capitol hill questions. lawmakers say they aren't getting enough information about the investigation into the secret service prostitution scandal. postal problems. the senate throws an $11 billion life line to the economically challenged postal service, but the postmaster general says it's not enough. and berry benefit. eating berries appears to keep you sharper as you get older. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, april 26, 2012. and, good morning, thanks for joining us, i'm michelle miller. we begin with the secret service prostitution scandal and a report that the alleged incident in colombia may not be an isolated case.

cbs's seattle station reports an that a secret service advance team went to a strip club in el salvador prior to the president's trip there in march 2011. the source is a u.s. government subcontractor who works with the agents. he alleges the agents took prostitutes back to their hotel room and told him not to worry, they did this all the time. meanwhile on capitol hill, lawmakers are investigating the military's role in the scandal. susan mcginnis in washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, michelle. first hearing on this scandal took place here on wenesday and the military's role was a big focus as was possible misconduct by the president's white house advance team. after pentagon investigators briefed lawmakers about the military's involvement in the columbian prostitution scandal, senator john mccain says he wants more. >> it was a waste of time because they had no information. >> reporter: mccain says wednesday's briefing didn't address the risk of a possible

national security breach. >> these individuals may have had the schedules of the president of the united states' activities during his visit there the night before. there thhat obviously is inform that we would certainly not want to fall into the wrong hands. >> reporter: 12 members of the military have had their security clearances suspended. senator carl levin says six of them violated curfew before the president arrived in cartagena earlier this month. the military's investigation is expected to conclude next week. investigators will then return to the capitol with more details about what happened. the secret service has already fired or otherwise dealt with 12 agents accused of bringing prostitutes to their hotel rooms ahead of the president's trip. >> the allegations are inexcusable and we take them very seriously. >> reporter: homeland security secretary janet napolitano was questioned about the scandal at a senate judiciary committee hearing. >> to your knowledge, is this the first time something like this has happened? >> over the past 2 1/2 years,

the secret service office has a professional responsibility has not received any such complaints. >> reporter: she also said she has no evidence that the president's white house advance team was involved in the misconduct. secretary napolitano said investigators looked over 2 1/2 years of personal records so far, michelle, and have uncovered no other reports of agents soliciting prostitutes. >> ongoing. susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. the postmaster general is criticizing a senate vote to stave off bankruptcy of the postal service. the measure passed by the senate provides $11 billion to the cash-strapped agency. it prevents the closing of 3700 post offices and imposes a one-year moratorium on the closing of rural post offices. the bill now heads to the house. postmaster general says it is inappropriate in the current economic climate to keep unneeded facilities open.

now to possible cuts in the army. a pentagon official says the army could lay off as many as 24,000 enlisted personnel and up to 5,000 officers within five years. the involuntary layoffs are possible as the military faces a nearly half trillion dollar budget cut over the next ten years. the supreme court heard a final arguments on the term on arizona's controversial and politically charged immigration law. a few hundred demonstrators who oppose the law marched in downtown phoenix yesterday. some held signs that read no racial profiling. civil rights groups contend the arizona law encourages racial profiling, but chief justice john roberts made it clear during yesterday's arguments that the case is about state versus federal power, not civil rights. but as jan crawford reports, some of the justices seemed to signal support for the law. >> reporter: justice anthony kennedy, the key swing vote,

talked of a federal government without the money or resources to enforce our immigration laws and states struggling with social disruption, economic disruption from illegal immigrants. he asked, why couldn't those states enact laws to correct this problem? donald verrilli, representing the obama administration, argued the states have no stay. the constitution vest exclusive authority over immigration with the national government. the administration sued arizona to block the law and is also targeting similar laws in alabama, georgia, indiana, south carolina and utah. arizona said its law doesn't conflict with the federal effort. the justices appeared skeptical at the administration's broad attack. they seemed ready to uphold the law's most controversial provision that requires police to check the immigration status of people they arrest or stop for a violation. critics say that could lead to racial profiling, but justice sonia sotomayor pointed out

those inquiries aren't unusual in arrests. often there's an immigration check that most states do without this law. later when verrilli persisted sotomayor interrupted. you can see it's not selling very well. why don't you try to come up with something else. but the justices appeared troubled by another provision in the law that makes it a crime for illegal immigrants to work or try to get a job in arizona. chief justice john roberts suggested that provision could go beyond federal immigration law, which imposes serious penalties on employers rather than employees. this is the second major case the court is now considering with huge political implications. right now it is weighing president obama's health care reform law. a decision in both of these cases is expected by the end of june. that, of course, is right in the middle of the presidential elections. jan crawford, cbs news, the supreme court. on friday the house is scheduled to vote on a $6 billion republican proposal to prevent interest rates on

federal student loans from doubling. republicans want to pay for their bill by cutting funds from the president's health care overhaul. democrats want to cover the cost by plugging a payroll tax loophole. president obama holds his first re-election rallies next week in two key states. mr. obama will try to energize young voters with stops at college campuses in columbus, ohio, and richmond, virginia. these are the last days of newt gingrich's campaign for president. a gingrich spokesman says the former speaker of house will officially drop out next week. gingrich spoke to mitt romney yesterday. gingrich's campaign never really gained traction. he won just two primaries. coming up next, talk of a military intervention in syria. and a desperate plea from the parents of a missing girl. this is the "cbs morning news." it was like a red rash... very sore looking kinda blistery.

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has france calling for the u.n. to send in armed troops. activists say at least 29 people were killed yesterday, including 12 who died in the central city of hama. there have been daily attacks ever since a u.n.-brokered cease-fire went into effect two weeks ago. france's foreign minister says the u.n. should consider enforcing a military option with other world powers. one year after his trial ended, former liberian president charles taylor finally learns his fate today. he's charged with murder, sexual slavery and recruiting child soldiers for rebel groups during sierra leone's civil war. he faces life behind bars and could be the first african head of state convicted by an international court. back in the states, the distraught parents of a missing 6-year-old girl are speaking out for the first time. isabel celis disappeared from her home in tucson, arizona, last friday. police say the window in her bedroom was opened and they aren't sure if the girl was

kidnapped or wandered off. her parents say they will do anything to bring her home. >> we're looking for you. we love you. and we miss you so much. and we will never give up. we will never give up looking for you. >> tucson police say they've scaled back their search and the fbi is working on a suspect profile. police in england today asked officials in portugal to reopen the case of madeleine mccann. she disappeared on may 3rd, five years ago. scotland yard released an image yesterday of what she might look like now at 9 years old. they say there's a possibility she's still alive and have reviewed over 40,000 pieces of evidence and have identified 195 possible leads. on the "cbs moneywatch," the fed offers its outlook. and burger king takes a humane route. ashley morrison's here to explain all of that and more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, michelle.

overseas markets were flat this morning. tokyo's nikkei was unchanged while hong kong's hang seng gained more than 0.5%. the federal reserve wrapped up its two-day meeting saying the economy is experiencing moderate growth and that there is no immediate plan to provide any economic stimulus. at a news conference after the meeting, chairman ben bernanke said he expects interest rates to remain at record low levels and that gains made in hiring were likely caused by the mild winter. on wall street, more positive earnings reports sent stocks higher. dow gained 89 points while a strong showing by apple helped the nasdaq have its best day of the year. the index added 68 points. today we'll get the weekly jobless claims report from the labor department and data on home sales from the national association of realtors. eanwhile, the firm realty track is reporting foreclosures were up last quarter in more than half of the nation's 50 largest metro areas.

and animal rights groups are applauding an announcement from the world's second largest fast food chain. burger king says all of its eggs and pork products will come from cage-free animals by 2017. food industry analysts say a growing number of consumers are concerned about animal welfare. egg and pork producers say easing animal confinement standards will raise costs. it's good to see they're making changes there. >> free range, right? it's good for you. ashley morrison here in new york, thanks a lot. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. in sports, the dramatic game seven overtime battle as the bruins fight the capitals to repeat as stanley cup champs. but so have my allergies.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, cloudy, 61. miami, mostly sunny and 83. chicago, turning sunny, 54. dallas, partly sunny, 90. los angeles, morning showers and 68 degrees. let's get a check of your national forecast. showers and thunderstorms will soak the plain states. hail and high winds could damage parts of western kansas. it will be dry and warm across the south. a storm system will roll over the west with a possible isolated tornado striking northeast colorado. and showers are expected to spread over much of the northeast. in sports, the bruins hope of winning back-to-back stanley cups is over.

in overtime, the capitals joel ward slams in a rebound to give washington a 2-1 victory over boston. it is the first time in nhl history all seven games of a playoff series were determined by just one goal. this is just the third postseason series win for the capitals since 1998. good for them. in basketball, the spurs are getting ready for the playoffs. their top starters didn't even make the trip to phoenix. steve nash, who becomes a free agent, played in what could have been his last game as a sun. the spurs beat phoenix 110-106. in baseball, the braves beat the dodgers. in the sixth, matt kemp smacked his tenth home run this month, tying a dodgers' record for april. in the ninth, closer vera gets nailed in the side of the face. incredibly, he's okay. he stayed in the game, too. braves over the dodgers 4-2. what a trooper.

the white sox paul konerko hits his 400th career home run against oakland. it sent the game to extra innings. but the a's rally to beat chicago 5-4. and the oldest living former major leaguer celebrated his birthday yesterday. conrado marrero turned 101 years old. he's now one year older than boston's fabled fenway park. the cuban pitcher took the mound for the washington senators from 1950 to 1954. he pitched against some of baseball's greatest legends like mickey mantle and said beating the yankees was the sweetest feeling in the world. when we come back, breakfast for your head. berries aren't just sweet to eat. a new study shows they may have brain-boosting powers as well. chili's lunch break combos are full of delicious choices, starting at just 6 bucks.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., morning rain, 70. atlanta, partly cloudy, 82. st. louis, partly sunny, 77. denver, afternoon thunderstorms, 72. and seattle, cloudy and 56. here's another look at this morning's top stories. homeland security chief janet napolitano said the president's safety was not jeopardized by the secret service prostitution scandal. napolitano testified yesterday on capitol hill. the senate voted to give the postal service $11 billion to avoid bankruptcy. the cash infusion would delay the closing of post offices and the end of saturday delivery. the measure goes now to the house. now for some berry good news about blueberries and strawberries. they can benefit your brain. well, according to a new study, women who ate one or more

servings of berries over two decades had sharper minds than women who did not. researchers say the flavanoids found in berries can slow the decline in brain function as we get older. more than 40% of the country suffers from air pollution so bad it makes breathing difficult. according to the lung association's annual report, the state of the air is actually getting better. theresa garcia reports. on a typical day in los angeles, the pollution is visible in the air. >> you look over and you see the smog blanketing the city and then you realize it's really disgusting. >> reporter: the american lung association's state of the air report finds air quality has actually improved in l.a. and in the most polluted cities in the nation. in fact, the air is the cleanest since the report began 13 years ago. >> we have definitely made a lot of progress since the clean air act was enacted in the '70s. that's very encouraging. but as the report today highlights, we have a long way to go. >> reporter: the report shows

more than $127 million people are living in places with dangerous levels of pollution that can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature deaths. even though pollution levels are better in los angeles, it still is the most polluted city in the country and many other areas across california also topped the list for poor air quality. areas around houston, phoenix, pittsburgh and philadelphia also had some of the worst pollution. pollution can be especially harmful for children, the elderly and people with asthma, heart disease and diabetes. experts say it's a good idea for them to limit outdoor activities when the pollution levels are high. >> these chemicals cause an excess of inflammation and stress that can affect a lot of different parts of the body. >> reporter: many in l.a. agreed the air quality has improved over the decade. >> i think it's better than when we were growing up in the '70s. >> reporter: they say a lot more work needs to be done. theresa garcia, cbs news, los

angeles. i'm michelle miller. this is the "cbs morning news." ning news." does aspirin even work on headaches? aspirin? i don't really know what it's for. isn't aspirin like a vague pain reliever? aspirin is just old school. people will have doubts about taking aspirin for pain. that's why we developed bayer advanced aspirin with micro particles. it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of pain. we know it works. now we're challenging you to put it to the test. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. then try it yourself and tell us what you think.

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4 before 5:00. marty is in the first warning weather center. >> here is first warning doppler weather radar. shower activity has moved into the area. during the overnight. a wet day start. i think this rain will get out of here through the day. a big warm front through the area. let's look at how the day is squaring away. essentially in the low to mid- 50s right now. 63 at lunch on the way to a high temperature of much warmer, closer to 70. it will be a pleasant evening, albeit it still with some clouds. >> here is what we have our eye on for you today. new legislation designed to protect this nation's infrastructure from cyber attack. >> a hearing to decide whether to move forward with plans to build a casino in western maryland. >> and a fundraiser for a police officer in ann arundel

county. injured during a hit-and-run. and already in the news this morning, we are following the breaking news from overnight. one year after her body was found in the susquehanna, an arrest in connection with the death of felicia barnes. a first look at what happened when a city woman attacked her infant daughter inside a social service office. and on the morning before the nfl draft, ravens manager ozzie talks about the team's strategy tonight. more news, first warning weather and your first traffic report of the morning in couple of minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,