into traumatic brain injuries. why his san francisco doctors liken their work to working on cancer 50 years ago. >> caption colorado, llc comments@captioncolorado.com couric: ric: tonight, a report commissioned by the catholic church claims to know why the child sex abuse scandal happened, but victims' groups aren't buying it. i'm katie couric. also tonight, turning up the heat on syria. president obama slaps the first-ever sanctions on syria's president for the violent crackdown on antigovernment protesters. the human smuggling trade. x-rays help mexican police catch more than 500 migrants hidden in trucks bound for the u.s. and new instructions for acetaminophen for children under two so they won't get an overdose. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric.

>> couric: good evening, everyone. when the sex abuse scandal involving priests first made headlines, catholics in this country-- and that's nearly one out of four adults-- were horrified. trusted members of the clergy abusing children, church leaders covering it up. it was a betrayal, a breach of faith, and it would cost american churches nearly $3 billion in legal settlements. many catholics demanded to know how it all happened. today, an answer came in a report commissioned by america's catholic bishops. but elaine quijano reports, it was not the answer many of the victims were hoping for. >> reporter: for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, today marks another deep disappointment. >> these are the bishops who lied to us about transferring priests. these are the same bishops who continue to lie to us. >> reporter: the new report five years in the making was commissioned by u.s. bishops and conducted by researchers from new york's john jay college of criminal justice.

it partially blames the clergy clearingy sex abuse crise on the sexual revolution that began 50 years ago >> it is consistent with patterns of increased deviants in society during that time. the social influences intersected with vulnerabilities of some individual priests. >> reporter: in addition to social influences, the report cited poor seminary training and isolation of priests. but for former new york city sex crimes prosecutor, linda fairstein, blaming culture rings hollow. >> these crimes occurred for decades, if not centuries, before there was a sexual revolution. that's a fact. >> reporter: the church provided the information for analysis and makes a controversial decision to label priests pedophiles only if they molested children aged ten or younger. by their standards, only 5% of their priests fit the pedophile profile. >> that's such a false standard. it's such a false definition by which to look at pedophiles. most of the kids that clergy have access to alone are going

to be in the 9, 10, to 15, 16- year-old category. it's illegal to engage in sexual contact with them. so it's a very artificial thing. it's semantics to just say, "we're talking about under ten." >> reporter: researchers also concluded there was no way to identify potential abusers ahead of time and said homosexuality, celibacy, and an all-male priesthood had no bearing on the crisis. today's report got mixed reactions from catholics leaving church today. >> it's kind of like asking the fox coming out of the hen house how many chickens were in there before you went in, you know. it's a step in the right direction, but, obviously, we also need independent surveys, reviews, and in-depth coverage. >> reporter: now, today's report does not address the problem of bishops who covered up for priests and comes just days after the vatican issued new guidelines for dealing with priests who sexually abused

children. but those guidelines are not mandatory, and there are no punishments for bishops who don't comply. katie. >> couric: elaine quijano, elaine, thanks so much. turning now to the middle east. for weeks, the white house had moved carefully on syria, saying little, even as the government there kept up its crackdown on protesters, but today, that changed. chip reid is our chief white house correspondent. chip, president obama is now taking aim at syria's leaders. >> reporter: well, today, president obama imposed sanctions on syrian president bashar al-assad, and six other top syrian officials. those sanctions would freeze their assets in the united states and make it illegal for americans to do business with them. the president ordered the sanctions in response to assad's brutal crackdown on antigovernment protests in which about 850 people have been killed. now, assad is in a strong position in syria, so it's not clear whether the sanctions will have much effect, but they're significant because this is the first time president obama has pointed his finger directly at assad, essentially declaring

that he is now the new bad guy in that part of the world. tomorrow, president obama will deliver a major speech in which he'll argue that the mass protests in the middle east and north africa present an opportunity for the united states to advance american values in that part of the world. but in recent days, the president's critics have questioned how he could give a speech on freedom and democracy while not condemning assad directly. those critics say that is why the president today decided to impose the sanctions, but here at the white house, they insist that the timing is just a coincidence. katie. >> couric: chip reid at the white house. juan zarate was a member of president george w. bush's national security team. juan, how big a policy change are these sanctions for the obama administration? >> katie, it's a major policy shift. it's a shot across the bow, targeting president assad and other high-level syrian officials. it is really a financial cue that president assad has to top

his repression. he has to reform or step down. and i think this puts us on a path towards confrontation with syria. >> couric: well, will he reform- - what will he do? what are the ramifications of these sanctions? >> well, i think the hope is that these sanctions would change syria's behavior, but i don't think that's... that's in the cards. i think what you're likely to see is continued repression from the regime, likely additional protests from the syrian people, and i think what you're likely to see is more violence on the streets, leading likely to more tension and confrontation between the u.s. and syria. >> couric: so, juan, can you envision a scenario in which there would ever be any military action against syria? >> i don't think so, katie. i think we may have started down a path towards regime change but it doesn't mean we're necessarily marching towards war. i think the obama administration would be loathe to engage in another military action in another muslim country, unleashing instability. and i think the administration's also worried about what may follow assad. he's the devil we know, we don't know what follows him. >> couric: and let's turn to pakistan, juan. at the pentagon today, defense

secretary robert gates said there's no proof top pakistani officials knew where osama bin laden was hiding. let's listen. >> i have seen no evidence at all that the senior leadership knew-- in fact, i've seen some evidence to the contrary. but... and we have no evidence yet with respect to anybody else. my supposition is somebody knew. >> couric: juan, what kind of message is robert gates trying to send pakistan? >> secretary gates and the administration are sending dual messages. in public, they're trying to give the pakistani leadership some breathing space, trying to tone down the tension. in private, behind the scenes, they want accountability. they know there was some degree of complicity. >> couric: all right, juan zarate, juan, thanks so much. the president, by the way, flew to connecticut today. storm weather in hartford forced air force one to abort the first landing attempt. the plane landed safely the second time around. the white house says the president was never in danger and he later delivered the

commencement address at the coast guard academy in new london. now to a case of human smuggling south of the border. police found more than 500 people packed into two trucks in southern mexico. they were enduring unthinkable conditions to get to america. and still had nearly 1,000 miles to go. bill whitaker now on how they were caught. >> reporter: the 513 migrants, hot, tired, and dehydrated, were rounded up and processed for detention shortly after the two trucks smuggling them across the border tried to blow past a security checkpoint. authorities were alerted to the human cargo by this amazingly detailed x-ray caught at the border showing people sitting, standing, jammed into the trucks, 240 in one truck, 273 in the other, packed so tightly, up to seven people per square yard, they could barely move or breathe, with temperatures topping 100 degrees. more alarming they came from at least eight different countries,

410 from guatemala, others as far away as india, nepal, and china, a smuggling pipeline run by gangs. >> we're talking about something that's far more systematic than people realize. they learn how to do this by trying to move drugs and other contraband. >> reporter: after the golden venture carrying 286 chinese nationals ran aground off new york 18 years ago, authorities have cracked down on human smuggling by sea, even by train. the smugglers' preferred mode of transportation now: trucks. these migrants say they paid $7,000 each for a truck ride to the u.s. border. though the price they end up paying the gangs is far higher. >> through all sorts of activities that we really don't like, indentured servitude, prostitution. >> reporter: mexican authorities say they have intercepted almost 800 migrants entering the country illegally just this month. border observers say many times that number made it through. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles. >> couric: meanwhile, as you

know, dominique strauss-kahn was arrested trying to leave the u.s. the head of the international monetary fund is charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid here in new york city. but a poll conducted in his native france finds more than half the people there think he's the victim of some sort of plot. today, strauss-kahn's accuser told her side of the story to a grand jury. michelle miller has the latest on the case. >> reporter: today, the alleged victim at the center of the international sex scandal got her first day in court. behind closed doors, the 32- year-old widow from guinea, west africa, gave a grand jury graphic details of the alleged sexual assault by i.m.f. chief dominique strauss-kahn. >> her case is credible based upon her testimony alone. but there is other evidence. i'm not at liberty to discuss it. but let's just say that there is sufficient evidence in this case for the district attorney to seek an indictment. >> reporter: police reportedly have d.n.a. samples cut from a

hotel room carpet. d.s.k. voluntary submitted to a d.n.a. test sunday. his defense team is likely to argue the sex was consensual, a contention that outrages both her attorneys and friends. >> there was nothing about any aspect of this encounter remotely consensual. >> she's a family person. she is-- you know, she's a hardworking lady. that's what she was there for. she's there work, doing her job. >> reporter: until now, strauss- kahn has been respected for the way he did his job at the i.m.f. >> what is the i.m.f. doing? trying to provide advice on behalf of the entire international community. >> he's the type of guy who has the personality and credibility to forge agreements, to persuade people to do things they won't naturally be inclined to do and to bring the leaders back to the table when the negotiations break down. >> reporter: he was a wealthy man, too, with fancy cars and homes on three continents,

including washington's tony george town neighborhood. now, humbled by the accusations of a woman of little means, he is under increasing pressure worldwide to step down. >> of course, i can't comment on the case, but he's, obviously, not in a position to run the i.m.f. >> reporter: there's a bail hearing tomorrow where sources tell cbs news that d.s.k. legal team will offer to post at least $1 million, submit him to electronic monitoring and agree that he'll remain here in new york city. katie. >> couric: michelle miller. thank you, michelle. in other news tonight, another big step for arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords as she covers from an assassination attempt. in january, surgeons in tucson removed a piece of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain. today, doctors in houston replaced that piece with a custom-made plastic implant that will allow her to move around without having to wear a helmet. gifford's husband, astronaut mark kelly, is up in orbit commanding the next to last shuttle mission. today he guided "endeavour" as it docked with the international space station.

nasa engineer looking for damage to the heat shield say they found three areas of concern. they could order a closer inspection by the shuttle crew. and still ahead here on the "cbs evening news," what's known about the child, now a teenager, fathered out of wedlock by arnold schwarzeneggar. but up next, the push for new guidelines to keep infants from overdosing on popular fever- reducing drugs.

>> couric: for years, children's medications that contain acetaminophen have come with instructions telling parents how much to give kids aged two and older. today an f.d.a. panel voted unanimously recommending to add dosing guidelines for children under two as well for medications like children's tylenol to prevent overdoses. dr. jon lapook is our medical correspondent. jon, why hasn't there been dosing information for children under two before? that seems crazy to me. >> reporter: katie, the idea was right now the label says if the kid is under two check with your doctor and the idea was to prevent overdoses. ironically that led to overdoses by parents who just winged it and gave them the wrong amount >> couric: i understand this f.d.a. panel, also, jon, voted to keep the fever-reducing claim on the label but remove the

claim of pain relief. why is that? >> reporter: well, the panel felt that there was no proof that the pain-relieving effect really worked. and when you think about it, it's easy to measure temperature, but how do you measure pain, especially in a kid who is crying and may not be able to verbalize. >> couric: also i know the panel said the label should have dosing information according to weight, as well as age, and, of course, any parent would know that makes perfect sense, right? >> reporter: right, there are five-year-olds and then there are five-year-olds. they did something else that is very important. right now there's a high- concentration liquid formula for infants. the idea is cram a lot of medicine into a tiny volume... >> couric: it's hard to get them to take it. >> reporter: right, it's easy to get it down. parents of older kids, say 2-12, would go to the shelf to get the lower concentration bottle, accidentally take the high concentration bottle, and end up overdosing their child. so they're getting rid of the higher concentration formulation, which is a very good idea. >> couric: all right, dr. jon lapook, jon, thanks so much. if you'd like more information on the story you can go to our partner in health news, webmd.com and search "infant drug labels." coming up next, arnold schwarzenegger's true lies, the

sequel. ,,,,

>> couric: arnold schwarzenegger admitted fathering a child out of wedlock while married to maria shriver and apologized to her and their family. but the story doesn't end there. here's ben tracy. >> reporter: this picture, taken in 2000, shows arnold schwarzenegger, an unknown child, and the woman he is believed to have fathered a child with more than a decade ago. mildred patricia baena was the

housekeeper at the mansion of the former governor shared with maria shriver. she worked for the couple for 20 years. she and her teenaged son now live in this four-bedroom home in a middle-class neighborhood. >> just a really, really nice kid. a kid you want to have, you know? my husband has taught school, high school for over 35 years and there are not too many kids like this. >> reporter: the child was reportedly born in october of 1997, a week after maria shriver gave birth to the couple's youngest son, christopher. divorce papers show that less than a month later, baena separated from her husband, claiming they had no children. schwarzenegger was supporting the child and has been ever since. the former actor and politician has been hounded by cameras since admitting to fathering a child and keeping it hidden for all this time. maria shriver, who moved out in january, says she is trying to move on with her life. last night, she was in chicago for a taping of one of the final episodes of the "oprah winfrey show."

the two are close friends. shriver is said to have first learned of her husband's secret child with their long-term employee in january. >> you gotta think if this is an employee, there's been pictures shown. there's been discussions about this child. and all along, she had no idea that this was her husband's child. that is a profound violation of trust. >> reporter: schwarzenegger says he has apologized to shriver and his family, but those who once voted for him also feel betrayed. >> it's like what else is... is in the closet, you know? so we just have to wait and find out, you know. it's a shame. >> reporter: a 14-year-old secret now tarnishing his legacy and splitting his family. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. >> couric: in northeast china, a life-and-death drama played out seven stories up. a jilted bride in her wedding dress climbed out on a ledge. her fiance had run off with another woman days before their wedding. just as she tried to jump, a police officer grabbed her by the neck, and she was pulled to safety. she's now undergoing a psychiatric examination.

up next, a tale of two cities in the heart of the flood zone. ,,

million dollar effort by political foes to uncover scandal next on cbs 5

>> couric: we end tonight along the flooded mississippi. a new forecast says the river will not surge over a levee protecting thousands of acres of farmland near vicksburg tomorrow. and at natchez today a 15-mile stretch of the river of reopened to cargo traffic. it was shut yesterday for fear of the wakes from tugboats and tankers could put too much pressure on the levees. natchez hasn't just opened its shipping lanes. it's also opened its doors to its sister city across the swollen river, vidalia. dean reynolds reports any sibling rivalry has been set aside in the face of disastrous flooding. >> reporter: natchez, mississippi, occupies a prominent bluff overlooking the big river. a tourist attraction, the city is well off, and mostly dry. just across the water, in the lowlands, lies vidalia, louisiana, a working class town on the edge of a ruinous flood.

at least 300 people are out of work there now, its riverfront businesses out of commission. the convention center, hotel, hospital and medical building are inches from inundation and losing as much as a million dollars a month. so it's just empty? >> it's a shell, right. >> reporter: dr. john white, the staff and patients at the medical building were out of business after the makeshift dikes went up and the evacuation orders went out. >> normally, at this time of day, things would be buzzing around here. >> reporter: now, empty halls, empty rooms, empty bed. but that's when a call came in from across the water. >> that's just the way natchez is. we... we want to help in any way we can. it's not an obligation. it's just a need-- a want to help. >> reporter: in no time, white and his colleagues were housed in the natchez medical center. this is your new home, huh? >> this is our makeshift office. >> reporter: his staff is back at work. his patients know the new address. it's as much as he can hope for. the humane society set up a

shelter in natches for the pets of vidalia. >> they feel like it's a part of their family but they can't take them where they're going. >> reporter: natchez farmers offer grazing land for misplaced livestock, and the red cross manned a post in natchez with bed at the ready for their neighbors. the two mayors said the cooperation of their cities made them reflective. >> what it takes, it seems like sometimes, is crises and disasters like to bring us all together as a unified group. i don't know why we can't do this all the time as a nation. >> reporter: as mayor copeland put it, the only thing that separates us is the river. dean reynolds, cbs news, vidalia, louisiana. >> couric: and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. i'm katie couric. thank you for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

[ music ] you're watching cbs 5 eyewitness news in high definition. >> this is really one of the great silent epidemics that remains in public health. >> new at 6:00 tonight our first detailed prognosis for bryan stow since his critical move to san francisco. a closer look at some ground bleaking research on traumatic brain injuries. and thoughts from his family. we are talking about an army of researchers going after arnold schwartz example. >> a secret for almost ten years. but it wasn't easy. how arnold schwarzenegger's secret remained hidden despite a $1 million amount to find just this type of scandal. >> as your hopes fall your insurance costs rise. good evening i'm allen martin.