reached

epidemic proportions. >> reporter: dr. nikos vasilakis is a virtualologist at the university of texas medical branch. >> we need to educate women when they travel in the endemic areas because this viruses, they can lurk in our body without us knowing it, and unwillingly we can introduce them in our country. >> reporter: zika has not been transmitted in the u.s. symptoms are usually mild, including fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. although the virus has not been detected in aruba, christine arceyee says she won't risk her baby's health. >> just thinking about it upsets me. you know, i couldn't. i just couldn't. >> reporter: the c.d.c. urges those who do travel to the areas affected to guard themselves against mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves and long pants and using insect repellent. there is no vaccine to protect against the virus. jim. >> axelrod: marlie, thank you.

and we'll be right back.

>> axelrod: can you tell me how to get to "sesame street"? because after 45 years as a staple of public television, it has a new address. ♪ sunny days >> axelrod: the program nowizer hbo. in this new updated version, elmo lives in a brownstown and oscart grouch will at times pop out of recycling bins and compost piles. born in britain, he lived in new york, but today david bowie got a proper new orleans sendoff. it was a second-line parade, a traditional way to honor someone in new orleans. bowie died sunday of cancer at the age of 69. the parade was led by the band arcade fire who bowie collaborated with. speaking of starmen, astronaut tim peake took a walk friday outside the international space station and decide why not take a selfie?

it's one way to remember his first time floating in space. peake's spacewalk was the first from an astronaut from england. coming up, we'll pander to those for a desire for some serious cuteness.

>> axelrod: we close tonight at the national zoo in washington where what may have seemed like any other day to a panned bear was anything but for panda people. >> welcome! woo! >> axelrod: five months after he was born, the wait was finally over. >> oh! >> he's really cute. >> he's about the same size as my granddaughter. >> axelrod: and panda lovers got to see the washington zoo's newest cub, bei bei, live for the first time. >> he's little, isn't he? >> he's just a fluffball. >> axelrod: the black and white fluffball has grown dramatically since he arrived in late august and is now more than 20 pound. >> are those going to be smaller, do you know? >> axelrod: already a

heavyweight, however, when it comes to pletion the crowds. >> yay! >> axelrod: panda lovers have been watching bei bei's grow via the zoo's panda-cam, from birth to his first exam and to those first wobbly steps. but the idea of being one of the first to see bei bei face to face made for long lines this morning. >> i've had this day on my calendar for several months now. >> reporter: and no one at the panda house went away disappointed. >> i'm so excited! >> i might cry. >> axelrod: but for every panda lover who left, it seemed, two more joined the line to catch a glimpse of washington's new precious treasure. >> in the first year, we got to see the pope, and we got to see the panda. >> axelrod: that's actually what bei bei means in mandarin, precious treasure. and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. i'm jim axelrod in new york. for all of us here at cbs news. thanks for joining us and good night. captioning sponsored by cbs

captioned by showers around the bay area. and more rain is on the way. we'll have the latest on wh will be a very wet a deadly crash in san francisco and a pedestrian is killed. >> and the latest on a very wet week. >> and a man is finally free after he spends almost a year in prison. we will tell you more about the deal that got him out. ,,,,,,

good evening, i'm maria meda in for juliette goodrich. i'm brian hackney. the crash happened at the intersection of po treets in pacific tour bus tragedy, a man his head and killed on a san francisco streets. the crash happened in pacific heights and we are told the man was in the crosswalk at the time. mark kelly