john brown. >> john brown? wow. tavis: dick gregory said to me he thought john brown was the coldest cat, the coldest american this country has ever produced, and he went into this soliloquy about john brown. so obviously, that brings me to "the good lord bird," because john brown is a major character here. tell me, and for those who've never heard the name john brown, give us a little history lesson about john brown. well, john brown was a white man who in 1856 decided that slavery was wrong, and he conducted a one-man war against slavery. he went out to kansas, because kansas territory was where slavery -- they were trying to decide whether kansas, when it was being settled, whether there should be slavery -- slavery should be allowed or not. so the pro-slavers, people who were for slavery, came into kansas and they attacked the yankees, who were coming from boston and new york and philly and so forth. john brown went out there with a wagonload of guns, and he got busy. he started kicking the pro- slavers around.

jeffrey brown has our book conversation. the tricky thing about being a writer or about being any kind of art cyst that in addition to making art, you also have to make a living. so like ann patchett author of such acclaimed novels state of wonder as her work of a writer as nonfiction. her new become there is the story of a happy marriage collects essays she's written over the years on various slices of life. and she joins us now, welcome to you. >> thank you. >> brown: so this idea of having to make a living. you realize that in your 20s. >> when my parents told me to leave. >> brown: but there you were, and you're wanting to be a novelist in your early 20s and the choices are waiting on tables and things like that. >> and teaching. i done know why they seem like parallel ca raers-- careers coy teach, coy wait table its, i could cook in a restaurant. food and teaching were the two skills i had. >> brown: but you found writing. >> there were problems with both. one i was too tired if i was a waitress, too tired at the end of

will any of these guys take a whack at jerry brown's strength?t doesn't look like it, but at this point it's interesting to watch brown in his final year. when he will make an announcement? that's interesting, too. we don't know. he hasn't announced if he is going to run. >> what also remains to be seen is how much of what governor brown has done people will understand and comprehend. there was a survey recently about the new funding formula for public education, how little the public understood about how the formula has changed what the new formula is what does this mean for my schools. no question. there's been a lot of progress from minus 26 to plus 2. when the rubber hits the road and it's time for people to say, yes, i will re-elect governor brown because -- or no, i will vote for his opponent because, i'm not sure how much people get it on a voter level. >> there's no chance he gets re-election. the only thing that will stop him is health issues. california is one of the bluest states in the country. la teens no don't vo latinos don't vote

jeffrey brown has our profile of carlos santana. >> brown: since his emergence in the san francisco music scene in the late 1960s, carlos santana has been recognized as one of rock 'n roll's greatest guitarists. ♪ whose latin-infused sounds and rhythms, beginning with the band that bore his name, have produced hit songs and albums that have sold in the millions. his appearance at woodstock helped rocket him to fame and concerts around the world continued to this day. in february, he makes his first concert tour of south africa, part of a long-held interest in the continent. and, just ahead of the kennedy center honors ceremony, we met up at the smithsonian national museum of african art in washington. santana's story began in mexico, first in the small town of autlan de navarro and later in tijuana as the son of a mariachi music violinist. >> i remember my dad playing violin since i was a kid. >> brown: what do you remember about it? what did you hear when you were a kid? >> it's a sound of screaming charisma. >> brown: screaming charisma? >> oh, my dad had charisma like he just-- the way

james brown, cbs news, next. two astronauts head outside the space station to try to fix a critical cooling system. bill whitaker has the latest. edward snowden declares "mission accomplished" after his leaks forced a reassessment of u.s. surveillance programs. bob orr reports. america's retailers won't be celebrating. anna werner looks at the disappointing numbers from this year's holiday shopping season. and it happened one christmas eve. dean reynolds on the picture that changed the way we look at our world. >> oh, my god, l captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> brown: good evening. scott is off tonight. i'm james brown. this is our western edition. when something breaks on the international space station, there is no repairman to call so today, two astronauts suited up for the second time this week to complete the job of fixing a critical cooling system. a pump broke earlier this month, and today's mission was to swap out the old one with the new one. bill whitaker h

jeffrey brown has that. three south africans currently >> brown: tonight we hear from three south africans currently teaching in this country: penelope andrews is president and dean of the albany law school. mzamo mangaliso is a management professor at the university of massacusetts, amherst. charles villa-vicencio was the national research director in the south african truth and reconciliation commission. he's a visiting professor at georgetown university. penelope andrews i want to start with you. if i can frame it personally first tell us what nelson mandela meant to you growing newspaper south africa, how did you see him? >> well, for me growing up in south africa, certainly nelson mandela was a in many ways a mythical figure. but he also became a sim symbol of what south africa was to become. an mandela has always represented for me as a lawyer, a profound commitment to the rule of law, to constitutionalism and the possibilities of law to change people's lives. and i think he means that to me as a lawye

[applause] >> thank you mayor brown. welcome everyone to the peoples' palace at city hall, san francisco. today we mourn the loss of a great world leader who inspired the world and forever changed the hearts and minds of millions. the outpouring that we have already felt and the unprecedented /treu buttes we have already seen show us the love that the world has had for nelson mandela. former south african president mandela led a life of he fought of injustice and oppression to build a free south africa that set off a global movement. his values are san francisco values. and even though they took so much from him, they had courage and forgave the very people who put him in prison for more than 27 years in a racially divided south africa. he left his heart open and he changed the world. nelson mandela freed a nation. he led with grace and compassion, he challenged us to do better. and his resolve to promote human rights, peace and democracy has inspired generations, including myself. san francisco is part of the global mov

join me james brown on a journey for the soul. only on o.t. . well if you're going to lie should be. the face of you know. pleasure to have you with us here on our team today i'm sure. it'll be right on the street. first street if you live and i think pictures. on our reporters twitter. and instagram. would be on the list on. live. live. live. like seacoast is one of russia's top tourist destinations sung sea and the best one in the country has to offer but if those weren't good enough reasons on their own scum here there's also a little mystery but i want to gets the bottom of. i had heard long ago that there was a man named brown would come to russia's black sea coast to grow grapes and make wine he might not have been my ancestor but the namesake in the region seemed a pathic to excuse for a visit i turned up one bottle of the family wine if there was another one i was going to find it and if i had to have a few of the local vintages along the way that was a sacrifice i was willing to make. this is a venerable institution in russia's wine ind

but if you expand it into looking into the other council members, michael brown, kwame brown, no relation harry thomas junior, you have several agencies he has looked at locally. you have federal agencies he has looked at. the numbers are actually much greater. i could not even sit here and begin to tell you how many people have been convicted or have pleaded guilty under his tenure. the number is quite high. and he is very serious about this public corruption. >> michael brown is the son of -- was the secretary of commerce. he died in an airplane crash some years ago. what did michael brown do that got him indicted? >> it is an awful situation because it was a bribery case. and it was a sting operation. otherccurred after council members were already being scrutinized for corruption. machen's office set up a sting operation were guys who were pretending to be contractors said, can you help us get this contract? now we have video of him accepting cash. around here, it is a redskins bug. the dollar bills were all balled up and placed into the mug. it is a sad situation. what is interesting

>> jerry brown, jerry brown, jerry brown. he's always in the news one way or another. this is one of the catalytic moments when americans hunger for straight talk, the kind discussed by john mccain and chris christie. americans have an all-time low opinion about elected officials whether it's the president, congress, you name it. along those lines, many have been disappointed with the failed promises of george w. bush, think iraq, the iraq war, and barack obama. think obamacare and all the mess that's come with that. many see that combination bundled in the name of jerry brown. >> let's talk about his assets first as a candidate. he's someone who has come back to the governor's office and done a lot of things that were quite difficult in terms of their scope including that budget. >> yeah. >> how has he burnished his credentials? >> a lot of things to talk about. first of all, let's just look at experience. experience alone with jerry brown. not only is he the state's longest serving governor, but brown has also held other offices including attorney general, secretary

brown. >> as also i'd like to use the overhead. i'm paulette brown and i'm here to talk about my son who was murdered and thirty rounds of bullets were pumped into him my sons case is not sofldz and i'm looking for justice for my son and the last time we were told to check on the cold cases. my son was a good boy. he graduated from went a to catholic school. i had to walk across the state to receive his diploma. he was 17 years old a baby. as i said all before the holidays are here my son loved christmas. he's not here to enjoy this christmastime with his family. as a mother i hurt everyday not just when i come here but everyday when i'm at home when there's nothing else to do and when it's time for me to a go to sleep i'm in pain even though i have two daughters left. but i try to stay strong for them but it's hard. but they see the paper in their mother everyday. i wouldn't wish this open any parents any parents i'm not saying those people don't have problems but this is something i need to keep saying and doing. because if it i

jamie and genae brown are the daughter and widow of tony brown, an inmate who died. >> he was a good guy and a gentleman. >> he was nice, funny, we laughed and laughed. >> brown was serving a 10-year sentence for aggravated assault and due to be released this year. genae was looking forward to having her dad back. >> they were going to come. he never got to meet my husband. he wasn't there when i got married. >> brown was diagnosed while in prison. he was predescribed morphine for pain, and it was described as being in remission. in 2012 the prison ran out of the morphine. he was switched to a weak ever pain-killer. "america tonight" obtained video shot by prison guards showing tony brown after being put on the new medication. >> brown's medical records said was worsening. >> pull yourself up on to the bed. >> but there's no record of medical staff examining him. >> brown, did you call your wife. >> the prison chaplain sees him the next day after jamie asked him to talk to him. "i'd like to talk to your wife later, is there something i can tell him." >> two days after antonio brown c

. >> the families who are suing wexford, jamie and jenna brown are the wife and daughter of tony brown. >> he was a gentleman, he held your door and he was nice, and funny. we laughed and laughed. >> brown was serving a ten year sentence for aggravated assault and was due to be released this year. jenna says she was looking forward to having her dad back. >> they were supposed to come down for thanksgiving this year. they were going to come. he never got to meet my husband and he wasn't there when i got married so they were going to visit. >> brown was diagnosed with esophageal cancer when he was in prison. his medical records indicate he was in remission and he was diagnosed with morphine for the pain. but in october of 2012, the prison ran out of morphine. they switched him to lortab, a weaker form of morphine. america tonight obtained shid yoa, shot by prison guards, showing tony brown after he was put on that new medication. guards told nurses his condition was worsening, clearly seen in the second video shot less than a day later. >> brown, can you full yourself up onto the bed? >

it was very heartbreaking. >> the crime occurred when brown was 16 years old.'s now serving two 50-year sentences for the murders of his mother and stepfather. >> aaron brown bewilders me. he sat in wait with a shotgun until his parents came home one night, and as his mom walked through the door, he blasted her with the shotgun, shot at his stepfather, missed, and ended up chasing his stepfather around the house shooting at him until he finally killed him. and i wanted to know why. >> weeks earlier before he grew out his hair and beard, we interviewed brown about the murders. >> i just remember when i woke up like the first thing i said that day was, today is the day. i had myself convinced and for whatever reason there was nothing wrong with it in my mind. i didn't see any other way. >> any other way than what? >> there was no other way for me to escape that environment. it wasn't -- i didn't get abused physically or sexually or any other way, but i did not love my parents then, i did not feel like i was loved, and i just did not feel i could be there anymore.

site reported that brown denied that report in a text from florida, where he was recruiting. brown is 158-47 in 16 seasons at texas, including a national title in 2005 and another bcs appearance in 2009. >> finally, ahuge deal going down in baseball as the arizona diamondbacks had a trade involving trumbo. he heads to arizona while the white sox acquire outfielder adam eaton. the angels pick up hector santiago and tyler skaggs. >> high hopes for legal marijuana. the country that's given the green light to the world's first national marketplace for legal pot.

jeffrey brown explores that question. >> brown: 131 million americans- - more than a third of the country-- are expected to shop online before this day is out. that's according to the national retail federation. and brad wilson at the coupon site bradsdeals.com, says a lot is riding on that prediction. >> this day is the single largest e-commerce day all year round. it's so important for the retailers to be competitive. >> brown: in fact, holiday cyber shopping is already well under way. the analytic firm com-score says online sales for thanksgiving weekend were up 17% from last year, helped by greater use of mobile devices. at the same time, the retail federation estimates that total spending over the weekend, including brick-and-mortar stores, was actually down nearly 3% from last year. a record 141 million people went shopping, but the average shopper spent nearly 4% less than a year ago, partly due to deep discounts. some big retailers-- wal-mart and macy's, for example-- say they're not expecting any growth this holiday season, with six fewer days between thanksgiving and christmas.

jeffrey brown has our report. >> brown: the president faced the white house press corps after a difficult year that's seen his approval ratings sinking. but he insisted he's not downcast. >> that's not how i think about it. i have now been in office five years, close to five years, was running for president for two years before that, and for those who've covered me during that time, we have had ups and we have had downs. what i've been focused on each and every day is, are we moving the ball in helping the american people, families, have more opportunity, have a little more security, to feel as if... if they work hard, they can get ahead. >> brown: the beleaguered rollout of the health care law has contributed heavily to the president's slump in the polls-- from healthcare.gov's many problems to the cancellation of millions of policies. >> since i'm in charge, obviously, we screwed it up. and i'm going to be making appropriate adjustments once we get through this year and we've gotten through the initial surge of people who have been signing up. but, you know, having said all that, the bo

james brown been to twenty thirteen it's going to be invaluable in a few years that. who knows maybe this will be another international award winner to add to his collection. but one thing's for sure there's no brown family both lin his so i was going to have to keep looking. if you leave it with economic ups and downs in the final month but learn to deal sang and the rest because i think the case you will be if we can all see. this is the place that has been consecrated to god for almost a thousand of years people came here twenty some years ago so he established the master quiet on the silence. and people feel the love of christ all working. people say you can. come and something happens on this island that makes them return to it again and again they say the below saves them. join me james brown on a journey for the soul. only on o.t. . torch is on its journey to such. one hundred twenty three days. through two thousand nine hundred towns and cities of russia. by fourteen thousand people or sixty five thousand killing. in a record setting trip by land air sea space

jeffrey brown talks with one of the continent's biggest stars. ♪ ♪ . >> brown: born in the west africanion of mali, daughter of a diplomat posted around the world, rokia traore and her music are african and western influences and languages. ♪ ♪ ♪. >> brown: musical career took off in the 1990s. ♪ ♪. >> brown: she late err moved back permanently to mali's capitol where she's lived through the troubled recent times for her country, including an islamist insurgency that for a time lead to the burning of precious manufacture you scripts and books and banning of music in parts of the north. ♪ traore new album addresses the problems of mali and the continent but also as its title, beautiful africa suggests, much more. we talked recently in washington and i asked her first how she describes her music. >> i would describe my music as mallian-- music, a mix of a profound mallian culture in which my music and yes, my personality is rooted and also opened to all my influences. i had during my travels when i was a child. >> brown: so a mix of traditional malian music and all that you have experienc