including german chancellor angela merkel, basketball hall-of-famer bill russell, cellist yo-yo ma and john sweeneyformer president of the a.f.l.-c.i.o. congratulations. that's the "cbs evening news." i'm katie couric. thanks for watching. good night. >>> you're watching cbs5 eyewitness news. "this broadcast realtime captioned by becky lyon." >>> are you an accused terrorist who just got out of guantanamo bay? why you can't legally come to the united states. one bay area city rolling out the welcome mat for you. >>> what it might take to get this barge out of the mud. >>> already tonight, some early signs of a stormy night ahead. good evening, i'm allen martin. >> i'm dana king. in just a few hours the city of berkeley is expected to decide whether to invite former guantanamo bay detainees to be their new neighbors. mark -- mike sugerman has the story. >> reporter: again and again. the city of berkeley has tried to [ no audio ]. it wants to audio wikileaks leakers. now guess who is coming here? gitmo detainees. the federal government bans prisoners from guantanamo bay from transferring to the unite

[applause] john j. sweeney. as a champion for the american worker, john sweeney has strengthen our families, our economy, and our country. the son of irish immigrants, he worked his way up in the labor removed and -- a labor movement, serving as the american federation of label -- of labour congress and as reorganizations, all while reaffirming our nation's commitment of the enduring values of hard work and responsibility. the united states probably honors john sweeney for a lifetime of courageous service on behalf of working people. [applause] >> i know that people try to observe decorum when they're here in the white house, but i would welcome everybody to stand and acknowledge these extraordinary men and women, the 2010 -- [applause] now you can see why i love this day. i hope everyone has a wonderful time during the reception. thank you very much for your attention. and for our honorees, thank you for setting an extraordinary example for all this. thank you very much. [captioning performed by national captio

." >> holman: there were advocates- - labor leader john sweeney and environmental lawyer john adams; businessman and philanthropist warren buffett. >> you see him devoting the vast majority of his wealth to those around the world who are suffering or sick or in need of help. and he uses his stature as a leader to press others of great means to do the same. a philanthropist is a lover of humanity, and there's no word that fits warren better. i should point out he's so thrifty, i had to give him a white house tie... ( laughter ) ...the last time he came here to visit. >> holman: human and civil rights figures were honored-- holocaust survivor gerda weissman klein, and sylvia mendez, the plaintiff in a landmark school desegregation case. and georgia congressman john lewis. >> there's a quote inscribed over a doorway in nashville where students first refused to leave lunch counters 51 years ago this february. and the quote said, "if not us, then who? if not now, then when?" it's a question john lewis has been asking his entire life. it's what led him back to the edmund pettus bridge in s

the bronx-born son of irish immigrants, john sweeney, was shaped by three things. family -- his mother was a maid, his behalf -- his father was a bus driver, instill in him that fundamentally american idea that through hard work, we can make of our lives what we will. the church taught him our obligations to ourselves and one another. and as a child, he saw that by banding together in a union, we can accomplish great things that we cannot accomplish alone. john devoted his career to the labor movement, adding working folks to its ranks and fighting for fair working conditions and fair wages. as the head of the fl-cio, he was responsible for dozens of unions with millions of working families. family, faith, fidelity to the common good -- visa the values that make john sweeney who he is, of values at the heart of the labor movement that has helped build the world's greatest middle class. finally we recognize our last recipient, not simply with the years he spent as our 41st president. we honor george herbert walker bush for service to america that spanned nearly 70 y

john j. sweeney. as a champion for the american worker, john j. sweeney has strengthened our families, our economy, and our country. the son of irish immigrants, he worked his way up in the labor movement, serving as president of the service employees international union and president of the american federation of labor and congress of industrial organizations, all the while reaffirming our nation's commitment to rewarding the enduring values of hard work and responsibility. united states proudly honors john sweeney for a lifetime of courageous service on behalf of working people. >> i know that people try to observe decorum when they are here in the white house. [laughter] but i would welcome everybody to stand and acknowledge these extraordinary men and women of the 2011 medal of freedom. now you can see why i love this day, and i hope everyone has a wonderful time during the reception. thank you so much for your attendance. and again, to our honorees, thanks for setting such an extraordinary example for all of us. thank you very much. [captionin