. >> pelley: there's news tonight on a story that sharyl attkisson broke on this broadcast.t's about a program run by the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms that intentionally let guns in this country slip into mexico, hoping that the guns would lead agents to the drug cartels. earlier this year, two of those guns were found at the scene of the murder of a u.s. border agent. today, sharyl tells us congress demanded answers. >> reporter: six months ago today, border patrol agent brian terry was gunned down. today, three sitting a.t.f. senior agents sat beside terry's mom, cousin, and sister and said their agency may be to blame. >> i'm truly sorry for your loss. >> reporter: two of the guns found at the scene of terry's murder were part of thousands of part of thousands the atf -- the atf called it letting guns walk, a tactic they hoped would lead them to drug kingpins. agents who disagreed with the strategy blew the whistle. >> to walk a single gun, is, in my opinion, an idiotic move. we didn't give guns to people who were hunting bear. we were giving guns to people wh

sharyl attkisson, cbs news, washington. >> pelley: no illegal drug worries law enforcement more thanystal meth. but the federal government is stepping back from that fight. that story is next. ext. çó people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, which can potentially be life threatening, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than two weeks after starting plavix. i don't always have time to eat like i should. that's why i like glucerna shakes. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes, which can help lower a1c. [ male announcer ] glucerna. helping people with diabetes find balance. >> pelley: after 40 years of the war on drugs, most any cop will

she has been on it not the start but the breaking of this story is sharyl attkisson. senator grassley has been tenacious about getting to the bottom of this. >> you have been working hard to get to the bottom of this as well. how forthcoming have they been with you? >> not at all until recently. they have really stonewalled this. they used the minority on the committee to try to obstruct it. what is beginning to happen somebody must have figured out this investigation can't end until at the highest level, including the president, they say this is not a may have been. this was a failed program from the planning on. this is a bad practice. and we have to have assurances this will never happen again. >> the doj and atf it if they close information at this point in time it could compromise other investigations specifically perhaps even the trial of the trafficker who is accused of buying guns which were found at the site of the killing of agent terry and cummings saying in a letter you should hold off on the hearings until criminal prosecution is complete. are you concern

a lot of folks spoke to sharyl, and she does not want or enjoy the attention, but i think what it speaks to is a woman and an agency stepping up and filling the needs wherever they are. they are absolutely around youth and serving teenagers as well as the traditional age that cheryl has taken on more than a dozen and given them jobs recently. even the 25 and up in our neighborhood -- they really need some work force development, and that is not just more training. that is actual jobs and business opportunities, and she is always seeking new opportunities for those folks and making it happen. in addition, education, youth programs, summer services, keeping our community centers alive for our community, working together and building collaboration. you hear her name over and over again because those are needs, and she finds a way to get it done. so rarely does she speak on her own behalf or let any of the rest of us do it, but we would love to see the services that she is trying to make happen get the support that they need. thanks. supervisor chu: thank you. >> i am and activist in the wes

now congress is demanding answers as cbs news investigative correspondent sharyl attkisson joins us,gress were so worried about gun walking every time there was a shooting in the border state the whole office feared it was one of their guns. border patrol agent brian terry was gunned down four days before christmas. terry already mailed gifts to the family. >> the gifts brian picked out with such thought and care began to arrive in the mail the same we week. with each delivery we felt the indescribable pain of brian's death. but at the same time also remembered his amazing love and spirit. >> reporter: yet terry's mom and other family members told congress that today, six months later, they've been given virtually no meaningful information about his death. two guns found at the scene had been let on to the street a year before in the controversial atf operation meant to target cartel kingpins. three atf agents objected saying all it did was put lives at risk. special agent lee cosas says the government is trying to keep terry's murder investigation separate from the gun walking probe

sharyl, good morning. >> good morning, chris.tch the big fish. but insiders say in the process many lives were needlessly put in danger. >> reporter: last june, about nine months into the atf operation known as "fast and furious," suspects had purchased 1,608 firearms for over $1 million in cash transactions at various phoenix area gun shops. according to internal documents obtained by cbs news, atf already knew that 179 of those very weapons had turned up at crime scenes in mexico and 130 in the u.s. yet atf allowed some of the same suspects accused of being middlemen from mexican drug cartels to continue to buy and transfer assault weapons. sometimes agents say they videotaped the buys. >> he has got a whole bunch of -- >> reporter: but didn't interdict the guns. documents indicate intentions were good. the idea was to allow the transfer of firearms to pinpoint big cartel crooks rather than the small-time traffickers supplies them. >> they want to change the dynamic and truly go after the king pin, so give the king pin somethin

. >> sharyl attkisson, thank you for the latest from washington. >>> up next when you take a look ats temperature. this is "the early show" on cbs. w" on cbs. ♪ [ female announcer ] now, just pop, click, switch your lids whenever you like! choose from over 20+ colors and designs. the new dell inspiron r series laptops with switchable lids, powered by the 2nd generation intel® core™ processor family: not just smart, visibly smart. call or click to get this fully loaded and totally protected inspiron 15r today! ♪ [ intel bong ] but they'd rather they disappear. mott's medleys has two total fruit and veggie servings in every glass but magically looks and tastes just like the fruit juice kids already love. mott's medleys. invisible vegetables. magical taste. membership rewards points from american express. the social currency. sculpted by an unyielding passion for design. ♪ and tempered by 125 years of legendary performance. introducing the all-new 2012 cls from mercedes-benz. where the world's greatest automobiles take shape. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. to stay healthy. but did