missouri gained statehood in 1821. the settlement quickly stretching into land that the osage are using, and that makes it harder for them to survive and be dominant in the way they long had been in that region. a littlen you talk bit more about that imperial status? what does that mean exactly? tai: this is of some scholarly debate because when we talk about empires or imperialism, our natural bodies the european method and eventually the american method, which is exploitive, acquiring because you deserve them and the people who have been do not. i think with natives, this is the argument that has been made with scholars with the comanche and other groups, is they were able to expand their power base in many ways on military might. they use that to create in some cases commercial empires where they control the movement of goods, which the osage certainly do. a also trade in livestock and other things that the french and other consumers want, and they are able to have that dominance. there are some historians who, for

i want to go to the mayor of union, missouri, which is west of st. louis, and not too far from west alton, the area north of st. louis that is facing the flooding as well. thank you, mayor, for being with us. tell us what is happening in your area. >> well, we have had record-breaking down flood, because we went about a foot over our 1982 flood, and that is the record. you know, we topped out at about a foot above that, and we have just received word that we did crest, and that is a good thing, so that the water is starting to recede, and now we can get to, once we get back into the communities, and get back into the homes, and get back to help them recover. there's a lot of water. >> there sure is. we are seeing the live pictures, and i don't believe that you can, but we are looking at the live pictures out of, i believe moments ago out of union, missouri. there where you are. and you said it is a foot over what you saw in 1982. you are trying to get back into the homes. >> correct. >> and the river has crested, but have you seen any levee breaches

the roads in missouri. she's a spokeswoman with the missouri department of transportation. >> we're dealing with rising rivers all across the state of missouri. we currently have over 225 roads that are closed in the state and our worst situation is that interstate 44 is closed in the middle of the state kind of near rala, missouri, and we are expecting a spot on interstate 44 to close in st. louis before morning. and those two closures on interstate 44 are making it not only very di to get around missouri but also very difficult for travel rs trying to get through -- travellers trying to get through our state and travel in the midwest, the ability to get from, say, illinois to oklahoma. so we're having a tough time dealing with truck traffic and through travellers trying to get through the state of missouri. >> and in some areas, these floods could be unprecedented. let's turn to our meteorologist to learn more about this and to get an idea of just how extensive this flooding is. >> it is incredible. this

along with missouri, missouri,flood waters in arkansas are reaching levels that haven't been seen in more than 20 years.in illinois, around a hundred homes are being threatened by rising waters, forcing evacuations. and in indiana, massive flooding across the state swamped highways and other roads. it's never fun ending up on the side of the road because of slippery roads from a winter storm.especially when a towing ban delays the time it takes to get your car out of the ditch, and back on the highway. highway.tuesday, towing companies had their hands full, digging cars out all day. cbs 2 news rode along with darrah's towing as they responded to calls after the tow ban was lifted yesterday. they say the storm -- for them -- comes *after the snow is done falling. "it's usually the day after the storm hits is when we get really busy, because if they put the tow ban in effect it limits us to just in-town towing." towing."to keep yourself from becoming the next victim, they the highways at night.it keeps tow truck drivers who are working on the side of the road -- and other drivers -- sa

it is not by any means over. >> reporter: the mayor of west alton, missouri. has already issued a voluntary evacuation order. he says about 50 residents have decided to ride this one out. allison and christine. >> this is some incredible pictures. illinois also hit by severe floods. the this inundated road you see here. this is in a residential neighborhood in wood river. workers filling up sandbags to protect against the flooding. >> areas of the arkansas river which flows into the mississippi, topping flood levels they set in the spring by a foot. look at that rushing water. forecasters warn it will stay above flood stage through thursday night at least. >> and that same storm system doing serious damage in michigan. you can see this tree flattened this car. this happening in detroit. elsewhere in the city, more trees toppling over, pressing homes, blocking roads, amazing pick. all this blamed on the roaring wind. listen to what happened to one woman and her family. >> everyone was sitting watching tv. we thought it was a large car crash. it lasted about 30

and the state of missouri. thousands of people have been forced from their homes as heavy rains are causing the rivers to overflow the banks. the governor of missouri declared a state of emergency, and he say s ts that he has notn water this high in the state. he admits that he is getting worse before gets better. as many as 13 people have died there many missouri. and we have to see that the flood i flooding is continuing down from tennessee, and louisiana and arkansas. and we are watching the flooding from meramec river which is causing release of raw sewerage in the river, and because the sewerage plant was ooverwhelmed with the floodwater as the river has hit a historic high water mark. and alina machado is there, and give us a sense of how bad things are where you are, alina >> well, brianna, we have been seeing the water levels slowly creeping up throughout the day. i want to show you the situation're in pacific, missouri. this is the meramec river, and it has of flowed the banks, and now it is going righ

the problems in 1993 with the missouri and mississippi. but 1982, that's the status numbers we're watching surpassed with the flood. from union to pacific. high populated areas. to fenton, arnold, that makes its way into the mississippi river. the problem is the mississippi river is so high right now, it's keeping the flow of water from making its way in, draining southward. the communities along the merrimack, along the missouri, and those in the mississippi, are going to be inundated as levels continue to rise. on the mississippi south of st. louis town of chester could see historic levels possibly getting close, if not surpassing that of 1993, getting to around 50 feet. this is just beginning. we'll continue to watch this in the days ahead. it not just about the watches and parts of the midwest. but you can see amounts of rainfall. if i show you river gauges, jim, across areas to the south, from texas over to northern florida, the carolinas, up to the great lakes, we have over 443 river gauges experiencing plank flooding. the worst, par

sweeping across missouri. we're seeing evacuations, the national guard deployed and so far, at least 13 lives lost. in union, missouri, water covering cars, homes, restaurants, three major rivers in the area, the mississippi, the missouri, and the merrimack are near or at record flood levels. so bad that one photographer even managed to catch this house floating away in bourbon, missouri. tom joins us from the atlanta weather center. how much worse is this expected to get in missouri? we were talking earlier. there is still more rain coming. >> there is rain coming in some areas to the south. i think we are going to be in for a good break when it comes to the missouri valley. in fact maybe dry conditions through the weekend. the problem is, because the mississippi river is so high, when you get above 30 feet, it impedes the other rivers that flow into the mississippi river to do their job. so what we're seeing is after days and days of rain, spent a week there, just came down, 5, 6, 7, 8 1/2 inches. record rai

liz tag: back in missouri.. what you see behind me is the meramec river overflowing and flooding onto a major interstate. the river already crested.. so this water should start receding.. but we are still waiting for the mississippi river to crest. eh, abc news, valley park, missouri." deborah a local non-profit is getting a jumpstart on the is getting a jumpstart on the new year thanks to a generous donation. today,y,oodhouse chrysler in sioux city donated more than 78 -thousand dollars to the food bank of siouxland. that money was raised over the past couple of months through a big push woodhouse makes for local food banks. this money will support the backpack program, which sends local kids..who rely on free and reduced lunch program...with food sacks on the weekend. linda scheid, food bank of siouxland, says, "and we're talking [about] families that don't have a whole lot of resources, so these kids get home on friday afternoon and there might not be much in those cupboards for them to eat over the weekend.

missouri governor jay nixon: (gov. jay nixon/d- missouri) "water levels in some areas expected to exceed the historic crest during the great flood of 1993." this 1993... when the river crested 22 feet above flood stage. nine states saw flooding, 50 people died... nearly 150 major rivers and tributaries were affected. in union, missouri-- water crept up over porch steps as rescue boats skipped by. cindy nations claims her home isn't prone to flooding. "they would not sell me flood insurance, so i've never been concerned about it." (anna werner, cbs news, west alton, missouri) it has been more than 20 years since this kind of event has happened in the area, but all the rain we've had in december, is all winding up down here. anna werner, cbs news, west alton, missouri./// ((patranya bhoolsuwan)) the mississippi river is expected to crest 15 feet above flood stage in saint louis by tomorrow. ((patranya bhoolsuwan)) > protestors demanding answers. how community members in chicago are making sure their voices are heard by t

one place where the worse is expected is west alton, missouri, north of st. louis. cnn's alina machado is there with the latest. >> reporter: allison and christine, high water is already blocking several roads in and around west alton, missouri. the situation is expected to get much worse before things improve. just 70 miles from here, there are several homes and businesses already under water in union, missouri. authorities there telling cnn they had to rescue at least two people who got caught up in the rising flood waters. missouri governor jay nixon is asking people to please avoid driving through roads that are covered with water. >> the amount of rain we received in some places in excess of a foot has caused river levels not only to rise rapidly but to go to places they've never been before. now that the rain has moved out, the threat has changed but it is not by any means over. >> the mayor of west alton, missouri, has already issued a volunteer evacuation order and most people have followed that order. he says about 50 residents have decided to ride this one

it is all happening in eureka, missouri. if you pan in we see crews trying to get a stranded driver out of a truck that is nearly submerged in flood waters there. you have entire neighborhoods under water this morning. flood waters killing at least 13 in missouri alone. roads completely impassable, the waterxp

the missouri, meramec and mississippi. the meramec which we are beside now which is setting the records. this is the state of course that has seen flooding in the past, but not usually at this time of year and not in this amount. the death toll continues to rise. it's over a dozen now. and though the water may be starting to recede here, the bad news is it's all got to go somewhere. that means the waters will only start rising in some other communities. flood warnings are extended all the way down to nearly the gulf of mexico. christine and alison. >> martin, thanks. amazing to see those pictures. >> it is. there will not be much celebrating in these places while they are trying to stay dry and a lot of people are not home. 12 million people under flood warnings in 19 states. you see them here. it is extremely unusual for this time of year. for the latest, let's bring in meteorologist allison chinchar. >> we are dealing with a dozen states with flood watches and warnings. you can see them here on the map. one thing we have

it's a devastating scene to our south in missouri. neighborhoods and towns are completely under water. jack/lam at least 25 million americans in several states remain under flood watches and warnings this evening, with the flooding in missouri and illinois already being blamed for at least 20 deaths. this as millions in texas are just starting to pick up the pieces from the deadly tornadoes. abc's elizabeth hur is in st. louis with the latest. " " with first responders rushing to rescue drivers stuck in high waters.. authorities in the suburbs of st louis missouri ordered mandatory evacuations this morning.. ((nat)) for residents living near the fast-rising meramec river.. who for days have been preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. ((sot)) lady: "they said 2 to 3 feet our lowest items.. i think we are at about 4 feet so we are hoping." the missouri and the mississippi rivers.. also still rising.. the swollen rivers have already swallowed whole neighborhoods.. swamped businesses and shut down highways and roadways throughou

you can see as the rain fell across missouri, it's going to enter to the missouri river or meramec river and make its way down. these rivers that are hitting flood stage to the north will hit flood stage towards the south. it's going to be a long process, one that is not going to end anytime soon. it could be next week. by the time it gets down to the southern part of mississippi, we could be talking about another week and a half or two weeks. all these areas need to be on alert and hopefully we are not looking into anymore rain coming into the picture. we don't see it in the forecast as of yet, probably north next four or five days, so that i also good news there. >>> big changes are in store for chicago's police department. later today, the mayor plans to announce new training and tactics for a department under investigation for recent shootings, al jazeera has the story. >> 16 shots and a cover up. >> under scrutiny after a series of fatal police shootings, mayor rahm emanuel and the interim police superintendent are expect to announce a major overhaul of how officers respond to incid

a state of emergency has been declared in missouri. >> i can confirm 13 deaths in the state of missouri since the start of this. i can confirm three more literally driving over here. jo: the flood and is blamed for 18 deaths in missouri and illinois. an emergency declared intent is for volunteers turned out to fill sandbags. in the northeast, taken at first they came at the winter storm dumping snow on parts of new york and northern new england. a sloppy mess in parts of metro boston which saw a snowfall last winter. cheryl: a moderate earthquake shakes in southern california. the 4.4 quake hit north of san bernardino yesterday afternoon followed by two smaller aftershocks. >> it was just a slight roll. i'm from california so i'm used to it. >> it was no big thing to me. i was just hanging out. cheryl: ain't no big thing. people did report feeling earthquakes rocked the the suburbs of eastern los angeles. no reports of injury or damage. jo: one last presidential candidate. former governor of new york george pataki announced he is suspending his bid for the 2016 presidential nomination.

missouri facing heavy rains and a rising mississippi river. plus. no laughing matter, an icon of american comedy out on bail after being hit with sexual assault charges. >>> and trouble in paradise. puerto rico ahead of schedule is announcing it will default on part of its nearly $1 billion in debt. and we begin tonight in missouri, the mississippi river is reaching heights never measured before. rising water is breaching levees protecting farms and homes and people are now scrambling to get to higher ground. al jazeera's andy rosegen is out there in the middle of it all. andy what are you seeing night? >> jonathan, take a look, the merrimac river is covering the intersection for days. 46 feet, 20 feet above flood stage. the mississippi river as you mentioned which the merrimac needs 52, is about 20 feet above flood stage. trouble brewing interstate 55, out of st. louis, they are putting sand bags there, water is starting to get close there. the head of i dot, missouri department of transportation, are keeping their fingers crossed. adding to the th

we talk about the missouri, the merry mack and the ohio. what will happen is all the water makes its way downstream, and the rivers will be cresting at different times as they go through the next several days, and into next week as well. very, very serious. right now, these are all of the flood warnings that are in effect. where you see the reds, they are flash flood. some will expire, but the areas of green are indefinite. no expiration time >>> later today - chicago's mayor will reveal major changes to the chicago police department, following a series of shooting deaths at the hands ever police officers themselves. al jazeera's correspondent has our story. [ chanting ] >> reporter: under scrutiny after a series of fatal police shootings, mayor rahm emanuel and interim superintendent are expected to announce a major overhaul of how officers respond to incidents, and how they use force. according to reports, every on-duty officer who responds to calls for service will be equipped with a taser and trained to use it by june of next year. ther

louis where the mississippi and missouri rivers converge. of course, we will stay on top of this and update you as it warrants here on msnbc. sure, tv has evolved over the years. it's gotten squarer. brighter. bigger. it's gotten thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. >>> want to go back to that breaking news we are following out of missouri. a call for evacuations in west alton north of st. louis, where about 520 people live in that town about 20 miles north of st. louis. that's the area where the mississippi and missouri rivers converge. the governor of missouri will be holding a news conference in a few hours to update the situation here, especially given the weather that they have been having there. we understand there have now been 13 flood-related deaths out of missouri that have been confirmed. you are looking at images of what they are dealing with here as much of the midwest and the southwest dealing with these weather issues

the trail is defined as missouri west. people are traveling for weeks and sometimes months before they ever reach that point. this is actually a journey that extends much longer and takes people six months across the continent, it may take them eight months to complete the entire journey. considering what they travel through. the nichols family is interesting because they use this journey as an opportunity to visit relatives who they have not seen for years. one of the things that is happening in the u.s. is that people are moving around a lot. families are dispersing because of economic reasons and all of these other factors. increasing mobility of the population. samuel and george actually use their initial journey as an opportunity to visit relatives in places like pennsylvania as are heading down from buffalo. in terms of the day to day experience on the trail, it is slow going, it is hard work, and there is a lot of unknown elements and challenges. you have people who need to cross rivers with heavily loaded wagons, o

in union, missouri, water covering cars, homes, restaurant, the mississippi, missouri and merrimac are near or at record levels. one intrepid photographer managed to catch this house floating away in bourbon, missouri. tom is from this area. how much worse is this expected to get in missouri? we were talking earlier. there is still more rain coming. >> there is rain coming in some areas to the south. i think we are going to be in for a good break when it comes to the missouri valley. dry conditions through the weekend. the problem is, because the mississippi river is so high, when you get above 30 feet, it impedes the other rivers that flow into the mississippi river to do their job. so what we're seeing is after days and days of rain, spent a week there, just came down, 5, 6, 7, 8 1/2 inches. record rainfall. now, we are seeing the effects of that. the last time the mississippi river flooded, major flood, was in 1993. the benchmark here. that was in the spring when they had major snow melt and major rains. everything in green is under a warning, parts of south central illinois and dow

we start with the flooding pictures in missouri. we have seen homes and people rescued from their cars and homes. this is the area, valley park, missouri, and the rivers are several feet over flood stage at this point, and the rivers have not crested. that is not going to happen until tomorrow night, and several feet over flood stage already. this house in the st. louis area float floated completely off of the foundation. and there it is right there. and it started moving as the floodwaters suddenly engulfed it. just look at that mess there in the floodwater, and so far as we can tell, nobody is inside of that home. and hopefully they were heeding the evacuation orders. this man and his dog made it to the roof of the home. you can see it as they got to the boat of the rescuers to grab them and take them to safety. patient homeowner, and puppy. it is one of hundreds of rescue operations going on right now across that flooded midwest. there he goes. get that guy in the boat. and there he is. there he goes. nice rescue there for the tw

marlie hall, cbs news, valley park, missouri. shaina: if the river reaches those levels, this will be the second worst flood on record for the mississippi. time is now 4:45. it is 24 degrees in des moines. you are looking at i-235 and 63rd street. finally those roads are clear of snow. you shouldn't have too many problems. some slick spots on side streets and maybe on and off ramps but it should be an easier drive america is not just electing a president, we're also electing a commander in chief. that choice matters. because strengthening the economy, making healthcare more affordable, raising incomes. all of that depends on us being both secure at home and leading the world. i will get up every single day and do whatever it takes to make sure our country is safe and strong. >> weather is never more than five minutes away, only on kcci 8 news this morning. metinka: it will be a cold and of 2015. temperatures will be with a should be. starting out cool, but we have sunshine. highs today into the 20's and we won't have much wind bu

states of missouri and illinois. but the flood crisis is not over with water still expected to rise for at least another day. 15 people have been reported dead in missouri alone. the floodwater is moving down the mississippi river and the water level is expected to reach its peak there on thursday earlier we spoke with andy in valley park, missouri, one of the communities affected by the flooding. >> we're just west. you can see the meramec river has overflowed it's banks. probably six or seven feet above the ground and starting to lap up on businesses here. there have been plenty of evacuations, dozens of evacuations of folks. they're stand bagging here. the governor has declared an emergency and brought in the national guard to help not only with the evacuation but the sandbagging and to secure the area. all of this water is coming to us from the west. the river to our west has now crested at a peak of about 35 feet. it is now 20 feet above flood stage, now all that water is heading east water towards the mirro mir

and so far in missouri the anna werner has the latest from west alton, missouri. reporter: more residents are being forced to evacuate near st. louis. people in the town of valley park mental to leave their homes. at the mississippi river threatens st. louis county it took teamwork to fill 20,000 sandbags. officials pleaded for help and the community responded. >> just like the movie "field of dreams." if you build it, they will comes. reporter: the army corps of engineers is monitoring 19 levies on the mississippi river. in the shadow of st. louis'gateway arch, the mighty mississippi is expected to crest at over 43 feet, close to its second-highest level have her -- ever. >> the water levels are expected reporter: this was hannibal, missouri in 1983 when a crested 20 feet above what stage. nine states saw flooding. 50 people died. in union, missouri, water crept up over porch steps as rescue both skipped by. enter neighborhood is a that isn't prone to flooding. >> they would not give me flood insurance. i've never been concerned about it. reporter: it's been more

. >> you were in favor of this bill in missouri in st. louis that exempted sheltered workshops from having to increase wages. so why would you be against that? >> well, we need to be in the real world of operating and what we have to do is provide employment first, and to be able to pay that at a minimum wage we're not able to do that on a regular basis, based on how our people function. and we have to work with them based on their commensurate wage abilities. >> all right but the range is so varied, that's the issue. i mean we generally again, there's a growing population in the united states who thinks that the 7.25 federal minimum wage is too low. we're hearing of stories of people that can be paid less than a dollar. at some point you have disabled workers who are able to as our story show be very productive yet be paid at a remarkable discount if that work would be paid to an able bodied worker. >> department of labor wage and hour section 14c you would be paying that wage commensurate to their ability to produce. that is commensurat

other rivers are also flooding in missouri. as this video shows, several businesses have flooded in the town of union in eastern missouri after a small river raged out of control. nixon has called oututhe missouri national guard to help monitor levees and to move people to safety. family members of a dubuque native who died last week in afghanistan are going to new york for his funeral. air national guard sergeant joseph lemm was born in dubuque and had family in the new vienna - buena vista area. the new york city police detective was one of six u-s service people who died in a suicide bombing on december 21st. he's survived by his wife and their two children. charged with murder in the shooting of 17-year-old laquan mcdonald pleaded not guilty today. jason van dyke is charged with first degree murder and official misconduct in the october 20-14 shooting. it was captured on police dash cam video. van dyke shot the teen 16 times. "he wants his story to get out- he doesn't want people not to think he is some kind of monster, he

nat a state of emergency in missouri... neighborhoods drowning... residents fleeing these potentially historic flood waters. "we made the decison yesterday to load everything up...and get out of here." with sixteen counties under flood warnings, the area where the missouri and mississippi rivers meet is of particular concern. in many cases, sandbags just are not enough to hold back water that is 20 to 30 feet above flood stage in some places. "we got the rv going out front, b we're loading it with soda's and drinks and we may be staying in that." but families will not be able to use a major artery to evacuate, the rising levels have submerged interstate 44 in both directions near st.louis. "we have countless roads underwater and will be for several days." in high ridge, the flooding contaminated the primary water supply. not welcomed news, since rivers aren't expected to crest until thursday. before the water rises, we're here after it falls. we're here until this place is back to where it was before and sometimes that takes awhile." hoping mother n

louis and missouri is under a state of emergency. governor jay nixon has called in the national guard. he warned residents that the threat is far from over. >> now that the rain has moved out, the threat has changed but it is not by any means over, especially for communities along the rising mississippi river and its tributaries here in the st. louis region. >> reporter: there are also dangerously high waters in the southeast. fast moving rivers have taken out several roads in georgia while in alabama, up to 14 inches of rain fell in some areas. some 14 million americans are now under flood watches. dan schenemen, nbc news. >>> meanwhile, some good news out of texas. a family whose home was destroyed during a weekend tornado found their dogs. amid the destruction. the pooches were buried for two days under the rubble of two houses, and while in some pain, they're going to be okay. >>> the texas affluenza teen and his mother could be extradited to u.s. as early as today according to u.s. marshals. ethan couch and his mother, tonia wer

. >> missouri missed an historic and dangerous event >>> under water - a warning to missouri, that the worst is not over, after flooding killed at least 13 >>> we begin with what could be a big blow to i.s.i.l., the u.s. military said 10 i.s.i.l. leaders will be killed in air strikes, including a person link said to the attacks in paris. the news coming a day after iraqi forces drove i.s.i.l. fighters from the center of ramadi. 70 miles from baghdad. >> the u.s. says one of the i.s.i.l. leaders killed in syria was linked to the paris attacks last month that killed 130 people, and for which i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility, the pentagon says this man, this 17-year-old. killed in a u.s. drone strike in syria on christmas eve, had been in contact with this man. the 28-year-old a bud, killed in a police raid in a paris suburb, the leader of the cell that carried out the series of attacks. threes three of the 10 killed by drones and jets were's to be in some way connected with paris attacks. and allegedly were planning additional attacks. >> these were individuals working to strike the west.

in valley park, missouri, matt finn, fox news. the flood is expected to turn into the second-worst on record behind missouri's devastating 19-93 flood in which 100-thousand homes hey! this holiday, u.s. cellular's giving you 15 gigs of data for just $70! but i wanted a pony. [ gasps ] you're getting data. pony-sized data? u.s. cellular sized data. 15 gigs of good, strong data you can actually use because it works in the middle of anywhere. i'd like $100! you're getting $400 in promo cards! yes! switch to u.s. cellular and get 15 gigs of data for just $70. we are less than 48-hours afrom the rose bowl in pasadena... coming up...hear what the hawkeye players are saying about the iowa fans...plus, the special honor thanks keith... next...we'll like right on the rose bowl grounds. there is an r-v parking lot there...and right now..it's filled with iowa fans. but these folks aren't roughing it... one of the r-vs there has five t-vs and two bathrooms... thanks for joining us. have

including the missouri department of transportation and the missouri state highway patrol who continue to work around the clock to protect the people. i'd like to ask jim cramper to share with you some of the highlights he provided me and our team due to the hazards in this region. jim, if you would. >> thank you, governor. >> good afternoon, everyone. first of all, on behalf of all the employees of the national weather service offices that serve missouri, we would like to offer or condolences to the victims, their family and friends. the primary mission of the national weather service is to produce information to assist in the protection of life and property. spo when we have deaths during a weather event, our staff takes it very seriously. so rest assured, we will be backing at everything we did from our forecast, to our watches, our warnings, to our messaging, the information we put out to see what can we do better in the future. how do we get this word out to convince people to do the right thing. i just want to emphasize it. as the governor said, this event is not over. we have a

featuring 10 tons of fireworks./// ((paula francis)) > historic flooding in missouri. the reason one man says he is sticking it out in his home ((paula francis)) > ittt2waty#`*4 p bt@m@[l tt2waty#`*4 p "a@mpw( tt2waty#`*4 p bm@m[\$ tt4waty#`*4 r dzhq !#4 year's eve in parts of the nation's midwest. in missouri, the meramac and mississippi rivers rose to higher levels than ever recorded. the flooding has shut down freeways near saint louis.. washed away homes and bridges.. and forced rescues. for now.. it appears that levees are holding. the town of arnold missouri has been putting down sand bags: (( john thomas: ) they came by last night and told me to leave. m: why didn't you? jt: i have two boats.. my boats are better than their boats. if i need to, i'll get out. )) ((paula francis)) the flooding has destroyed at least 150 homes in arnold... and killed 20 people across missouri and illinois./// ((paula francis)) > well sherry.. the levees are holding.. ((sherry swensk)) and forecasts call for water levels to gradually fall over the next several days gradually fall ov

torrential rains havewollen rivers in illinois and missouri. the mississippi river is expected to crest on thursday south of st. louis at levels that could exceed the historic 1993 flood. union, missouri, has already flooded. russell kinsaul of our st. louis affiliate kmov is there. russell. >> reporter: yeah, jim, at least two dozen homes are underwater, and a number of businesses as well. this mcdonald's, there's a gas john sandwich shop opened up a week ago is now flooded. there have been 13 deaths, most from people driving through water rushing across roadways. missouri governor jay nixon has declared a state of emergency. he was in the st. louis area today touringa some hard-hit areas in st. charms county. all of this heavy rain over the last three days has created what is basically 10 extra vertical feet of water. there have been mandatory evacuations and requests for volunteers to fill sandbags. in st. louis today, they needed volunteers to fill 20,000 sandbags and some of the vovonteers that showed up today were childre on their holiday

anna werner is in fenton, missouri, tonight. anna? >> reporter: good evening, jim. and this is what many neighborhoods in the st. louis metro area look like tonight. some are even getting out the boats to use for transportation. floodwaters here are rising more than one inch per hour, and residents are desperately trying to save their homes or simply escape. the sterling estates subdivision in arnold, south of st. louis, sits in the spot where the overflowing meramec and mississippi rivers meet. as of this afternoon, half a dozen homes here had been lost, joining hundreds of others submerged in the st. louis area. and volunteers filled and stacked sandbags trying to save the rest. >> thanks. >> reporter: resident carla bryant helped organize the effort. >> there are homes, these are my neighbors. we've done everything we can, and we still can't beat it. >> reporter: december rains swelled rivers around st. louis and pushed water into nearby communities. the water was so high in this neighborhood, rescuers had to pluck a man and his dog off a rooftop. dozens of other

what a missouri trooper is now a missouri trooper is now facing charges in the 20-14 death of a clive man. authorities say the trooper who arrested brandon ellingson also killed him. ellingson drowned while in handcuffs at the lake of the ozarks. as justin surrency reports... his family says the arrest brings them one step closer to closure. it's a good thing but it's been coming for a long time."new information aims to overturn missouri state trooper anthony piercy's innocence in the may 20-14 drowning of brandon ellingson... " i've filed the charge of involuntary manslaughter against anthony piercy today" for the ellingsons, a death clouded in mystery is beginning to "anthony piercy deserves what he's getting and he'll have his day in court but he knows what he did arrested by the missouri state patrol for allegedly boating while intoxicated...witnesses say a handcuffed ellingson was wearing a life jacket that wasnt fitted properly by trooper piercy when he fell out of the boat and drowned... " i have charged him with wrecklessly causing death."four months after brandons death ... t

going under water talking about union, missouri. here are the pictures. they are now clearly warning folks to get out of town because these access roads will be flooded in just a couple hours. the floods there are covering cars and restaurants and homes. but really truly the race is on to o get folks out before it's too late. let's go live to meteorologist tom sater, who is from missouri, who knows about this all too well. talk to e me about what towns are in the danger zones. where do we stand at this hour? >> this is a multi-event. there are several communities dealing with the flooding. the problem is not just one river. there are many rivers. i spent the last week. it rained every day. a stationary front continued to drop one thunderstorm after another. so the watch is sure in effect. but the problem we have in st. louis is not just the mississippi river chrks is rising. and should get to the second highest levels in history. it's backing up the water from flowing into the mississippi from the missouri river. so when you look at

louis, missouri remain in place. elizabeth: firefighters forced to use a l adder to rescue this man stranded on the roof of his pickup and this man and his dog from the roof of his house. it shut down interstate 65, the third major highway to be shut down in two days. >> nothing but water. elizabeth: at least 200 roads is still impossible. >> a flood in the winter is very dangerous. >> everybody keep a good attitude, because it' s going to be a while. elizabeth: missouri, not the only flooded state. >> [indiscernible] elizabeth: parts of north carolina, florida, and georgia also hit with rare winter flooding, all part of the same system that sent temperatures deadly tornadoes in texas. there were 74 tornadoes in north-central texas alone, the most since 1950. back here, that highway. the river crested, and this but we' re still waiting for the mississippi river to crest. abc news, missouri. erika: the first ice castle opens in the canadian city of edmonton. after two months of construction and thousands of icicles, t

and similarly, in 2007, missouri had such a law, and they repealed it. as a result of that repeal, over the next few years, there was a 25% increase in gun homicides in missouri, and an increase in gun suicide. and the researchers study very carefully the cause and affect here, found for example there was not a similar decrease in neighboring states when they enacted the law and similar decrease when they repealed it. this is what i want to emphasize, in connecticut, before the law enact, most laws originated in gun stores, and after the law was enact, the gun crimes came from out of states, because it became harder for criminals and others to get them from instate. that's why the gun deaths went down, because it got harder. and again, to not interfere with second amendment rights of gun owners. we passed such a law in maryland in 2013, and i want to emph gun lobby opposed it, and never responded in court. >> we'll give you a chance to respond after the break. looking at the place of guns in america. it's "inside story". >> welcome back to "inside story"

residents in west alton, missouri were ordered to evacuate as the levee overtopped. interstates throughout st. charles county are closed and will not be open until the end of the week, at best. governor branstad has announced that the iowa national guard will provide assistance to parts of missouri. about 45 members and 20 vehicles from the iowa army national guard are deploying to high ridge, missouri. they'll provide water purification and water transportation services. the community's water treatment plant was contaminated by extensive flooding leaving more than 6,000 without water to drink. more than 20,000 people across the state don't have clean water due to massive flooding. a flight on the way to cedar make an emergency landing today in chattanooga, tennessee. the allegiant plane reported engine problems after leaving orlando. emergency crews from the airport and the chattanooga fire department scrambled to prepare for the emergency landing. the plane was able to land safely at the airport. there were 156 passengers plus crew members on board. passengers say

. >>> after days of relentless rain and overwhelming flooding, parts of eastern missouri and southern illinois are hoping to get much-needed break. >> they're beginning to subside and the scope of the damage is still being assessed and nbc's broadw brian mooar has the latest. >> reporter: new year's eve, a time of uncertainty for those living under the threat of flooding from oklahoma to illinois. >> it's somber and pretty quiet and really doesn't feel like the holidays. >> reporter: the border of eastern missouri and southern illinois was especially hard hit. homes under water and rivers so swollen it's hard to tell where dry land was just a few weeks ago. thousands displaced and many unable to get back home to even see what they've lost because long stretches of highway have been submerged. hundreds of national guard troops were brought in to help

effort to hold back rising rivers in missouri. donald trump keeps firing at hillary and bill clinton. and two kids, one big idea-- helping thousands go to college. >> what you give out to the world you get back 10 times, you know, fold. >>> this is the "cbs overnight news." >> scott pelley is off tonight. i'm jim axelrod. >>> dozens of women have accused bill cosby of sexually assaulting them, but today for the first time, the comedian, actor, and longtime moral crusader was charged criminally, a felony count of aggravated indecent assault, just days before the statute of limitations was due to run out. if convicted, cosby, who is 78 years old, could face five to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. tonight, he's free on $1 million bail. jericka duncan reports from suburban philadelphia. anything? >> reporter: this afternoon, attorneys for comedian bill cosby walked him into this small courthouse in elkins park, pennsylvania, to hear the criminal sexual assault charges against him. his accuser is andrea constand, a former temple

it is all happening in eureka, missouri. if you pan in we see crews trying to get a stranded driver out of a truck that is nearly submerged in flood waters there. you have entire neighborhoods under water this morning. flood waters killing at least 13 in missouri alone. roads completely impassable, the water expected to rise for days. governor jay nixon activating the national guard overnight issuing this warning to residents hours ago. >> we are very concerned about the next 34 hours. we're going too make sure people are safe in that area. you have pacific, eureka and valley park and these are highly populated areas so setting up shelters at francis housing and high school and places like that so that people who do have to leave their home, we're going make sure they are warm and safe. when it goes this high not by an inch but two or three feet you don't know exactly how far that water is going to go. >> you heard him. we have never seen flood waters that high. jennifer gray and elena machado there along the river this morn

new information aims to overturn missouri state trooper anthony piercy's innocence in the may 20-14 drowning of brandon ellingson... " i've filed the charge of involuntary manslaughter against anthony piercy today" for the ellingsons, a death clouded in mystery is beginning to surface... "anthony piercy deserves what he's getting and he'll have his day in court but he knows what he did missouri state patrol for allegedly boating while intoxicated...witnesses say a handcuffed ellingson was wearing a life jacket that wasnt fitted he fell out of the boat and drowned... " i have charged him with months after brandons death ... trooper piercy claimed he had never been taught how to use life jackets and a accidental... "it's tough to live everyday because i have to walk by his room everyday and see he's not there." during the investigation, allegations of a coverup between the missouri state patrol and special investigator amanda grellner surfaced... "the people that were trying to cover up and protect anthony piercy need to exposed also."grellner then removed herself from the ellingson case and w