track the repeal of obamacare, but republicans have yet to offer a replacement. millions of americans who depend on obamacare are now wondering what happens next. here's don dahler. >> how we doing with this. >> reporter: small business owner julie mansfield has a clear vision of what a lack of health insurance would mean to her. >> that would mean going blind. that would literally mean going blind. >> reporter: the 49-year-old restaurateur has a very rare autoimmune disease that attacks her retinas. she says the specialists and drugs that maintain her sight cost more than she can afford. but under obamacare, she only pays a $10 co-pay over her $400 a month premium. >> when the a.c.a. came around it was a blessing. >> reporter: but others are not so happy with the affordable care act. some small business owners say insuring their employees is financially crippling. and when 59-year-old kevin mccarthy of thousand oaks, california who owns a specialty flooring company signed up in 2014, his premiums increased. >> when we signed up with the

new health care act, not only did it cost us 50% more in monthly premiums, but as it turns out, we were also getting 50% less. >> reporter: this year premiums increased an average of 25% but americans continued to sign up. at least 22 million formerly uninsured are now covered, up nearly 300,000 for 2017, compared to last year. 83% of them receive tax credits. mansfield worries about talk of repealing the a.c.a. without a plan to replace it. if you could talk to congress and explain to them why whatever replaces the a.c.a. has to be at least as good as the a.c.a., what would you say to them? >> my health is not about politics. my health is about my life and my livelihood, and it's not to be played with. it's not to be a political pawn. >> reporter: one question many are pondering is whether the replacement would keep some of the more popular aspects of the a.c.a.-- coverage of preexisting conditions, for example, or adult children being allowed to

stay on their parents' policy. scott, the deadline for signing up for 2017 coverage is this sunday, but no one knows if obamacare will survive the year. >> pelley: don dahler for us tonight. don, thank you. well, today, vice president joe biden never saw it coming. he was speaking at an event when he was surprised by president obama who had an even bigger surprise in mind. here's david martin. >> reporter: president obama liked to joke that he and his vice president made up for each other's shortcomings. >> our styles are so different, as well as our experience. and so when he asked me to join him, i asked him why, and he said, "i want you to help me govern because you know the system." >> reporter: they were a generation apart in age. where the president came across as cool, even aloof, joe biden played politics as a contact sport. the president sometimes complained joe talks too much.

early on in the administration, his loose lips upstaged the unveiling of the president's health care reform when a mic caught his whispered comments. >> this is a big (bleep) deal. >> reporter: a moment the president recalled today. >> all told, that's a pretty remarkable legacy, an amazing career in public service. it is, as joe once said a big deal. ( laughter ) >> reporter: over eight years, the bond between them seemed to grow stronger. >> this also gives the internet one last chance to talk about our bromance. ( laughter ) >> reporter: the president grieved with him when biden's son, beau, died of cancer. >> to know joe and the rest of the biden family is to understand why beau lived the life he did. >> reporter: biden often said he and the president had each other's back, but today, the president pulled a fast one on him with an unexpected honor. >> the presidential medal of freedom. >> reporter: that's the highest award a president can give a civilian.

>> i don't deserve this, but i know it came from the president's heart. i'm indebted to you. i'm indebted to your friendship. >> reporter: joe biden never made it to the nation's highest office, but today, at least, that was all right by him. >> i just hope that the asterisk in history that is attached to my name when they talk about this presidency is that i can say i was part of, part of the journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable things for this country. ( applause ) >> reporter: david martin, cbs news, washington. >> pelley: still to come on the cbs evening news, the most comprehensive report ever on the effects of marijuana. and later, a big change under the big top.

♪ i checked, everything's there... wait a minute... hey... hold on, i can explain. you better have a good answer... switch to geico and you could save a ton of money on your car insurance. why didn't you say so in the first place? i thought you's was wearing a wire. haha, what? why would i wear a wire? geico. because saving fifteen percent or more on car insurance is always a great answer.

i just want to find a used car without getting ripped off. you could start your search at the all-new carfax.com that might help. show me the carfax. now the car you want and the history you need are easy to find. show me used trucks with one owner. pretty cool. [laughs] ah... ahem... show me the carfax. start your used car search and get free carfax reports at the all-new carfax.com. >> pelley: some of the nation's top doctors and public health experts put out a landmark report today on the health effects of marijuana. it looked at more than 10,000

studies into medical and recreational use. our chief medical correspondent dr. jon lapook went through the 400 pages today. jon, what stood out? >> reporter: scott in terms of treatment, there's pretty solid evidence that cannabis is effective in relieving chronic pain in adults, nausea from chemotherapy, and muscle tightness and spasm in multiple sclerosis. now the report found more research is needed to see if it helps in hosts of other conditions like epilepsy, p.t.s.d., and anxiety. >> pelley: what did the report say about recreational use? >> reporter: i spoke to two of the authors and they said it's really difficult to make definitive conclusions. a lot of the literature is based on self-reporting with no standardization of exactly what they're getting. there are more than 150 cannabinoid chemicals in cannabis, and so many different ways of using it. but the report did say there's evidence of increased risk of abuse of cannabis when use begins in adolescence schizophrenia, and other psychoses, especially among the heaviest users, but that's

unclear whether it's cause and effect and car accidents. now, scott, there's no roadside equivalent for cannabis of the breathalyzer test for alcohol. bottom line here is we need a lot more research into the potential medical benefits, and the possible risks. >> pelley: dr. jon lapook for us tonight. thank you, doctor. coming up, another n.f.l. team bolting for los angeles.

♪living well rise above joint discomfort with move free ultra's triple action joint support for improved mobility and flexibility, and 20% better comfort from one tiny, mighty pill... get move free ultra, and enjoy living well. >> pelley: in baltimore today, six children were killed when

their home was destroyed by fire. they were between nine months and 11 years old. their mother, who works for congressman elijah cummings, made it out with three other children. her father was working overnight at a restaurant. the cause of the fire unknown. today, baltimore's police department signed an agreement with the u.s. justice department to overhaul everything from how officers stop people on the street, to how they are trained and disciplined. this follows the death in 2015 of freddie gray, who was fatally injured while riding in a police van. for two decades, los angeles had no n.f.l. team. now it has two. today, the chargers said they're moving up the coast from san diego to join the rams. some fans cried. others dumped their chargers gear in front of the stadium and even set some of the stuff on fire. we'll be right back.

over 1,000,000 californians have gotten something that's been out of reach for far too long: health insurance. how? they enrolled through covered california. it's the health insurance marketplace where you'll find a range of plans from leading health insurance companies that offer you the best combination of quality, rates, and benefits. and, through covered california, you may get financial help to pay for coverage. to get covered, you've got to get going. open enrollment ends january 31st.

>> pelley: we end tonight with a first for the ringling brothers circus. a woman is about to step on to the floor and shatter the ceiling. david begnaud is in tampa for us tonight. david. >> reporter: scott, the show is about to start. you know, this show is older than major league baseball.

but, scott, there have been fewer u.s. presidents than there have been ringling brothers ring masters. that's why it's a big deal that the new master is a woman. >> the very first female ringmaster in our history. >> reporter: kristen michelle wilson outperformed hundreds of candidates for the top spot under the big top. >> it's a huge deal. >> reporter: why? >> i'm the very first female ringmaster in 146 years. >> reporter: tonight, the florida native will lead 110 performers with 49 animals, guiding the audience through high-flying acts and those death-defying stunts. >> the more that i've held on to the title and i've talked to women and i've talked to my grandmother and her reaction, it really lets me understand the responsibility of being the first. and it makes me want to be loud and proud and hold the banner high. >> reporter: the 35-year-old first saw it as a little girl and dreamed of being on a big stage. but before putting on her tophat and tails, wilson worked in dinner theater, did voice-overs and was the lead singer of a cover band.

dancing and singing >> it's really amazing because all of these different experiences that i've had the opportunity to have in my life have really blended together in an amazing way to prepare me to lead the biggest show on earth. we're blasting off, we're on our way >> reporter: how many of these have you watched? >> first one. >> reporter: that's kristen's mother, jean, watching the final dress rehearsal. you said she's the only one in the family with the chutzpah to do this. >> she is. and she's always had it, you know. i don't know. she loves being out in front of the crowds, and making memories for people. >> reporter: making memories and history as a new star shines over the greatest show on earth. from the snow to the heat david begnaud, cbs news, orlando. >> pelley: and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. for some of you the news continues, for others check back with us just a little later for the morning news. and be sure not to miss cbs news

this morning. from the broadcast center in new york, i'm scott pelley. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group this is "the cbs overnight news." >> hi, everyone, the controversy swirling around last year's presidential election is apparently far from over, the justice department's inspector general says he is opening an investigation of fbi director james comey, specifically his decision to tell congress the probe of hillary clinton's e-mails had been reopened. that came right before the election. and clinton claims it cost her the white house, critics say it's a lot of nothing. jeff pegues has the story. >> reporter: the probe goes to the heart of the e-mail investigation, it goes to the

allegations that the procedures were not followed by fbi director james comey. and will also look at whether or not certain officials should have recused themselves and if certain information was given to the media. comey broke with fbi protocol when he publicly announced in july that secretary clinton would not face charges. >> we did not find clear charges that secretary clinton and her colleagues intended to violate laws. >> then 12 days before the election, the director wrote to congress that he had reopened the investigation after officials found e-mails made on a clinton computer by huma abedin, that appeared to be pertinent. later, he appeared to close the probe. at a senate hearing, comey declined to discuss any

potential investigations into president-elect donald trump or his associates, prompting this response from the maine senator, angus king. >> the irony of the situation, i can't comprehend. >> he was grilled by some democratic senators who blame the fbi director in part for secretary clinton's loss. >> washington is still abuzz with the war of words between president-elect donald trump and the intelligence committee. at issue, the unsubstantiated reports that russia had collected a dossier on mr. trump to be used as blackmail later on. the trump camp called it fake christopher steele, seem in a memo in this photo, that russia this compromising and financial information about

president-elect donald trump. steele is a former british intelligence officer who works for orbis business intelligence, a private investigation firm in london. orbis was originally highw lly d.c.-based firm. the allegations circulated widely last week, the u.s. intelligence community had a summary the classified briefing to mr. trump who said the memo was phoney. >> i think it was disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out. and that is something that nazi germany would have done and did do. >> reporter: the director of national intelligence, james clapper, phoned mr. trump last night, saying he expressed his profound dismay on the leaks and insisted the documents is not a

communications product. president obama and vice president joe biden received the information. they asked if receiving the claims was appropriate. > it was their obligation to inform not only us but the president-elect that it was out there so that it did not come out of the blue and have any impact on the conduct of our foreign policy. >> house speaker paul ryan told cbs news he understands mr. trump's frustration, calling the leaks and subsequent media frenzy unfair, but scott, the speaker said he would not have suggested that u.s. intelligence agencies use nazi tactics in this or any other manner. the politic upheaval in washington is seen here. >> you can see they had their regular press briefing, and top of the agenda, no surprise,

u.s.-russia relations, first off, the spokesperson said that the u.s. military built up in poland threatens russia's national interests. just a few days ago all the hardware of a u.s. combat bri brigade came to shore. 4,000 troops will take part in an extensive multi-national nato exercises all summer. this amounts to the first build-up of troops on the european soil since the cold war and the russians clearly don't like it. peskov singled out comments that two years ago it was illegal. he did end on a conciliatory note saying that donald trump's call for dialogue was a hopeful sign. certainly they mentioned the kremlin's denial that they have no material that they could use

to blackmail donald trump. but what is taking up equal space in the media landscape today is donald trump's chaotic press conference yesterday. his dust-up with some members of the media. and also barack obama's good-bye speech. you can see the big photograph on the front page today of president obama, wiping away a tear. >> it turns out that the volkswagen was not the only automaker using software to get around the pollution control. >> reporter: the cheating allegedly spans three years and includes more than 100,000 vehicles. the environmental protection agency says that diesel engine grand cherokee and ram model pickups from 2014 and 16 has hidden software that lets them

em emit greenhouse gases. the notification says it amounts to violation of the clean air act, and could be harmful to the air we breathe. >> what they do, and why they have to be designed the way they are. >> reporter: david clegen issued a similar warning to the automaker today. >> they did not disclose them to the regulatory agencies certifying the vehicles, and secondly, when activated they put out more emissions than allowed by law. >> yesterday, the german automaker agreed to plead guilty to three felony counts to using the software that circumvents the emissions laws. that prompted additional epa scrutiny of vehicles leading to today's action against fiat-chrysler, in a

teleconference, the ceo angrily denied charges and said that anyone who tries to draw the comp ♪ is your deodorant leaving white marks or yellow stains on your clothes? use new degree ultraclear black + white. no white marks on black clothes. and no yellow stains on white. so your white clothes stay white... and your black clothes stay black. ♪ choose degree ultraclear black + white. it won't let you down. mom,on my car insurance of money by switching to geico. i should take a closer look at geico...

you know, geico can help you save money on your homeowners insurance too? great! geico can help insure our mountain chalet! how long have we been sawing this log? um, one hundred and fourteen years. man i thought my arm would be a lot more jacked by now. i'm not even sure this is real wood. there's no butter in this churn. do my tris look okay? take a closer look at geico. great savings. and a whole lot more. ito become dangerous.d for an everyday item new tide pods child guard pack. helps keep your laundry pacs safe and your child safer. align, press and unzip.

if you're headed to the movies tonight you may want to check out the film "patriots day." the story of the 2013 boston marathon bombing and the hunt that followed. patriots opened today but has been in production for a while. cbs was on hand for one important scene. dana jacobson reports. >> reporter: in the heart of boston standing on hallowed ground that is forever a part of the city's soul, red sox slugger david ortiz? >> you're the best. >> reporter: and actor mark wahlberg prepared to work on a scene for patriots day.

fan favorite big papi was there. >> big papi, the greatest hitter. >> reporter: just five days after the marathon bombing, big papi stood on the mound at fenway, his delivery, perfect. not only speaking to boston, but for it. >> this jersey that we wear today, it doesn't say red sox, it says boston. >> i spoke from my heart, it was not something i planned or wrote it. i spoke just like i knew the citizen that was suffering. >> reporter: wahlberg, a boston native, remembers the speech. >> what do you remember what it happened? >> i got chills, overwhelmed with emotion, i could tell how upset he was, he knows how resilient the people of boston are and that boston strong was something now that the world got

to see. >> reporter: we are talking behind the crew as the cameras lead into the roll-in of fenway park. from there, ortiz walks out to give his now famous 54-word speech. instead of trying to recreate the moment, the movie cuts to actual footage. the filmmakers didn't want the movie to be just about the bombing, they also wanted it to be about hope. >> he really summed it up better than anybody when he talked about what the city was feeling, what could happen. and this movie is about good overpowering evil and love being stronger than hate. >> oh, man, i thought it was an unbelievable opportunity, i was more than happy to do it. i would do anything for this town. >> boston strong, boston family. >> right now boston is working against us. right now we have a murder, in

this city, when it comes to terrorism everybody wants to talk. >> i take where i come from seriously, i know i would be held accountable if i didn't get it right. >> what is the biggest challenge in doing the movie. >> staying in the moment, i get so overwhelmed with emotion when i think about all the families and the victims. in my script, i have pictures of everybody and it just reminds me of the responsibility that i carry. >> director peter berg is aware of the criticism they face from locals who don't want hollywood to profit off tragedy, or feel it's too soon to dramatize. >> and to people who feel it's too seen, what do you tell them some we ta? >> we talked about it, it can't be too soon, it could be too late. how could it be too soon to showcase the spirit and the love

that the city responded with, particularly when you look at what happened somewhere in this world, every month, people say how can we stop it? i don't have the answer to that but we do see regardless of what happened and what they do to us, love seems to triumph, and i don't think it's too soon for that. >> a college freshman in colorado has a new invention that could stop the tragedy of accidental gunshot deaths. it's a so-called smart gun but can only be fired by its owner. people have been working on such a device to yeafor years but th technology has been blocked by the firearm industry. >> in guns like this one, every firearm sold comes with locking devices like this, and gun rights supporters say these devices should be credited for keeping the accidental gunshot deaths at historical lows. and yet, every hour, somebody dies from a gunshot wound, and

many victims are children. now, he has a exclusisolution. the very first gun that locks and unlocks like a solution. when he fires his gun, it's like any other weapon. but watch what happens when i give it a try. that clicking sound? could signal a revolution in gun safety. the first firearm with the same built-in security as many smartphones. if the gun is picked up by an authorized user, this sensor recognizes the fingerprint and? >> it will fire. it will fire. >> good luck with that. >> reporter: guns that only work for their owners used to be the stuff of movies. but he believes he has the technology to make it a reality. >> i think this could be huge, i think it could really be the future of firearms. >> reporter: he is the founder of bio-fire, a start-up still

headquartered in his parents' house in boulder, colorado. now a freshman at mit, he started his project when he was 15 years old. >> i would sit there for 15 hours and didn't even move. >> reporter: he realized he couldn't stop mass shootings but thought he could save lives. after all, in one year alone, nearly 600 people died in firearm accidents. there were thousands more suicides, many committed with guns that didn't belong to the victim. >> it is not a simple process, it's not really something anybody has ever done before. >> reporter: his weapon doesn't only lock like a smartphone, it charges like one. and the invention has won him some deep-pocketed allies. >> ky is the mark zuckerberg of guns. >> reporter: he is now putting his money behind the smart gun.

>> what ki has done is use all the latest technology available to us to innovative a truly authenticated gun. you could not do this five years ago. >> reporter: but a push for similar guns misfired memorably in the late '90s. a cold prototype failed in a major demonstration, and smith & wesson dropped their support after their company nearly went bankrupt. >> what happened now to work on the smart gun like the one you're working on. >> i would argue almost everything. >> good intentions don't necessarily make good >> reporter: he is president of the national shooting sports foundation, the main companies that make and sell guns. he expressed concern about the reliability of any firearm that depends on battery power. >> the firearm has to work and it's not the same as a cell phone. the consequences of a cell phone not working are an

inconvenience, the consequences of a firearm not working could be someone's life. >> how reliable is a gun? >> it's relatively reliable. i know when i use it, it functions almost every single time. >> reporter: but not every single time, as we saw firsthand when the modified glock failed. >> shorted it. >> reporter: still, he believes an ultrafast and reliable final weapon is not far off. >> i'm now to the point where i'm able to start raising money,abmoney, building a team, really transitioning this

♪living well rise above joint discomfort with move free ultra's triple action joint support for improved mobility and flexibility, and 20% better comfort from one tiny, mighty pill... get move free ultra, and enjoy living well.

climate change has reaches towards every corner of the globe. that includes glacier national shot. >> like every photographer, he is concerned with getting the perfect shot. hiking 12 miles together up steep mountain passes, across icy streams. all to photograph a small slice of montana's glacier national park. visitors take snapshots of the views. but when he looks through his lens he sees something

different. he is trying to take a picture of what is not there. the tons and tons of ice that have disappeared. >> oh, my gosh. none of that is there. >> none of that is there. >> he is an ecologist with the u.s. geological survey, he has been rephotographing old black and white images. >> rephotography is interesting, it's a bit of a detective story. you're trying to find the exact spot the photographer stood decades before and compare the two pictures. >> in a short amount of time to change has been dramatic. >> so 50 years ago, what would we have been looking at? >> well, 50 years ago we would have been under ice right here. >> right here? >> under a lot of ice. >> the sign says glacier

national park, but some models suggested that these montana mountains will lose most if not all of these glaciers by 2030. soon, there will not be any ice left to photograph. >> you know like a lot of people, i really like the glaciers in glacier park. and while i'll be sad to see them go personally, i think my role as a scientist seems to make sure to understand the pace at which they're disappearing and the reasons for that, so that again, better reasons could be made with society. >> the reason, scientists explain, is climate change. i have experienced it firsthand, in alaska, they will survive longer, but they're still shrinking. walking into the park, there were signs there was still ice, 1921, 1926, all the way up to 2005, markers where this glacier used to be.

>> all right, let me give you a shot of what we're looking at. >> reporter: last year, president obama paid a visit to talk about climate change. >> that is melting glaciers and blocks of ice raising sea levels. >> in 2016, this glacier has already retreated over 250 feet. that is a new record. >> well, the glaciers have been receding. and the surprising thing that lets us know this is an indication of climate change is the rate of retreat has increased dramatically. >> at the park, ranger fiona north also uses photographs to illustrate before and after. >> so this is 1992. >> oh, wow, this covered this whole grain area. photos that were originally taken to publicize the natural wonders are now being used to public size how they're disappearing. >> i think people are extremely visual. the old saying that a painting or photo is worth a thousand

words we get a lot of ,,,,,,,,,,

a lost treasure of the british monarchy may have been uncovered. the tapestry was extremely old, and disappeared in the 16th century, but how it ended up in the big apple is anybody's guess. >> it all started with a google search, a professor was looking for a replica to use, but she may have come upon the real thing. >> reporter: the scholars are on the trail of english history. >> is that king henry's wine stain? >> you put your finger up, it's exactly right. >> reporter: in this high end but hidden away new york city rug gallery, they believe they

may be looking at a treasure that once hung here, in the palace of king henry viii. henry commissioned ten tapestries like it each showing the life of julius ceasar. it could cost millions. >> we're talking about something that could have bankrupt england. >> but it had not been seen in years. >> we have something here very significant. >> they say the tapestry is the right size, and age to match king henry's. now they plan to test the work's authenticity as part of the institute of digital work. they joined the case after getting an e-mail from mary

beard, a classics professor at cambridge university. >> when this scholar said the words, i found something on the internet. >> it's the new archaeology. >> the tapestries were reproduced. this is one of the replicas, telling cbs news she never thought it was an original henry viii tapestry. nobody nows how they were lost, but this was picked up two decades ago. >> we have been with it for a while, but now? >> had no idea what you had. >> no, we were sitting on a treasure. >> they're out there somewhere. >> one could be sitting right behind you. >> that is the overnight news for this friday. for some, the news continues,

for others check back with us for the morning captioning funded by cbs it's it's friday, january 13th, 2017. this is the "cbs morning news." donald trump becomes our 45th president one week from today but it's his opponent who's back in the headlines. >> fbi director james comey faces new criticism over his handling of hillary clinton's e-mail investigation. mr. trump's pick for cia director breaks from his soon o soon-to-be boss. and