Captioning sponsored by cbs captioning s this is the cbs evening news with scott pelley. Y. Pelley good evening, the n. F. L. Settlement in just a moment but first we have breaking news. Unexpectedly this evening the british have Just Announced they will not join the United States in a military strike against syria. That is reversal after british Prime MinisterDavid Camerons support for military action was rejected by his parliament. President obama has been planning a military strike in retaliation for what appears to have been a poison gas attack by Syrian Forces last week against rebels fighting the dictatorship there. First, well go to Mark Phillips in london. Reporter you could almost hear the brakes being applied. David cameron had called the British Parliament back from recess. He had hoped to get it to authorize military action against syria. But faced with an opposition wanting to wait for the u. N. Inspectors in damascus to report and fearing a rebellion of some of his own party, cameron had to back down even before the debate began. He tried to make the case that any military action would be strictly limited to trying to deter any further use of chemical weapons. I think we can be as certain as possible that when we have a regime has used chemical weapons on 14 occasions, that is most likely responsible for this largescale attack, that if nothing is done it will conclude that it can use these weapons again and again and on a larger scale and with impunity. Reporter but this debate was not just about syria, it was about the bitter taste left by iraq where many in britain felt they were lied to by then p. M. Tony blair about the weapons of mass destruction it turned out Saddam Hussein did not have. A lesson should be learned, said britains Opposition Leader ed milleband. Its surely a basic point, evidence should precede decision, not decision precede evidence. Reporter the sharp defeat for the cam ran government means that if the u. S. Does launch an attack on syria it would be without the participation of what has until now been its most reliable partner, scott. Pelley Mark Phillips outside the houses of parliament. Mark, thanks very much. Were going to go now to the white house where Major Garrett has the late reaction from the president and his advisors. Major . Reporter scott, the white house knows this puts them a very awkward position. Britain is not there to help this enforce the international norm. They say it must be enforced to penalize a nation for using chemical weapons on a mass scale. The president will have to now act on his own, this will be a unilateral movement and could happen within the next couple days because even last night the white house was expecting the british to run into some problem though not this problem and were telling me that it didnt have to wait until monday when it was expected the british could resolve all this. Now that the british wont participate, the window is open for the president to act. Two things have to happen an Intelligence Report has to be released and a legal basis for the United States to act militarily, all of which could come as early as tomorrow. Pelley major, thanks very much. Let us remind you again how we got this point. Syria has been ruled by the assad family for more than 40 years. Two years ago there was a popular revolt which turned into a civil war that has left more than 100,000 dead. The apparent poison gas attack on civilians last week was among the worst atrocities, with more than 300 dead, mostly women and children. One Thing Holding up a u. S. Strike is that u. N. Weapons inspectors are still inside syria conducting an investigation. Liz palmer is in damascus. Reporter the United Nations secretary general has said that the weapons inspectors are going to be out of syria by saturday so the clock is ticking and the report should be in shortly after that. Today, though, the inspectors headed out to the Eastern Suburbs of damascus one more time which was the site of wednesdays attack. They returned to the same neighborhood, zamalka, that they visited yesterday. But this time on the very spot a chemicalcarrying rocket was said to have struck they wore gas masks and protective suits to take soil and water samples. The inspectors have been tight lipped about what theyve found so far and their mandate is not to say whos responsible. But if they do manage to identify the munitions used in the attack, that could help prove who carried it out. Today, Syrian State Television showed president Bashar Alassad apparently going about official business as usual. But in a statement, the first since the threat of military action by the u. S. And europe, his tone was predictably defiant. The threat he said will only increase our commitment to the independent will of our people. Syrian politicians, on the other hand, sent a letter to British Parliamentarians containing a plea. We write to you as fathers and mothers it said. If you bomb us, will we not bleed . Pelley elizabeth, whats the latest in damascus tonight, a city thats essentially bracing for an american air strike . Reporter well, a great deal of uncertainty. There is some fighting or at least shooting going on we can hear occasional field artillery. People are frightened. They dont know what to expect and some of them are leaving. When we crossed the border earlier today, we saw between 300 and 400 people leaving for lebanon, some of them with their possessions on the roof of their cars. There are also reports from the opposition that some of the missile launchers that had been around the president ial palace on that side of damascus have been moved. The opposition says in anticipation of an american strike. Pelley liz, thanks very much. Now to the n. F. L. The biggest play of the year in profootball has come one week before the start of the season off the field and out of court. The National FootballLeague Reached a tentative settlement today to pay players who suffered brain injuries. The league agreed to pay 765 million to settle a lawsuit that had been filed by thousands of former players. If the deal is approved by a federal judge, it will end the suit which exposed the n. F. L. To what could have been billions of dollars in damages. Jim axelrod has details. In trouble, oh big hit reporter the settlement includes 675 million to compensate former players for brain injuries and 75 million to provide baseline medical exams. Kevin turner played eight seasons as a runningback in the n. F. L. 11 years after he retired he was diagnosed with a. L. S. And was thinking of his kids today in this video released by lawyers for the players. Eo released by lawyers for the players. Reporter more than 4,500 players sued including tony dorsett and superbowl quarter back jim mcmahon, some suffering from dementia, depression and alzehimers disease they blamed on repeated hits to the head. But any of the leagues 18,000 retired players who show symptoms can apply for compensation. Reporter the players charge the league had concealed information about the effects of head trauma. The n. F. L. Denies that, but commissioner Roger Goodell pushed for the settlement, telling league lawyers to do the right thing for the game and the men who played it. Men like ralph wenzel who played seven years in the League Starting in 1966. He died last year suffering from dementia. Eleanor perfeta is his widow. Its very difficult to watch your husband over a probably 15 to 20 year period of time very, very slowly, slowly slip away. Reporter the settlement means the league will not have to disclose internal files that would detail what it knew about concussionlinked brain problems. The n. F. L. Will also avoid a suit with potential payouts, scott, that could have easily run into the billions. Pelley jim, thanks. And joining us now james brown of cbs sports. Of course, the host of the n. F. L. Today and a special correspondent here for us at cbs news. J. B. , first of all, what does the league get out of this deal . Well, scott, one of the big things is it takes this topic out of the National Conversation that the league can focus on football for the first week. The payout is 765 million over 20 years. When you factor in the fact that they get a 9. 5 billion annually, thats less than a tenth. But the owners now have a specific amount. Theres no question mark hanging over what they have to pay out. Pelley and what about the plaintiffs . The players who were suffering from brain injury and their families . How good a deal is this for them . Well, many will pad it saying that the payout by the league equates to per diem for some of the owners but there are payments for medical exams, future research and, scott, keep in mind, with some 18,000 players being covered who are not being covered by any medical insurance right now, it is as hall of famer runningback Eric Dickerson said a step in the right direction. Also keep in mind 78 of players who leave the League Within two years are facing bankruptcy according to a 2009 study. Pelley james brown of the n. F. L. Today and special correspondent for cbs news. Thank you very much, j. B. One of americas biggest secrets is how it spends its money on intelligence. But today the secret is out. The Washington Post obtained a copy of the socalled black budget which was leaked by the fugitive former n. S. A. Computer technician edward snowden. It shows that the budget in its entirety tops 52 billion a year with the biggest share more than 14 billion going to the c. I. A. Our john miller is a former assistant Deputy Director of national intelligence. John, what did you find in terms of surprises in the budget . It was full of tantalizing facts some of which i knew because i used to go through this budget. But i think if youre going to pull out the special moments, one, theres the irony which is that the n. S. A. Had a budget justification in there to look at 4,000 Intelligence Officers who they felt might be the insider threat. In other words, a potential Security Risk who might, i dont know, leak a document like edward snowden. So they certainly seem to have a point there. Two, that the n. S. A. And c. I. A. Were working on a Large Program jointly together about offensive Cyber Attacks against our adversaries since we hear a lot of discussion about Cyber Attacks against us. And, third, and probably most important, the intelligence gaps. In the budget they list their gaps. They talk about the difficulty of targeting certain elements of russia or china but they say the most opaque nation, the most difficult to penetrate in terms of both their Nuclear Program and the politics was north korea. Pelley john, thank you very much. The Obama Administration said today that it will not stop states from allowing Recreational Use of marijuana. And well have a look at how new orleans is doing eight years after katrina when the cbs evening news continues. [ female announcer ] when it comes to your smile, the coffee you drink adds up over the years. Causing deep, setin stains. 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As severe jaw bone problems may happen, or if you develop new or unusual pain in your hip, groin or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. Whats out there matters to me. So does whats in here. Break a leg ask your doctor if prolia® is right for you. Pelley the Obama Administration announced a major policy shift today. It is relaxing enforcement of federal marijuana laws. The shift was prompted by votes legalizing Recreational Use of marijuana in colorado and Washington State. Bill whitaker has more about it. Two, one whoo reporter when the Recreational Use of marijuana became legal in Washington State last december an impromptu celebration lit up the streets. Since then, marijuana users have been under a cloud of conflicting laws. This is legal under washington and Colorado State law. Under federal law its illegal. Today the Justice Department cleared the air a bit. Federal prosecutors will not press charges if states follow eight strict guidelines. They include preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors. Preventing revenue from going to criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels. Preventing marijuana trafficking across state lines. Governor jay inslee of washington. What im hearing from the federal government is that they believe theres a reason to trust the states of colorado and washington that we have a real disciplined wellregulated financed system of enforcing these laws. Reporter todays action ends months of legal confusion as more states move to relax marijuana laws. 20 states and the District Of Columbia now allow medical marijuana. Tom angel runs marijuana majority, an organization pressing to legalize marijuana in all 50 states. Hes skeptical about the new guidelines. In 2009 they released a similar memo saying that they would respect state medical marijuana laws but, unfortunately, since that time the Obama Administration has overseen the closure of more state legal medical marijuana businesses than were closed during two terms of the bush administration. Reporter scott, the Justice Department says it will be watching the states very closely to make sure they follow the guidelines. And, should they violate the guidelines in any way, the department will prosecute. Pelley Bill Whitaker in our los angeles newsroom. Thanks, bill. Fast food workers today took their demands for higher wages to the streets and to the restaurants. In chicago and other cities across the country they stage oneday strike. The federal minimum wage is 7. 25 an hour. They want 15 and thats about 31,000 for fulltime work. Eight years later, people in new orleans are still struggling. Well have their story next. [ male announcer ] this is claira. To prove to you that aleve is the better choice for her, shes agreed to give it up. Thats today . [ male announcer ] well be with her all day to see how it goes. [ claira ] after the deliveries, i was okay. Now the ciabatta is done and the pain is starting again. More pills . Seriously . Seriously. [ groans ] all these stops to take more pills can be a pain. Can i get my aleve back . For my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easyopen red arthritis cap. I took my son fishing every year. We had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. But with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. So my doctor prescribed symbicort. It helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. Symbicort doesnt replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. With symbicort, today im breathing better. And that means. Fish on symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It should not be taken more than twice a day. 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Dont take nexium if you take clopidogrel. Relief is at hand for just 18 a month. Talk to your doctor about nexium. Pelley it was eight years ago today, that Hurricane Katrina crashed into the gulf coast. More than 1,800 people died, many in and around new orleans. Billions of dollars have been spent rebuilding but the recovery has been bumpy, especially in the citys devastated lower ninth ward. Ma