toyota discovered a sticky medal problem in some models. there was a design change, and they described it as urgent. but at the end of october 2009 toyota executives decided to cancel the design change and ordered the engineers not to put anything about it in writing. then starting in january 2010 toyota executives and representatives misled congress and federal regulators who were beginning investigators and hearings into the company. from 2010 through 2012 toyota paid fines with reporting delays with accelerating problems. toyota settled lawsuit with relatives of those died in crashes as a result of the acceleration. today settles the criminal behavior of the cover up the company has now acknowledged and today called an unfortunate chapter. >> staggering acknowledgments from toyota. thank you. >>> ththe agonizing wait for information on missing passengers of flight 370. lisa stark has the latest on the search and the investigation. [ crying ] >> reporter: anguish and agony from family members of those on board the missing jetliner who wan

similarly to toyota, the g.m. issue took awhile to resolve, longer than it should have taken to resolve by many accounts given how early the first signs of this issue were. but conversely, the number of related fatalities and injuries was much lower, and the number of cars involved in the recall is much lower. and even the nature of it unintended acceleration has a more frightening, troubling sense to it. it's still bad these engines were stalling and the engine was shutting off harder to control the vehicles, but there's no nebulous kind of blur as to what the problem was. people didn't know for sure what was causing the toyota problem. we know what caused the g.m. problem. >> out of control acceleration puts a thrill into all drivers. thinking back to when toyota went through this 2009 into 2010, that company has come back very nicely and seems to have suffered relatively little reputational damage. do you expect g.m. will have the same experience? >> i think so. i think toyota had record profits there this last

on an automaker levied for misleading statements toyota allegedly made about toyotas and lexus vehicles. >> toyota's conduct was shameful. >> reporter: this morning, attorney general eric holder announced the 1.2 billion settlement ending a four-year criminal investigation into toyota's disclosure of major problems with its vehicles. >> today, we can say for certain that toyota intentionally concealed information and misled the public about the safety issues behind these recalls. >> reporter: the justice department says it found toyota made misleading statements about safety issues like sudden accessation. in 2010, congress grilled toyota for not addressing the problem quickly enough. >> we have to fix the process so these things don't happen again. i don't know what's behind the curtain. >> reporter: toyota sent us a statement saying, it's cooperated with the u.s. attorney's office on this matter for more than 4 years and have made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization. >> toyota confronted a public safety emergency as if it was simply a publ

toyota knew about the problem as far back as 2007. drivers complained about sticky accelerator pedals. they said it was a floor mat problem. whether four died that led to the criminal investigation culminating with today's announcement by u.s. attorney general eric holder. >> told we can say for certain that toyota intentionally concealed information and misled the public about the safety issues behind these recalls. now, our years-long investigation, criminal investigation examined the way the automaker disclosed complaints about problems of sudden acceleration. rather than promptly disclosing and correcting safety issues about which they were aware, toyota made misleading public statements to consumers and gave inaccurate facts to members of congress. >> reporter: and the purpose, the motive according to attorney general holder was to protect the brand. toyota was trying to protect its brand at the cost of public safety and lives. the incident that led to the most intensive investigation was the death of a california state trooper a

in a news release today, toyota u.s.a.'s chief legal officer, christopher reynolds, insisted the auto giant has become "more responsive" since 2009. he said: but holder said the case also serves as a warning to others in the auto industry. >> other car companies should not repeat toyota's mistake: a recall may damage a company's reputation, but deceiving your customers makes that damage far more lasting. >> reporter: that's a not-so- veiled reference to general motors, now facing it's own federal investigation over its handling of faulty ignition switches. the company finally recalled 1.6 million vehicles last month. amid revelations it had known of the problem since 2004. another 1.7 million additional vehicles were recalled for different problems on monday. g.m. says there've been 13 deaths, but a study for the "center for auto safety" found the real number could total more than 300, a number g.m. disputes. in a video posted to g-m's website monday, new c.e.o. mary barra promised the company is 'completely focused' on the

baffled, we contacted lawyers of toyota -- lawyers, toyota nobtd could help us. >> reporter: they took foes to have the accident scene as i long with the transmission stuck in reverse. >> it was scary. >> reporter: but now they're stuck with car that's been in an accident and they believe had a pre-existing acceleration problem, so they don't feel safe. >> a law firm worst fighting this for toyota should get always replacement car. e we done want a ton of much from them, we just want to be safe on the road, and toyota is responsible for this incident. >> she can lo no longer drive the car on hill because she's she's too scared. i talked with numerous mechanics who have never had this kind of problem with toyotas. >> at this -- >> reporter: at this dealership, manager had no comment. live in oakland, john sasaki. >>> today, the fbi arrested the remaining members of a violent street gang in downtown san jose. >> we believe that we got all of them. it's a huge win for law enforcement, it's a huge victory for the city of sapp jose. >> the arrest capped a long operation targeting a subset o

toyota told to pay more than $1 billion. it follows a four-year criminal investigation into whether toy toyota misled the government and the public. what did they find as a result fortunate investigation? >> reporter: they found that toyota knew they had a problem with sticky accelerators and floor mats in 2007, but the company did not reveal the problem when the problem was revealed by some motorists. they didn't tell the truth about the extent of the problem and didn't make enough recalls until 2010. by then people died. that led to the criminal investigation, a culmination of which was announced today by u.s. attorney general eric holder. >> put simply, toyota's conduct was shameful. it showed a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed to look after the safety of consumers. but the company's own admissions its protected its brand ahead of its own customers. this constitutes a clear and reprehensible abuse of the public trust. >> reporter: toyota released a statement acknowledging today's announcement by the u.s. at

toyota today was hit with a $1.2 billion fine. the automaker admitted that it lied to customers and u.s. regulators about problems with toyota and lexus vehicles that caused the vehicles to accelerate wildly, leading to accidents and deaths. the head of the f.b.i.'s new york office said today, quote, toyota put sales over safety and profits over principle. here's jim axelrod. >> reporter: it is the largest penalty ever imposed on an automobile company. u.s. attorney preet bharara oversaw the case. >> it cared more about savings then safety, and it's more brand and bottom line the truth. >> our accelerator stuck. >> reporter: it was this harrowing 911 call that focused attention on toyota's problem with acceleration in camrys and other models. he and his family was killed in san diego when he could not stop his lexus. >> we're in trouble, there's no brakes. we're approaching the intersection. hold on. >> reporter: but toyota now admits it knew two years before that accident that the floor mat could trap the accelerator. toyota also

back to basics at toyota, to put our customers first. rebecca jarvis, abc news, washington. >>> now, we head overseas to the fast-moving changes in ukraine. signaling the russians appear to have won this round, taking control of their prize, crimea. under pressure, the ukrainian government announced it will pull out troops. abc's alex marquardt takes us inside the simmering tension, as vladimir putin beginnings to make over a new country in the image of russia. >> reporter: falling like dominos. today pro-russian forces stormed ukrainian navy headquarters. the head of the navy taken prisoner. still held, tonight, as ukraine's military plans a full evacuation of its troops and their families. as russia takes control of crimea, symbols of the past are erased, as russian flags are raised. clocks will move ahead two hours to moscow time. the russian ruble will become an official currency. there is excitement and uncertainty, as long lines snake out of banks. >> they don't know what will be with their money in the future. >> reporter: then, t

but most have settled lawsuits against toyota. prosecutors filed criminal fraud charges if toyota agreed to dismiss them. safety experts say that the settlement closes the books too soon before all the causes of sudden acceleration still a problem are found. >> we continue to hear from consumers, the reports continue to come in. but frankly consumers are also at a disadvantage. at this point no one is even listening to them or taking their complaints, they simply move on. >> reporter: the justice department is now investigating whether another car company, gm, was slow to report a problem with ignition switches linked to crashes. prosecutors clearly viewed today's settlement with toyota as a model for other car companies that hide safety risks, pete williams, nbc news, washington. >>> and now back overseas to the story we have been watching. the crisis in ukraine and russia's land grab there which has brought back still fresh memories from the cold war. late today we heard from president obama speaking to our nbc station in st. lo

>>> settlement the government reached with toyota. >> a veteran law enforcement officer ned down near fort bragg tonight sh his vehicle riddled with bullets. >> good evening, that deputy apparently didn't have a chance to defend himself. we've just received his picture. deputy killed after he drove up on a man suspected of kidnapping in oregon. the fatal confrontation happened in the town miles north of fort bragg in mendocino county on the north coast. >> the sheriff deputy killed apparently confronted the gunman on highway one. at that point the suspect got out and riddled the car, the deputy found dead. the suspect was later shot by a fort bragg officer, shot in the leg, abandoned his car ask escaped a cording to the investigation, he later turned the gun on himself. now, this all started early this morning in eugene, oregon. we're learning the suspect kidnapped two people, took their car, a black bmw, put them in the trunk on, of their own car and headed south on highway 101. law enforcement were looking for this car in mendocino county. at some point, people signed of the trunk g

. >> toyota's conduct was shameful. it showed a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed to look after the safety of consumers. by the company's own admissions, it protected its brand ahead of its own customers. this constitutes a clear and repry helpsible abuse of the -- reprehensible abuse of the public trust. >> there has been five deaths since 2006, among them one that claimed the life of a highway patrol officer and members of his family. the settlement cams as general motors grapples with massive recalls, and whether gm waited too long to report a faulty switch problem, linked to 12 deaths and multiple crashes. the c.e.o. apologised admitting it should have acted sooner. >> as a member of the gm family and a mum with a family of my own, this has hit home. we have apologised. that is one step in the journey to resolve this. >> federal investigators want to find out what gm knew and when. toyota's settlement that needs to be approved by a federal judge may search as a model for future cases. >> the justice de

. >>> toyota's problems with stuck accelerators. attorney general eric holder announced a $1.2 billion settlement with toyota. he said it is the largest ever penalty imposed on an automaker. in return for the settlement the government suspended a criminal case against the japanese car company. >> simply, toyota's conduct was shameful. it showed a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed to look after the safety of consumers. >> at least five deaths have been blamed on the sudden acceleration. in the settlement, toyota admitted to misleading consumers. initially blamed drivers. toyota still faces hundreds of private lawsuits. >>> we spoke with one bare area woman who assert the same problem affected her car and eventually caused a terrifying crash. >> in 2009, this woman had a scary accident and her 2006 previous. >> i am so lucky. >> with her daughter behind the wheel it took us to the crashed seen in summit. she showed us where she tried to back up while facing downhill. she put the car in reverse but instead the car raced f

toyota will pay $1.2 billion to settle a five-year investigation.the car company admits about lying about acceleration problems with cars. that's the largest criminal penalty imposed on a car company in history. now general motors may face similar penalties. our bisi onile-ere has the story. what could this mean for gm? >> u.s. attorney general eric holder says this deal is important because it will force companies to ensure public safety. now general motors is in the same situation as toyota was a few years ago. this be decision will be important for gm. >>> today, toyota agreed to a biggest penalty, $1.2 billion for misleading federal regulators and consumers over unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles. u.s. attorney general eric holder said toyota intentionally did this. >> it was shameful, designed to look after the safety of consumers, by the company's own admissions it protected its brand ahead of its own customers. this constitutes a clear and rep rehence youible abuse of the -- reprehensible disregard of the public's trust. >> an in

[ male announcer ] toyota. let's go places. the secret is out. hydration is in. [ female announcer ] only aveeno daily moisturizing lotion has an active naturals oat formula that creates a moisture reserve so skin can replenish itself. aveeno® naturally beautiful results. before earning enough cash back from bank of america to help pay for her kids' ice time -before earning 1% cash back... -guys! -everywhere, every time... -close the front door! and 2% back at the grocery store, even before she got 3% back on gas with no hoops to jump through, katie used her bankamericard cash rewards credit card to stay warm and toasty during the heat of competition. that's the comfort of rewarding connections. apply online or at a bank of america near you. [ male announcer ] introducing kellogg's® krave s'mores cereal. chocolate and marshmallow meet... [ grunting ] ...inside a graham crackery shell. new krave s'mores. chocolate marshmallow. yum yum! everybody. thanks so much. nation, it is no secret that the american people tune in to the report every night to

>>> kyle busch puts toyota in victory lane. not too far from the toyota home office as we welcome you to the sprint post race show. we are live from the auto club speedway are for the third time kyle has won this race 29th career sprint cup you victory, and he's only 28 years old. march is his month. he marched to the front getting past kyle larson, the rookie, his brother kurt busch and tony stewart from stewart-haas racing. with michael waltrip, chris myers, glad to have you watching with us. a record number of lead changes for this track and this race, 35. in the end kyle celebrating and our steve byrnes is down there. >> chris, kyle busch jumps out of the car and celebrates with his wife, samantha. kyle, yesterday you said -- oh, thank you. that feels good. yesterday you said the fans won, but today you won. tell us how you won this race. >> i think the fans won today, too, man. holy cow. what do you expect when you have a green/white/checkered finish and everyone has to put four tires on. that right there is -- the days of

put simply, toyota's conduct was shameful. gerri: so will this toyota settlement be a model for what is to come for gm? joining me now, carl brower, senior analyst at kelley blue book. thanks for coming on to the show. appreciate it. let's talk about the toyota settlement. we know it is $1.2 billion. the company is saying that they're admitting wrongdoing and they agree to have themselves watched over the shoulder by the federal government. what do you make of this settlement? >> well, it is a huge settlement and i think it sends a message that not only to toyota but any other automakers you shouldn't do this. if there's a problem with a car you have to be up front and got to be willing to own up to it immediately and do what it takes to protect your consumers and your customers. gerri: are they doing this to avoid some sort of criminal penalty? would that be the next shoe to fall? >> well, i think that you know, when you get this kind of a fine you're getting somewhat of a badge of criminal activity especially when you have e

simply, toyota's conduct was shameful. it showed a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed to look after the safety of consumers. by the company's own admission, it protected its brand i had its of its ownd customers that it constitutes a clear and reprehensible abuse of public trust. response, they say they have cooperated and learned their lesson and cooperated with the authorities on this for more than a 4 years and have made fundamental changes, they are more responsive and accountable, and we have certainly seen that in the safety rankings pretty only lost the top spot as auto seller for one year in 2011, to gm. speaking of gm, the toyota settlement comes as its rival general motors is just getting caught up its own criminal probe with the same federal regulators and officials. it looks very much like they are closing one book in favor of opening another, and that book is general motors. toyota, eric holder says intentionally concealed information and misled the public and it has got to bring to my what happen

[ male announcer ] toyota. let's go places. yeah!! yeah!! yo,move fast fruit flavor,fe, watermelon, blue razz green apple. your taste buds dancing. it's the jolly rancher, we make it happen. untamed fruit flavor. jolly rancher. but real meat will bring them into yours. sheba® pates start with real meat as the first ingredient. sheba®. pure cat appeal™. [cheers and applause] >> jon: you know, as we've been reminded every so often our friends in russia -- [laughter] -- like to put on their invading boots and overrun what we consider a neighboring country. of course, truth be told we've been known to do the same. [ laughter ] sometimes in the exact same country. so before we inundate google with where is crimea queries, let's see how the previous post russian invasion invasion is going. >> departing afghan president half. id -- hamid karzai gives an emotional interview. >> jon: it's an emotional time. we've been there 12 years. there's so much he is probably grateful for for. we built 1200 schools, dude drew upelled the roads. afghani life expe

. >> toyota agreed to pay $1.2 billion fine for failing to disclose accelerator defects. we're live in san jose with reaction now to this settlement. >> this could become a model for future cases toyota will avoid prosecution if abiding by the terms. >> it's took two years before toyota owners were sent a recall notice to have cars fixed that is in 2009. problem surfaced two years earlier. the settlement includes an admission it concealed defects from customers and regulators. >> she thinks toyota has learn aid lesson. >> say it like it is. we have a problem, we need to fix it. >> the claimed at least five lives. this is a chilling audio a chp officer made he couldn't stop his car. it claimed his life and three family members >> we're in trouble. there is no brakes. >> oh! >> besides the fine the safety program will be subject to an independent monitor three years. toyota's top loier released this statement, quote, we're continuing to improvement to keep building trust in our company. to that end, toyota extended new vehicle develop many process to ensure reliability and

sent us a statement saying, quote, toyota has cooperated with the u.s. attorney's office on this matter for more than four years and had made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization." >>> janet yellen gave her first news conference as fed chair today. investors not thrilled by what they heard. yellen said the fed stimulus program would most likely be finished by the fall and that an interest rate hike could come as soon as next spring. the dow fell more than 100 points on that news. nasdaq, s&p, also finished lower. >>> the city of richmond is on track to having the highest minimum wage in the country. richmond city council gave its approval to boost the minimum wage to $12.30 an hour. the ordinance is one vote away from becoming a done deal. but if approved, the hike will be phased in over the next three years. >>> a victory for renters dealing with oakland's soaring housing prices. the city council is putting in cost controls. to start, rents can only go up 10% a year. they are not allowed to rise more than 30%

toyota did not tell officials about another problem in 2009. a sticky accelerator pedal that also caused accidents. at one point toyota told co-workers, idiots, someone will go to jail if lies are repeatedly told. i can't support this. that's exactly what david kafua would like to see. >> they definitely should be heddelli heading to some sort of jail. >> reporter: his mother maria was killed in massachusetts when her camry shot across three lanes of interstate traffic and was broad sided. >> somebody's got to take accountable for it. >> reporter: but berrara said nobody will go to jail if they allow a monitor to review its safety ractices. essentially the company will be on probation for three years. the company put out a statement saying, quote, we have made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >>> well, coming up on the "morning news," starbucks makes a pledge to veterans. >>> and a celestial streak. a flash of light racing across the sky. we'll tell you where it

a fine paid by toyota over safety issues. and the captain of fl flight 370 has time simulator. >> ukraine's acting president demanded that leaders in crimea release people he called hostages by 3:00 p.m. eastern or face unspecified consequences. with that deadline and come and gone. the deadline was issued as pro russian forces seized more ukrainian government buildings. the u.n. security council met today to discuss the situation. jennifer glasse in sevastopol has more. jennifer, has anything changed on the ground where you are? >> reporter: well, tony, the lights are still on. the water is still running. so far it doesn't look like any big changes have happened. utilities are one of the things that ukraines still control over crimea, 90% of the gas, a lot of water, and electricity here. that doesn't seem to have changed. as far as we can tell crimean authorities have the commander of ukrainian naval forces in custody. russia flexing it's muscles again this morning at a place that wasn't until today the headquarters of the u

it is a big number for toyota.have more cash than any other company in the automotive industry and it is one they can certainly handle and move on from. >> put this in context in term of the biggest recalls we have seen in the auto industry if you could. the one that everyone is paying attention to as of late has been general motors. they have recalled more than one million vehicles for an issue with models that are quite a few years old. it is related to be the mission oftch -- the ignition switch the models. it has been blamed for a dozen deaths. for toyota, the settlement we is withing about today u.s. regulators. those u.s. regulators now have to turn their sites to gm so that it may be related to today's settlement. >> this investigation goes back quite a long way. the recalls happen a number of years ago. what has it done in the period to the sales and reputation of toyota? started recalls really in 2009, continued into 2010 and really reached a fever pitch in 2010. of 2011, justng as they were recovering fro

we remain extremely grateful to our customers who continued to stand by toyota. we remain confident that we will take our speedometers to them seriously. >>> set free after he confessed to stabbing a table boy to death. the evidence that convinced the prosecutor to drop the charges. >> she was not violating the law at that time. >> bay area homeowners who have been conserving waters now being asked to save even more. how realistic is that? >> and a surprise discovery brings a construction project to a grinding halt. what we've dug up about the findings and their significance. >>> construction worker was stopped after a burial ground was discovered by crews. they discovered the site in pleasantton along the 680 corridor. mike meebak went to the site and says this isn't the first time an indian burial site has been discovered in the area. >> reporter: we found ramona garabea, a native american. >> a lot of people don't know we're still here. >> reporter: on this plot of pleasantton land, crews are delicately removing remains from what she says is a native american

toyota being told to settle games with the federal government.ooling a four-year criminal investigation whether toyota misled the public. what did they find. >> reporter: even though the criminal investigation began four years ago what federal investigators found is that toyota really knew about the problems seven years ago back in 2007. they knew that some of their models had a problem with sticky accelerators, sticky gas pedals that could cause sudden acceleration. they did not inform the public when the investigation began by authorities. they misled them and really nothing was done until 2009 when people died. today the u.s. attorney general holder said the conduct was shameful. >> put simply, toyota's conduct was shameful. it showed a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed to look after the safety of consumers. by the company own admission it protected its brand ahead of its own customers. this futur constitutes rehencibe the public trust. >> it promised to allow an independent investigators to review manufacturing practices and kee

toyota finds more than a billion dollars. attorney general eric holder saying he hopes this case will serve as a model for other cases. adam: the race for your wrist. time running out for apple. cheryl: going out after working out. lulu lemmons newline for women. could you really work out in a dress. this is catching investors eyes today. adam: we want to go through today's top stories. cheryl: peter barnes is standing by. peter: looking for three things today. it continues to wind down the quantitative easing program. the fed is considering changing its guidance on when it will start to raise short-term interest rates. right now it says it plans to keep rates near zero, at least as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6.5%. getting closer into the threshold. some economists expect the fed to update its plan for unwinding its massive trillion dollar balance sheet. we will also be getting new economic forecast. we are not expecting a huge change, but we do expect a lot of talk about the bad weather. cheryl: peter, thank

[ male announcer ] toyota. let's go places. [cheers and applause] >> jon: that's our show.-- [cheers and applause] -- i don't know where in that interview we cut to commercial but i assume bed to because we're not allowed to just go for 40 minutes without at least reminding you that you should buy beer or a car. [ laughter ] but i hope you check it out on the web. it was interesting and when we made out it was really -- it was unexpected. here it is your moment of zen. >> could you live on $133 a month for food? >> i should try it because you know how fabulous i'd like. so skinny. the camera it's 11:59 and 59 seconds, this happened on vine today! 24 hours ago, mardi gras was still going strong and at least according to to one onlooker, punk wasn't dead. >> mardi gras is coming! a h1n1! >> ah! mardi gras comes. >> what is more punk that a brightly colored parade float full of children? >> during midday! >> daytime punk! what is with all of that purple, purple punk. >> but today, fat tuesday it means it is officially all over so where is where mardi gras is at now. >> it is a

he was there saying don't mess with the toyotas. whatever you do, don't buy a toyota, you know. government mogeneral motors makg a good car. it is screaming hypocrisy. it makes people more bitter about the bailout. >> the national highway division is investigating the timing of the recall. because there are deaths involved, i will put money on it that there will be hearings in front of congress. if there hadn't fwen outsxraj kind of reaction you saw after toyota, yes, i think it is a doublethk there is more to this >> you are definitely right. already the end of the week they were talking about holding hearings. they haven't put a date to it. you wonder -- let's say a lot of this was really coming poured, we are told five, six years ago. that was around the time we were looking at not only the meltdown but the meltdown of the company. that would not be a good time on bring something like this up. you can at least argue that it would be a good reason to bury this. >> right. i used to own a saturn. that was on the list. you know, it reminds me of the case at standards & poors is m

[ male announcer ] toyota. let's go places. yeah!! yeah!! how do you do it? you go godzilla!eriously! uhh there he goes! woo! ya! [ roars ] [ all ] awww! what? godzilla's actually pretty cool. except when he's hungry. ♪ [ roars ] [ people screaming ] quick, throw him a snickers®! ♪ mmm! ♪ woo, yeah! [ male announcer ] you're not you when you're hungry®, snickers® satisfies. see the new godzilla in theatres may 16th. ♪ cruncha muncha cruncha muncha ♪ [ clippers buzz ] ♪ cruncha muncha cruncha muncha ♪ ♪ fritos on my sub [ male announcer ] the new fritos chicken enchilada melt from subway. it's the chicken enchilada with the gotta have it crunch. subway. eat fresh. ♪ fritos on my sub >> thank you so much, welcome back. nation, if you check your calendars then you'll know that march is women's history month. and there is no greater example in how far women have come. the annual "sports illustrated" swimsuit issue. swimsuit issue has long been a bastion of civil rights from the occasional black mod told that one girl who was under 5, 10. and this year they have achieved a new mil

toyota spoke out to an agreed settlement with the u.s. government. it found that toyota lied trying to cover up a string of deadly accidents. we have more from washington. >> it was one of the most trusted brands in america, a foreign car firm with a reputation for reliability. toyota admitted it puts lives at risk covering up unintended acceleration in models, leading to several accidents and deaths. the company will pay a record fine. >> toyota's conduct was shameful, showing a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed to look after the safety of consumers. by the company's own admissions, it protected its brand ahead of its own customers. this constitutes a clear and reprehensible abuse of the public trust. >> when the problem became public, toilet that claimed the issue of sticking accelerators was caused by floor mats. in 2009, it ordered a massive recall of vehicles in the u.s. evidence gathered revealed the company knew the problem was getting worse, but lied about it. the investigation was led by lawyers from new york. >> toyota went ab

[ male announcer ] toyota. let's go places. [cheers and applause] >> jon: welcome back. hey. so anyway if you like me, if you are like me you watched that last segment and you just were like (bleep). [ laughter ] you were really mad and hard not to to be mad when you see it laid out like that, like just a lot of time spent on for some reason i cannot figure out making poor people look bad. it doesn't make any sense to me. so what i thought we would do in the second part of the show is none of that. i thought we would have a vacation from that right now why not play a little mitch mcconnell campaign ad i saw this morning. you are going to love it. ♪ [laughter] that's what i needed. that's all i needed. i sure did, yep, ah, i just learned to smile ten minutes ago. [laughter] i needed to feel good about something like that, you know what i seen in learning to smile ten minutes ago. ladies and gentlemen, that's just the first few beautiful shots of a two and a half minute ad that gets better and better. it has everything. mcconnell's running a board meeting, walking around, talki

[ male announcer ] toyota. let's go places. but that grand slam looks so good. girl: mom, with 18 options to choose from, there's over 300 combos under 550 calories. man: kid's a genius. girl: dad, it says it right here on the menu. man: oh. woman: hey, welcome to denny's. yo,move fast fruit flavor,fe, watermelon, blue razz green apple. your taste buds dancing. it's the jolly rancher, we make it happen. untamed fruit flavor. jolly rancher. [ jim ] mmmmm. so, hot. whoo! mmmmm. that is hot! [ male announcer ] made with real cheese and premium cuts of meat. [ ding! ] ♪ hot pockets! >> stephen: welcome back, nation. i just love birthdays, especially my own. i can remember them all-- from last year when my wife treated me to breakfast in bed, all the way back to that very special day in the hospital when i arrived kicking, screaming, and covered in goo. ah, to be 30 again. well, this week, we celebrate a very special birthday because the song "happy birthday" turns 90 years old. and i am going to wish happy birthday a festive annual age increase the way you would any

attorney general eric holder said toyota intentionally concealeded the recalls. >> put simply, toyota'sonduct is shameful, showing a blatant disregard for systems and laws designed to look after the safety of consumers. by the company's own submissions, it protected the brand against customers. >> the toyota settlement resolves issues that are linked to deaths that plagued the company. among them an incident in 2009, claiming the lives of an off-duty california highway patrol officer and members of its family. the settlement comes as general motors grapples with massive recalls, and whether they waited too long to support a faulty switch problem over two years ago, linked to 12 deaths and multiple crashes. gm's c.e.o. apologised admitting it should have acted soonly. as a member of the gm family, this hit home for me. we have apologised. that's one step in the journey to resolve this. >> as in the toyota probe federal investigators want to find out what gm knew and when. toyota's settlement, which needs to be approved bay federal judge -- by a federal judge may serve as a model. >> the

learn more at first5california.com/parents >>> you can say for certain toyota intentionally concealed information, put simp hi, conduct was shameful. >> now, toyota agreed to pay a billion dollar fine to settle charges of sudden acceleration dating back to 2007. this case may serve as a model for future defect cases. >> abc # news business reporter david huey joins us with details david? >> the fine includes admission that it misled consumers about a break in accelerator problems toyota began recalling cars in 2009 the problem surfaced two years earlier. we spoke to nancy in 2009 when her prius was recalled and talked to her again, today. >> to them it's just money. >> the problem is linked to at least five deaths including a chp officer and its family. this is the chilling call for help. >> we're in trouble. there is no brakes. oh, oh! >> hello? >> toyota's top lawyer released this statement, quote, we're committed to continuing improvement in everything we do to build trust m the company. to that end toyota says it's improved customer responsiveness and extended the new vehicle deve

attorney, when toyota had these problems and the recalls came about, before that even happened toyota repeatedly lied about the problem. >> and in that moment in a misguided and ill-advised effort at crisis management, toyota made the fateful decision to mislead the public to protect its brand. rather than come clean, the company covered up and misled again and again and again. >> the toyota case raises questions about general motors and how it's handling the recall of faulty ignition switches. gm has hired a former u.s. attorney to investigate what went wrong at the company. today attorney general eric holder was asked the gm investigation. he wouldn't comment. but he did have a clear warning for gm and other automakers. >> it's a sign for the industry that we take these matters seriously. individuals, corporations will be held accountable. there is great work that's been done by this team that can be replicated if that's yez. >> and by the way, we should point out, mary barr, the ceo of general moltars was asked yesterday has she talked with the u.s. attorney's office yet regarding

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toyota pays up. the bill $1.2 billion. wemedia, on the red carpet. brought you the cast and creators. arounds and speculation malaysia airlines. in design, using form and we are kicking it off with what everybody is talking about. russia moving one step closer to annexing the peninsula. russia is excited. here's president putin celebrating with his comrades. russians in crimea already feel part of the model -- the motherland. >> many russian speakers in crimea now consider that climate -- that already part, which is why they look at the ukrainian trip through a station there and thinking, you are a or an army. >> you can already see that in action. the ukraine's navy headquarters in crimea. many women stormed the base earlier today and protesters demanded ukrainian officers give up or leave for mainland ukraine according to a local newspaper, the news agency reports the russian flag was raised over the headquarters. the crimean football clubs already signing on a russian premier league. >> remember ukraine is going through a very tough financial situ

toyota had to admit it misled consumers. as you remember, toyota ended up recalling about 10 million vehicles with various problems. this settlement comes as gm is embroiled in its own recall crisis, and it sparks why they wanted a deek cade before they took academy. they have defective ignition swichls that can turn off engines disabling air bags. listen to what eric holder said and imagine your ceo mary berra. >> they shouldn't repeat toyota's mistake. the recall may damage a company's reputation, but deceiving your customers makes that taj far more lasting. >> holder also expects a settlement with toyota will serve as a model how to approach future cases involving car companies. >>> in a desperate search for water, sopt drought stricken farmers are hiring witching to help them find it. i'm talking to one coming up. >>> the drought in california has some farmers calling for a witch doctor literally. they're turning to an old-fashioned practice called dousing or water witching. it involving a copper rod or piece of wood to

toyota hit with a billion dollars fine. the tying disclosures, where does that leave general motors? the president wants a quota for hiring people with disabilities. the portrait looks even more grim. and the white house pastry chef is leaving because the first lady does not like butter, cream and sugar. "varney & company" is about to begin. a black swan event is something that comes out of nowhere and has dire consequences. in the very shaky chinese real estate market another developer is on the rent. comforting reports if the government will do a bailout or not, it would cascade bankruptcies in that market. it is not just about china. is this black swan event around the world, what do you make of black swan? charles: the definition of black swan means they are difficult to predict. i have seen a million predictions of the black swan. it completely lacks you out of left field. it crushes you overnight. stuart: do you think the china thing, the wave of encrypt these, several in fact, the you think is a black swan? charles: