>> axelrod: tonight, tough questions for the secret service. agents are sent home from colombia, amid charges of misconduct. bill plante is with the president at a western hemisphere summit. dangerous storms-- millions of people across the heart land brace for a night of possible life-threatening tornadoes. dean reynolds is there with the latest. abuse behind bars-- ben tracy details the charges of brutal mistreatment inside america's largest county jail. and the bookkeeper. john blackstone takes us to meet the internet entrepreneur of every book ever published. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> axelrod: good evening.

i'm jim axelrod. a scandal may be brewinged in the u.s. secret service. several agents were recalled there colombia where they were part of an advance team preparing for president obama's arrival for a weekend summit there. senior white house correspondent bill plante is live in cartagena with allegations of misconduct, include prostitution. bill, good evening. >> reporter: jim, good evening. it's an exwargs incident which has distracted from the president's participation in the 33-nation summit of the americas. 11 or 12 members of the huge secret service contingent for the president's visit were sent home from colombia after a noisy altercation involving at least one prostitute. the alleged misconduct and the explosion took place earlier this week before the president arrived friday and attended the summit's colorful opening ceremonies this afternoon. the secret service personnel sent home were part of a large advance party which arrived in cartagena a week ago to deal with the logistics of the president's visit. they were headquarters at the hotel kareem.

a hotel source tells cbs news, one night this week, some of the secret service members brought a prostitute to the hotel. the source says there was a loud argument over money, that the woman was ejected, and local police summoned. a secret service source tells cbs news, the entire team was ordered out of the country, though not all members of the team were involved. the white house was informed of the incident on thursday but spokesman jay carney insists it has not distracted the president. >> he's here engaging in the business that he came here to do, with the assembled leaders of the americas. this fast-growing region of the world is vital to our economic future, to the american economic future. >> reporter: the secret service declines to confirm the details, but spokesman ed donovan says sade those involved were relieved of duty and sent home. they were replaced by other secret service personnel and the plan for the president's security is not affect. john adler is the president of

the federal law enforcement association which includes the secret service. >> why i'm botherredly by this being referred to as a scandal, the president's safety was never in jeopardy. his mission was not in jeopardy. we're talking about an isolated incident that involves allegations on off-duty conduct. >> reporter: and now there's more. late today, the u.s. military said five service members assigned to summit duty here may also have been involved in inappropriate conduct and are now confined to quarters. the white house confirms it is the same incident which involved the members of the secret service. >> axelrod: bill, just to be clear, is anybody making any allegations that what happened affectedly the president's security in any way? >> reporter: no. the sources with whom we spoke all agree that the president's protective detail, the elite group of men and women hoare assigned to cover him 24/7, nofts involved in any way, and they insist this unwelcomed sooipped show never compromised

the president's protection. >> axelrod: another bill plante in colombia, thank you. our other big story tonight is still unfolding across the center of the country. the weather system says a band of potentially life-threatening storms stretches from north central texas clear up to the edges of the minnesota and wisconsin, putting an estimates 5.4 million people at risk. dean reynolds is in wichita, kansas, tonight. good evening, dean. >> reporter: jim, the national weather system says it's time for people living in parts of kansas, oklahoma, and nebraska to come up with a plan to protect themselves against this fast-moving storm system. the weekend tornadoes have been sporadic so far, but they've left behind a lot of debris and some shattered nerves. >> i think everybody was a little in awe of it, but-- but definitely scared and concerned. so we're glad that nobody was really hurt at all. >> reporter: to be on the safe side, a spring football game at the university of nebraska in

lincoln was canceled. 50,000 fans were expected. the two-day drumroll of watches and warnings from the national weather system and the news media have had a deadening effect on some. >> it's like all the stations compete against one another. "my weather doppler is better than your weather doppler." >> we do have the closet ready and some supplies in there so we're a little bit ready for it just in case. >> and a prayer book. >> oh, that was a good cg. >> reporter: as the skies darkened and the winds picked up, storm trackers fanned out across the planes this afternoon in search of the twisters. forecasters have been warning are packed inside the system which was spawned by the collision of extreme conditions, including snow falling from california to the rockies, the unseasonably cold temperatures are expected to last through the weekend. >> we have got snow falling in the rocky mountains on one side of that risk area. we have temperatures 80 degrees or more on the other side, and the third element-- and this is the key-- we have a jet stream

moving very quickly precisely located right in between the two, mixing those two air masses up. when you mix conflicting air masses you get rapidly rising air. the faster the air rises the more the trouble comes down. >> reporter: most forecasters are predicting the conditions are about to go from bad to worse, jim, making conditions here in wichita and across the great planes very dangerous over the next few hours. >> axelrod: dean reynold reynoln kansas, thank you. for the latest on the severe storm outlook for tonight into tomorrow, we're joined now by meteorologist jeff berardelli at our miami station wfor. jeff, good evening. let's deal with the next couple of hours. i imagine storms tracking under nightfall make it even a more dangerous situation. >> yeah, definitely. storms that hit at night are, obviously, harder to see and they can take people by surprise. now, overnight tonight the worst threat is going to continue to be in eastern and central parts

of kansas and northern parts of oklahoma. we're expecting very powerful tornadoes and long-track tornadoes. people should be very aware overnight tonight for a very big threat. >> axelrod: and then as we . the worst threat is overnight tonight. folks have been very prepared for tornadoes, some of them could be very powerful. >> axelrod: jeff berardelli in miami. thank you so much. turning to syria, the united nations today unanimously approved sending unarmed observers there to monitor the shaky truce. the assad regime and the opposition are trading accusations that each has violated the cease-fire, which is now more than three days old.

liz palma is in damascus for us. >> reporter: antigovernment activists say youtube video shows the army shelling an opposition neighborhood while state television broadcasts pictures of what it said was the bombing of its own offices in allepo. journalists aren't allowed free access to most areas in syria, so there's no way to verify either claim. and checking facts is even more difficult in opposition areas like the suburbs of damascus, where huge anti-assad protests erupted yesterday. the government has cut off cell phone service and internet links, and there's little electricity, measures aimed at slowing down demonstration organizers that they could also complicate the mission of the nuvmentd observers. in fact, since i arrived here on thursday, i haven't met anyone, except for the official government spokesman, who thinks that the nuvmentd mission has much of a chance of success.

people ask what's really a hand full of military observers, unarmed, can stop the violence in a complex, volatile country where more than 9,000 people have very recently been killed. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, damascus. >> axelrod: for the first time in more than a year, iran sat down for talks about its nuclear program with six world powers. delegates at the negotiations, which took place in turkey, say the discussions were constructive. the next round is scheduled for may 23 in baghdad. clarissa ward is in istanbul tonight. clarissa, this agreement to meet again, how important is that? >> reporter: well, jim, it's important to remember that the sole purpose of these talks was really to ascertain whether further talks would be possible, whether they would be productive. so, certainly, it seems a positive sign that they have now set a date for those talks next month, even if it is just the first step in a very long

journey. >> axelrod: and there seemed to be some mixed signals coming out of iran's leadership. what should we make of those? >> reporter: yes, it's interesting, jim. the iranian leadership seems slightly divided here. the foreign minister and the chief nuclear negotiator striking a very conciliatory tone, talking about the need for a sustained dialogue, whraz iran's president ahmadinejad coming out earlier this week saying iran would not budget "even one iota" on its nuclear rights so it's hard to tell exactly what to expect from the talks next month and exactly what is going on in the mind of iran's leadership. >> axelrod: up next, saving books nay digital age. charges of widespread abuse at america's largest jail, and the campaign to expand want right to carry concealed weapons. those stories when the cbs evening news continues.

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>> what it means to me if i had concealed carry if i was ever to go into my car and drive somewhere a long distance, i would be able to carry my gun with me in my car where right now that isn't a possibility. >> reporter: right now, a permit to carry a concealed gun in one state is not always recognized by another. annr a-backed bill that has pass the the house of representatives would require reciprocity across the nation. >> i would like to see that mandated that we could go anywhere in the country ask carry our gun just like we drive our car. >> reporter: richard watkins and his wife traveled from indiana to the n.r.a. convention. >> why should i have to disarm just because i'm crossing the state line and take a chance of a criminal coming after me. >> reporter: there was a challenge to the n.r.a. from survivors of mass shootings at tucson. bill badger helped stop that massacre by tackling alleged shooter jared loughner. he believes more should be done

to close loopholes that allow 40% of gun sales to escape background checks. >> we would like to get n.r.a. support to do the background checks on the individuals when they buy a gun and to not support laws where you shoot first and ask questions later. >> axelrod: the concealed carry reciprocity law is expected to come up for a vote in the u.s. senate later this year. former vice president dick cheney today made his first public appearance since receiving a heart transplant three weeks ago. the 71-year-old cheney spoke for more than an hour and received a standing ovation from a gathering of wyoming republicans. still ahead, a big-city jail that allegedly abuses visitors as well as prisoners. that story is next. more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills.

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because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. >> axelrod: los angeles county sheriff lee baca said this week he may close at least part of the l.a. county men's central jail, the country's largest jail, in the face of allegations of abuse. ben tracy has the details and we caution you, some of the images may be difficult to watch. >> i'm gasping for air, telling them to stop. i can't breathe. >> reporter: gabriel carrillo was not an inmate. he was visiting his brother at the los angeles men's central jail. even so, he says deputies took him into an interrogation room

because he had a cell phone, a violation of visitor rules. he alleges deputies handcuffed him and beat him. >> i was in tremendous pain and i blacked out to the point where i was awoke tone more punches to my head, where my head was bouncing off the floor. >> reporter: he looked so bad even his girlfriend can not recognize him. >> they passed right in front of me, didn't stop. >> reporter: his attorney, ron kaye, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit. >> there is no jail in the united states that has this pattern of misconduct, of abuse and essentially sadism that the l.a. county jail has. >> reporter: many of those accusing the deposit of assaulting them are not convicted felons. they're here waiting for a court date unable to post bail. the f.b.i. is investigating and the the aclu has filed a lawsuit, accusing the sheriff of ignoring inmate abuse. the 72 sworn statements in the aclu's lawsuit paint a grim picture. deputies slamming inmates' heads against the wall. dislocating an inmate's

shoulder. and pressing a key into an inmate's arm, leaving puncture wounds. photos gathered by the aclu show gashes on inmates' foreheads, broken teeth, and bruising. >> it's huge. it's a huge problem. we get lots and lots of letters and phone calls from inmates themselves and family members. >> reporter: esther lim is jail monitor for the aclu and says she witnessed one of the beatings. while conducting a jail interview, she says she looked out the window and saw two deputies punching a nonresponsive inmate. >> and later they take out their taser and they tase this guy who is, again, not fighting, not moving, and he looks to me like he's not-- he's unconscious. >> reporter: at a press conference this week, l.a. county sheriff lee baca dispute allegations that he's not properly handling the alleged abuse. >> we are literally in a reformation of how we do business when it comes to the use of force. >> reporter: he said he's even considering closing at least part of the jail but not because he's being pressured. >> we're not talking here about all of a sudden we've been put

in a corner. we've always believed in forward thinking in the sheriff's department, as long as i'm sheriff of this county, we're going to always be creative and forward thinking. >> reporter: baca has been sheriff for 13 years. allegations of abuse have been ongoing since the 1970s. the sheriff gave no timeline as to when any shutdown of his lockup may happen. ben tracy, cbs news, los angel angeles. >> axelrod: still ahead on the cbs evening news, one man's mission to save our printed heritage one book at a time. that story is next. when you're trying to sleep. when you're , i'm constantly licking my lips. water would address the symptoms for just a few minutes. the hygienist recommended biotene. it's clean and refreshing, i feel like i have plenty of fluid in my mouth. i brush with the biotene toothpaste and i use the mouthwash every morning. it's changed my life. it is the last thing i do before i walk out the door. biotene gives me that fresh confident feeling.

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♪ [ male announcer ] take action. take advil®. >> axelrod: it was an emotional home opener for the san francisco giants yesterday. brian stowe, who was nearly beaten to death at dodger stadium last year, appeared on a tv screen at the ballpark. the still-recuperating giants fan motioned as if he was handing the ball to his son who was out on the field, who then threw out the symbolic first pitch. the giants won the s had been lost, an event that has gripped imaginations ever since. compiling the ultimate library is the obsession of a man who

made a fortune on the technology that now threaten the printed word. john blackstone has the story of a software millionaire turned hard copy preservation. >> reporter: why keep physical books? >> they've been how we've learned as a society. >> reporter: in a warehouse near san francisco, brewster kahle's goal is to store one copy of every book ever published. each crate contains 40,000 books that universities and libraries around the country no longer want. >> what should we do with it? should we throw it away? it was no. so we started developing the technology for very inexpensive deep storage. >> reporter: but before they go into deep storage, kahle has every book scanned. his organization, the internet archive, has two million scanned books available online with more added every day. it's one reason librarians send in their unwanted books. are they relieved to dump their

books on you, if you can put it that way. >> librarians go into the field because they love books and the idea of actually having them because they love books and the idea of actually having them leave their libraries is something that tears every librarians' heart out. >> that's certainly true for sarah houghton, librarian in san rafael, california. >> we're out of space so every time we get a book in we have to get rid of a book. >> reporter: she now boxes books every month, shipping them off to the internet archive. does it make you feel any better? >> i think it makes it easier for us to pull a book off the shelf knowing it will have a good home. >> >> reporter: this one says discard. >> at least they're coming here instead of the land fill. >> reporter: among things kahle has saved from the land fill are volumes of the "times" of london, the actual papers, not reproductions, filled with history, like the volume from april 1912. >> the original announcement of the sinking of the "titanic." i just find it just fabulous to be able to look through and not

only read it but to feel it and sort of imagine yourself in 1912 in london reading these papers. >> reporter: that means everything from the classics-- >> f. scott fitzgerald. >> to the eclectic like the complete secretary's handbook and the sleepy cadillac. >> everything on a kindle looks the same but this book was meant for a very different experience with a child on your lap. let's not forget where we came from and how important the physical books, the physical reality still is in our lives. >> reporter: for brewster kahle, the past is worth holding on to, literally. >> i'm going to read that one. >> reporter: john blackstone, cbs news, san francisco. >> axelrod: and that's the cbs evening news. later on cbs, "48 hours mystery." for all of us here at cbs news, i'm jim axelrod in new york. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

>> we were under water for quite a long time which is not much fun. >> and now it's time to get back into the saddle, sailors hurt when a wave damage their yacht, leaving the bay area. two people found dead outside of a starbucks. why police say there's no threat to the public and why it appears the killer wanted him to be found. ,,