i remind everyone constantly, 9/11 was pre-tsa. i'm thankful that we believe, most of us, that we can move forward and improve this organization. we cannot ignore that tsa expands beyond our checkpoint screening operations and has successfully instituted security programs, such as secure flight, which vets passengers against a no-fly list before boarding a plane. there needs to be greater cooperation, no doubt. there needs to be cooperation on airlines and airports. we need to be looking at the ingress and egress of airports, where individuals can bypass tsa because of so many entrances and become a security threat. tsa does not walk the airports, per se. they're at the screening sites. risk-based screening, a shift on the passenger screening experience, as tsa evolves and focuses more time on those individuals, it knows the least about. that is important, and the use of intelligence. the transportation security grant program, which requires tsa's expertise on mass transit vulnerabilities and funding priorities across all high-risk

i think that's where the tsa needs to go. focus less on repeating vel nerability assessments and regulations which do not add to security, but develop a partnership with the agencies that help in their prevention efforts. help in partnering with local communities and e helping in training employees and doing public outreach. i think the whole program needs to be looked at to see if that's where their efforts are going. >> i'm going to yield back and come get these questions answered at next dpo around. thanks, mr. chairman. >> chair recognizes mr. turner for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> i'm interested, mr. elliot, in the inspectors. there are now 400? did i hear

ss, stsi's do not report to the tsa freight rail branch, do they? >> no. >> or to the tsa headquarters. >> that's correct. >> okay, and rather the s -- stsi's report, the federal security director. is that correct? >> yes. >> and the field where primary focus. isn't there primary focus on aviation? >> it is. >> okay, that's what i thought. so now, although the tsa appointed the regional security inspectors to be liaisons to the railroad on surface transportation issues, the rsis are not in the chain of command of the stsis, is that correct? >> that's correct. >> or the tsa freight rail branch. >> yes. >> so therefore, they like really any authority to resolve any issues or the ability to provide meaningful suggests, is that correct? >> yes. >> so, it's a pretty messed up system. >> it could be better. >> you should run for politics. okay. i just want to show the inadequacy of the system. your example was right on on just how just how ineffective the system is when there is an issue and you have to go to great lengths to explain yourself. so thank yo

i would like to say that the tsa has been a good federal partner and amtrack's partnered with the tsa has produced significant improvements in transit security. the tsa has been at the forefront in many important developments, including vipir deployments, joint baggage screen for explosives, establishment of a peer advisory group for police chiefs, assisting and directing funding for operational security searches and administration of a base program to assist agencies in the application of their security efforts. this is only a partial list but it's a substantial one. that being said, in today's tough economic times, i think it would be prudent to ensure that all of the tsa efforts make the best possible use of their respective budget allocations. one program in particular that i agree is worth a close examination is the surface inspector program. amtrack's experience with this program has been somewhat mixed. on the one hand the program has been helpful to us in the assessment of the northeast corridor. on the other hand, amtrack has encountered difficulties by different tsa field of

tsa. may i also congratulate you on a great event you had with your family and wished them well. i thank you for your leadership and look forward to work with you. i would also like to thank you for holding what i think is an informative hearing. let me acknowledge as we all do in this business that i have before the judiciary committee the attorney general. i will be looking to be in this hearing as long as i can, if mr. pistole would accept the fact i cannot be in two places a once but have to be in two places for the responsibilities that i have. it is important to identify opportunities tsa can do better. i consider this one of the hard working committees. there is a collegiality between myself and the chair person. we look forward to working together on a number of issues. i take issue with the title of today's hearing because i do believe the 40,000 plus numbers of officers are in fact the majority committed to the service of this nation. as i have travelled throughout the nation's a

one, more tsa officer plexability. tsa officers should have more discretion to interact with passengers and to work and lucid teams throughout airports. no security agency on earth has the experience and pattern recognition skills of tsa officers. two, eliminate baggage fees. passengers may overstuff carry- on luggage to avoid multiple bag fees. resulting in a check . nightmare in the bag content search. three, randomize security. the more terrorists know what to expect at the airport, the grthe chance to evade the system. question, is there an additional benefit inside the cabin from going back to allowing free checked baggage? >> yes, he is saying you don't have people stuffing so qeÑq their carry-on bags, they'll be less of a hassle -- >> claiming space in the racks that someone else claims? >> also the exit process and entrance process slowed up? >> obviously a man who is on a lot of planes, john! no once a week. >> everything he says makes sense. but it's just incredible. he counts it a great victory that he made

and they don't need to have tsa in that personnel business. they need to get out of it and get into the security business. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, the tsa says, "accountability is an important aspect of our work and tsa takes prompt and appropriate action with any employee who does not follow our procedures and engages in misconduct." fort myers is a small airport, but the tsa troubles here come after a series of high profile embarrassments. in honolulu, 48 screeners fired or suspended amid allegations they improperly screened baggage. in charlotte, 12 screeners accused of botching inspections fired. and in newark, eight screeners suspended for sleeping on the job or theft. >> tsa is a giant organization, tom. it has tens of thousands of employees. those folks are doing a very mundane, day in, day out, high volume, high stress job. >> reporter: 50,000 officers work at more than 450 airports screening 1.7 million people each day. security experts acknowledge the monotony of the job can lead to fatigue and complacency. this happ

what does it take to get fired at tsa. they only let four of them go and the other 35 or so were given a suspension for not doing their job. >> well, obviously, the facts of each individual, we wanted to make sure that we investigate properly. we afford prompt due process. if there is immediate issue with security, then we suspend them right away, so they're not on the job effecting security. these individuals that were found to be most egregious, we proposed for dismissal. the other 37, we proposed suspension. the federal security director, his deputy, and then the manager, who had the oversight. situation of, do they know or should they have known what was going on. >> chair recognizes mr. thompson for anymore questions he may have. >> thank you very much. mr. pistole, one of tissues tha some of us have tried to move with this committee is respect to new technology. the culture of a lot of organizations is to only deal with certain vendors, because they had a capacity to deliver. but one of the things that a lot of membe

itself and/or the folks that work with tsa, in contributing to that poor public perception? >> we talked a little bit about that, i think it is the anecdotes that drooi a live a l that negative impression, and rightfully so. so, if we have treated somebody unprofessionally, then shame on us, because we have not done the job that we are expected to do. so, that's clearly on us. and that's why we're doing all this new training, retraining, professionalizing of the work force. those things that will enable us to move to the next level. so, i think the criticism is accurate. i think -- i think it's, again, driven by anneck dolts so, we don't hear from the 99% people traveling every day who had a positive experience or least neutral, which is the vast majority. we do hear the other ones. and just one example, so, a few weeks ago, last month, there was some issue about secretary kissinger, you know, receiving negative screening experience. well, he hadn't complained about it but it was some person who saw him and reported it. well, so, he put it something, press release saying, lo

>> no. >> or to tsa headquarters of? >> that's correct. >> no, and rather be sts i report to a federal security directors, is that correct speak with yes. >> ty murray a focus on aviation? >> it is. >> that's what i thought. >> so now, although the tsa, the point of tsa appointed the regional security inspectors to be liaisons to the railroad on surface transportation issues, the rsis are not in the chain of command of the stsis, is that correct? >> correct. >> or the tsa freight rail branch? okay. so they lack really any authority to resolve any issues or the ability to provide meaningful subject manner our kinds of freight rail security issues, is that correct? >> yes. >> so it is a pretty messed up system, wouldn't you agree? [inaudible] [laughter] you should run for politics. >> okay. i just wanted to show the inadequacy of the system and how it is working. you brought up the point, i mean, your example was right on. on just how ineffective and inefficient the system is when there is an issue, and you have to go to g

the tsa called unprofessional and ineffective on capitol hill. >> and the soda summit in d.c. highlighting the dangers of sugary drinks. >>> we'll begin with a murder mystery in maryland. a man found shot to death in his luxury apartment, his killer still on the streets and his family is left wondering why it all happened. fox 5's audrey barnes working this one now. >> police don't have a motive now for the killing and very few clues. officers were called to eric somoa's apartment last night by a family member who was unable to reach him. the 34-year-old, topsman at a bethesda jaguar and range rover dealership was found shot to death inside. family members are shocked by the violent way his life ended. >> i'm trying to be the strong one for the family and all, still can't believe it. get up in the morning and we still can't believe that this has happened to him. especially in his own place someone just want to take a young man's life like that. he wouldn't harm a fly and for this to happen to him yes, it's very devastating to our family. >> eric somoa leaves behind two sisters

is nonsense the tsa has to stop. >> despite the findings, the tsa claims the nearly 4 million passengers who traveled to and from the airport last year were not put at risk. >>> high-tech health at a nearby airport. >> dulles international airport, where we are proudly celebrating -- >> this is paige. she's making quite a stir at dulles international airport. she is a life-sized hologram. paige is designed to give passengers information about the airport. but the problem is, she looks so real, that many travelers say they have asked her questions and she didn't respond. dulles is using paige on a three-month trial basis and may add more. >>> the day started sunny. but the clouds are moving in. we're in a bit of a cool spell now. but it's really a lovely afternoon. wjz has weather and traffic together. meteorologist bernadette woods is here with the updated numbers from first warning weather. >> we're watching this pattern. it will continue through pretty much thursday. we'll show you first warning doppler radar. still the chance for a shower or thunderstorm as we head through the evening

do you think the tsa needs an overalcohol? -- overhaul. you can tweet them to us at fox friends first or friendsfirst@foxnews.com. don't forget we always have our poll on facebook that you can purchago to. we will read them later in the show. >>> all right. the time now is 17 after the hour. despite a rising unemployment rate there are companies out there that are hiring. cheryl has three of them and she is here next. >> he spent years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. today one nfl team is giving him the chance he never thought i would he would have. >> a raging fire that caused $400 million in damage starts with a vacuum cleaner. preliminary investigation 7 people were injured. video of a giant dock. the dock is from japan washing ashore on the coast of oregon. the 60 foot long 19 foot wide pier now lying on the stand. it's the latest from a waive of debris from last year's tsunami to drift across the pacific. >>> the unemployment race rose to 1.8 percent in may. cheryl has three names for you right now. >>> we are fining lots of j

we met with travelers afterwards to discuss their thoughts on tsa.g majority of those that attended the meeting expressed frustration that ten years after 911, the tsa is still collecting pocket knives, it's still collecting water bottles, it's still collecting pill cutters with razor blades. and, of course, the

because a lot of you are from the area is in which we are attempting to work with tsa. i'd like to ask the question chief o connor and mr. morris, making sure we continue to transportation security grants. as i indicated, my amendment put in $400 million and we will always hear from some that resourc resources, i know the vastness of the work that law enforcement was asked to cover. particularly, the local structure and infrastructure. i have ridden on amtrak. i must say relatively without documentation has a safety track record that is more than respectable based on how old it is. amtrak rides through neighborhoods and urban centers. it therefore, can be enormously attractive to someone who wants to do us harm, so both of you can answer who those resources, particular particularly this $400 million and keeping those fundings cycles open and flow iing, how this continue to help secure the homeland. >> yes, ranking member jackson. amtrak operates in more than 500 communities over 46 states. and we interact with about a dozen community agencies across the country. so it's

shep. >> shepard: in this case, phil, the tsa is standing its ground. >> the tsa reveals that screenersolutely nothing wrong. absolutely nothing wrong. itst quote, tsa will notinst workforce. the individual set off an alarm, requiring a secondary screening which was conducted according to established protocols. now, tsa's hands on methods have triggered pleasant outrage and sex assault accusations by passengers before. classic example of that portland, oregon man in april who stripped naked right there at the airport. now, while the tsa tells us on average more than 350 passengers every single week complain about what they have to go through at an airport through tsa. they say not once has a tsa screener been punished for every zealous screening of passengers or what critics call authority. >> phil keating live tonight. thanks. you probably know we are in the middle of a dangerous heat waive across much the country, on this first official day of summer, too. look at these highs. temperatures in the mid to upper 90's from texas to the great lakes. all the way up the east coast. heat adv

the tsa can be a real pain in the butt. you know, i've never had a tsa guy be bad to me.m many times but it doesn't mean that i think they're not doing their job. it is just that i think they have too many rules. >> remember they banned cigarette lighters. after taking 20,000 a day, they said cigarette lighters are okay. we used to have to turn on our computers but it took a minute to a minute and a half. the computers are okay. you don't even have to turn them on anymore. so it is really confusing to the consumer. we have the threaten ounce and the one ounce and all the other goodies. it is the one thing, i never know what will happen with the tsa. >> the 311 has been around. you're not a experienced traveller. they have signed everywhere. i have to ask you how much of this is what we call in texas, just belly aching. there are legitimate concerns of the full body screening. if there was a threat of radiation, there are concerns with the tsa. to say okay, i don't know the 311 rules or maybe someone didn't give me a smile as they will me to take off my shoes. is that legi

service inspectors do not report to the tsa branch to a tsa headquarters official responsible for surface transportation or regional security inspector appointed to be a liaison on the surface transportation issues. mr. chairman, as you did it come surface inspector's report to federal security directors as primary focus on aviation security. on the topic of information sharing and technology, we ask the committee to encourage tsa's ongoing efforts to improve the quality and timeliness of actionable intelligence analysis for the sector. these products will support the efforts of the real root security professionals and tsa focusing on the truly significant threats and concerns. finally, the current tsa security regulations admired and cumbersome procedures as evidenced by the chain of custody rule. we encourage tsa to incorporate modern technology approaches that provide better, more robust security enhancements for the transportation. the u.s. freight rail industry is quickly expand its technology solutions for safety and security and tsa needs to follow. in conclusion, we recognize the

this nonsense with tsa to stop. >> despite the findings, the tsa claims the nearly 4 million passengers traveled to and from the airport last year were not put at risk. >> the high school senior in ohio is turned down, graduation day, all because of cheering friends and family. instead of getting his diploma, when he walked off the stage, anthony cornice got a letter from the principal. apparently, his relatives were cheering too loudly during role call. now they are cheering 20 hours of service before anthony can graduate. >>> check in with eyewitness news at 6:00. for these stories and more coming up, vic is standing by with a preview. >>> more disturbing details in the maryland cannibalism case. the suspect is charged in another attack at morgan state university. what police are saying he did. >>> and a construction fight. lands a man in the hospital. the bizarre weapon in this case. check in for more on these stories and more coming up at 6:00. back to you for now. >>> still to come tonight at 5:00. we'll meet the o's new top draft pick. he's a college pitcher with an unusual game-d

dozens of tsa workers are accused of cutting corners and violating screening rules.at >> reporter: 43 employees including a top supervisor have been fired or temporarily pulled off the job. every day nearly 2 million air travelers rely on the tsa to help keep the nation ee sky safe, but last year at southwest airport in ft. myers, officials say dozens of screeners failing to do their job. >> this is a big deal when five tsa screeners are fired and 38 are put on suspension, this is a huge dale. >> reporter: an internal investigation revealed in a two-month period, 43 workers didn't perform secondary checks after passengers went through security. >> the tsa admits themselves this is an important part of the screening process. >> reporter: the punishments were handed down last friday. in its statement, the tsa says its disciplinary action reconfirms the strong safety to the public. john mica has written a letter demanding more answers. >> we need to find out who knew what when and why it took a year to take disciplinary action against these people. >> reporter: this is

trt=:03 the tsa has a record of buying unk.ember the once ballyhooed puffers installed at dozens of airports in 2004 -- that plug mechanical flaws. [youtube video]]nd more recently -- jonthan corbeet...an enggneer thoss full body ssanners that probably woull not thwart a evade those high-tech to - scanners. a test he carried out at two airports. [skype interview][sot 22:25:21 "wwat i did was show that anyone could bring a firearm, a bomb, or anything through those on the bbdy."trt=:08 the tsaas budget is 8 point one billion dollars and theee's talk on capital hill of cutting it. that's why the agency wants to collect added baggage fees. a spokesperson for the tsa, wwh did not want to be identified ssys the agency &ptakee a layered approach to security. as for the techology that does not work... [graphhc in eric's share file] we did the est with what we had and conttnue to keep pace with the bad guys.[video] how manyyterrorists has he tsa stopped for $200 million dollarr-- we don't know.i'm jeff barnd reporting. the tsa spends a

even more strange she's hers a former tsa worker who hugged another tsa worker. >>> police say a manacked a store clerk, evoking and then biting the victim's face. the employee said he thought he was going to die. the robber escaped with cash and is still on the loose. >>> and finally in california a woman was critically injured after the car she was riding in slammed upside down into a pool north of san diego. police think the driver was speeding when he lost control on a street out in front that sits on a hill known as roller-coaster road. he plowed through a fence before it finally came to rest in the water. >>> and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast which some will be feeling leaf, others not so much. >> yes. that was a nice pool too. i've got my eye on everyone who owns a pool today because you may just find me in your backyard. well, good morning, everyone. we're going to continue watching this heat wave spreading to the east and we're going to be preparing for a hot two-day stretch. a lot

she claims she was i going tsa she claims she was i going tsa a taste of her own medicine. [ female announcer ] now get high speed internet atat home on our newly expanded advanced digital network, a connection you can count on. introducing at&t u-verse high speed internet with more speed options, reliability and wi-fi hot spots than ever. call at&t now to get u-verse high speed internet for as little as 14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. it's the fastest internet for the price. our newly expanded advanced digital network gives you more of what you enjoy online. and with at&t, our wireless gateway turns your home into a private wi-fi hot spot that connects your wi-fi devices and can even save on your smart phone data usage at home. so call now to get at&t u-verse high speed internet for just 14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. that includes access on-the-go to our entire national wi-fi hot spot network, with nearly 30,000 hot spots. at&t u-verse high speed internet. now on our newly expanded advanced digital network, a connection your whole h

the tsa gets a lashing from lawmakers over their screenings. tonight, they fight the back. -- they fight back. >>> a chaotic funnel cloud sends students flying. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, marking spot where the star-spangled banner was formed. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> and it's sunny and clear right now. but will it last all weekend? find out in your updated first warning forecast. ,,,,,,,, hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >>> it is postally -- mostly sunny. 84 degrees in central maryland now. the complete first warning forecast is coming up. a rate hike request may give bge customers a new appreciation for ma what they're paying for gas and electricity now. pat warren explains why bge is asking for more money. pat? >> to keep those juices flowing, denise. bge says it needs additional funding to make sure that it gets your electricity and gas to you on time. >>> remember this time l

the nonsense with tsa has to stop. >> reporter: to put the ft. perspective, the while 400 passengers were not properly screened, another 3.8 million were. >> sharyl attkisson, thank you so much. with us, senior correspondent john miller, former national deputy of intelligence. >> good morning, charlie. >> who is to blame? >> this is clearly a straight up leadership issue. every airport has a federal security director. that's the person who is in charge of the overall security picture for the entire airport. that means everything from the perimeter fencing to the police operations and how that meshes with the buyer operations to the screeners. but most directly the screeners. this is a clear instance where you have a federal security director who was not out there on the line every day looking. when i was in los angeles, we had larry fedders, the federal security director of lax. it's a huge airport. i couldn't go to lax day or night, he must have had an apartment upstairs and slid down on a pole, he was omni present. but the screeners know that.

the tsa gets a tongue-lashing from congress. we'll ask a former tsa boss why there's so much trouble at america's airports and what to do about it. >>> i'm erica hill. a week to forget for the obama administration, from wisconsin to fund-raising to supporters going rogue. we'll ask bob schieffer if democrats are now getting worried. >>> and i'm gayle king. he got his chance and he's making the most of it. how brian banks is one step closer to going from prison to the nfl playing field. >>> and when i see you at 8:00, the one and only neil patrick harris. >>> first, as we do every morning, we begin with a look at today's "eye opener." your world in 90 seconds. >> i'm just telling you, it's palpable. the american people are disgusted and outraged. >> congress blasts the tsa. >> criticizing it for being bloated, inefficient and unprofessional. >> we are not going to have 100% customer satisfaction. >> talking about whether the tsa is too rude. yes, too rude. >> you just got to use common sense. people are going to say, they're patt

she is a retired tsa screener. this report from ft. reporter: it happened on the way to cleveland, ohio. carol price says while going through security to catch her flight, a tsa agent groped her. watch how she handled the situation. putting her carry-ons down, she turns to the supervisor and grabs her allegedly without permission to show the supervisor what price says she went through. >> it was a customer complaint. an extremely inappropriate search. >> reporter: price's attorney said another tsa agent groped price's genitals and breasts first. >> she didn't touch the supervisor as intimately as she was touched. >> reporter: another tsa agent groped price first. price says the tsa agent wasn't following protocol and she should know, notice the hug. price is a former tsa agent herself who worked at the airport until a few years ago. she got along with some but not all of her co-workers and says her pat-down was personal. >> she's obviously been through training. and knew this lady. >> reporter: mills admits price was already emotional

the passenger who groebed a tsa agent now facing charges. she, herself, is a former agent. >>> and star scuffle. alec baldwin pops the paparazzo as other photographers snap away. >>> good wednesday morning, everybody. we begin with the searing temperatures, baking the northeast, ushering in this very first day of summer. kicks in about 8:00 eastern time tonight. but it's going to be a rough one. >> you have your countdown, right? >> yes. >> and what a difference a day makes for millions of folks. >>> it's 20 degrees hotter. it's not going to let up for at least two days. it's a cruel, cruel summer. and many in the east are about to find out how cruel o pressive heat and high temperatures can be. folks in the chicago area tried to flee the storied temps. but flocking to beaches and pools. >> trying to keep cool. i wanted to bring her out and not be in the house all day. >> reporter: for people like milwaukee's chet taylor, who rides an asphalt paving machine for eight hours a day, there's no escaping the heat. i have the hottest job up here.

now the tsa claims their agent did nothing wrong. even more strange, the passenger is herself a former tsa agent who then hugged a former coworker. she's facing misdemeanor battery charges. >>> in texas, a robbery wasn't just violent but savage. police say a man attacked a store clerk, choking and then biting the victim's face. the employee said he thought he was going to die. the robber escaped with cash and is still on the loose. >>> and, finally, in california a woman was critically injured after the car she was riding in slammed upside down into a pool north of san diego. police think the driver was speeding when he lost control on the street out front which sits along a hill known by the locals as roller-coaster road. he then plowed through the fence before the car finally came to rest in the water. >>> well, now let's get a check at your national and regional weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning to you. >> are you ready for the official start of summer later today? >> i'

those are the new accusations against the tsa. what congress is saying about it. >>> a bank drop for a convenience store clerk turns into a payday for drivers. now, the plea from police to return the money. i'm gigi barnett in glen burnie. the details are next. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, marking the spot where the star-spangled banner was born. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> and we'll have the updated first warning weather forecast with bob. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it is sunny, 84 categories -- degrees in central maryland right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. a distracted convenience store clerk loses a large stash of cash on one of the state's busiest highways. now, police are asking for that money back. gigi barnett has more on what happened. gigi? >> well, mary, state troopers say that convenience store clerk made a very common mistake. unfortunately, it could cost him a lot of money. >> reporter: this is where a 7 eleven employee believes he lost a bag of cash, on i-97 nort

i am calling to tsa to make a latest details public. and disappointed that they try to keep the media in the dark. that is embarrassing to that agency. >> and so the juror in the john edwards trial are sharing their side of the story. six jurors and alinates appeared to hannity. they may have disagreed on the evidence in the case. but they all took their jobs seriously. one of the alternates addressing the charge that she allegedly flirted with edwards in the trial. >> first of all. i understand that the alternator that was flirting. >> thank you for saying allegedly. >> what was that all about. >> i don't know. i think they miscontrued my smiling . after i talked to my husband. this is funny. honey. >> did he think it was funny. >> he did, he knew it was ridiculous. >> edwards is a free man. and the jurors are reaching the verdict. and not guilty of accepting illegal contributions. and the jury was hung on the other five remaining charges and forcing the judge to declare a mistrial. >> and the unemployment benefit plan wa cut off in so

tsa to the homeland security security. he defended the tsa's progress in the past two years, the size of the workforce, hand the recent foiled terrorist bombing threat. it is about an hour and half. >> this hearing of the hamas security subcommittee on the tsa will come to order. i want to thank everybody for being of this hearing and want to thank mr. pistole for being here. sir, you have got a tough job. i think we can agree that every person in this great country of ours has the right to criticize and complain about tsa. but what sets un die apart from those who just want to criticize the tsa -- but what sets you and i apart from those who just want to criticize the tsa is that we have the ability to clean up this mess. progress has become -- has come at a snail's pace and come in some ways, has gone backwards. it is not enough that the agency is becoming more -- while the pre-jet program has gone off to a successful start, it does not represent most travelers. so let's talk about what we can do. on monday, congressman

screenings. >> muslims don't have to go through tsa screenings? muslims get special waivers for the tsa? no! that's not true, at all! not even close. it was a glenn beck conspiracy theory a couple of years ago on the internet machine. now, granted, that was the height, i guess, of glenn beck's influence in the republican party, so, you know, glenn beck cracks a crazy conspiracy theory in the glenn beck corner of the internet and republicans all believe it for a second. but when somebody made the mistake of actually checking to see if it was true, frankly, it ruined everything. then senator john ensign, ah, john ensign, he'll be back on the show later, he asked at a hearing, he asked the head of the tsa, if somebody said that they didn't want to go through tsa screening because of their religion. here's how that went. it was very quick. >> well, i respect and we respect that person's beliefs. that person's not going to get on an airplane. >> and there will be no exceptions, just because of religion? >> yes. >> that was -- the -- >> okay. >> that wa

>> i strongly oppose the tsa's policy of groping innocent civilians. i have spoken out on this for many, many months and i think it is typical of the left policy that they violate the law-abiding rights of innocent citizens rather than going after the wrongdoers. i think we would be far better off actually following the national security approach the nation of israel does. israel targets terrorists. the united states, we're too politically correct to do that so instead, we look for weapons and that means we do a body cavity search of a 90-year-old nun which doesn't make any sense. we need to defend our liberty and defend the constitution and i'll point out, this issue is a great illustration of a critical difference between my opponent and me. in the texas legislature, there was a strong bill to ban tsa groping. the obama administration threatened the state of texas and lieutenant governor dewhurst backed down. he asked a liberal democrat to round up the votes on the floor against the bill and he killed the bill because he didn't want to stand and figh

i think the administration should say to tsa, get this fixed. take the prohibited items, reduce it, get that pat-down. another way to do the pat-down. start listening to the people rather than talking past them. >> kip hawley, thank you. >> thank you. >> rough weather across the nation. in southern new jersey a funnel cloud shook up a high school graduation. you see the cloud there off in the distance. it happened last night. had people running for cover as soon as that ceremony ended. no one was injured there. in southeastern wyoming, however, a tornado did injure one person and damaged more than a dozen homes yesterday. that twister was a quarter mile wide and stayed on the ground for almost 20 miles. >>> federal reserve chairman ben bernanke says the u.s. economy appears ready to grow at a moderate pace this year. on capitol hill yesterday, bernanke said that the fed will not take more steps to boost the economy for now. he says that all depends on unemployment and the debt crisis in europe. >> the crisis in europe affected the u.s. economy b

carol price claims during a screening a tsa screener groped her during a pat-down. in response the video shows price puts down her bags turns to a supervisor and grabs her. price claims she was trying to show the supervisor what she just went through. price is a former tsa screener herself who used to work at the airport and knew some of the staff. >> it was a customer complaint of an extremely inappropriate search. >> she did not touch the supervisor as intrusively as she was touched. >> price has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor battery charges. they8jv tsa claim the pat-downs conducted correctly. >> mike playing a little musical chairs forecast next heat for the summer solstice then big cooling trend in the forecast. you can see haze hanging around high pressure dominates we'll talk about that sea breeze and how much it will drop temperatures. >>> wedding ring mystery. california couple searches for the owner of a 50-year-old ring found in a used car they just bought. >>> singer barry manilow giving the gift of music to some lucky studen >>> sacramento couple h

the tsa is accused of doing a poor job, serving airline passengers.nd now, the agency is hearing all about it from congress. whit johnson reports for wjz, from reagan national airport. >> it's palpable. the american people are really disgusted and outraged. >> reporter: while unleashing his attack on administrator john pistol, republican congressman mike rogers says the agency lacks common sense. >> why are we patting down donald rumsfeld? people are going to say, they're patting down beyonce. i mean she's not going to blow ape plane up. >> following the headlines, like tsa agents busted for impproper -- improper screenings, he took the brunt of the criticism. >> with over 630 million people in a year, we are not going to have 100% customer satisfaction. >> reporter: tsa staff has increased nearly 400% from 16,500 workers no in 2001 to more than 65,000 now. but pistol said demand toss cut the agency's ballooning work force won't fly. >> i believe the personnel we have currently are necessary to provide the security the american people expect today. >>