. >>> i julia pierson -- >> reporter: an historic day in the oval office. julia pierson sworn in as the first female director of the secret service. >> obviously she's breaking the mold in terms of directors of the agency. >> reporter: barbara riggs was the agency's first woman deputy director and pierson's mentor. >> when i did hear the news i obviously was thrilled. >> reporter: an orlando native, pierson, who is 53, studied criminal justice at the university of central florida, worked as a police officer during college and became a secret service agent in miami after graduating. >> she's a go-to person. >> reporter: pierson has worked behind the scenes and in the field for 30 years. most recently serving as chief of staff. in 2007 she told "smithsonian" magazine her most challenging day on the job in washington was 9/11. we didn't know if what was happening was a prelude to more attacks, she said. i was in charge of making sure everyone was accounted for. the appointment comes at a pivotal time for the secret service. last april, several agents were embr

julia pierson took the federal oath today. the president praised his pick. pierson replaces mark sullivan who retired in february after that prosecution scandal involving secret service agents. >>> there were some more technical problems for wells fargo customers today. some customers experienced problems using their debit cards today. >>> the biggest cyberattack in history, who's behind it? who's the target? the effects you may notice. >>> take a look at this video, a lamp goes right through the windshield of a bus. what the bus driver immediately did afterwards that have many people calling him a hero. >>> experts say a cyberattack could have a ripple effect on other internet users. attackers have been sending a massive volume of messages to spam house. that's a geneva-based service that list the senders of spam e- mails. experts say that could slow some e-mail servers. the silicone valley leader group says such attacks could mean job opportunities. wright says the commerce department faces so many cyberattacks it has taken the whole division off the inter

he has worked with julia pierson, nice to see you. there are not a large percentage of women at the agency. give me a sense of what julia pierson, whom you know, will bring to this environment? >> she has touched every operational outfit in the secret service. more than qualified. fantastic resume. the secret service is a unique job. i hate that word. unique. very overused word. in this case, perfectly appropriate. nothing like us. we -- there is no other operational security element anywhere in the world that uses the kinds of assets the secret service does. she knows what it's like to stand out there on the long hours on the road to miss birthdays and holidays and really understood the trials and tribulations to the average rank and file agent. i think she will be terrific. >> a sense that you and i have talked about this the past year that the agency might need a six of the culture is that something that can be done from the top down? and is it something that a woman can specifically do? >> well, you know, there is always a politic

pierson began her career as a police officer in florida. she's been with the secret service for three decades. she's protected presidents and investigated cyber crimes. her appointment marks a shift for the male-dominated agency, which has been tainted by a series scandals. more than ten agents assigned to protect obama last year in colombia were accused of hiring prostitutes. in 2009, a couple attended a state dinner despite not having invitations. secret service representatives admitted proper procedures had not been followed. >>> a midmorning earthquake rattled buildings in central taiwan. the magnitude 6.1 tremor killed one person and hurt more than 80 others. people across the island felt the jolt. the central weather bureau reported the epicenter of the quake was in nanto county. emergency officials said a 72-year-old woman died when a building collapsed. 86 others were injured. mostly by falling objects. the quake shook schools, prompting evacuations, and it damaged residential buildings. a magnitude 7.6 quake hit the same part of ta

pierson moves up from the chief of staff role at the agency. known most widely for protecting presidents and their families. she takes over now from long time boss, secret service veteran mark sullivan. who dealt with the wake of the prostitution scandal that wounded the agency's reputation. >>> north dakota's governor today signed into law the tough est restrictions on abortion in this country. banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected which is usually around six weeks into pregnancy. most experts say the new law violates the nationwide standard under roe versus wade. the supreme court decision. and even supporters of the new measure expected to be overturned. anti-abortion leaders say they're trying to test the boundaries of roe versus wade at the state level. >>> turning now to the economy and the real estate market at home. home prices are rising at the fastest pace since '06 when we were at the peak of the housing bubble. this is a big change. it may sound like good news if you're thinking of selling. but buyers, especially f

julia pierson is the first woman to hold the job. she officially assumed her new duties in an oval office ceremony in the white house. vice president biden administered the oath, as president obama looked on. >> she's breaking the mold in terms of directors of agencies. and i think that people are all extraordinarily proud of her, and we have the greatest confidence in the wonderful task that lies ahead, and very confident that she's going to do a great job. >> sreenivasan: pierson takes over an agency that was rocked last year by revelations that agents used prostitutes in colombia, ahead of a presidential trip there. the man accused in the movie theater shootings in colorado last july, has offered to plead guilty and serve life in prison. defense lawyers for james holmes filed the motion today. prosecutors had no immediate response. they're due to announce monday whether they'll seek the death penalty. holmes is accused of opening fire in a theater in aurora, colorado, killing a dozen people and wounding nearly 60. north korea toda

julia pierson is a 30 year veteran on the force. previous director mark sullivan retired last month. pierson's appointment comes at a time of heighten ed time for th social security. >>> now to business. the dow opened yet another record high this morning after investors like wlad they saw in new reports yesterday on home prices and manufacturing. the s&p 500 meanwhile is hovering just shy of its own all-time high. for more on what to expect from the markets today, let's check in with steve sethwick. we have come back full steam ahead. what is up for today? >> yeah. it's amazing. this tiny little european country called cyprus had been such a blot on the horizon. but now it seems domestic data in the united states is driven durable goods orders and long term goods orders went well to the upside as did single family home sales, the fastest pace we've seen in six years. that drove the dow up 100 points. another record is hitting record highs since march. and the s&p 500 only about 1.4 points away from its record high. the s&p 500, of

julia pierson has been nominated to run the agency by president obama and jim avila has more details from the white house. >> reporter: they call it secret for a reason. julia pierson, the first female director of the secret service, has been on the job for 30 years but we can only find two pictures, one official and one not of the former disney world employee who worked her way up from the parking lot to cartoon character in the parade, telling the smithsonian magazine in a 2007 article, "the experience of dealing with large crowds at the park had a good influence on my ability to do that sort of work with the secret service." from there sheed a orlando, liked it, but wanted to travel so the secret service made sense as her next step. the white house announcement 1 l life, saying only that she consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men traty.men of the service important since pierson takes a sex scandal just a year ago. >> what happened here in colombia is being ited by the directorecre >> reporter: a group of secret service agents advancing the president's trip to c

julia pierson has worked with the secret service for 30 years. her colleagues say she's experienced just about every aspects of the job, which makes her the right person to lead the troubled agency into the future. julia pierson is set to become the 23rd director of the secret service and the first woman ever to lead the agency, an historic pick from an administration that has recently been criticized for a lack of diversity. >> this comes as welcome news, i think, to a lot of people who were looking for a cabinet and an inner circle and an administration that was much more diverse in this second term. >> reporter: an orlando native, pierson joined the secret service in 1983, right out of college, according to a 2007 interview with "smithsonian." telling the magazine, "i knew law enforcement was my area of interest." now 53, pierson has risen through the ranks. most recently serving as chief of staff. former agent, dan bongino, worked with pierson for more than a decade. >> she's aggressive. she is tough. she's not going to put up with any nonsen

i, state your name. >> i, julia pierson. solemnly swear i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. against all anyplace enemies, foreign and domestic. >> i bare truth, faith and allegiance to the same. i take this obligation freely. without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> and that i will well and faithfully discharge the duties. >> i will well and faithfully discharge the duties. >> of the office which i'm about to enter. >> the office of which i'm about to enter. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> great job. >> thank youu thank you. >> i have to say that julia's reputation within the service is extraordinary. she's come up through the ranks. she's done just about every job there is to do at the secret service. obviously she's -- she's breaking the mold in terms of directors of the agency and i think that people are all extraordinarily proud of her and we have the greatest confidence in the wonderful task that lies ahead and very confident she's going to do a great job. we just wa

julia pierson took the federal oath today. the president praised his pick. pierson replaces mark sullivan who retired in february after that prosecution scandal involving secret service agents. >>> there were some more technical problems for wells fargo customers today. some customers experienced problems using their debit cards today. >>> the biggest cyberattack in history, who's behind it? who's the target? the effects you may notice. >>> take a look at this video, a lamp goes right through the windshield of a bus. what the bus driver immediately did afterwards that have many people calling him a hero. >>> experts say a cyberattack could have a ripple effect on other internet users. attackers have been sending a massive volume of messages to spam house. that's a geneva-based service that list the senders of spam e- mails. experts say that could slow some e-mail servers. the silicone valley leader group says such attacks could mean job opportunities. wright says the commerce department faces so many cyberattacks it has taken the whole division off the inter

. >> reporter: so where did pierson come from? according to an interview she gave, six years ago, pierson's childhood interest in police work gained traction in a high school job at disney world saying i wore one of those character outfits to this day i think the experience of dealing with large crowds at the park had a good influence on my ability to do that sort of work with the secret service. during college, she worked for the orlando police department and she joined the secret service in 1983. beginning with investigations in to credit card fraud. since then, she's been on security details for several presidents and experienced virtually every aspect of secret service oerngss including fraud and counterfeiting investigations. in her new job, however, her political skills may be tested first because even though some congressional critics of the secret service scandal are praising her appointment, they're also saying she has a lot of work ahead to repair the agency's battered image. erin? >> all right. thanks to you, tom forema

the president made history yesterday when he appointed agent julia pierson to head the secret service, the first time a woman has been in charge of the agency. of the 3,500 secret service agents, women make up just 10%. the "washington post" reports that pierson signed off on the 2005 decision to destroy videotapes of prisoners subjected to what some called torture. the appointment comes at a time when the secret service is still recovering from a prostitution scandal that took place last year. >>> prosecutors in italy have three months to explain why they want to reopen the case against former american foreign exchange student amanda knox. another conviction could land knox back in an italian jail. her original conviction was overturned by an appeals court. >>> kercher's mother and sister said they welcomed the retrial. they said all they want is justice for the victim. >>> more trouble for justin bieber. one of his neighbors in california tells police bieber attacked him during a shouting match yesterday. the battery allegations come on the heels of a series of meltdowns and bizarre

a little known fact about pierson: the washington post says she was once a made. now juliette pearson who doesn't need confirmation takes over. pearson joined the secret service in 1983 and first worked in the miami field office. she joined the protective detail in 1988 and served there four years. she became chief of staff to the director in 2008. pearson inherits an agency reeling from the sex scandal. agents assigned to protect president obama last april were accused of soliciting prostitutes. this was the president at the time. >> if it turns out that some of the allegations made in the press are confirmed, then of course i'll be angry. >> pearson learned of her historic career hours before the president announced it. doing something considered quite novel. driving a neighborhood crime beat instead of handling youth outreach. cbs news, the white house. >> well little known fact about pearson. the washington post says she was once a character at disney world. >> wow. investigators trying to figure out what started this predawn fire in alameda today. the flames

julia pierson was sworn in today, pierson served as chief of staff since august of 2008. >>> actress and democrat ashley judd will not challenge senator mitch mcconnell for his seat in 2014. she broke that news on twitter, saying she realized she needs to focus on her family right now. >>> and this one, talk about a close call. a bus driver in china did this. he managed to stop his bus and help passengers as the gus goes through a utility pole. he is now being called a hero. >>> and technology that allows public and street lightings to be controlled wirelessly. it's the brain child of global green lighting and it's being used by police in chattanooga, tennessee to control lights in city parks as a safety measure. authorities now can shine 350 lights where and when they need them in a park where crime rates had gone up, all done online. the university of alabama is using them to be installed as a visual signal to be used during lockdowns as well. >>> stay with us. anderson is back next with the "ridiculist." >>> time now for "the ridiculist." how many times has this happened to you? y

. >>> first, a "360" bulletin, julia pierson was sworn in today, pierson served as chief of staff since august of 2008. actress and democrat ashley judd will not challenge senator mitch mcconnell for his seat in 2014. she broke that news, saying she needs to focus on her family right now. and in china, the bus driver did this. managed to stop his bus and help payi passengers as the bus goes through a utility pole. he is now being called a hero. >>> and technology that allows public and street lightings to be controlled wirelessly. it is being used by police in tennessee to control lights in city parks as a safety measure. authorities now can shine 350 lights where and when they need them in a park where crime rates had gone up, all done on leaine the university of alabama is using them to be installed as a visual. stay with us. ♪ [ construction sounds ] ♪ [ watch ticking ] [ engine revs ] come in. ♪ got the coffee. that was fast. we're outta here. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ [ engine revs ] oh, hi thehey!ill. are you in town for another meeting? yup, i brought my a-team. business trip

julia pierson the first woman in american history to hold that post. pierson is a 30-year vet in the agency. most recently serving as his chief of staff. his choice of her signals the president's intention to change what has been a male-dominated culture recently marked by scandal, you know, back in cardiana? we'll be right back. >>> we're back. >>> we're back. some people say we live in a time of very bitter feuding between right and left on everything from culture wishes to gay marriage to taxes and spending and, of course, health care in the months leading up to pearl harbor before world war ii, there was one of most divisive periods in history about whether the u.s. should enter the war. lynn olson chronicles those years in "those angry days." franklin roosevelt was signing a bill in the law that required men between 21 and 45 to sign up for the draft. charles lindbergh, the american hero who became the voice of isolationist america first people was fdr's most famous and prominent critic. libdberg in october 1 940. his plea here is for us to stay o

julia pierson was sworn in today. she replaces mark sullivan who retired in february. pierson served as his chief of staff since 2008. >>> ashley judd will not challenge mitch mcconnell for his senate seat. she broke that news on twitter, she said she needs to focus on her family right now. >>> a bus driver in china managed to stop his bus and help passengers after a utility pole smashes through the wind she'd. he suffered a ruptured spleen and is being called a hero. >>> the brainchild of global green lighting, and it's being used by police in chattanooga, tennessee to control lights in park as a safety measure. they're able to shine lights in a park where crime rates have gone up. the university of alabama is using the lights as a visual signal during school lockdowns. anderson is back next with the ridiculist. come on, nowadays lots of people go by themselves. no they don't. hey son. have fun tonight. ♪ ♪ back against the wall ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ ain't nothin to me [ crowd murmurs ] hey! ♪ [ howls ] ♪ are proven to be effective pain relievers. tylenol

maestros, padres, y alumnos marcharon mientras exigian que no se aplique la medida.y julia pierson se convirtio en la primera mujer que juramento como directora del servicio secreto en estados unidos.mas en despierta america >>> cuando un niño aplican un severo castigo en su escuela por jugar con su mano como si fuera una pistola. usted pensaría que algo anda mal. ocurrió a un menor en maryland, en un incidente que muestra la histeria y paranoia que hay en las escuelas luego de la masacre en connecticut. habló con la familia y estos son los detalles. >>> al pequeño rodny le gusta dibujar, jugar con su peluches, sus carritos y pistolas. un niño de 6 años jamás imaginó que jugar a policías y ladrones le traería graves consecuencias. el 21 de diciembre del 2012, una semana después de la horrenda tragedia en ni town connecticut. donde un asesino mató balazos. rodny fue suspendido por apuntar a es un compañero con su manita como pistola. rodny amenazó con matar a otro estudiante. >>> yo estaba en shock, no podía creer que no le permitieran a mi hijo volver al colegio al dí

she is julia pierson, the new director of the secret service. the first woman to run that agency in its history. >> this person now probably has more control over our lives than anyone else. except for our spouses. and i couldn't be placing our lives in better hands than julie's. >> pierson takes over a year after the agency dealt with a major prostitution scandal in colombia that dealt with more than a dozen employees. north korea a country we know as a hermit kingdom taken another step 20 cut itself off from the rest of the world. north koreans have seaferred military hotline to south korea. and the north koreans warn that war could begin at any moment. this is but the latest from the dictator there. kim jong un. kim the younger who has ramped up his rhetoric to armageddon levels. dennis rodman's best buddy recently threatened to nuke washington and tore up the 60-year-old cease-fire that suspended the korean war. >> the north koreans are not going to achieve anything through these threats and provocations. and they are only going to further i

hampton pierson has more. >> reporter: while millions americans will have health insurance for the first times, claims costs will go up, mainly because more of the newly covered will be sick people who tend to use more insurance. and when insurance pays more, premiums go up. >> we know that they track the cost of medical care. as the costs increase, premiums go up. as a result of the health care reform law, there's new taxes and benefits being added to policies. >> reporter: the obama white house is widely criticizing an insurance funded study. saying it does not give a full picture of the taxpayer benefits that are built into the affordable care act. the reason it was put in place was to ensure that we were expanding access to health care for every american. but because we wanted to protect consumers who were victimized by insurance companies. >> reporter: the spotlight of the premium costs will heat up next month, that is when the proposed rate plans will be filed with the state. ahead of the big push this fall to sign up millions americans without health insurance. >> joining us now t

joyce pierson. gregg cassin. come on up. >>> [inaudible]. >> you're first. >>> thank you, i think. well, thank you. nice to meet you all. and i just want to say thank you for creating the task force. i am a gay dad. i've lived in san francisco since 1980. i tested positive in the early '80s, went on to disability maybe 10 or 12 years ago, but stayed really involved here, activities. i just think this task force is incredibly important. i think that the things that i look and i see most is how people -- how fast people can become invisible and how much a social network and how much it takes actually caring for and watching out for our lgbt [speaker not understood]. i had an experience of being senior almost by being on disability for a long time and kind of being marginalized and kind of stepping outside the system and having to [speaker not understood] myself a bit and relying on things like a task force for social services that have been incredibly helpful and generous for me. i want to read a little [speaker not understood] projects that i've been working on. most of my work has

pierson is a 30-year vet in the agency. his choice of her signals the president's intention to change what has been a male-dominated culture recently marked by scandal, you know, back in cardiana? we'll be right back. >>> we're back. some people say we live in a in time of very bitter feuding between right and left on everything from cultural issues like gay marriage to tax and spending. in the months leading up to pearl harbor before world war ii the country experienced one of the most divisive periods in our history. it's chronicled in the new book "those angry days." at the time franklin roosevelt was quietly moving towards war sending destroyers to aid britain and signing a bill into law that required men to sign up for the draft. here's lindburg in october 1940 on the mutual broadcasting network. his plea here is for us to stay out of the war. >> the doctrine that we must enter the wars of europe in order to defend america will be fatal to our nation if we follow it. when men are called upon to fight and die for their

julia pierson the first woman in american history to hold that post. pierson is a 30-year vet in the agency. most recently serving as his chief of staff. his choice of her signals the president's intention to change what has been a male-dominated culture recently marked by scandal, you know, back in cardiana? we'll be right back. ♪ if you have high cholesterol, here's some information that may be worth looking into. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. getting to goal is important, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. and that's why when diet and exercise alone aren't enough to lower cholesterol i prescribe crestor. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle

veteran agent julia pierson was chosen by president obama for the high-profile job. the selection is seen as a clear signal from the white house about reform in the male-dominated culture of the service. just last year the agency was embroiled in a prostitution scandal during preparations for the president's trip to colombia. u)3fy >>> it could be years before a new trial for amanda knox takes place in italy. one thing that's all but certain is that she probably won't be going there to face charges. she's responsible for the 2007 death of a former roommate. italy's highest court ruling yesterday that knox's acquittal should be overturned. they said she should be tried again. in a statement, knox called this ruling "painful." >>> and now for a bit of u.s. sports history that we have to report for you from late last night. the american men's soccer team was under siege for most of their world cup qualifying game against mexico. despite plenty of mexican scoring chances, the game ended scoreless. it's only the second time in 15 matches that the u.s. has avoided defeat i

this is julia pierson. for 30 years, she is the one who has been working her way up the ranks at one of the most macho of workplaces, think men in black, suits and sunglasses, guns tucked under the jackets, wire in one ear, the secret service. it has been almost one year since some of those macho men were caught hanging out with prostitutes in their hotel in colombia while preparing for a presidential visit. now the secret service is getting a new boss. it is julia pierson. she's about to be sworn in. she's about to become the first woman to lead the agency in its 148-year history. and, that got us thinking today. there is also a new study, i hear some -- hmm -- new study that found women take a completely different approach decision-making, taking other people's interests and views into account while men would rather not maybe rock the boat. that suggests that women make better decisions, again, according to this one study. and they're better leaders because of it. i want to begin with you, i know you had

proeb has selected veteran agent julia pierson. she became a secret service agent in 1983 and served as the agency's chief of staff. she'll take over for mark sullivan who announce the his retirement last month and who's tenure was plagued with criticism after agents were accused of soliciting prostitutes in columbia last year. >>> here's your first look at scrambled politics. rush limbaugh is using harsh language towards former first daughter chelsea clinton on his show tuesday. he said that after reading a "national enquirer" report saying that former first daughter is considering adopting a baby from africa that is he is not surprised she would want to take child there calling african babies the latest fashion accessory for elite liberals. >>> the host of stephen colbert is running against mark sanford for a seat in congress. a new poll from the clinton university shows that democrat elizabeth colbert bush is slightly ahead of sanford. sanford still needs to make it to the general election by winning a runoff next month. >>> mic

julia pierson. >> as joe biden pointed out, this person probably now has more control over our lives than anyone else -- except for our spouses. and i couldn't be placing our lives in better hands than julia's. >> the president said that the fact that she's a woman is important, but not why she was chosen. he said she was chosen because she's the best person for the job. >>> we learned today about another pioneering woman, but we can't show you her face or tell you her name because she's an undercover agent. and now the first woman in history to head up the clandestine service of the cia. putting her in charge of undercover agents and spies. we know she's in her 50s, speaks several languages, and has done several tours in moscow. >>> and there was a dramatic upheaval in the earth today on a small island off the coast of washington state. residents say it began with a mysterious sound like thunder, and then the earth seemed to crack open. abc's neal karlinsky is there. >> reporter: it was just before 4:00 in the morning when the slide hit with such force homeowners thought it must be

julia pierson is the first female director of the agency. she's been the chief of staff to the director since pierson replaces mark sullivan, who retired in february. >> north korea says it's cutting off a key military hotline with the south that allows workers to travel to a jointly run industrial complex in the north. north korea recently cut a red cross hotline between the koreas, but there's still a hotline linking aviation authorities in both koreas. the hotline is important because the koreas use it to communicate as hundreds of workers travel back and forth to the kaesong industrial complex. officials say more than 900 south korean workers were in kaesong on wednesday. north korea is angry over routine u.s.-south korean drills and recent u.n. sanctions punishing it for its feb. 12 nuclear test. we'll be right back here on the kron four morning news. ♪ >> welcome back. this is a live look outside looking at the san francisco skyline. temperatures not that bad. 57, no rain to contend with. nothing to organized and nothing let me walk

jewel la, pierson, who will take over mark sullivan, who was the man at the helm when the service was engulfed in the prostitution scandal last year. >>> and news tonight if you're afraid of hospital errors. ten years ago, we learned about the exhausted medical intern. so the policies changed. fewer hours, more changes of shift. but tonight, a counterintuitive surprise. did this put patients at greater risk? abc's chief medical and melt adviser richard besser on a vulnerable moment in a hospital room. watch out for the handoff. >> reporter: there are as many 98,000 deaths each year from mistakes made in america's hospitals. some of the blame -- exhausted doctors. but the new studies are raising questions about the fix. interns today report making more mistakes than they did when the shifts were longer and they had less sleep. one of the major reasons, shorter shifts mean doctors hand off critical information about you and your care to the next team on duty more frequently. whenever you or a loved one is in the hospital you need to be aware of this. think of it as a game of telephone.

. >>> pierson is 53 years old and a veteran secret service agent. the agency has been under scrutiny after a prostitution scandal during the president's visit to columbia last year. >>> in news of the world, in north korea national television announced the military is at its highest level of combat alert ready to attack the united states. analysts say kim jung un may be trying to enhance his military credentials. >>> in china, first there were dead pigs now dead ducks. about 1,000 dead ducks have been found floating in a river in a south western province. the river is not used for drinking water, but a river where 16,000 dead pigs were recently found is a source of shanghai's water supply. officials insist the water is safe but many people are not convinced. >>> and in peru the government reclaired an environmental state of emergency in a remote area of the amazon. there are high levels of led and chromium. and the minister blames the company's oil company plus petro for the contamination. that company denies any responsibility. >>> the legal troubl

. >> president obama has appointed julia pierson as the first woman ever to lead the secret service, an agency charged with protecting the president, his family, and other officials. she's a longtime secret service agent who previously served as a police officer in orlando, florida. she takes over from mark sullivan whose tenure was marked by scandal after was revealed agents had hired sex workers during a presidential trip to colombia. a group of five countries say they have reached a deal to challenge the u.s. dominated world bank and international monetary fund by creating their own development bank. leaders from the so-called brics countries -- brazil, russia, india, china and south africa -- are gathered in durban, south africa for a summit. to gather the countries account for 25% of global gdp and 40% of the world's population. the environmental protection agency says more than half of rivers and streams in the u.s. are in such unhealthy shape they cannot adequately support aquatic life. epa sampling found more than 55% of waterways tested were in poor condition, compared to ju

her name is julia pierson, a 30- year veteran. she was named the new director of the secret service. one of pierson's chief jobs will be repairing the tarnished public immake of the secret service. they were embarrassed last year after some of the agents preparing for president obama's shift to colombia hired prostitutes. >>> the cia is considering whether a woman acting the head of clan destin services -- clandestine services should get the job. right now he's undercover, cannot be named. she has reportedly the support within those in the cia. critics say she's helped run the controversial detention and interrogation programs after 911. she also signed off in 2005 to destroying videotapes of prisoner abuse. >>> the number of homeless people in the u.s. is expected to drop dramatically in the next decade. the reason is a little ominous, though, as people who lived on the streets 30 years ago die of premature old age. the san francisco "chronicle" reports those are the young people who became homeless and fell through the safety ne

her name is julia pierson, a 30- year veteran. she was named the new director of the secret service. one of pierson's chief jobs will be repairing the tarnished public immake of the secret service. they were embarrassed last year after some of the agents preparing for president obama's shift to colombia hired prostitutes. >>> the cia is considering whether a woman acting the head of clan destin services -- clandestine services should get the job. right now he's undercover, cannot be named. she has reportedly the support within those in the cia. critics say she's helped run the controversial detention and interrogation programs after 911. she also signed off in 2005 to destroying videotapes of prisoner abuse. >>> the number of homeless people in the u.s. is expected to drop dramatically in the next decade. the reason is a little ominous, though, as people who lived on the streets 30 years ago die of premature old age. the san francisco "chronicle" reports those are the young people who became homeless and fell through the safety ne

. >>> pierson is 53 years old and a veteran secret service agent. the agency has been under scrutiny after a prostitution scandal during the president's visit to columbia last year. >>> in news of the world, in north korea national television announced the military is at its highest level of combat alert ready to attack the united states. analysts say kim jung un may be trying to enhance his military credentials. >>> in china, first there were dead pigs now dead ducks. about 1,000 dead ducks have been found floating in a river in a south western province. the river is not used for drinking water, but a river where 16,000 dead pigs were recently found is a source of shanghai's water supply. officials insist the water is safe but many people are not convinced. >>> and in peru the government reclaired an environmental state of emergency in a remote area of the amazon. there are high levels of led and chromium. and the minister blames the company's oil company plus petro for the contamination. that company denies any responsibility. >>> the legal troubl

. >> today is julia pierson's first day on the job. and it's been a tough ncaa tournament. even the president's bracket isn't doing so well. >> busted. but delaware won last night. >> that's right. >> i think my women's bracket is doing much better than my men's bracket. >> if you read only one thing this morning, we've been talking for the last week or so about the reignited culture wars. give me your opinion on this. in lancaster, california, the city council regularly opens meetings with a prayer. it's being challenged in court but this case has an interesting twist. it's up on our facebook page at facebook/jansingco. n with rice and beans. you know the giants don't have a mascot right mom? [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. i took something for my sinuses, but i still have this cough. [ male announcer ] a lot of sinus products don't treat cough. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope, but alka seltzer plus severe sinus does it treats your worst sinus symptoms, plus that annoying cough. [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is [ angry g

. >> so where did pierson come from? six years ago pierson's childhood interest in police work got traction during a high school job at disneyworld where she says, quote, i wore one of those character outfits. to this day i think the experience of dealing with large crowds at the park had a good influence on my ability to do that sort of thing with the secret service. during college she worked for the orlando police department and she joined the secret service in 1983 beginning with investigations into credit card fraud. since then she has been on security details for several presidents and she's experienced virtually every aspect of secret service operations including fraud and counterfeiting investigations. now it is important to know there are plenty connected to the secret service who don't think there is a problem with the culture of the secret service and yet even almost to a soul say this is a qualified person. the secret service has been around since 1865, first woman in charge. >> it's still a huge, huge job. go

it is julia pierson, the first female to ever head up the agency. a headline in the "usa today" reads secret service pick breaks up boy's club. so she's been chief of staff there since 2008. pierson inherits 7,000 employees and a department tarnished by scandal with agents allegedly patronizing prostitutes in colombia ahead of a visit by the president last year. >>> records falling away on wall street. the dow up 111 points to close at a record 14,559. all eyes on the 71500 this morning. the index closing yesterday at 1563 just two points shy from an all-time high. market futures pointing lower this morning for all major averages suggesting a possible sell-off at the opening bell. >> eight minutes past the hour. a bus driver in china is being called a hero for somehow stopping his bus after a light pole came smashing through his windshield. look at this. this is incredible surveillance video. it will make you want to duck. that is exactly what the driver did with only a split second to spare. he suffered a ruptured spleen but managed to bring the bu

is naming julia pierson in charge of the people charged with keeping him alive. she will run the secret service. the appointment doesn't require confirmation. no word yet on who will play her in the movie. >>> the "rewrite" is next. (laug) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home would absolutely not have taken a zip line in the jungle. (screams) i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours. google's backyard for the wbing it on challenge.. [fight bell: ding, ding] what's your preferred search engine? search engine, uhh, probably google. if we do a side by side blind test comparison, and you end up choosing google, you get an xbox. i'll bet you the xbox, you bet me your son. well let's look up what you need. okay, i would do the left. yeah? what?! i am a daddy! bing wins it! bing won. bing did win. people prefer bing over google for the web's top searches. don't believe it? go to bingiton.com and see what you're missing. i'd like one of t