leonhart: i certainly doms. leonhart:. mr. lynch: under the department of homeland security regs and statutes what we're talking about here is solicitation of prostitution it is clearly within the definition of human trafficking. yet the dea is charged -- i know we were down in central america recently and that is a big part of the dea's mission, to combat human trafficking. we actually give grants to the department -- to the dea and to the fbi and the state department as part of trafficking victims protection act and the violence against women act. we give grants to your agencies to prevent human trafficking prevent prostitution. yet the very people, the very departments that are getting this money are in this case engaging in human trafficking. it brings me back to the of believability of what has happened here. -- the on believability of what has happened. under the factors that we use in determining discipline, one of the factors is the seriousness of the offense and whether the offense is indirect fire relation of the age

leonhart: no. the funds by the dea-bogota office that go to the colombian national police for operations are now audited. they require receipts. the 2000-2003 timeframe was at the beginning stages of the unit. miss norton: according to the cooperating witness -- the corroborating witness, it was presented to the dea with additional information. "for additional funds," apparently not enough funds were in the operational budget, "which were used for prostitution and parties for agents." are you aware of that allegation, that they didn't have enough? ms. leonhart: i am aware that the corrupt national police officers who ended up being indicted by dea and convicted what they were talking about is padding their operational requests. this norton: in other words, fraudulent budgets. ms. leonhart: yes, on behalf of the colombian police. ms. norton: you can't wash the hands of the office -- this is a corroborating witness who stated that the operational budgets were presented to the dea to cover operational

leonhart: no. the funds by the dea-bogota office that go to the colombian national police for operations are now audited. they require receipts. the 2000-2003 timeframe was at the beginning stages of the unit. miss norton: according to the cooperating witness -- the corroborating witness, it was presented to the dea with additional information. "for additional funds," apparently not enough funds were in the operational budget, "which were used for prostitution and parties for agents." are you aware of that allegation, that they didn't have enough? ms. leonhart: i am aware that the corrupt national police officers who ended up being indicted by dea and convicted, what they were talking about is padding their operational requests. ms. norton: in other words fraudulent budgets. ms. leonhart: yes, on behalf of the colombian police. ms. norton: you can't wash the hands of the office -- this is a corroborating witness who stated that the operational budgets were presented to the dea to cover operational

leonhart: yes. mr. mica: the difference, folks members of the committee this is the same thing whether it's secret service d.e.a., i.r.s., any agency. she doesn't have the right to summarily fire people. she has to go through a process merit system protection, the protections of title 5, a federal act created by congress. unless you change that law and give these people the ability to fire people summarily when they are found in a proper process and a speedy process to violate whether it's sexual assault, sexual harassment, you'll have this continue -- all these problems continue across the scope of all of our civil service systems. the only one exempt from that, i understand is f.b.i. to get enough time to ask you questions about how many people you fired. we'll get that on the record at some point i hope. yield back. mr. chaffetz: i thank the gentleman. i recognize the ranking member -- sorry, mr. lynch, the gentleman from massachusetts, who is the ranking member of the subcommittee on national securi

michele leonhart's retirement will be effective next month.ief white house correspondent major garrett is following this. >> reporter: retirement space michele leonhart from being fired. her departure comes after an inspector general's report revealed dea agents in colombia participated in sex parties financed partly by drug lords. another report found taxpayer money was also used. the parties are believed to have gone on from 2001 until 2008. at hearing before congress last week, leonhart who has held her position since 2007 defended the dea. >> unfortunately, poor choices made by a few individuals can tarnish the reputation and overshadow the outstanding work being done at the dea. >> reporter: in a statement, attorney general eric holder credited leonhart with "innumerable instances of the dea dismantling the most violent and most significant drug trafficking organizations." the white house twice refused to say whether president obama had confidence in leonhart, a signal her tenure was coming to an end. scott, the republican and democratic

the head of this agency, michelle leonhart is here with us today. giving her extended tenure at dea during the same timeframe of these abuses, we will have very direct questions for her. the administer was nominated by president bush in 2003 served as deputy administer as daa to begin serving as an acting administrator in 2007 and president bush nominated her to serve as administrator in 2008. she was nominated again by president obama and confirmed by the senate in 2010. the inspector general reports and i quote, says that the dea supervisors treated alleged sexual misconduct and sexual harassment as a local management or performance related issue come into school. it also finds it when the administrator learned about these allegations, or agency of posed extremely light penalties. for example, when she was informed about wild parties involving prostitutes, she counseled the regional director for failing to report the allegations, in the quote. that was it. just counseling. no other this plenary action. one question for the administrator is what wo

leonhart. how can you not possibly know all the facts. >> deciding facts officials look at, the douglas factors not knowing that piece only knowing what the behavior was and what the investigations show, i took action last year to put the agency on notice that activity like that, and i named it, prostitution named four or five other things, required significant discipline. and that put our deciding officials and our board of conduct on notice. >> do you have any idea how absurd all of that sounds to an ordinary human being? >> i can see someone not knowing the civil service system and not understanding our system, would think that. >> let's assume, because i think i just asked you if you saw anything that merited somebody being dismissed. you didn't say yes which i assume means you meant no. assume for sake of discussion you saw something that merited dismissal, what would you do? >> i can't intervene in the process the way the law is set up. >> how do you start the process? >> what you can do

congressman jason chacin says look the other way leonhart tried to sweep it under the rug.pector general found note worthy that they did not investigate the prostitutes and though those investigations were closed prematurely. no surprise given that leonhart claimed she couldn't do anything and couldn't even explain under the civil service rules what she could and couldn't do. why someone this incompetent would be running the drug enforcement administration is lost on me. this scandal not only speaks to her lack of a moral compass but also to her lack of a backbone. most of women i know in law enforcement, especially the ones in charge, are some of the toughest broads out there. but this wimp says she can't fire, she can't discipline, she can't take away their security clearances, but what she can do is build on and improve. build on and improve what? get better quality hookers? a real leader would know those agents are in jeopardy, that any cartel paying a prostitute to sleep with a cop is not doing it for public relations. they're doing it to get information, to stop cops

leonhart you run the d.e.a. is it appropriate in your off time, even in a country where prostitution is illegal, to engage with prostitutes? >> absolutely not. it's against policy and illegal. >> how can any of your agents not know this? this strikes me as common sense. i mean, we have a memo from eric holder, not a fan of mr. holder, but he really -- i can't believe there's even a need for a memo that says it's not appropriate to hire prostitutes. let me read from the memo. "the solicitation of prostitution threatens the core mission of the department. not simply because it invites extortion, blackmail and leaks of sensitive or classified information, but because it also undermines the department's effort to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking. regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction soliciting prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and as a consequence, increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into sex slavery.

michele leonhart is stepping down retiring in may. leonhart served 35 years in the drug enforcement administration and has led the agency since 2007. but she's been under fire following a scathing report about agents attending sex parties by local -- funded by local drug cartels in colombia. several members of congress had called for leonhart's resignation. >>> a u.s. marshal is under investigation for smashing a woman's cell phone. it happened as she was recording police activity near her home. john blackstone has more on what's becoming a growing trend in the country. >> reporter: 34-year-old beatrice piaz says she plans to take action after a u.s. marshal approached her without warning knocking her cell phone out of her hands and destroying it. >> he threw everything on the ground and smashed it with his foot. he stomped on it and he kicked it. >> reporter: she says she was recording police activity happening four houses away. >> about eight to ten people being held in front of a lawn at gunpoint all on their stomach with their han

leonhart told congress she did not have the authority to fire the agents.nd issued a bipartisan statement of no confidence. the white house declined to defend leonhardt who has led the dea since 2007. loretta lynch is still waiting for a donconfirmation. her nomination has been held up for months over a controversy over a u.s. trafficking bill. that controversy appears to have been resolved. it would clear the way for a vote to confirm the attorney general nominee. it does appear she has the votes, barely. and her vote could come as soon as tomorrow. loretta lynch would be the first african-american woman to lead the justice department. >>> all right. got a picture to show you, pucker up for bipartisanship. house leader john boehner and nancy pelosi shared a kiss. i like this because it looks like they're both enjoying themselves. i want to see with harry reid and mitch mcconnell. this is a celebration at the white house to celebrate a compromise on the doc fix. president obama thanked lawmakers for coming up with this compromise. no word if he kissed them

michelle leonhart is investigating.he told lawmakers she couldn't fire agents for bad behavior even if she wanted to. >> i don't recommend the sanction. i can't fire. i can't recommend a penalty. >> you have to work with agents over whom you can't discipline and have no wroel and you have no control over the security clearance, what the hell do you get to do? >> there were some calling for her to be fired herself or redesign. >> it came hours after the white house said they were skeptical about her ability to continue. >> the president as you know maintains a very high standard for administration particularly when it comes to law enforcement officials. the ig report raised serious concerns about that conduct. >> the statement from attorney general eric holder much nicer. he said i want to express my appreciation for michelle not only the leadership for the dea but 35 years of extraordinary service for the dea for the department of justice and the american people. the agents in the ig report about prostitutes were suspen

miss leonhart and mr. horowitz, in the attorney general's memo for all department personnel dated april 10 2015 subject prohibition on solicitation of prostitution it says that the solicitation of prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a kwent increase in the number of minors trafficked into sex slavery. do you agree with that? do you agree with that assessment? >> i certainly think it raises the risks. >> do you agree with that. >> i certainly do. >> okay. also under the department of homeland security regs and a couple of the statutes we have what we're talking about here, the solicitation of prostitutes for 15 to 20 parties is within the definition of human trafficking. and yet the dea is charged -- i know myself and others were down in central america recently. that's a big part of the dea's mission is really to combat human trafficking. we actually give grants to the department of -- to the dea and to the fbi and to state department as part of the trafficking victims pr

and leonhart told congress she did not have authority to fire the agents.e issued a bipartisan statement of no confidence. the white house declined to defend leonhart who has led the dea since 2007. eric holder is still in office because his replacement loretta lynch is still waiting for don firmation. her nomination has been held up. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says he expects to pass the human trafficking bill which would clear the way for a vote to confirm loretta lynch as soon as tomorrow. confirmation is expected for tomorrow. >>> let's get an early start on "your money" right now. alison kosik here with that. good morning. >> good morning. we're seeing more red arrows as we see stock futures lower. the dow fell 85 points mostly because of disappointing earnings. dow don'ts dupont verizon and travelers all fell after reporting first quarter numbers. and chipotle also watching down about 6% at the bell. the chain reporting slower but still impressive growth. now, there's even more going on today for investors to process. we're going to be hea

officials say that michelle leonhart plans to retire. leonhart clashed with president obama mother marijuana. her departure comes as the agency face as scandal. alonglawmakers criticized leonharts handleing about reports. >>> the navajo nation is heading to the polls. voting in the country's largest native american tribe will begin in november. it was postponed when one of the leading candidates was removed from the ballot. the reason? he did not speak navajo. still the ruling sparked an uproar and divided the community. >> language is important and identifies who you are and where we come from. we cannot be a nation without language. >> we've been told that your language has no value. so why use it? why keep it? why speak it? why teach it to your children? just learn english and be done with it. >> coming up at the half hour, much more on this story and what happened to the candidate who was barred from running. >>> plus the multi billion dollar case pitting oil giant cheveron against a group of amazon villagers and their american lawye

leonhart told lawmakers she did not have authority to fire the agents. she leaves in may. >>> the nfl, a big step closer to coming back to the l.a. area. now that the city council has approved the construction of a new stadium. >> bring 'em back. bring 'em back. bring 'em back! bring 'em back! bring 'em back! >> fans of the oakland raiders and san diego chargers getting a little excited. maybe getting ahead of themselves, too. they packed the city council meeting in carson last night. council voted unanimously in support of a nearly $2 billion stadium, where their teams could play. fans clearly excited about the possibilities. >> it's like christmas. you know, i mean, i ain't celebrated christmas in a long time. it's christmas to me. you knower my -- my raiders are coming back. the chargers. l.a.'s ready for this. we ready. i'm glad this is happening. >> what's the problem with christmas? come on, man? you gotta get into christmas. nothing is going to happen immediately. the next time teams can apply to relocate is next january. the decision would then h

michelle leonhart is leaving agency.awmakers wanted her out after several dea agents had sex parties with prostitutes paid by colombian drug cartels. leonhart said she could not fire the agents because of the maze of civil service protections for government workers but house oversight and government reform committee chairman jason chaffetz doubts that is true. >> i do think the law needs to change so there is more absolute discretion for administrators there but she could have done some other things. a, she could have allowed the inspector general to go in look deeper. they withheld than a pushed that back. if you're having sex parties funded by drug cartels you can't revoke their security clearance? are you kidding me? nobody bought that. >> sounds crazy to most people. charlie you have friend close to it you know what? maybe that is how it is? >> this is very difficult job for these guys. sometimes they need to blow off steam. >> stop. >> no, you did not. >> i'm only kidding. >> who hasn't been to a sex party by a drug

administrator michele leonhart, who has held the job since 2007. >> unfortunately, poor choices made by a few individuals can tarnish the reputation ask overshadow outstanding work being done at the d.e.a. >> reporter: according to the new report, the d.e.a. sex parties in colombia began in 2001 and are believed to have ended in 2008. it was daily routine, according to the report, for operational budgets to use leftover money to hire prostitutes. bu seven agents who admitted participating in sex parties received suspension of just one to 10 days. committee chairman jasontz chaffetz was furious that agents haven't been fired. >> you allow this person who engages a prostitute, throws glass at her, breaking the skin-th - there's blood all over the place-- and they're still employed at the d.e.a.? >> reporter: leonhart noted there was little she could do because of civil service protections for federal workers. >> i assure you that i was quite disappointed in the penalties imposed.ep >> reporter: last week, attorney general eric holder put out amo memo reminding department employees that

the head of this agency, michele leonhart is here with us today. given her extended tenure at d.e.a. during the same time frame of these abuses, we'll have very direct questions for her. the administrator was nominated by president bush in 2003 to serve as deputy administrator of d.e.a. she began serving as acting administrator in 2007. and president bush nominated her to serve as administrator in 2008. she was nominated again by president obama and confirmed by the senate in 2010. the inspector general reports and i quote, says that the d.e.a. supervisors treated alleged sexual misconduct and sexual harassment as a local management or performance-related issue, end of quote. it also finds that when the administrator learned about these allegations her agency imposed extremely light penalties. for example, when she was informed about while parties involving prostitutes, she, and i quote, counseled the regional director for failing to report the allegations end of quote. that was it. just counseling. no other disciplinary action. one critical questi

leonhart. you've been with the dea for how many years? >> 35. >> and about 5 years in your current position? >> since 2010. >> so you take this seriously being part of law enforcement? i enjoy a great relationship with law enforcement back home. and the standards that are violated by some within the ranks, painting a bad picture for the rest. do you agree with that? >> yes. these are you know, a few compared to the 4600 agents that work for dea. very proud of our agency and this hits us hard. >> it should hit you hard. you keep saying you're appalled and you can't believe this kind of behavior. my concern is in 1994 there was a gao report that outlined and you were there at that particular time that outlined sexual misconduct. and then there was an oig study that talked about this same kind of inappropriate behavior. yet, here we are today with a new report that's over 100 pages in length but we're addressing the decade old cultural problem aren't we? this is not new to you. is that correct? >>

lawmakers appalled when leonhart said the decision and said that keeps her from firing the agents. >> don't buy it. am american public don'tesn't buy it. if this is the behavior they are going to engage thisin they shouldn't have security clearance she shouldthey shoulder fired. >> you are protecting the people who solicited prostitutes who had 15-20 sex parties, went through this whole operation, used tax payer money to do it. >> leonhart says she hopes training will help similar incidents from happening again. >> after signing the big check to the government you are finally getting paid back. >> loren simonetti is here with big tax day freebies. >> we have fun ones for you. if you wrote a big check to uncle sam some companies looking to ease the pain with savings. boston market letting you buy one meal get one free. great american cookie giving away free sugar cookies. you don't have to buy anything. sometimes you have to do something a little extra. chef free chips and case so if you say the secret pass word. hard rock cafe says you will get a free burger if you get up on stage and

. >> reporter: michele leonhart has led the dea since 2007 and has been with the agency for 35 years. she's resigning a midst a cloud of controversy. she was a rising star in federal law enforcement but now michelle leonhart is stepping dun down avenue revelations ten dea agents had sex parties in colombia involving prostitute, some hired by drug cartels. >> this is national security issues when criminal cartels can get that close to agents. >> reporter: the attorney generaling the announced leonhart's resolution tuesday calling her a trailblazer for being the first woman that was named special agent in charge. this comes after an inspector general report last month which detailed those parties allegedly occurring between 2005 and 2008. >> law enforcement is not above the law and you -- this sexual misconduct cannot be accepted. >> reporter: last week, leonhart was grilled by lawmakers who demanded to know why the agents were suspended not fired. >> can you revoke their security clearance? >> i can't revoke their security clearance. >> honestly? what power do you have? >> what i can d

no theis was like the straw that broke the camel's back for michelle leonhart.lost trust in the -- in the committee hearing she had a terrible performance in answering questions as to why the dea agents who were accused of this wrongdoing of the misbehavior were basically were basically just suspended for 14 days at the most and now they're still on the job. some of them still have their top secret security clearance. and she really couldn't answer those questions. that's what really did it when she lost the confidence of congress and the administration was not liking her because of the way she's handled -- the way the u.s. -- the federal government has handled the legalization of marijuana on the state level. there's plenty of issues with michelle leonhart. >> tell me quickly about loretta lynch and now how that human trafficking vote happened. will that be paving the way for her getting her way through? >> yes. we expect she'll probably get a vote on thursday. we might have a new attorney general certainly by the end of the week. ir rake hold eric holder he'll

the justice department said that michelle leonhart will retire in mid may.s one of eric holder's last jobs as attorney general of the united states, in addition to sending out memos reminding people not to solicit prostitutes. one of the last jobs is suggesting somebody to lead the the the agency that made the no hookers memo a necessary thing. happy trails. wish your skin could bounce back like it used to? new neutrogena hydro boost water gel. with hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin. hydro boost. from neutrogena. >>> it started from my experience scuba diving. i just remember that is a way of -- >> accidental death is what he says there. turns out there's an un dotted line between scuba diving and a state trying something so unsettling, it ought to be front page news everywhere. it might end up being front page news as soon as next week for the whole country. it's a very strange story out of one specific state. that story is next. please stay right there. >>> we have breaking news in the fo

michele leonhart announced her retirement yesterday. nbc's kristen welker is live from the white house with more on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: aaron, good morning to you. that's right, michele leonhart has led the dea since 2007 and has been with the agency for over 35 years. she is now stepping down amidst a controversy. the inspector general's report found between 2005 and 2008, dea agents engaged in sex parties in colombia, some hired by the drug cartels. last week, she was called to testify before congress. she was grilled about all of this. lawmakers infuriated. wanted to know specifically why those agents had been suspended, why they hadn't been fired. she didn't really provide satisfactory responses to the answers so you could tell last week that president obama a number of members of congress had started to lose confidence in leonhardt. yesterday, attorney general praised her for being a special agent in charge and she said, quote, she has devoted her life and her professional career to the defense of our nation. sh

. >> leonhart's top years at the dea have been uncomfortable. she was the target of online petitions of a drug alliance, calling on her to go after she distanced herself from the hands off approach toward legalized marijuana. and leonhart has not been fully on board the census reports by the justice department. it's not the first time, in 2012 revelations that the secret service agents had been doing the same thing in columbia created one of the most embarrassing incidents in the 150 year history of the elite service. with the dea in mid may they will pay tribute it her years in charge, citing work for drug trafficking gangs but tony, when you have an incident like this in the department and congress doesn't like it, you have to go. >> appreciate it, thank you. >>> baltimore police released new information about the death of freddie gray, but the justice department wants more. an investigation is open. >> . >> and calling for the death penalty in the boston marathon bomber, why it may be a difficult you have to sell for the jury. >> the sentenci

. >> reporter: she was a rising star in federal law enforce emt, but now michelle leonhart is stepping down after revelations at least ten dea agents had sex parties in colombia involving prostitutes, some of the women hired by drug cartels. >> this is all national security issues when criminal cartel cans get that close to agents. >> reporter: the attorney general announce lead i don't know hart's resignation on tuesday saying she has devoted her life and professional career to the defense of our nation. this after an inspector general report last month which detailed those parties allegedly occurring between 2005 and 2008. >> law enforcement is not above the law and you -- this sexual misconduct cannot be accepted. >> reporter: last week len heart was grilled by lawmakers who demanded to know why the agents were suspended not fired. >> can you revoke their security clearance? >> i can't revoke their security clearance. >> honestly? what power do you have? >> what i can do is build on and improve mechanisms. >> reporter: all this as the secret service has been reeling from a string of

director michelle leonhart said there was nothing she could do.lf the oversight committee, democrats and republicans, called for her to step down. today they got their wish. she has been at the high ranking position since 2004, as best as we can tell. now she's gone. or she's at least going. the justice department said that michelle leonhart will retire in mid may. that means one of eric holder's last jobs as attorney general of the united states, in addition to sending out memos reminding people not to solicit prostitutes, one of the last jobs is suggesting somebody to lead the the the agency that made the no hookers memo a necessary thing. happy trails. thanks for dealing with the hooker problem on your way out. ford is taking the ecoboost challenge all across america. here we go! check out escape and find out why ford is the brand more people buy and buy again. wow! that's a four-cylinder? i thought it was a six. i definitely feel the ecoboost in the ford escape. that's like a sports car. i just opened my trunk with my foot. i prefer, without a

. >>> michelle leonhart was drilled about light punishments for dea agents accused of attending sex parties while stationed in colombia engages in prostitutes. one congressman is calling for the dea chief to step down. >>> today marks two years since the boston marathon bombing. a moment of silence will be held this afternoon following by the ringing of church bells to honor the victims. meanwhile, a judge in the trial of dzhokhar tsarnaev has told jurors to stay away from this year's marathon. the following day, the jury will begin delivering if tsarnaev will spend life in prison or be sentenced to death. >>> today marks the 150th anniversary of the death of abraham lnking. reenacters gathered yesterday at the ford theater. lincoln wasn't pronounced dead until the following morning. several states will lower their flags to half staff. >>> tax day isn't so bad when there's freebies to find. >>> rita wilson diagnosed with cancer. how a second opinion may have saved her life. >>> and the new video of a plane careening off a run way. >>> well look at that. at least the third time this year, a

michele leonhart has led the dea since 2007. she has faced mounting criticism especially sie an inspector general report last month found that agents had sex parties in colombia with prostitutes paid for by cartels. >>> turning overse where u.s. warships are shadowing an iranian convoy off the coast of yemen. the fear is that tho ships are carrying weapons and that they cross from international waters into yemeni wa that could put the u.s. in a positi where it w take action. chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszews for us. >> reporter: the u.s. aircraft carrier theodore roosevelt the north arabian sea today stalking iranian warships but at a distance. just over the horizon a convoy of five iranian-guided missile frigits and two freighters. indicates that cargo ships are loaded with weapons for iranian-backed houthi rebels locked in a bloody civil war in yemen. but the iranian convoy is under constant surveillance by u.s. navy war plane would have to breakthrough a naval blockade of saudi and egyptian warships. today, presiden

michele leonhart stepped down this week. agents attended parties in colombia where prostitutes were attending. >>> a big step closer back to the l.a. area. now that the city council has approved a new stadium. >> bring 'em back. bring emback. bring 'em back! >> fans of the oakland raiders and san diego chargers getting excited. maybe getting ahead of themselves too. they packed the city council meeting in carson last night. in support of a nearly $2 billion stadium where their teams could play. fans clearly excited a bt the possibilities. >> it's like christmas. i ain't celebrated christmas in a long time. it's christmas to me. my raiders are coming back. the charger l.a.'s ready for this. we're ready. i'm glad this is happening. >> what's the problem with christmas? come on man? you got that get into christmas. nothing is going to happen immediately. the next time teams can apply to relocate is next january. the decision would have to cross a number of league hurdles. this is one of two proposals being floated to bring a te

the justice department said that michelle leonhart will retire in mid may. of eric holder's last jobs as attorney general of the united states, in addition to senlding out memos reminding people not to solicit prostitutes. one of the last jobs is suggesting somebody to lead the thaegs made the no hookers memo a necessary thing. happy trails. constipated? .yea dulcolax tablets can cause cramps but not phillips. it has magnesium and works more naturally than stimulant laxatives. for gentle cramp free relief of occasional constipation that works! mmm mmm live the regular life. [intercom] drivers to your marks... go! it's chaos out there. but the m-class sees in your blind spot... pulls you back into your lane... even brakes all by itself. it's almost like it couldn't crash... even if it tried. the 2015 m-class. see your authorized dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. when a moment spontaneously turns romantic why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? with cialis for daily use, you don't have

michelle leonhart was grilled on capitol hill about light punishments for dea agents accused of attending sex parties while stationed in colombia engages with prostitutes paid for by drug cartels. some were suspended for as little as two days. one congressman is calling for the dea chief to step down. >>> today marks two years since the boston marathon bombing. a moment of silence will be held this afternoon following by the ringing of church bells to honor the victims. meanwhile, the judge in the trial of dzhokhar tsarnaev has told jurors they must stay away from this year's marathon which will be run this coming monday. the following day, the penalty phase will start. that's when the jury will decide if tsarnaev will spend life in prison or be sentenced to death. he was convicted last week. >>> today marks the 150th anniversary of the death of abraham lincoln. reenacters gathered yesterday at ford's theater in washington. it was there where lincoln was shot while watching a play from the balcony. lincoln wasn't pronounced dead until the following morning. to mark today's occasion severa

. >>> the head of the drug enforcement agency michele lean leonhart is stepping down after her 35 years of service with the public agency. this move follows a justice department report last month that alleged drug agents stationed in colombia engaged in sex parties with prostitutes paid for by drug cartels. >>> a big game of high-stakes cat and mouse in the arabian sea tonight. two u.s. warships are talking an iranian convoy that might be trying to deliver weapons to yemen. that country is in the midst of a bloody civil war. the u.s. navy says the aircraft carrier "theodore roosevelt" and the guided missile destroyer normandy meant to secure that shipping channel. right now the iranian ships are inching along, we're told attempting to avoid confrontation. >> well we could be looking for a few more storms heading our way tomorrow. doug? >> yeah that's exactly right, wendy. right now we have kind of a cool night out there. not much wind but we're looking at a fairly cool night as skies have cleared. temperatures already in the low to mid-40s in some location and you'll notice a big chill

michele leonhart announced her retirement yesterday. in recent months the agency has been plagued with scandal after an investigation found several agents had engaged in sex parties with prostitutes while working overseas. leonhardt will leave her position in mid may and her replacement has not been named. >>> prosecutors are presenting new evidence to the jury that will decide the boston bomber's fate. the penalty phase began yesterday. they showed a photo of dzhokhar tsarnaev making an obscene gesture made in the courthouse months after the bombing. and they heard the sounds recorded in the moments after the bombing. >> unless you saw those pictures i don't think anybody can begin to imagine. you can't begin to imageton horror of that day. >> some jurors wiped away tears as victims recounted the terror the chaos and excruciating pain. >>> the virginia man whose child was conceived using a turkey baster does have parental rights. this is according to the three-judge panel that upheld the earlier decision. the court says the father supp

>> reporter: leonhart noted there was little she could do because of civil service protections for federal workers. >> i assure you that i was quite disappointed in the penalties imposed. >> reporter: last week attorney general eric holder put out a memo reminding department employees that paying a prostitute for sex is a violation of department policy. well today scott, some members of congress said it's a sad state of affairs when federal law enforcement agents need to be reminded of that. >> pelley: chip reid on capitol hill for us tonight. chip thanks very much. in the presidential race, hillary clinton's campaign reached iowa today, the site of the first-in-the-nation caucuses which will occur early next year. nancy cordes is with her. >> reporter: clinton's road trip ended at a one-building community college surrounded by fields in tiny monticello home to 3800 residents and today, it seemed, nearly as many journalists. >> i want to thank you mick for having me here and a few of my friends. >> reporter: inside, there was no podium, no teleprompter, and almost no audience, just clinton

michele leonhart has led the dea since 2007. last week she testified before members of the house oversight and government reform committee. she was questioned about dea agents who admitted taking part in sex parties with prostitutes paid for by colombian drug cartels. after the hearing members released a bipartisan statement saying they had, quote, they had no confidence in here. >>> to the high-stakes high-seas standoff playing out near yemen. u.s. and ally warships are prepared to possibly intercept an iranian convoy that may be trying to deliver weapons to rebel forces in yemen. nbc's tracie potts is in washington. tracie, is the white house prepared for this to turn into an international situation? >> reporter: dara they are preparing but hoping that's not the case. they are preparing by sending eight warships so far into that zone not to block the iranians but at this point they say they are just watching. this u.s. aircraft carrier is hovering in the waters off yemen this morning, not far from seven iranian cargo ships. th

leonhart is expected to leave her post sometime next month. >>> and it took more than five months, but it appears the senate will finally vote on loretta lynch's nomination to replace eric holder as attorney general. she will be the nation's first black attorney general. democrats filibustered legislation because it contained abortion restrictions. mcconnell said lynch's vote would only happen after the human trafficking bill was addressed. this led to widespread criticism. but mcconnell said he is pleased with the outcome. >> are you happy with the way that strategy worked out? >> yeah, i'm happy with it. >> do you think that was the only way to get it done? >> we needed to finish the trafficking bill. it was hung up on the history that everybody understood initially. you followed all this for an endless period of time. i said from the beginning to the end that we would take up the attorney general nomination just as soon as we finished trapping it. >> be very careful that you don't destroyed the human trafficking legislation. that is so important. my senators are not going to sit bac

michelle leonhart has led the dea since 2007. last week, she testified before members of the house oversight and government reform committee. she was questioned about d.e.a. agents who admitted taking part in sex parties with prostitutes paid for by colombian drug cartels. after the hearing, members released a bipartisan statement saying they had, quote no confidence in her. >>> now to the high stakes high seas standoff right now playing out between the u.s. and yemen. warships are prepared to intercept a convoy that may be meeting rebels in yemen. is the white house prepared for this to possibly turn into an international situation? >> they're preparing for it. they certainly hope that's not the case. but given what's happening they have to prepare for that. right now they've moved eight warships into that region. now, they're not part of the blockade. the obama administration says for now, they are fought trying to stop the iranian cargo ships, but they are watching. >> this usair craft carrier is hovering in the waters off yem

michele leonhart retiring under fire from congress. agents under her watch accused of taking part in sex parties involving prostitutes, paid for by drug cartels in clom biel ya housing paid for my american tax taxpayer taxpayers. most of those agents still on the job. >>> tonight, a major health headline about breast cancer and the new hope for a potential game changer now. after angelina jolie's dramatic surgery, tonight, there is a big development making it more affordable to get screened and much easier to get that all-important second opinion. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: this was the game changer, angelina jolie going public about her double mastectomy, saying a test for a breast cancer gene mutation saved her life. and tonight, news that that test will now be affordable for most women. >> you'll receive an e-mail when your sample has been received at the lab, and another e-mail when your results are ready. >> reporter: the new test just $249. many other tests for the brca gene ten times more expensive and often not cov

and there's something in the hope of that that i contrast with what michele leonhart said that really stayed with me. i another thing i really wanted to understand was what causes drug addiction. if you had said to me four years ago what causes heroin addiction, i would have looked at you like you were a little bit simple minded, and i would have said heroin causes heroin addiction, right? for 103 years we've been told a story that's so obvious that it's become part of our common sense. it's really easy. we think that the first 20 people on these rows, let's all use heroin for 20 days because there's chemical hooks in heroin our body would physically need the heroin, and that's what addiction is. we would physical hi crave it right? -- physically crave it, right? the first hint i got that there may be something wrong with that theory, was a guy pointed the out to me if any of us step out into the street now and we're hit by a car and we break our hip, we'll be taken to hospital and it's very often we'll be given a lot of morphine. it's heroin. it's much better than you're going to sco

a congressional committee blast blasted michele leonhart last week after an investigation that found dea agents in colombia attended sex parties paid for by drug lords. of the justice department says leonhart retires next month. >>> a potentially life saving genetic test for breast and ovarian cancers is on the market. the a a california startup says it's an easier way of determining whether women get those doctors. holly phillips is with us this morning, it sounds promising. >> reporter: the way the test is done is it uses a swab of saliva. women can do the test at home and mail it in for their results. your doctor can order the test or the company can provide a doctor for you and it looks for breast cancer and ovarian cancer genes, things like brca 1 and 2 as well as 17 others. the amazing thing is the cost. it's only $249 whereas ordinarily this type of testing runs up to $4,000. >> and you can get it from saliva and you're mailing it to who? where is it going? >> it's offered by an internet company so they send you a kit and you mail it back to them and get your results in six to

michelle leonhart is stepping down after discussing d.e.a.ex during an operation in colombia. >>> president obama is selling brating a rare moment of bipartisanship. he hosted an event on tuesday. on the medicare reform bill. mr. obama thanked both parties for coming together on something that makes the country either about. republican house speaker john boehner gave a kiss on the cheek to nancy pelosi. >>> new zealand's prime minister is apologizing to an auckland waitress for repeatedly pulling her a hair. the woman said in a post, it all least year apparently six different times. he called it a -- but the woman says it was bullying and harassment. she said she threatened to hit him if he didn't stop. >>> many across california are dealing with the water shortage. there are some communities that seem to be immune from it all. >> look, right across the street at this gated subdivision. and you see lush, manicured lawns and even golf courses. critics say this defies mother nature and it is mott sustainable. >>> still to come here, we'll look

leonhart is expected to leave her post sometime next month. >> what can you tell us darryl hunt?t and pro-sex party you are government. she may have served a long distinguished career blazer. she is out of sorts with the administration and congress. she has an a she has to go. >> where are we having all these problems? they seem to all be blowing up at the same time the dea, the secret service, a complete lack of discipline from top to bottom. >> i don't know if i go top to bottom. i'd worried more if it were in the pentagon and other places i suppose. i think both those agencies have trouble. it looks like secret service pay have a person there, informant to create discipline. dea needs the same thing. >> julian, your response or take from the white house? >> the white house has said as late as yesterday they had questions. they were drubld by what had come out when she was testifying on the hill. when you have the press secretary basically making that as far as they will go in terms of standing by you you know you are in trouble. i don't think there was anyway she was going to