an influential---if not the >> breaking news tonight. supreme court justice antonin scalia has died. he was known as influential conservative of the high court. >> tonight the flag outside the supreme court has been lowered in his honor. he served 29 years. good evening to you. i'm juliette goodrich. >> and i'm brian hackney. president obama is expected to speak about his passing in just a moment and as soon as the president takes the podium, we will carry it live. justice scalia died in his sleep while on a trip to texas. he's being remembered for his intellect and for his interpretation of the constitution. >> reporter: supreme court justice antonin scalia made his

mark during his three decades on the supreme court. he asked more questions and made more comments than any other justice and was known for his out-sized personality and brilliant legal mind. according to the u.s. marshal's service he was found dead this morning when he didn't show up for breakfast at a resort in west texas. ronald reagan chose him for the high court in 1986 and he was the longest serving member of the current court. >> always sticking to his guns, willing to write separate dissents, arguing that the law actually should be turning in a conservative direction. >> reporter: he was born to italian immigrants in trenton, new jersey. his family later moved to queens. college took him to georgetown university and harvard law school. one of the staunchest conservative members of the court, he was a strong advocate for gun rights, privacy and he consistently voted to let states outlaw abortion. in 2012 he talked to charlie rose about one of the court's most famous decisions that led

to president george w. bush taking the white house instead of al gore. >> you have no regret about that, do you? >> about that case? it was an easy case. >> in the national interest, heave got to get this over with. >> the remedy of the case is also subject to the court's discretion and always depends upon the realities on the ground. >> reporter: chief justice ron roberts called him admired andtreasured by his colleagues. >> this will change potentially the balance of the supreme court, narrowly divided 5-4, five conservatives, four liberals. >> reporter: his death enables president obama to nominate a high justice to the court but he may not be able to get past the republican congress before the next presidential election. cbs news, dallas. >> these are the 8 remaining justices on the high court.

scalia's death will likely touch off a fierce political battle. the court split evenly between conservatives and liberals. the next justice will tip the balance. in half an hour the republican presidential hopefuls will take the stage in south carolina for their ninth debate. we'll have it here for you on kpix 5. has the tone changed among thecandidates? >> reporter: good evening to you. this certainly changes the tone of the debate and certainly changes the tone of the entire presidential race going forward. nominating a supreme court justice now becomes in the top issues for both democrats and republicans. and antonin scalia will be held up as the conservative model and you'll hear democrats and republicans, both of them, saying elect me because we're going to be nominating supreme court justices when they take

office. >> what are to him of the hot -- what are some of the hot topics we can expect tonight in the debate. >> certainly nominating supreme court justices will be right off the top. national security, the economy is very important here. there's a lot at stake. this is a volatile race. as we saw in new hampshire debate performances matter. here tonight in south carolina, this is the last time all six of the candidates will be on stage together before south carolina votes in a week. before tonight's debate in greenville, john kasich and jeb bush continue to work the campaign trail in south carolina. >> i hope you will vote for me next saturday. >> reporter: the state has been good to the bush family, both his father and brother won here. but bush and the other republican candidates are all trailing donald trump in the polls. the new hampshire primary winner will be center stage with the iowa winner, texas senator ted cruz. >> find out where he gets his money. >> it's all a smokescreen to

hide from his record. >> who has the most pressure on them to perform? >> i think it's rubio. >> political consultant says marco rubio must do better tonight after faltering during the last debate. >> this notion president barack obama doesn't know what he's doing isn't true? he does. >> there it is. >> woodard says the pressure is not just on rubio. it could be a make or break matter for any of the candidates with the primaries just a week away. >> what is the impact of this debate? >> four years ago newt gingrich won the debate and four days later won the primary. it's important to do well in the debate because it can turn around the whole election. >> candidates with a poor showing in the primary could be forced to drop out of the race. that's because it makes it harder, a poor showing makes it harder to raise money and you have 14 primaries and caucuses. really the only way to reach those voters is through

television ads and that cost money. >> craig boswell, thank you. you can watch the republican debate following the newscast and join us for a special edition at 8:00. the search resumed for an alameda man who disappeared and owes the feds over $100 million. john nelson beck was last seen on tuesday. crews were looking for him again today. kpix 5's is in san francisco and spoke to one of his relatives. >> reporter: his family's worst fear is he is dead or out there suffering. they canvassed this area before and are out here again earlier today canvassing the area. we'll take a look at video of them putting out fliers at ocean beach. john beck went miss owing tuesday. his wife dropped him off at a bart station. he planned to meet his lawyers or a meeting on his case. he is accused of a get rich

quick scam. the federal trade commission sued him and he was ordered to pay $113 million but never showed up to that meeting on tuesday, and his family has been looking for him ever since. now, we spoke to his son-in-law earlier. here's what he had to say. >> i don't think that he was trying to flee from punishment. if people are thinking that, i think in his mind that this would have made things better, made problems go away for the family. but. >> reporter: we spoke to his daughter last night. she doesn't believe he went missing on his own. he left behind his passport and his phone is off. this is the flier they have been putting out and this is the outfit john beck was last seen wearing at the bart oakland station on tuesday. they've been focusing on this area because they say on his computer, the last thing that he googled was here. back to you guys. >> thank you. today in other news, members of

the worldwide marijuana community gathered in san francisco. their focus, the business of pot. kpix 5's mark kelly reports. >> reporter: nothing makes cannabis seem more conventional than holding a convention for it. >> it can't hurt anybody. >> reporter: the international cannabis business conference in san francisco showcases new ways to tote it, new ways to smoke it. >> they burn more easily. >> reporter: and new potential cures. >> we hope to cure cancer, we hope to cure ptsd. >> reporter: but the big challenge today in california is collecting enough signatures to put recreational marijuana on the november ballot. the california medical association recently backed the proposition. >> this is the year that i think the tide crests. >> reporter: today, a packed ballroom listened to former u.s. surgeon general dr. jocelyn elders who as far back at the '90s spoke about ending

america's war on drugs. >> we can get it right. >> reporter: but if there's any sign cannabis is fast evolving into a commercial industry, it's this. >> would you support a 15% tax on medical marijuana? >> no. that's too high. >> reporter: many fighting against proposed legislation in sacramento to put a 15% tax on medical marijuana. >> we don't think that's medical cannabis should be hyper taxed just to alleviate budget woes that are not of our making. >> reporter: in san francisco, mark kelly, kpix 5. >> state senator mark mcgwire introduced the new 15% tax. if approved the revenue from it would fund state parks, law enforcement, and drug treatment. still ahead, bitter cold hits the northeast bringing dangerous conditions. how long the chill will last. plus, at&t park full of giants fans. their high hopes for this baseball season coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a sea of fans in orange and black... flocked to a-t- ant park today for the annual gs fanfest. they >> football season just ended. are you ready for some baseball. >> fans in the at&t park for the annual giants fan fest. they heard from some of the

team's stars and the lines were long. the real fans didn't mind waiting. >> i love that our organization is all free. we come in, do what we've got to do. you get to see the field. you get to get in the seats, go in the dugout. it's great what they do for our fans here at the giants. >> several fans say that they are expecting, of course, another championship year this year because, after all, the most important thing in baseball for the giants is get even here. still ahead, crowds back the streets in mexico to see pope francis. his message of tough love to the country's poll ti shapes. what's not to like about our own weather. not that it's going to last forever. and yes, we need the rain. we are two days away from music's biggest night. we're talking the grammys live here monday on kpix 5. the red carpet preview at 4:00 and l.l. cool jay hosts the big show starting at 5:00. we'll be in los angeles to

bring us exclusive reports from the grammys. could be you've got the wrong bed. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. only at a sleep number store, save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed, plus 24-month financing. ends monday. >> axelrod: this is a cbs news special report. i'm jim axelrod at siebs news

in new this is a special cbs news special report. president barack obama is in california and about to make a statement on the death of supreme court justice antonin scalia. scalia who was 79 years old, the longest serving justice of the current supreme court and its conservative anchor served on the court 30 years. having been nominated by ronald rag began in 198 -- reagan in 1996. he had been staying at a resort in west texas. when he didn't come down to breakfast this morning, his room was checked and his body discovered. tonight chief justice john roberts called scalia, quote, an extraordinary individual and jurorrist admired and pressured -- treasured by his colleagues. >> this is complete shock. i spoke with people who had lunch with justice scalia a few days ago when he was up in new york. they said he was absolutely

fine. he was joking, jovial. had no indication at all that anything was wrong. so this comes as a complete shock. obviously he's 79 years old, was going to be turning 80. but he was so full of life. i mean, even on the bench in his writing, he was just someone that seized life and you could see it. so this again coming as a complete shock. and of course, the landscape here in washington, the supreme court now in the balance, and the presidential election all up in the air at this point with this news. >> already, there have been calls from prominent republicans that the president delay nominating anyone until the election is settled and let the next president make that nomination. of course, we're going to hear from president obama in just a few seconds to get a little bit more on what his intentions are. but that kind of call, you're already hearing, right, jana? >> sure. mitch mcconnell already said the next president should be able to get to make this important decision. and the president has always complained about what he says

is an obstructionist congress. but i think i would say you ain't seen nothing yet. >> here's the president of the united states. >> good evening, everybody. for almost 30 years, justice antonin scalia was larger than life presence on the bench. brilliant legal mind with an energetic style, incisive witness and colorful opinions. he influenced a generation of judges, lawyers and students and profoundly shaped the legal landscape. he will no doubt be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the supreme court. justice scalia dedicated his life to the cornerstone of our democracy. the rule of law. tonight we honor his extraordinary service to our nation and remember one of the towering legal figures of our

time. antonin scalia was born in trenton, new jersey, to an italian immigrant family. after graduating from georgetown university and harvard law school, he worked at a law firm and taught law before entering a life of public service. he rose from assistant attorney general for the office of legal counsel to the judge on the d.c. circuit court to associate justice of the supreme court. a devout catholic, he was a proud father of nine children, a grandfather to many loving grandchildren. justice scalia was both an avid hunter and an opera lover. his passion for music he shared with his dear colleague and friend, justice ruth ginsburg. michelle and i were proud to welcome him to the white house in 2001 for a state dinner for dave cameron and tonight we join his fellow justices in

mourning this remarkable man. obviously today is a time to remember justice scalia's legacy. i plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. there will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. these are responsibilities that i take seriously as should everyone. they're bigger than any one person. they are about our democracy. they're about the institution to which justice scalia dedicated his professional life and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned. but at this moment, we most of all want to think about his family. michelle and i join the nation in sending our deepest sympathies to justice scalia's

wife, maureen, and their loving family, a beautiful symbol of a life well lived. we thank them for sharing justice scalia with our country. god bless them all, and god bless the united states of america. >> president barack obama who is making a statement in mirage, california, on the death of justice antonin scalia calling the justice a man who profoundly shaped the legal landscape, celebrating his extraordinary service to our nation. a remarkable man. but the headline we just heard is the president was very clear about saying he intends to honor his constitutional responsibility and nominate a successor to justice scalia and he expects the senate, the republican senate to honor its responsibility and give it a timely hearing and a vote. let's call in our chief legal correspondent, jan crawford right now. jan, what did you hear in the president's remarks? >> reporter: well, i mean, in

addition, of course, as tribute to justice scalia who really is a conservative icon and towering legal figure as he mentioned, he has a tremendous impact on the development of american law and by extension everyday life. i thought what was most interesting is when he's looking forward to say he is going to be, as we would expect, sending up a nominee to replace him to the senate. he called for a fair hearing and a timely vote. of course, the constitution gives the president the power to put justices on the supreme court with the advice as the constitution says as the senate will advise and consent. so the question is now what is the senate going to do? already we've seen from leading senate figures, including the majority leader mitch mcconnell that the next president should be able to make this important decision. so the question now will be when the president does send up this nominee which he says he will be doing in due time, what does the senate do, that

judiciary community controlled by republicans. already you see them that they will be moving to oppose president obama's nominee before they know who it will be which would mean the supreme court could go without that ninth justice, keep that vacancy for the next year until the next president is put into the white house. now, there is precedent for the court being with a court of eight justices. when president reagan, for example, nominated robert bork in 198 7, the seat to replace justice powell went for several months. he finally was able to get justice anthony kennedy confirmed, his third try. but that took about seven months to do that. so you're going to hear republicans kind of looking back and talking about that there is precedent for this with something so important. and keep in mind for republicans, this is the

crucial fifth vote. the court is now composed of really five conservatives or was composed of five conservatives and four liberals. now with justice scalia's passing, that is 4-4. the court is in the balance. of course justice scalia not only provided the crucial fifth vote but was that sharp conservative voice, kind of that anchor for that court. so i think it's going to be very difficult to see republicans agreeing with anyone that this president puts up. of course he's complained that republicans are obstructionists. as i was saying before his remarks started, i don't think he's seen anything yet, because this is the battle republicans are ready to dig in for this battle. they see it as affecting nothing less than the future of america. i mean, the supreme court is a president's most lasting legacy. long after the president is out of the white house, those justices are on that supreme court deciding cases that have enormous impact on everyday life whether it's at work, in your personal relationships, a

justice term for example, they've got cases on affirmative action, labor unions, on the future of the president's health care law, that's back up at the court this year. so every year these justices deciding these crucial questions. so with so much at stake, i think republicans are what we've seen so far are united that they're going to dig their heels in on this one and point back to when democrats have done the same thing. >> in terms of setting the landscape, important numbers here, remember it takes three- fifths of the senate to confirm. right now there's 54 republican senators. so democrats would have to peel off 14 of those if the republicans stay united, it really appears as though president obama's nominee would have quite the uphill climb. >> this raises the question and and the white house already has nominees they've been looking at in case. all white house, every president would do this, every administration. they would have potential nominees ready to go in the

event of some kind of surprise retirement or in this case a death. so they will be looking now for the nominee that would be most amenable to republicans in the senate. probably a moderate republican, perhaps a city judge, someone who's already vetted or even perhaps a member of the united states. that's someone that people could see maybe making it harder for republicans to oppose and some of those senators, as you know, are lawyers. senator amy is often mentioned as someone who might have been a supreme court nominee. so it's going to be, when you talk about a fight, this in washington now is the backdrop of a presidential campaign, i think we're about to see over the replacement for this towering conservative giant is really something that none of us has seen. >> jan, he was very fond of saying he didn't care about his legacy. but now it's time to assess the legacy. so from where you're sitting,

when you think about cases that justice scalia ruled on, such as gore in 2000, where do you -- how do you assess his legacy and what are the most important cases that history will remind about justice scalia? >> i think his biggest contribution is his conservative voice. he changed the way that people and conservatives look at the constitution, the way they interpret the constitution. he wrote a lot of dissent and he was often alone in his opinions. he may have other conservatives who agreed with the outcome but didn't always agree what he wanted to do to get there. so you don't see scalia's name on a lot of the big landmark decision because he could never get four other justices to kind of go along with him. obviously, there was the big second amendment case when he held that the second amendment guaranteed an individual right to bear arms. but his greatest impact on the law and on this court is

sticking to conservative principles on how to interpret the constitution. he began talking about this as a law professor and in his writings as a federal appeals court judge. then on the supreme court talking about the conservative jurisprudence and legal scholars calls originalism. when you look at the text and what the framesser were doing. he would always say it wasn't up to unelect judges to rewrite what the framers wrote. he would often talk about the constitution is a dead document, that elected judges should not be able to reinvent new rights that weren't in that document and those amendments to that constitution said that. those were jobs for the legislature. if the voters don't like it, they can vote them out. he was really this great proponent of judicial retrained. kind of keeping judges in their lane and keeping the legislatures in their lane. and that, i think, is his

greatest contribution. really his development of conservative jurisprudence which ripples across all of the legal landscape. >> we just have about a minute left. we've been hearing about what his intellectual underpinnings. but you're going to tell us now a little bit more about what kind of guy he was. what kind of man he was. because you knew him quite well. we're hearing about how justice ginsburg and while they were intellectually at the opposite end of the polar extreme from justice scalia that they cared about him and thought a lot of him as a man. what can you tell us about what kind of guy he was? ment. >> this is the great contradiction of justice scalia. you see him in his write examination hear what he would say on the bench and his speeches. he sounds so combative. actually in his personal relationships, he was beloved on that supreme court. and he would say i may argue with the position and hate the position, but the person is

taking, but i don't hate the person. so he developed an incrediblyclose relationship with justice ruth ginsburg, probably the court's staunchest justice. they were very close, very fond of each other. also justice kagin, good friend with her. >> justice antonin scalia dead tonight at the age of 79. his death is expected to change the tone of tonight's republican debate in south carolina. cbs news is hosting the debate. that will begin moments from now at 9:00 p.m. eastern. that's 8:00 central. and 6:00 p.m. in the west. president obama just a few minutes ago calling justice scalia a remarkable man and praising his service as a jurorrist and as a -- jurist and as a legal scholar. we're going to join the debate in south carolina on the west coast regular programming. thank you. ,, ,,,,,,

we don't make good deals anymore. >> my philosophy on radical islamic terrorism is very simple-- we win, they lose. >> the world is a better place, it's a safer place when we are the strongest military in the world. >> i believe we have an obliexwaigz to help people who live in the shadows. >> we were fiscally responsible. we took leadership positions. we're innovative. >> we must restore our place as the leader and indispensable power of the free world. >> we are going to make america great again. >> tonight, live from the peace center in greenville, south carolina, cbs news brings you the republican pres