secure our borders. and the resiliency of our citizens and communities in the wake of disaster. our first panel will first focus on the department of homeland security is efforts to secure the border. let me begin by saying that each day over 58,000 customers and border protection officials, including border patrol agents, place their lives on the line to secure nearly 7,000 miles of the united states land border with mexico and canada. and 95,000 miles of coastline. these men and women not only provide for our safety and security, but they also work to protect our jobs, our economy, and our livelihood. with the 10th anniversary of september 11 rapidly approaching, we are focusing on how far we have come since the tragic day. we are no doubt safer than what we work, but we are certainly not free from threats. i many have fought constantly to enter our borders with the sole purpose of attacking us. nearly 1300 illegal entrants are caught at official ports of entry. or 600 persons have been denied entry and over 11,000 pounds of goods have been seized. more than 80 fraudulent documents at approximately $400,000 in counterfeit currency. the me

>> the department of homeland security are being weak. they are afraid to put somebody that -- i don't know, any of the terrorists that have attacked america on 9/11 and the people we stopped in new jersey and the people in california. i don't know. they have all been muslim of foreign daw cents. why don't we have at least one in the department of homeland security video? they are afraid people will come back and be like, are you discriminating. most of the terrorists on the terrorist list this past year are of muslim dissent. it is not the white guy that is your neighbor down the street. >> they all looked a little like you, ryan. >> that was a really good acting gig to get. >> you would have gotten that job. you would have gotten that job. >> if they were a casting director they would look at you and they would go, if we are hiring him, we are not easy llama phobic. you are the homegrown terrorist. >> do you know what happens if me or you leaves our book bag in the subway? eight muggers will grab it thinking it is their lucky day. >> rem

port of san francisco to accept and expend a grant in the amount of $7,783,556 from the department of homeland security, 2009 port security grant program fund, for the pier 27 cruise ship terminal security system at the port of san francisco. >> good morning, mr. chairman. director of homeland security at the port of san francisco. i come to request approval of an accept and expend of $7,783,556 to install and maintain the infrastructure. supervisor avalos: thank you. public comment. >> good morning. my name is douglas yepp. i would like to speak in favor of this item. i know this may bother some people but in my discussions, it seems san francisco has been overlooked as a target for terrorists. some people think that no one would dare to damage san francisco's reputation as a tolerant city, but i, among others, feel like our enemies might be bold enough to use our tolerance against us. this item should be approved, and it would be well-used, especially when there has been some emphasis on the federal level to inspect incoming cargo containers. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you. we will close pub

the department of homeland security handed out $40 million in training grants. t of homeland security and the justice department to account for how training dollars are spent on inflammatory teaching. >> reporter: it's clear walid shoebat does not like tough questions. >> this is a stupid question. >> reporter: he became more defensive when we began asking about his foundations, his tax-exempt status and all the money he is making. he has turned what some might call hate speech into a career, trading on his past to advise law enforcement officials and religious groups about the threat of islamic radicals. he says he was a palestinian terrorist, jailed by the israelis, but it's a life story based on very little evidence. but it sure pays well. tax records filed by his business partner reveal his speaking engagements earned more than 50060 -- $560,000 in 2009. >> so why the skepticism if somebody collects half a million dollars you think it goes to my pocket? it's absolutely untrue. >> reporter: like his answers, his tax return is vague on specifics. and his busine

questions i really didn't get a good answer from jim carpenter with the south dakota department of homeland securityfederal department of homeland security, anderson, we went to tried to find out if they do any vetting of speakers, if they had any idea about shoebat. if anyone in the federal government did what we have done, try to check out all his claims. well, what we got from homeland security was a statement that said, "if states use dhs grants for speakers it's up to the states to vet them. " we also got them, "if training programs do not meet these standards, dhs standards, corrective action will be taken. we have not and will not tolerate training programs" says the dhs or any dhs-supported program that rely on racial or ethnic profiling". anderson, based on the three sessions we sat in with walid shoebat in our interview with them, we can tell you he does advocate profiling and flatly being suspicious of anybody who's muslim. >> his reaction to you kind of turned usingly. >> it sure did. not just him, too. south dakota's homeland security people actually tried to keep us out of the conferen

in the wake of the norway shootings what is the department of homeland security doing to keep america safe from domestic terror threats turns out not much why because they have only one guy in the entire department of homeland security in charge of domestic terrorism just.

of new programs in place to secure international transportation. i would just like to talk about a couple of things that are ongoing. the department of homeland security established air cargo security working group's to deal with what we want to do is we go forward. we think one of the most promising areas of inquiry is the intelligent sharing aspect of it and get those working groups move forward we urge you to let them move forward and encouraged them to move forward. another one of those committees dealt with how to get that are technology and better -- so we can screen cargo better. we are chewed to continue the funding that we absolutely recognized that funding problems we had in this country now so i would like to concentrate on low-tech rather than high-tech. a lot was said in the first panel about dogs and we absolutely agree that the k-9 program should be encouraged and expanded. we specifically urge that this committee consider forcing the tsa to expand the use of private k-9 the's in the screening process and that we don't just rely on tsa dogs because there aren't enough of them and there is a program we can put in place where tsa

homeland security starts with hometown security and we have a little to play working together we can help secure our country. if you see something say something. the department of homeland security released that little video as part of their ongoing campaign to fan fear and paranoia amongst the peasantry and by the way all of the reporters of suspicious cases in that video were minorities and all of the criminals were white so a little interesting to attempt at reverse racism there but really blatantly obvious and as you can see the new threats to america are coming from within and we should always be suspicious and was once said by president richard m. nixon that we're all keynesians now well add to that that we're all terrorists now which is. in a way essentially the same thing but that's besides the point i d just reporting titled insider threats to tiller he's stated this violence extremists have in fact obtained insider positions based on the reliable reporting of previous incidents we have high confidence in our judgment that insiders and their actions pose a significant threat to the infrastructure and information systems of u.s. facilities and see how i

just to give you a comparison, that is where we fit within the department of homeland security. 3,000 employees, 3500 at the time versus 1,800,200,000. it is a miniscule federal agency, very effective, but ms. school. in this town money and in police are the currency of the stabbed. the problem in this town is that fema has always been, scene of the cane relegated to the backwaters and became relegated to the model f -- c a liberating it is. you can say all these things. you don't give a rat's. it became relegated to the monolith of the department of homeland security. so imagine being in a budget meeting with vhs. you're arguing over -- you have three and a half billion dollars for operating, and you are begging for an additional half billion dollars or half billion versus everybody else arguing over the tens of billions of dollars. it is just a fact. this is where fema is. this is why my argument continues. that is an argument that i will continue to bang my head. nobody listens to cares. that's fine. >> you're not in the federal government. how do you have society changes thought a

the department of homeland security warning power plant operators to be on the lookout. let me tell you what dhs, the department of homeland security is saying about all of this. i want to quote very specifically. a department official telling cnn, quote, while dhs has no specific, credible, intelligence of an imminent threat posed to private-sector utilities several recent incidents highlight the ongoing threat to infrastructure from insiders and outsiders seeking facility specific information that might be exploite exploited in an attack. they are saying you have to be on the look jew for employees that might pose a threat inside and attacking computer systems and people from the outside trying to gain access. nothing specific. but a continuous warning to keep this on everybody's radar. you know, the report highlighted a really interesting case where an american citizen was arrested in yemen, suspected of being an al qaeda operative and they learned had he worked in several u.s. utility sites as a low level maintenance worker doing no sensitive work, but an al qaeda sus

. >> eric: department of homeland security pulled the plug on a controversial billion dollar high-tech border security system it doesn't mean the government giving up on high-tech solutions. david louie reports. >> homeland security admits the technology deployed along stretches of the border has been undependable. this is u.s. border custom video. >> right now, there is no good way how the technology performs in and of itself within the system. so this technology will allow them to decide that. >> this touch screen has been developed by san did have yia. it's part video game and analytical tool. it has tremendous potential to change the kind of technology we have at the border. everything from the low-tech chain link fence to the sensors they put in the ground to detect somebody walking on foot. >> reporter: the goal is to promote collaboration among teams to see problems from different perspectives. >> it's kind of like a football game. they are attempting to get to the goal line and they make decisions about when to hide and when to flee and run back. >> you can see how helicopters

of new programs in place to secure international transportation. i would just like to talk about a couple of things that are ongoing. the department of homeland security established air cargo security working group's to deal with what we want to do is we go forward. we think one of the most promising areas of inquiry is the intelligent sharing aspect of it and get those working groups move forward we urge you to let them move forward and encouraged them to move forward. another one of those committees dealt with how to get that are technology and better -- so we can screen cargo better. we are chewed to continue the funding that we absolutely recognized that funding problems we had in this country now so i would like to concentrate on low-tech rather than high-tech. a lot was said in the first panel about dogs and we absolutely agree that the k-9 program should be encouraged and expanded. we specifically urge that this committee consider forcing the tsa to expand the use of private k-9 the's in the screening process and that we don't just rely on tsa dogs because there aren't enough of them and there is a program we can put in place where tsa

despite billions of dollars being spent on security critics in congress charge the nation's airports are still vulnerable to terror attacks. department of homeland security presented a report showing some 25,000 security breaches at the nation's airports since 9/11. reminded the committee that a terrorist needs to slip through security only once to cause serious damage. the report shows 6,000 travellers made it past government screeners without proper scrutiny. >>> after an emotional funeral in california the body of former first lady betty ford is now back in michigan. the casket arrived at gerald ford international airport in grand rapids. there will be a public viewing tomorrow morning. people are leaving flowers, letters and stuffed animals on that site. thousands of people are expected to attend the public viewing including a host of political dignitaries. they are expected to pay their final respects. ford died last friday at the age of 93. >>> rodney king is free on bail tonight after being arrested for dui. king was stopped in riverside county after police say he was seen committing traffic violations, appearing to be under the influence

we're trying to work with the appropriate agencies, the fbi with law enforcement, the department of homeland security for protection of critical infrastructure to provide capabilities that might-- that the defense department has that might be used for those critical missions but we don't have the primary role. >> a lot of people are familiar with basic training and what it is, physical endurance, learning new skills, learning how to be a warrior for the united states. does this front, does this new strategy mean that you'll need different kind of people under your umbrella as well with a new set of skills? >> it absolutely does. and we've gone about hiring those kinds of people. we have set up a cybercommand up at fort mead that's organizing the military effort in this regard. and they're out hiring people, both in uniform and as civilians with those kinds of cyberskills that we need. as you say they're different kinds of skills than we might need with conventional soldiers but they're equally important. >> and where should americans be concerned? where in the world are there hot spots of activity, p

the department of homeland security alerting law enforcement officials about possible threats to utilities across the country, plants vital to our way of live. let's bring in susan candiotti. she has the latest. >> this new bulletin was sent tuesday to law enforcement agencies, about an ongoing threat to the u.s. infrastructure. trespassers planning attacks on gas, water and other power plants are one thing, but danger can also come from within. a new department of homeland security bulletin obtained by cnn warns, quote, insiders pose a significant threat to private and public utilities. this spring a disgruntled employee managed to shut down a system that could have caused a massive sewage backup. the suspect made this bizarre 911 call. >> i have basically taken the plant hostage. >> last january, gas service was cut off to almost 3,000 customers in illinois when a recently fired employees broke into a monitoring station and cut off a valve. dhs has not linked either case to saeb sabotage to al qaeda. sharif worked at five nuclear power plants doing maintenance work, then moved to yemen t

it is a nonprofit that works closely with the department of homeland security. last october, we launched what we are calling it a message on convention. it was many from industry, business, government agencies coming together around one holistic message around cyber security, the cyber ethics. that message is stop, think, connect. i hope you have heard of it. if not, we're doing more in the months to come. basically, it is a virtual who's who around the table participating, and it is that one message that will galvanize people and bring people together so we do not halt all of these different messages. people talk about their pet project or initiative. instead, we're coming together, one voice. it is microsoft, verizon, at&t, verisign, all of these folks. that is something that the cyber bullying african model itself after, one message around this important issue -- that is something that the cyber bullying effort can model itself after. >> jacqueline beauchere, i want to read something from steve ballmer. as a big company, we have a responsibility not just to so

port to accept and expend a grant in the amount of approximately $8 million from the department of homeland security, 2009 for security grant program fund for the pier 27 cruise ship terminal security system. >> thank you. the court has asked for a short amendment to this resolution that will clarify the intended expenditures of this grant. the amendment, which should be in friday, will bring the language of the resolution into conformity with the material presented yesterday with the title of the legislation. thank you. supervisor chiu: colleagues, supervisor cohen would like to make the amendment as she has circulated. we can take that lead objection, that shall be the case. if we could take this resolution as amended same house, same call? this resolution is adopted. item 50. >> item 50, resolution authorizing the port to accept and expend a grant in the amount of approximately $1.6 million from the department of homeless security, 2007, supplemental infrastructure protection. supervisor chiu:

one, it requires a close partnership with the department of homeland security. there were some good things that erka did. they be located in two different parts of the community, set up offices that were successful. we should work with the homeland security. due out reach to the communities on the process and procedures. many people did not know what the exact requirements for and how it was -- requirements were and how it was going to be implemented. the third thing i would add is, we have to do our best to reach every community by working with the new community groups that have emerged since 1986, to make sure that each community has access to services. although, nationwide, the vast majority of those undocumented are latino. and california, while the majority is latino, california actually has a much larger percentage of non-latinos that are not documented. íx"r>> i was hoping you were gog to ask that question. i am not going to repeat the and of reach, but are finding your networks to get to those hard to reach communities. in san jose we have a somali commun

department of homeland security issuing a bulletin that al-qaida operatives could hold insider positions and nuclear utility facilities. the alarming report compiled from the information inside of bin laden's compound. bin laden, of course, talked about an attack between now and the 10th anniversary or marking the 10th year since the 9/11 attacks, department of homeland security, however, says there's no specific threat. >> meanwhile, later this morning, the u.s. senate will consider the house's cut, cap and balance act. that's good news. measure calls for deep cuts and makes it difficult to raise taxes. president obama is signalling he's willing to accept a short-term increase to the debt deal if it gives lawmakers time to craft a broader deal. he likes the gang of six deal. the country has until august 2nd before defaulting on our obligations. >> a group of soldiers return home after spending nearly a year in afghanistan. they arrived at colorado's fort carson to their overjoyed families. >> it was great. after being out there for a little while away from family and friends, finally se

. >> reporter: darryl johnson tracked extremist groups in the united states for the department of homeland securitynd sees parallels with breivik's writings. >> we could have a similar type of attack here. that's my greatest fear, we would have a timothy mcveigh type, carry out a mass shooting event. >> reporter: homeland security officials told us they're careful not to monitor political protests but watch for domestic violent extremist activity regardless of ideology. and so far they say they see no evidence the problem is getting worse. michael isikoff, nbc news, washington. >>> and there is news tonight from the intersection of sports and business in this country. nfl players voted today to accept a new contract with team owners, ending a four-month lockout that threatened to cancel the upcoming season. the owners will get more of the league's revenue in the deal while players won some gains in health care, free agency rules. the season, by the way, set to begin september 8th, with the former super bowl champion new orleans saints visiting the defending champion green bay packers. >>> in los an

inside that one agency which is part of the department of homeland security. i asked the question why? why has it been a priority for us to work on those? why would you do? a senator: would the senator be willing to yield for a colloquy? it may surprise the senator, i hope not. but it might surprise some people listening to this. mr. kerry: to hear from this have side of the aisle a lot of people here have enormous respect for what the senator has been talking about and fighting for and what he has achieved. and i might add he is one of those courageous senators who has come together in the last months, working months as part of the so-called gang of six, to try to bridge the gap here. and see if we can't find a way forward. and as i listened to him, there's an enormous amount of common sense in the questions that he's asking. these are questions all of us need to join into, and we need to join into them in a process that allows us to be able to fairly and in a balanced way work on the grand bargain, as you call it, the big fix. now, i'd ask the senator, becau

jenna: when something like this happens what is the reaction of the department of homeland security? e talk behind the scenes? >> it's not just the federal department of homeland security but our local and state police forces who are always going going to be the first one on the scene. i think the good news is that we have built up a pretty robust capability over ten years both on the infiltration of potential plots look out for lone wolf terrorists, those things but also our response capability which i feel fairly certain is much stronger in most parts of our country than they had overseas unfortunately. but there is a real concern. we have -- the folks may come in with an al-qaida plot that may be here for quite a while, may have u.s. citizenship. we have right ring extremists that we've seen in the united states and abroad. law enforcement has its work cut out for it. jenna: what is the biggest challenge for finding that one individual that would pose such a street. >> the internet unfortunately has sparked such a flurry of people that are ranting and raving. we saw this with the g

leaders asked the chief directly to get rid of the two federal agents in 30 days. >> the department of homeland security agents working under our supervision will stay there, and i told them for one second i see them operating outside the guidelines, i will personal escort them out of our building. >> still this wasn't the response many wanted to hear. 15 nonprofits and the community action groups will get together to talk about next steps and possibly boycotting san jose police. live in san jose, lisa amin gulezian, abc7 news. >> thank you lisa. >>> a marin county girl is in president hospital fighting for her life after a rip tide swept her and two other teens out to sea. the highway patrol lifted the unconscious 17-year-old from the rocks around 7:15. the trouble started before 6:00 when the teens were walking on the beach and a wave over came them. the girls' two companions #wr taken to marin general hospital for evaluation. it appears a good samaritan was stuck in the water for awhile. the coast guard chp marin county firefighters and the u.s. park police took part in the rescue. >>> and it happene

well, a troubling new report about airport security breeches will be the focus of a congressional hearing later today. now according to the department of homeland security, there were more than 25,000 security breeches since the 9/11 terror attacks. that's despite the billions of dollars spent on enhancing security. critics say the number of breaches is stunningly high. but the transportation officials say it only represents less than 1% of travelers screened since 9/11. >>> well, 19 restaurant chains are expected to pledge a new nutrition policy today. companies such as burger king will no longer automatically include french fries and soda in kids meals. clerk wills now ask parents if they prefer other healthier options such as milk and sliced apples. denny's, i hop, chile also joining the campaign. >>> for the second time this year california state university students have learned that their tuition is going up. yesterday the board of trustees approved the 12% tuition hike set to begin next month. earlier this year they passed a 10% increase. students we spoke to are wondering when it will stop. >> why do you keep doing this? not everyone's a

the report comes from the department of homeland security. bout would-be terrorists who have been hired to work inside the facilities. there are also some serious implications. >> there are a lot of very sensitive facilities where someone could get a job on the inside, can get access to a control room, flip a switch, which causes an electric power grid to short circuit, caused a pipeline to explode. >> can you imagine that. as an example, officials point to an attempt by a worker to sabotage a water treatment plant. that happened in arizona earlier this year. >> what kind of background checks are going on. >>> turning to politics now. in our abc news/"washington post" poll just released shows the president now pulling ahead of his closest gop competitor. 51% said they'd pick president obama over republican n ndidate mitt romney. in june they were tied. republican-leaning voters were asked which candidate could beat the president next year. 32% said romney. just 7% picked michele bachmann. >>> > ere are also still questions about michele bachma

the report comes from the department of homeland security. it warns that utilities about would be terrorists have been hired to actually work inside some of these facilities. it also says there have so far been no specific threats. >>> president obama is gettingng boost this morning from the results of a new abc news/"washington post" poll. abc's karen travers joins us from washington with details. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. our new poll shows president obama has a comfortable lead over republican front-runner mitt romney in the race for the white house. among all americans, 51% said they'd pick president obama over romney. that's a good sign for president obama. just a month ago they were in a dead heat. another good number for the president, he's seen as more willing to compromise when it comes to the contentious budget and deficit reduction issue. but back in that republican field for republican voters, mitt romney is still on top. he gets 26% support. his next closest competitor, sarah palin, who, of course, is st

the department of homeland security has warned about that possibility, but sesz there's no intelligenceout a specific threat against any power, water, gas or waste facility. >>> the end of an era for nasa's space shuttle program. we'll take a look back in two minutes. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> i have just come from seeing the president, and over in

and headed the white house transition team for emergency preparedness and response, department of homeland security. he also served on the national security could be -- security council deputy committee. also he's an oklahoma native. he attended the university central of oklahoma, the oklahoma university school of law, and holds a juris doctorate in law, he has held -- in his book, "deadly indifference" co-authored by michael schwartz, he described the coeversion of society facing natural or manmade disasters. in his books, you will read many exerts from a journal that mr. brown maintained when he was working for president george w. bush. eventually his journal reached several hundred pages. he thought that one day his wife or children would read it and they would come to understand why he agreed to take a job that took him so frequently away from home. whatever the case, he intended to keep the entries private. four years after leaving the bush white house, he used them in writing of this book "deadly indifference." mr. brown saying that hurricane katrina was a disaster on many levels. every parti