attorney general and justice department is part of the national security team. i hope as the deputy attorney general cole has rethought this. i say that the recess appointment there is odd. one thing that it's the foreign service offices to held up for ambassadorship. but recess appointment for the deputy attorney general of the united states when the senate seemed unwilling to bring it to the floor to have a debate and vote is unusual. i think the justice department with holder and cole is vulnerable area for president obama. >> i think they did try to get cole before and i think it was held up by the republicans. they haven't had assistant attorney general in justice department, haven't had an active one. the other thing that's important with cole, cole said he's not really for trying terrorists in the military tribunals and wants to try them -- >> he said they're criminals, not warriors. >> exactly. congress has already said when basically not giving you money to try these guys in civilian court. that is almost moot. >> chris: but you're saying that the medic

some prosecutor at the justice department taking a different view? no. am i affected the way i reported it? by the way, has a backdrop, anytime you report on this area. if a government official tells you if you report that the personal you have a serious conversation about it. that is never something to just brushed aside. [talking over each other] >> concern for your own neck? >> if somebody tells you -- this is not just a national security issue or law enforcement issue. it is any public safety issue. if somebody tells you something you don't like will in danger somebody or put some money at risk or harm somebody you take that seriously. you are a human being and obviously that is not what we are in business to is harm people. many times, i will withhold information on that score, not because of national security implications but if someone says you put that person's name is, they face repercussions, their life could be in danger, their family could have problems. that happens all the time. it is not because of the law. it is because you are a human be

. >> schieffer: i want to bring in bob orr, our justice department correspondent now. bob, you've been checking this story working this story from here in washington, talking to justice department officials. where are they in this investigation? do they feel they got the guy? do they think there's somebody else involved? where does this go from here? >> they're certain they have the guy. we have a lot of witnesses, surveillance tape showing jared loughner with the gun. he clearly was the sole gunman. he told investigators that he acted alone, and then he invoked his fifth amendment rights and has now refused to cooperate any further. it's interesting, though-- the sheriff last night in tucson mentioned this second person of interest. that's a bit of a mystery as to who this person is. i've been told now that this person, described as a white male in his 40s or 50s, was seen with loughner prior to the shootings in the vicinity. perhaps in one of the stores there. he's been seen on the surveillance camera. the authorities simply want to find out, did he know about this?

news report about falling crime rates justice department figures show that violent crime has dropped in an additional forty three percent to a remarkable thirty year low and. crime dropped two point five percent to. four point four percent decline but despite the steady drop polls have consistently shown that most americans believe just the opposite to be true three quarters of americans say there is more crime in the united states than there was a year ago gallops annual crime poll shows it's the highest level since the early one nine hundred ninety s. the poll also finds fifty one percent of americans say there is more crime in their local area. when we see reports like this is it any wonder that american seem more intent than ever on protecting themselves speaking of heading home check this out i'm a firearms instructor in nassau county florida last weekend we had eighteen people go through our courses to get concealed weapons carry licenses the number of people getting these licenses is astounding everyone expresses a fear of being attacked when i go to jacksonville's concert hal

actually dropped slightly in the latest figures released by the justice department nationwide murder was down five percent but the perception continues to dominate reality triggering a fear that is out of sync with the to sticks appear that and no place is safe anymore and when you're always on guard it's hard to. the reality and this classic example of the mean world syndrome continues today in fact since that a.b.c. news report about falling crime rates justice department figures show that violent crime has dropped in an additional forty three percent to a remarkable thirty year low and. crime dropped. four point four percent. but despite this steady drop polls have consistently shown that most americans believe just the opposite to be true three quarters of americans say there is more crime in the united states than there was a year ago gallup's annual crime poll shows it's the highest level since the early one nine hundred ninety s. the poll also finds fifty one percent of americans say there is more crime in their local area. year ago when we see reports like this is it any wond

eric holder, the justice department, the attorney general, had this to say about that very issue thiseek. >> without question, threats against public officials, whatever form they take, continue to be cause for concern and vigilance, but i do not believe that these threats are as strong as the forces working for tolerance and peace. gwen: so what does the justice department -- what do federal officials do with these threats, with what we presume to be threats we don't even know about? >> well, i think you're seeing two things happening. you are seeing members of congress go to the police and f.b.i. and do an inventory of what -- who they think might be a threat to the member of congress. who's been stalking them or sending them threatening letters? they take it much more seriously now. we've seen f.b.i. abblets and others going out and talking to the people, saying i want to make sure this is not a problem. but you have 535 members going home and doing four, five events a day. so do the math. it is not possible for f.b.i. agents to go out with them. the sath -- sergeant of arms of the

are under investigation by the justice department. anti-trust investigators want to know whether the two package delivery companies are trying to block customers from using third-party shipping negotiators and consultants. the justice department wouldn't comment on the case. but both companies say they are aware of the investigation and call those claims quote "groundless." u.p.s. says the notion that it conspired with rival fedex is quote "outrageous." >> tom: here's what we're watching for next week: our market monitor guest is sandy lincoln, strategist at m&i investment management. monday, alcoa kicks off earnings season. c.e.o. klaus kleinfeld joins us with the results. and with the valuations of online firms like facebook and groupon expanding exponentially, are we in the midst of another dot com bubble? >> susie: on monday, auto supplier visteon will again trade here at the new york stock exchange. the company will use its old ticker symbol v.c. visteon's shares haven't traded on the big board since march of 2009. it emerged fro

you have the department of justice, u.s. department of justice, really trying to intimidate people who are working with wikileaks. >> assange and wikileaks denied their publication of 250,000 state department cables put the lives of spies or diplomats at risk, but merely reveals embarrassing and hypocritical actions by the u.s. and its allies. >> even if you think what the people are doing is wrong, that is why the first amendment exists, to protect unpopular people engaging in unpopular speech. >> now, the subpoena of its records was unsealed at twitter's request, and as the company said in a statement today, which i will read, "we are not going to comment on specific requests, but to help users protect their rights it is our policy to notify users about law enforcement and governmental requests for their information." katie? >> couric: all right, dean reynolds from chicago tonight. thank you, dean. we will have more on the shooting in tucson today right after this. onstar. safely connecting you in ways you never thought pos

and so the white house wanted the justice department, was hoping the justice department would simplythe bill knowing this provision would not be a problem. and after a great struggle, i had to go to the white house and say we did not believe we could say it was unconstitutional in the sense that we believe that the court would agree with us that it was unconstitutional, if it went to court. and that's the standard that we had set in an earlier memorandum we had done for the white house counsel that the president would disregard the law if he believed it was unconstitutional and in good faith believed the court would agree with him. that was necessary condition. and acting on the belief it was unconstitutional, and he would not comply could lead to a judicial review of the matter as it did in u.s. versus meyers, refusing to submit it to the senate first. we thought we could not say given the deference that the supreme court had given, we thought that congress would -- the court would very likely oppose it. they had upheld male-only service registration in deference to military. we tho

the justice department claims that some defendants have shown a willingness to kill to make money and silence witnesses. >> the charges contained in the indictments today. even more of this is the notion that the mob is a thing of the past. >> and the fbi has seen an increase in performance. the authorities say it is not the end of organized crime, just one more step in an ongoing battle. >> speaking from los angeles, she said the mafia of today is not what it used to be. >> and they were revered, the kings of the neighborhood. even though there were barbarians, there was something of a family culture. that is totally degraded now. starting with the head of the other families. a lot of them have turned state's witness and revealed everything about their former colleagues. allot of the loyalty, a lot of the culture of family is totally deteriorated. >> of what was the presence like in new york and neighboring states? >> in my father's time, every business owner knew who the local mafia was. kickbacks. they are only relegated to a few sectors. they manipulate labor unions, and the busin

the day i took over the justice department, i requested an interview with ted olson, who was one of the assistant attorneys general, because he had hoover's old office. the only reason i wanted that interview was to go in and see hoover's office again. i never told olson that. and my father was an f.b.i. agent for 37 years under j. he had war hoover. my mother worked in the f.b.i. for several years. that's how she met my father before she went over to become the secretary and help me on my career path. and, you know, there wasn't one night you wouldn't come back from school and dad would come home from work thaw didn't hear a great story about j. he had war hoover or something going on in the f.b.i. >> did your dad like mr. hoover? >> very much so. he's one of those agents that has stood by him, as has daloche underneath hoover. from racism to homosexualism to things like that, as well as somebody like ray oneal, another friend of my father's, who also wrote a book. >> where did you meet your wife? >> i met my wife at the white house. she was an intern. she was one that did land an inte

to improve the technology, modernize the equipment for the justice department, and we have been working with the mayor's budget office and dhr to fill the positions related to justice, so i think we are tackling the problem on the systems, and i think it will be more reliable in the future. supervisor mirkarimi: and is part of attacking the problem recruiting the cro -- cfo from the department? absolutely. >> is there anyone else who wants to speak? >> i just want to say, ♪ good luck with your license on paul street good luck with your license on paul street and make the money fly make it fly up, up and away, with telx and paul street up, up and away with item 2. >> are there any other public comments or anyone who would like to speak on item two? then public comment is closed. the item that is before the committee, i know there might be an additional question. one is around the flexibility of the city to be able to exit, and from my understanding of it, there are two the we are talking about. there is also the renewals. was there any opportunity for the city to potential shorten that t

at the justice department. former new orleans mayor and national urban league president marc morreale also took part of his hour-long event. >> welcome to the 2011 department of justice dr. martin luther king jr. commemorative program. my name is richard and i'm the director of the division of equal employment opportunity staff and will serve as a master of ceremony for today's program. to begin, i ask that you please rise for the presentation of the colors by the junior rotc color guard unit of washington, d.c.,'s spin guard senior high school, and for the singing of the national anthem by ms. dorothy williams, peos see special civil rights division. following the national anthem, supervisor specialist of criminal section of the civil rights provision will provide the opening invocation. ♪ oh, say, can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ thro' the perilous fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched ♪ were so ga

justice this morning. mayor gavin newsom who's now lieutenant governor is reaching into the police department to find a successor to d.a. carmella harris who has moved up to be state attorney general. terry mcsweeney is live at the hall of justice with more on the shuffling. terry? >> yeah. and the shuffle includes the top cop is now the top prosecutor george gascon moving from the fifth floor, the chief's office, down to the third floor of the d.a.'s office at the hall of justice and he becomes the city's first latinos district attorney and maybe the first time ever to have never prosecuted a criminal case. take a look at the ceremony at san francisco city hall. mayor newsom swearing in george gascon as the new district attorney. his selection of newsom on saturday seemed to come out of nowhere. they had a meeting about candidates and newsom said, wait a minute, you'd make a good candidate. he practiced civil law. bankruptcy and labor cases mostly for about 18 months back in the '90s. never touched a criminal case. no problem says gascon. >> the d.a.'s office about the same as prosecuting cases on the floor. th

that's the ruling of a judge at a san francisco justice department court today. she set guidelines for the slugger's march 21st perjury trial. bonds lawyers fought to exclude testimony from players like jason and jeremy giamby and other teammates. some evidence in the case cannot be shown to jurors because it was tied to greg anderson who refuses to testify in the case. that evidence would connect bonds to positive tried tests. bonds is charged with perjurye and obstruction. after telling a grand jury in 2003 that he never knowingly took steroids. >>> they say they don't want to be alarmist but they are sounding the alarm. the silicon valley leadership group says caltrains could reach the end of the tracks if not getting serious help. the caltrains summit brought together representatives from several counties to talk about the train's $30 million deficit. that's about 30% of caltrains' $100 million annual budget. if leaders can't come up with a solution, the 42,000 weekday riders can expect drastic cuts, including limited trains and no weekend service. worst case

the "washington post" that their son's federal trial might be moved to california, but the justice department rejected that possibility and vowed to keep him in arizona. while doctors treating congresswoman gabrielle giffords say they won't have to keep her in the hospital much longer and could soon be ready for rehab. >> it could be days to weeks. it's a matter of getting all that information from our therapists. >> reporter: she went through two more surgeries over the weekend and was upgraded from critical to serious and according to her husband, was able to give him a bedside back rub. while across town, there was a memorial for gabe zimmerman. >> he was charismatic and patient at the same time. passionate. >> reporter: the memorial outside the safeway continued to grow monday. it's also where security cameras are located that captured the shooting on tape. it's now in the hands of the fbi and described as particularly gruesome. >>> on this holiday, many people hit the rails and pavement today to mark the birthday of martin luther king jr. passengers boarded freedom trains in san jose thi

guests i will be introducing later but we have two guests and two special leaders from the department of justiceoffice of violence against women i have been so thrilled with and so grateful for the leadership and commitment from our leaders at the department of justice. it is my privilege to introduce to you our first speaker the personal attorney general eric holder. he has dedicated his career to public service in many venues including on the court and he inspires all of us to work harder to help citizens of of violence and prevent violence in the first instance. please welcome attorney-general eric holder. [applause] >> good morning. come on, folks. good morning. there we go. thank you for that kind introduction and for your leadership in the office of violence against women. this is a special occasion and i am glad to see everyone is here in spite of the weather. the older children are at home. they think it is a great day. it is cool to canceled today. you and your team are doing extraordinary work to improve public safety and to provide much needed support to our neighbors in need and in c

kroft: there have been clear signs that assange, under the threat of possible indictment by the justice departmentrated some of his views. before releasing the last two batches of classified documents, assange and his lawyers contacted both the pentagon and the state department, offering to explore ways to minimize potential harm. in both cases, their offer was rebuffed. assange acknowledged that his fundraising has been hurt by the decision of paypal, mastercard, visa and bank of america to cease handling donations. but he dismissed reports that wikileaks is wracked by internal dissention and mass defections. >> assange: we're talking about daniel domscheit-berg, who was a german spokesman, had a limited role in the organization. we had to suspend him some five months ago. >> kroft: describes you as being authoritarian, secretive, punitive. >> assange: i'm the boss that suspended him, that's correct. >> kroft: you don't care to elaborate? >> assange: i think i just did. >> kroft: you said you have this package of very damaging documents, sort of a poison pill, that's going to be released if anyth

at the justice department. the former new orleans mayor andy -- new orleans mayor took part. >> we stand together unified to commemorate the life and the legacy of dr. martin luther king. we are humbled and the grateful that we have a part to play in the freedoms that he so valiantly fought for. continue to put it in our minds and hearts to stand up and fight for righteousness and justice. amen. >> i would like to formally welcome our speakers at this time. the honorable eric holder, jr.. thank you, sir. [applause] thank you for joining us today. i would also like to a knowledge of our deputy attorney general. [applause] as well as several of our heads who have joined us today. thank you for being here. we are fortunate to have with us the assistant attorney general for the civil-rights division. welcome. i would also like to extend a warm welcome to our keynote speaker. [applause] he is the president and ceo of the national urban league, the nation's largest civil rights organization. we also welcome lisa p. j

a demonstration, a tall -- called the justice department, whenever it was. i am going to speak this part. my parents called the constantly because they thought that i was duped by communists. this is especially relevant today because there were four columnists of the time, right-wing journalists who repeatedly accused the civil-rights movement of being under communist control. my nervous parents who were kind of them fit in their new middle-class shoes tends to bring me home and send me to a deprogramming place. there were so convinced that i was not in my right mind. my mother send care packages throughout this time, even including an air conditioner for the green would office when summer. on the one hand we sure that when my parents knew. i could not help wondering if they thought that these kids would bring me back home and and do the brainwashing. i think i should stop, jennifer. i have a little more, but i think i should stop. [applauding] >> and organizer, writer, photographer, and occasional as a professor. she worked for 1963 to 1967 primarily an ala

the justice department' claims that some have shown a willingness to kill to make money and silence witnesses. and >>> even more of a myth is e notion that the law is a thing of the past. that the cosa nostra a shadow of itself. >> increasingly, the testimony has led to longer prison terms for mafia figures. but authorities insist it is not the end of organized crime, just one more step in an ongoing battle. >> google's fourth quarter profits have been overshadowed by a surprise shakeup in the boardroom. the company's co-founder, larry page, is taking over for eric schmidt as ceo. the reaction among google watchers is mixed so far. with the company doing even better than expected, some say it is the perfect time to make a change at the front lines. others are skeptical. this has always -- presumably always will be a major company. >> eric schmidt has been at the helm as chief executive for a decade. they have really been making decisions as a threesome, what he calls a triumvirate. but now that he is stepping down, i suppose they will streamline the management of the company to make decisions

the justice department claims that some defendants have shown a willingness to kill to make money andilence witnesses appeared >> the notion that today's mob families are more genteel and less violent than in the past is quick to live by the charges contained in the indictment today. even more of the myth is the notion that the mob is a thing of the past. that the cosa nostra is a shadow of its former self. >> in recent years, the fbi has seen increase in it informants. authorities insist today's arrests are not the end of new york's organized crime, just one more step in an ongoing battle. >> the daughter of a former mafia associate said that the mafia of today is not like it used to be paired >> when my father operated, and they were the kings of the neighborhood . even though there were barbarians, there was a family culture. that is totally degraded out. starting in the early 1990's, with sammy the bull, a lot of mafiosos have turned state's witness and revealed everything about their former colleagues. a lot of the loyalty, a lot of that culture of family, it is totally deteriora

in the last few years, the justice department has become more aggressive in protecting competition. competition workshops held across the country -- and this is a very interesting thing. the joining of justice and the department of agriculture, not a partnership you generally see. that asing to build on we talk about the overconcentration in agriculture businesses. and i hope congress will finally repealed the health insurance industry's exemption from our antitrust laws. there was bipartisan support for that in the last congress. there is no place in our health insurance market for anti- competitive abuses. and repealing this anti-trust exemption is a good way to start competitiveness in the health insurance market. there are ways that the judiciary committee can help our economic recovery. we can strengthen programs like the regional assessment program that encourages foreign investment, spur job creation in our state and local economies. i would like to see foreign money coming in here and creating jobs in the united states more than american money going abroad and creating jobs i

the charges include murder, racketeering and extortion covering what the justice department calls decades-worth of offensees. >>> residents of a mountain view apartment complex are hoping an exterminator can eliminate a blood-sucking pest. bed bugs were dorph discovered in two units. exterminators are using heating fans to kill the pests that can cause itchy red welts when they bite. bedbug infestations in the u.s. sored by 81% in the last decade. >>> well, a man already on the inside of san francisco's city hall has decided to pick about a fight with a powerful city agency. the issue, parking tickets combined with election-year politics. >> reporter: with drivers now able to use everything from coins to credit cards to pay for street parking the transportation agency reports revenues from parking fines and tickets are down $7 million for the year. they are stepping up enforcement with parking control officers writing more tickets for time limits and yellow zone violations. >> there is no denying the fact that revenue say part of issuing parking tickets. the main thing we issue them for is easi

the fcc and the justice department both approved the $14 billion deal today, with conditions. comcast must set aside channels for independent programmers, and keep nbc shows on free over-the- air stations. it also must follow open internet rules and give up management of the video web site hulu. two men have been charged in an alleged attack on at&t's computer system last summer. new jersey's u.s. attorney's office says the men stole personal information and email addresses for 120,000 users of apple's ipad. still ahead, tonight's "word on the street"-- toys, and the impact of movies like "toy story 3" may have on toy maker stocks. >> susie: president obama continues to court the business community, and ordered today a review of all government regulations. he wants to make sure the rules aren't holding back economic growth. he's asking agencies to look at the cost of regulations and how they affect small businesses. the government is knee-deep in writing hundreds of new rules, from last year's financial overhaul to the new health care law. >> tom: president obama is sitting do

the lawyers in the justice department is handling the legal debate. what i find in talking to new governors who are being sworn in last week and this week and working with insurance commissioners is that while there may be ongoing legal discussions in the court, there is also the implementation work going on at this stage. people have access to state planning and are beginning to put together the framework for a state exchange, states who are eager to tap into the website so there consumers can get this information, states around the country that have taken advantage of the new consumer grants so that people have folks on the ground where they can go for help when they are shopping for insurance coverage. there is lots of work going on looking at this changing marketplace and getting ready for the future. the court cases will continue to go along. implementation is full speed ahead. >> i know question for amy goldstein. >> there have been three different court rulings so far. there are two dozen federal court cases. no matter which way the judges rule

he asked that we let the justice department pursue their civil and criminal investigations and let that go where it will. but there is no question that b.p. made some really egregious mistakes. >> egregious but not negligent? >> he grej use. negligence is a term of law and i'm to the going to go there. >> some of the industry insiders that i have spoken to are angry with b.p. because they believe the company is giving the entire industry a bad reputation. >> does your report support the idea that this is kind of an isolated problem that the rest of the industry may not be, may not have these kinds of problems. >> i would say two things with that. first of all i think b.p. was especially challenged with respect to process safety. there is a long history that makes that quite clear. i think lord brown himself acknowledged in his memoir that they paid insufficient attention to it. didn't spend the money they should have. >> the former c.e.o.. >> former c.e.o. of b.p. didn't spend the money on the coroading pipes in alaska resulting in 5,000 barrels spilling in the snows there. and then the

justice department officials say the ex-officer's actions were deplorable and endangered national security43-year-old jeffrey sterling was employed by the cia from 1993 to 2002. he is suspected of illegally disclosing national defense information to a "new york times" reporter several weeks after the cia rejected his request to allow the publication of his memoirs. the obama administration is responding harshly to all information leaks by government officials following the recent disclosure of thousands of u.s. diplomatic cables by wikileaks. >>> the number of people infected with the h1n1 influenza is rising in japan. the virus is now blamed for over half the number of infections. the national institute of infectious diseases reported 9,863 cases of influenza as of december 26th. the figure is based on reports from about 5,000 clinics and hospitals across the nation. the number of patients rose for the tenth straight week mainly in northern and southern japan. the institute says the h1n1 strain of the flu virus was responsible for 62% of all new infections in december. until that month, t