the usda has acted quickly to address the bad actors. and the s.n.a.p. program continues to be an extremely well run program, given the strong track record i'm concerned the true purpose of this hearing may be to discredit the entire program to justify draconian cuts. last year, every republican member of this committee voted to convert s.n.a.p. program into a block grant program and slash its funding by $127 billion over the next ten years. a massive reduction of almost 20%. again i go back to what you said. a little bit earlier, mr. chairman. in part this is about children. this proposal was part of the plan proposed by budget committee chairman paul ryan, and adopted by the house republicans last april. according to the center on budget policies and priorities this proposal will force up to 8 million men, women and children, to be cut from the program or will severely reduce the amount of food they can buy. where are these children supposed to go if they are hungry? i believe there is a compassion deficit here in washington. obviously a dollar squande

kevin canyon is the undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services at the usda. prior to his service at the department of agriculture he served as director of three different state government departments of health and human services, maine, oregon and iowa. welcome. miss phyllis fong is the usda inspector general and has served the department for ten years. she is also concurrently serving as the first chairperson of the counsel of inspector generals on integrity efficiency and, in fact, in that role you may be aware that this committee would like to pass on to that council greater authority including potentially subpoena authority that remains one of our long-term goals if we can convince the senate of the importance of investing in inspector generals. miss jennifer hatcher is the senior vice president of government and public affairs for the food marketing institute prior to joining ffm, she served as chairperson for chairman spencer baucus as his chief of staff. lastly, miss faulkner is inspector general of the commonwealth of pennsylvania prior to becoming ins

to put this in context, the ig office at usda is responsible for providing oversight to all usda programs which currently number over 300. of course, snap is the largest program in our portfolio with over $70 billion and it has drawn much of our attention over the past few years. in the last two years alone, we have devoted almost half of our investigative resources to addressing snap fraud with measurable results. we currently have over 900 cases open, over 600 of these cases involve retailers in some way. my written statement provides some examples of our most significant cases involving disqualified retailers. but i want to emphasize more than the case that's we do that the core problems in this program are not new. namely, there will always be people willing to commit fraud and to traffic and snap benefits even though the specific schemes themselves may take different forms. and so we as an ig office have been working on these issues with fns, our partners and with state and local agencies for many years to address these issues. and i can assure you that we have cases right now going

the usda says these letters are false. so far the letters have shown up in nebraska, pennsylvania and wisconsin. >>> the us price industry is raising questions of validity of waking life with diabetes. last week harvard university released the results of the study of associates being more rice with significantly higher risk of type two diabetes, especially for the asian populations''''. rice is grown worldwide and feeds more than half of the globe. the us rice regulation is arguing the study and says it didn't take into effect the lack of activity, obesity and other risk factors. and while my more people are facing the threat of diabetes, coffee triggers may have the upper hand. i study showed that consuming at least four cups per day lowered the risk of diabetes 23- 40%. the study of 142,000 people also found no link between coffee consumption and heart disease nor the risk of cancer. now major rob just said the clawson joins us with the national forecast. >> welcome back to us farm report. things are different as we head

it's beef. >> reporter: the usda is clear in saying, pink slime is safe. and though the government will change its policy for schools, it won't demand that supermarkets label, what's in the beef you buy. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> and that list of stores confirming to abc news, can be found at abcnews.com/worldnews. >>> there's much more ahead on "world news tonight." take a close look at this. a chief at work, stealing your credit card information. a new wave of crime across this country. and what you can do right now to protect yourself. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about how some companies like to get between ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you and your money. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we believe your money should be available ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to you whenever and wherever you want. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 which is why we rebate every atm fee worldwide. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and why our mobile app lets you transfer funds, ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 execute trades, even deposit checks just by ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 taking a p

the usda says the process meets regulations. and beef industry says the process has been around for 20 years and is safe. >> this really is a great process. it helps us prevent wasting beef from the cows that we process. and we do it under federal inspection so it's safe and nutritious. >> reporter: others disagree, including one houston mom, who used her blog as a platform for a petition, asking the usda to get it off school menus. within a week, she had 225,000 signatures. >> the public outcry over pink slime has shown that consumers do want to know if this stuff is in their ground beef. and they should have the choice to purchase it. >> reporter: the usda says it's making the changes after school districts asked for more options. the meat by-product was frequently used at fast food chains. restaurants have taken it off their menus. >>> we're on ipad watch tonight. if you want to be the first to buy an ipad, you shouldn't go to an apple store. walmart locations will start selling the tablets a minute after midnight. they are s

the usda will announce if they will buy the meet with the criticized attive. it's treated with ammonia to kill bacteria. now the department of agriculture will offer beef patties with the additive or bulk without it. the usda buys a fifth of the food served in schools. >>> david cameron and his wife to a state dinner at the white house. it's the largest ever thrown by the obamas. john legend performed at the event. the theme was america's backyard. the menu doesn't conjure of memories of your last backyard barbecue. halibut with brussel spouse and bacon, for dessert, steamed pudding with idaho huckleberry sauce. some of the ingredients came from the white house garden. are you hungry now? >> had a buffalo wander through his backyard. >>> our time is 4:38. ahead on news 4 today, goldman sacks stars question the company's ethics. >>> hbo is ending a popular show. >> we are heading for the >>> our time right now is 4:41. we are 64 degrees already. warmish at this hour. wait until you see what the rest of the day is going to be like. >> record-breaking heat today.

the first panel. under secretary for food and consumer services at usda. prior to service at the department of agriculture, he served as director of three different state government departments of health and human services, maine, oregon, and iowa. welcome. ms. phyllis fong is the usda inspector general and received the department for ten years. she is also concurrently serving as the first chairperson of the council of inspector generals on integrity, efficiency, and, in fact, in that role, you may be aware that this committee would like to pass on to that council greater authority and subpoena authority that remains one of our long term goals to convince the senate of the importance of investing in inspector generals. ms. hatcher is the senior vice president for the government and markets affairs of the institute and served as chairperson for chairman spencer baucus as his chief of staff. lastly, ms. faulkner is inspector general of the commonwealth of pennsylvania. prior to being inspector general, she was a law partner to philadelphia office of ballards

the usda will continue to crack down on violators. we welcome our partners constructive engagement in this effort. thank you very much. >> thank you. ms. fong. >> thank you mr. chairman ranking membercomments and members of the committee. i want to express my appreciation to you mr. chairman and too many of the distinguished members of this committee for your support of the federal ip community. you up in a worthy record of bipartisan support for contributions and you'd demonstrate it time and again through legislation, hearings and speeches your interest in our work. so on behalf of the entire community i want to thank all of you for your support. today you have invited me to test debate about usda ig work to protect the integrity of the s.n.a.p. program. to put this in context, the ig office and usda is responsible for providing oversight to all usda programs which currently number over 300. of course snape is the largest program in our portfolio with over $70 billion it has drawn much of our attention over the past few years. in the

the usda says the process meets federal regulations. industry says the process has been around for 20 years. >> this really is a great process that helps us prevent wasting beef from the cattle that we process and we do it under federal inspection so it's safe and nutritious. >> reporter: but others disagree including one houston mom who used her blog the lunch tray.com as a platform to create a petition asking the usda to get it off school menus. within a week, she had 225,000 signatures. >> the public outcry over pink slime has shown consumers do want to know whether this stuff is in their ground beef and they should have a choice about whether to purchase it. >> reporter: the usda says it is making the changes at the request of school districts who asked for more options. michelle franzen, nbc news. >> yum. i hope we didn't spoil your appetite. j >> "the artist." >> our version. >> there we go. >> nope. >> okay. well, okay. hey, all it takes. where is his little dog? from the cash register confusion to the thunder shirt and gym membe

now, the usda will offer it with the additive or without it. the usda buys a fifth of the meat for schools. >> can you imagine eating that? >> don't imagine. try not to. >> time is 5:07. defending their reputation. what leaders at goldman sachs are saying after their ethics are questioned. >>> gadgets of the future. how these tools could make life easier for you around the house. >>> dust off the short sleeved shirts, shorts and ♪ it's the way you bring out the sun. ♪ sunny d! ♪ it's the way you make it all fun. ♪ know who makes the day sunny? my mom and sunny d! i love the taste. mom loves the vitamin c. and now it has 40% fewer calories than most regular soda brands! sunny d! ♪ make today a sunny day! find out more at sunnyd.com >>> welcome back. you can buy a new kitchen gadget that could make your morning routine a lot more convenient. hamilton beach has a new blending. it's called wave action. it creates smooth results. it's one of new galkts at the international home and housewares show. i can use that. i make smoothies for my kids all th

the usda heard it. and tomorrow, they will announce that starting this fall, schools will be given a choice. to buy the less-expensive hamburger patties that contain pink slime. or bulk ground beef that does not. and the usda insists that all that meat is safe. and what about the ground beef in your supermarket? the usda says grocers will have to decide for themselves what they want to disclose to their customers. >>> the white house is rolling out the red carpet, tonight, hosting a state dinner on the south lawn for british prime minister david cameron and his wife, samantha. they're going to dine on shaved brussels sprouts, an american twist on an old favorite, will be bison wellington. and for dessert, a british lemon steamed pudding. and earlier today, the prime minister admitted that he and his wife were looking forward to rubbing shoulders with some american royalty. possibly not the one you think. >> samantha said that is my favorite -- the star from my favorite movie is going to be here. is it be

>> the usda is cracking down on hamburgers in schools. >> michael phelps is homeless. ok, not really. his condo is up for sale. >> graphic new campaign for smokers to kick the habit. does it go too far? vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. >> this is to be home for michael phelps. now it could be yours. it has three bedrooms, up 3.5 bathrooms, and quite the view. more than 4000 square feet. the exact asking price is not confirmed, but records show he bought it for $1.6 million back in 2007. the archdiocese of baltimore confirms it is closing and other catholic school. st. ambrose catholic school will not reopen when the new school year began its. they're pointing to a financial difficulty and the work enrollment. back in 2007, there were 225 students. right now, th

the usda turns to social media to improve food safety. and, we visit up running operation in washington were the most important crop is inside the hold. us farm report is brought to you by the end must weed control system, and by the 2012 chevy silverado hd. hello and welcome to us farm report. i'm john bit. we are all captive to our recent past. what occurred yesterday of pixar thinking more than events last year. so it is that many farmers, myself included, are more anxious than usual about what weather patterns this year. the non- winter that many of us saw black trained for months in the western corn belt and the freakishly powerful storms don't reassure much. i think it's likely this mindset will prompt the growing strategies this year. our perception has just become more unpredictable i think. that ought to calm down the market. let's get started with headlines. >> thank you john. consumers are not only pay more at the pump this year but also the grocery store. this causes americans to eat less meat. this creates the price tag on it

the usda says the decision was made in response to requests from districts across the country. it takes effect next school year. >>> a private high school in the south bay suspended class today and gave students just one assignment. watch a movie with an empowering message. "misrepresentation" premiered at the festival. it explores the portrayal of women in the media. >> they're absorbing everything now that's going to form who they are later. and to receive messages that are telling them that to be a woman is to be sexy and objectified and to look a certain way completely limiting. >> misrepresentation features storied from teenage girls and interviews with katie couric, nancy pelosi. >>> another round of wet weather is on its way. let's check in with meteorologist jeff ranieri. >> right now that next storm system is already lining up out here across -- a few hours before that starts to impact us, however, mother nature wasting no time in between systems. a bit of residual moisture left up here. nothing in the way of snowfall at this point. if you're headed up over the next tw

the usda is allowing schools to order bulk ground beef without the material.he usda buys a fifth of the food served in our schools. >>> lack of sleep could make you fat. new study finds skimping on sleep can increase caloric intake by 550 calories a day. sleep deprivation tied to weight gain, why remains a mystery. the study was presented at a meeting of the american heart association. i'm sure this is not the scientific reason i feel like if you have more hours awake you would consume more hungry when you get up, stay awake longer so you need more meals. >> i don't know. >> we have to test my theory. >> i don't know. >>> breaking news in san jose, firefighter hurt in an apartment building fire. >>> santa cruz boardwalk in danger of being damaged by flood waters.

and the usda is giving no indication it will force meatpackers to lift the veil of secrecy anytime soon. jim avila, abc news, washington. >> and jim answers a lot more of your questions, posted online at our website at abcnews.com. keep sending them to us. and let us know what your supermarkets say when you ask them about what's in the meat. >>> and another word about the food in every american home. word that the soda giants coke and pepsi will be tweaking their secret recipes. they're going to change how the ingredients that give soda its brown hue is made. it's called caramel color. and the new recipe will call for less of the chemical 4mei. a california law would have forced coke and pepsi to label their soda with a cancer warning. with this change, they don't have to. you can be the judge. >>> and still ahead here on "world news," watch this. deadly shoot-out. and acts of violence. a new report on how many shadowy american groups are willing to die to take down the u.s. government. and we'll take you inside their world. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real

and they will look at the usda oversight and store owners who may have committed fraud with the issueseveral most influential women convene in new york today for the women of the world summit. the scheduled speakers includes angelina jolie, meryl streep and secretary of state hillary clinton. >>> a mother says she's furious this morning. >> what she says a teacher did to her son after he missed an assessment test. >> he saved his friend's life during lunch. how he said watching tv taught him to do it. >> imagine eating everything you see in the park. gardeners in seattle say they have a plan, coming up. >> we're in the 50s this morning. in the 70s by this afternoon, will this warm weather last into the weekend. details coming up. >> on the drive, traffic patterns are starting to build. we'll let you know how the west side looks. and the drive from the eastern shore too, next. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement plannin

now the usda says those schools can opt to buy meat without the controversial additive pink slime. eun yang is at our news 4 super screen with more. >> reporter: this is the stuff that everyone seems to be taking aim at these days. this is a picture from the company that makes that so-called pink slime. first, mcdonald's said they would no longer use it in their meat and now the usda says schools can opt out of using the meat with that filler. now, pink slime's technical name is lean, finely text churd beef. it's made from tty bits of meat left over from other cuts of meat. most of that fat is then removed and the mix is treated with ammonium hidroxide which kills bacteria. the usda which buys about 1/5 of the food served in schools was asked by several school districts for other options when purchasing meat. today they are expected to announce schools have the option of beef patties with the additive or bulk ground beef without it. pink slime, which was coined by a federal scientist, has been on the market for years and there are estimates that it is in at least half of all ground

it's beef. >> reporter: the usda is clear in saying pink slime is safe. arkets label what's in the beef you buy. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> what's the beef? pink slime's the beef. >> where is the beef? you know, you're never going to win with a name like pink slime. >> no. >> even if it is a beef by-product or it's something that can be used as fillinger, it's just -- it's not going to get people excited. pink slime. >> and if you do want an updated list of the supermarkets in your area that are using this, you can always go to our website, abcnews.com, for the latest. >> yes. >>> well, a new little bundle of joy in arizona could not wait for mom and dad to get to the hospital. bennett robbins decided to make his appearance on the side of the freeway in suburban phoenix. we always hear stories like this. the freeway. >> his mom said she realized they weren't going to make it to the hospital and told her husband to pull over and call 911 because "i am having this baby right now." and by the time paramedics arrived on scene bennett was already de

now the usda has made the meat optional to include in school lunches. it is leftover meat treated with a commonly used among awash to kill bacteria before blending it with ground beef. usda says the added this is safe. the state budget is now in the hands of a house of delegates. the senate approved the bill that raises the state income-tax filers. people making $500,000 a year or more would pay an additional $2,500 each year. the so-called millionaire's tax was added at the last minute, leading to more debate. >> we are taking a lot of disposable income bang out of the economy. >> the plan also shifts the combined teacher pensions and social security to -- resisted back -- raises taxes on cigars and tobacco products. but president joe biden -- vice president joe biden. >> democrats are fighting to keep president obama in office. with the vice president on the attack and calling out the potential competition by name. >> mitt romney, rick santorum, and newt gingrich -- these guys have a fundamentally different economic philosophy than we do. >> he will vi

the usda will continue to crack down on violators. elcome our partners constructive engagement in this effort. thank you very much. >> thank you. ms. fong. >> thank you mr. chairman ranking membercomments and members of the committee. i want to express my appreciation to you mr. chairman and too many of the distinguished members of this committee for your support of the federal ip community. you up in a worthy record of bipartisan support for contributions and you'd demonstrate it time and again through legislation, hearings and speeches your interest in our work. so on behalf of the entire community i want to thank all of you for your support. today you have invited me to test debate about usda ig work to protect the integrity of the s.n.a.p. program. to put this in context, the ig office and usda is responsible for providing oversight to all usda programs which currently number over 300. of course snape is the largest program in our portfolio with over $70 billion it has drawn much of our attention over the past few years. in the las

. >> safeway says even though the usda said it is safe, there a point to stop carrying the cops. , safeways they will no longer practice and the fresh or frozen ground beef with a lean or finely textured ground beef. that means a product will likely be out of safeway stores in the next week or so. states with little whole foods in costco that already refused to sell the product. save mart which runs like be continues to sell beef with and without the product but says they are evaluating their policy. wal-mart, target and trader joe's have either refuses to answer our questions for have not responded as to whether they carry this type of beef. >>pam: if someone shops that one of those stores and you want to know whether or not the 15th the decline, and what do you do? we asked the usda and they said to ask your grocer. >>pam: other any labels associated with this? >> the usda says it is not a health hazards of there is no legal associate with this. ask your grocer or go to one of the stores that no does not stella's. >>pam: a fatal stabbing of san francisco and there is no sign of the kille

and it doesn't have to appear on the label. usda officials with links to the beef industry labeled pink slime meat. >> the undersecretary said, it's pink, therefore it's meat. >> reporter: abc news has learned the woman who made the decision to okay the mix is former undersecretary of agriculture joanne smith. a call that led to hundreds of millions of dollars for beef products inc., the makers of pink slime. when smith stepped down from usda, bpi's principle supplier appointed her to the board of directors, where she made $1.2 million over 17 years. she did not return our call for comment. bpi said it had nothing to do with her appointment. and the usda says under current ethics rules, she could not have immediately joined that board. jim avila, abc news, washington. >> and we know this raises so many questions. jim avila is going to stay on this case. >>> and coming up, a snapshot of the sun, mesmerizing. but could it mean big trouble for your computer? your flight? the gps in your car tomorrow morning? let's go. from the crack, o

most recently, last year, we petition that the usda -- petitioned the usda. fda is in charge of drug approvals, but usda has to be ensured that the meat is safe to eat. we petitioned usda that they should declare certain strains of salmonella, the once , somented in that report - that whenever they are found in the food supply, the products would be recalled. host: nebraska. line.s on the democrats' caller: when you go to the store or a meat market and you buy ground sirloin, are you getting that product? guest: you are certainly getting the cut of meat on the label, but you may be getting other types of meat that can be mixed in with thait. for example, the use of this meat product, it is a finely ground meat product that they not so affectionately call pink slime, this product can be used in 10% to 15% of ground beef. you might be getting 85% of what is on the label, but you may be getting and the mixture -- getting a mixture of other types of meat as well. host: pennsylvania. charles, republican online. caller: basically, on the wording she is using, i have

now the usda says schools can opt out of using the meat with that filler. pink slime's technical name is lean finally textured beef made from fatty bits of meat leftover from other cuts of meat. most of that fat is then removed and then the mix treated with ammonium hioemonia hydroxide. today they are expected to announce that schools will now have the option of beef patties with the additive or bulk ground beef without it. pink slime which was coinped by a federal scientist has been on the market for years and there are estimates that it is in at least half of all ground beef and burgers in the nation. >> thank you. >>> experts are changing their recommendations about an annual pap smear. pap smears are used to test for cervical cancer. it is now recommended women betweens the ages of 21 and 65 get the test every three years. that interval goes up to five years for women who get a new test and also checks for hpv. that virus causes cervical cancer. doctors say fewer screenings will lead to fewer false positives. >> issue of false positive test is it expose

serving 46 million americans with incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level. according to usda, 47% are under 18 years old. the program also serves millions of people who are elderly or have disabilities. has never been more critical than it is today. 2008 financial crisis drove more americans into poverty than any other time since we started tracking this data. the collapse of wall street and the evisceration of trillions of dollars in household savings forced millions of americans to turn to this critical safety net. and it has been there for them. while the need for the s.n.a.p. program is at an all time high. fraud is at an all tomb lime lo. one of the most efficiently run program with one of the lowest fraud rates. fraud has declined from 4 cents of every dollar in 1993 to 1 cent of every dollar expended to day. but i agree, that that is not good enough. the majority appears to be basing today's hearing on a recent press stories about a certain store owners who had been disqualified from the program but allegedly regain entry in some way. although this would be problematic

the usda announced it will give public schools a choice on using meat with or without the controversialiller. pink slime is an additive often found in ground beef in school lunches. it's made of beef trim and treated with an ammonia wash. it's come under fire for its new frig trigsal value. >> we don't know what can happen with long term effects of these processes to our foods. >> this is a great process that helps us from wasting beef from the cattle we process. >> the usda says the decision was made in response to requests from districts across the country and it will take effect next school year. >>> in san francisco today. organizers of a woman's health forum found a recent controversy over birth control gave them lots to discuss. the university hosted the event titled don't turn back the clock in con jurngs with women's history month. preserving women's health is not cheap and it's not negotiable. she praised chajs for young woman under the obama administration's new health care law which requires church affiliated employers to cover birth control. >> no logger will she have a co p

the usda insists that pink slime is safe to eat. in colorado, a family just narrowly escaped a raging wildfire. >> where's mom? what you stopping for? [bleep] >> whoa. >> oh, my gosh. >> i terrifying a trip you can hear the panic in their voices. he drove through the smoke and flames, trying to get his family out of the wildfire. it started as a controlled burn but spread out of control. taking a look at the weather here, pretty mild today. >> be careful with cigarettes. a little bit of a flame can start a brush fire. really, really pretty. plenty of sunshine. we will look for windy conditions to stick it around all day long. wind gusts over 30 miles per hour not out of the question. 60 degrees at reagan national airport. sustained winds out of the west, northwest, a 24 miles per hour. look at the gusts this morning 50 miles per hour. 55 in the district. midnight, it was 68 degrees. temperatures have been falling just a bit during the morning and afternoon hours. 57 degrees over in martinsburg. lincrest around 25 to 30 -- wind gusts

concern. 70% of ground beef in the united states contains pink slime and the trimmings are approved by the usdaand at the do not have to have a label listed warning consumers. >>> officials in frederick are taking the next step in conduct a hotel and conference center. they are meeting today to discuss the criteria choosing the site. they expect to have the issue requested in may informing property owners and the developers about. >> t we'll keep you post -- about it. we'll keep you posted on the story. >>> how would you like to own a piece of baltimore history? you can for the right price. >>> nokia has filed a patent for a tattoo that would vibrate when somebody tries to contact you. what if you want to delete the contact. it will communicate with the phone like a blue tooth. they could customize the ringtone for the tattoo and they have different vibes for someone that contacts you. nokia is looking into making a sticker version for those that want something a little less permanent. >>> five things you need to know before you head out the door. teen across the country are kick butt. this is

the usda says pink slime is safe and that its decision was based on customer demand. >>> videos show teenagers trying a new and dangerous dare. we explain how the cinnamon challenge could send your child to the hospital. >> reporter: check out social media uploads and you can find hundreds of videos like this. this cinnamon challenge is an old start making the rounds of the new generation of teens. >> i've seen it happen a few times. >> a lot of people throw up. i honestly think it's impossible. >> a person has to swallow a tablespoon of ground cinnamon within 60 seconds without drinking anything. the results typically look like this. >> often, taking, and sometimes vomiting and always burning pain. >> it tasted very bad. >> this ninth grader was dared to do it. >> as soon as i held it, i costed out. >> there were no accounts of death, but doctors say it's dangerous. it can raise blood sugar levels and cause long-term lung damage. >> if it gets into the lungs, it can and do damage. >> even this site devoted to the challenge has a disclaimer on its own page. do not attempt. the cinnamo

the usda buys much of the ground beef used in school lunches. it will announce the option today. that story first reported on abc news. >>> the tsa is relaxingules rul for older passengers in some cities. passengers o than -- older than 75 can keep their shoes on and keep their light jackets on. >>> after riding high on the success of jeremy lin, the new york knicks are under new management. head coach mike d' antoni abruptly resigned yesterday. >>> a clash of the top two teams in the eastern conference in chicago. the bulls are playing out derrick rose. he suffered a groin injury gex the nix. there was no way to stop this. joakim noah, dropping the hammer. lebron has 35 points. heat down by nine. bulls up, 94-84. john lucas. 2 of his 24 points off the bench. he's all geeked up. bulls up. james jones, bottoms, ripping the court for three. heat down by two. with six seconds to go, l.b.j., uh huh, bulls win. >>> earlier in the night, mike d'antoni decided to resign. anthony lace it in, off to a good start. jeremy lin picking up the loose ball. aptny, oh, nice pass to stoudemire. a

stores nationwide, and asked if its ground beef contained what the what the meat industry calls lean, finely textured beef and a usda scientist first termed "pink slime." the safeway butcher said he has no idea if the ground beef there has pink slime in it. corporate headquarters later told us yes, its meat does contain pink slime but they were reviewing the policy. fast forward to today. safeway announces its meat counter is now free of what former usda scientists characterize as low quality beef scraps sanitized with ammonia gas. >> it's a pink slime. it's not fresh ground beef. >> we didn't feel it was meat. it was salvage. >> reporter: the country's second biggest grocery chain says "considerable consumer concern" led to its decision even though "the usda and food industry experts agree that lean, finely textured beef is safe and wholesome. safeway will no longer purchase it. and late today, america's third largest chain, supervalu, which includes such big names as albertsons, lucky and jewel-osco, announced it too would pull all pink slime ground beef from its shelves because of consumer concern. and then food

the usda is allowing schools to order beef without it.uys a fifth of the food served in schools. >>> lack of sleep could be making you fat. new study finds skimping on sleep could increase caloric intake by 550 calories a day. the study adds to growing evidence that sleep deprivation is tied to weight gain. why remains a mystery. we all have our own theories. researchers say more study needed. >>> 5:57 now. just ahead at 6:00, we'll continue to bring you more on our developing news from the south bay where we are getting very dramatic images as firefighters battle to contain an apartment fire in san jose. live with the latest on an injured firefighter at the scene.

we actually ask the usda to come check us. we have never fed steroids or hormones and never will.d meal, no meat and bone meal. yuck. no animal by-products. it means when you put my chicken on the table, you know where it came from.

. >>> the usda is fine tuning the way it distributes information about food recalls.epartment of agriculture is rolling out a new twitter service that targets people in the affected state. until now, information about food recalls was available only on a usda website, and in general, the usda tweets. they say that it will be more efficient because it will provide information directly to the affected people. >>> and pro athletes visiting capitol hill this morning, pushing congress to pass a bill to give tax incentives to people who maintain an active life-style. it would allow purchases for things like gym memberships and athletic equipment to be paid for from a pre-tax flexible spending account. >> there are people that struggle financially, but just because you do that, it should not stop you from being physically fit. >> reporter: many hall of famers were among the athletes lobbying the official . >>> police say the dad was sitting in the bleachers at the high school when he pointed a laser at the team's goal goal. the officials noted the light and ordered the fathe

the usda announcing the new opt-out policy this morning so-called pink slime.ou see it right there, real delicious looking. it's a controversial ammonia treated and used as filler in some ground beef. pink slime is made from leaner meat so schools can ask for fattier meat. >>> the world's ugliest dog has passed away at the age of 15. chihuahua mix yoda died in her sleep this week. yoda won $1,000 and a trophy nearly 15 times her size when she won the contest in petta luma last year. yoda will hold the title until a new winner is crowned in june. >>> officers on the hunt for this, a bright yellow cheesy suspect cover individual sorts of toppin 6 f 6 foot tall slice of pizza was ripped off in plain sight. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) there's no doubt in my mind that komen's funding helped saved my life. the 3-day is my opportunity to help save others' lives. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had

it was zernstein who in a usda memo first coined the term "pink slime" and is now coming forward to sayonomic fraud. it's not fresh ground beef. it's a cheap substitute being added in. >> reporter: zernstein and his fellow usda scientist carl custer both warned against using what the industry calls lean finely textured beef and is widely known now as pink slime. but their government bosses overruled them. >> why didn't you consider it beef? >> because it was a salvage product. >> leftovers -- >> fat that had been heated at low temperature and the excess fat spun out. >> reporter: and it doesn't have to appear on the label because over objections of its own scientists usda officials with links to the beef industry labeled pink slime meat. >> the undersecretary said it's pink, therefore it's meat. >> reporter: abc news has learned the woman who made the decision to okay the mix is former undersecretary of agriculture joanne smith. a call that led to hundreds of millions of dollars for beef products, inc., the makers of pink slime. when smith stepped down from usda, bpi's principal supplie

the usda just rolled out states pacific twitter accounts for import alerts. ee sakamoto is here to show us how the new system works. >>kimberlee: until this point recalls have been announced formally in news releases and on one generic usda twitter account. of basically there has not been just one easy way to get your hands on the information until now. the usda says the new state specific food safety awards will be for meat, poultry and processes and products as well as for information on how to protect food during severe weather events. these fees will provide information that directly affects each consumer, especially when it comes to recall. these alerts can be followed on twitter. so far, the california beat only has two colors. fan if you would like to check of the twitter feed, but our kron4 facebook and if they're illegal to they went there. gutkowski [ birds chirping ] [ inhales, exhales ] [ announcer ] cigarettes are not just dangerous when they're smoked. [ rat squeaking ] they're dangerous long after. cigarette butts are toxic. they release chemica

the usda does not plan on doing so insisting it starts and ends with beef. wed school districts under the national lunch program to opt out of using meat with the filler starting next year. the meat will be less lean. customers say they, too, will be opting out. >> it will make me want to know what is in the ground beef and where to go to not have that. >> you buy ground meat and use it in so many things and so many children eat it and it shouldn't happen. >>> that's it for news 4 at 5:00. >> news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. >>> a dramatic end to a police chase in maryland. two teenagers killed. two others rushed to a hospital. tonight some new clues about the moments leading up to the accident. >>> a controversial lesson plan. why a school project on politics sparked complaints from parents in fairfax county. >>> first tonight a call for answers and action nearly a month after the shooting death of an unarmed teenager in florida. good evening. i'm jim vance. >> i'm pat lawson muse. doreen is off tonight. politicians are among those now calling for justice in

. >> reporter: since then the usda has made the school lunch guidelines stricter.colate milk must be fat free and contain around 150 calories or less. that's down from 190 calories. >> now our new product is a fat free skim milk and the sugar went from 29 grams on the chocolate to 22. >> reporter: by comparison the same size soda has about 30 grams of sugar. some nutritionists say 22 grams is still too much. but here the compromise seems to be working. for kids and parents, milk with sugar is better than none at all. last year after a long debate the los angeles school district took flavored milk out of their cafeterias. since doing that, they've seen a 5% drop in the total amount of milk consumed. as of now, chocolate milk remains off the shelves and there are no plans to put it back on the menu. that's what's going on at school. what about at your home? up next, build smart, breathe easier. our eco friendly carpenter. copd makes it hard to breathe, so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead