Has his confirmation hearing. John brennan will be asked questions about interrogation techniques such as waterboarding including carrying out drone attacks against u. S. Citizens. The white house is expected to stay ahead of that controversy. Last night the administration acknowledged it would give Congressional Committee members access to classified documents that outline the governments stance on drone strikes against suspected terrorists who are also american citizens. The report will be in the hands of those lawmakers just hours before John Brennans confirmation hearing begins, and he will be the one today whos answering questions about the legality of killing americans who are believed to be senior Al Qaeda Leaders such as the americanbern cleric Anwar Al Awlaki who was killed in a 2010 drone strike. Critics say the strikes violate the law. We have a president who is doing something that even president bush didnt do which is to order the killing of the United States citizen without clear evidence of an immediate attack. On wednesday the white house defended the program. The methods that we use are designed specifically to avoid civilian casualties. I think its fair to say that far fewer civilians lose their lives in an effort to go after Senior Leadership in al qaeda. Brennan is likely to face tough questions from members of the president s own party. Democrat ron wyden of oregon is one of 11 senators who pressured the white house to lease its legal justification for carrying out deadly strikes against americans. He was threatening to delay brennans confirmation process and says he wants to know more about brennans role in the drone program. Despite the pushback john brennan is expected to be confirmed as head of the cia. In 2009 he took his name out of consideration for the post after questions were raised about his views on enhanced interrogation techniques. This time brennan has already told lawmakers that while at the agency he raised objections about the policies privately. Meanwhile secretary of defense leon panetta testifies on capitol hill today about the deadly attack on the u. S. Compound in benghazi, libya. This follows his dire warnings yesterday about the impact of dramatic budget cuts due to kick in next moth the socalled sequestration. Panetta spelled out a list of cuts the pentagon will have to make, cuts he says will seriously undermine the military. Susan mcginnis is in washington this morning. Susan, good morning. Good morning, annemarie. The cuts are already happening. The pentagon is shrinking its presence in the persian gulf of aircraft carriers. Its par of that long list that secretary panetta released saying these cuts are going to have to happen in the coming weeks all because congress cannot agree on an alternative to the automatic budget cuts that are planning to kick in as well as a 2013 budget. The uss truman was scheduled to pull out of norfolk, virginia, tomorrow expected to head to the persian gulf but wednesday afternoon word came in the truman will stay in port to save money. Playing the waiting game. Its not very nice not knowing when were pulling out. The pentagon is carrying u. S. Presence overseas ahead of 55 billion in budget cuts that kick in march 1st. This is not a game. Outgoing defense secretary leon panetta says congresss inact to find a way to avoid the cuts has endangered americas security. These steps would seriously damage a fragile american economy, and they would degrade our ability to respond to crises precisely at a time of rising instability across the globe. The idea behind sequestration was that the budget cuts would be so objectionable here on capitol hill that congress would agree on an alternative. Well, thats proven to be easier said than done. I fought to not have the sequester in the first place, but the president didnt want to have to deal with the debt limit again before his reelection. They passed budgets that are wholly objectionable to most americans. They didnt become law because of that, because they dont have the support of the american people. If washington cant agree on a plan, some economists say up to 1 Million People could lose their jobs. Now here on capitol hill, Senate Democrats are said to be close to legislation that would temporarily forestall these automatic cuts. It would involve tax increases by closing tax loopholes as well as spending cuts. Republicans are apparently planning to reoffer legislation that failed in the past that would cut the federal work force. Annemarie . Susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. Well, the Senate Armed Services committee has postponed a vote on chuck hagel, president obamas choice to replace panetta as defense secretary. The committee wants more information about hagels finances. And news that the Postal Service is cutting back mail delivery to five days a week is not sitting well in rural areas of the country or with letter kwar carriers but the postmaster general says its a choice the service had to make. Oopz Danielle Nottingham reports. Reporter no more mail on saturdays. To save money, the u. S. Postal service is ending saturday firstclass mail delivery beginning in august. Many customers saw this day coming. I think its probably long overdue because theyve been having so many budget issues. I also have been doing everything online for a really long time, so i dont think its necessarily going to impact my world. Reporter over the past six years the Postal Service lost 41 billion despite laying off 35 of its work force. It would be irresponsible for the Postal Service not to pursue this course. We are in a situation where we are obligated to make some tough choices and decisions. Local post offices with saturday hours will still be open, and mail carriers will continue to deliver express and Priority Mail as well as packages on saturday. Theres a strong and growing demand for our delivery and well continue to meet that throughout the decade. Reporter congress usually approves any big changes at the post office, but the independent agency found a way to sidestep lawmakers, and most americans believe it is the right move. Polls show nearly seven in ten people support the switch to fiveday Delivery Service if it cuts costs. Danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. On the cbs moneywatch, why netflix could come out ahead despite those postal cuts, and a major bank pays up in a ratefixing scandal. Ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. Good morning, ashley. And good morning to you, annemarie. Well asian markets retreated from yesterdays highs ahead of the meeting by European Central bank. Tokyos nikkei dropped half a percent. On wall street, Fourth Quarter earnings reports did not impress investors, the dow gained just over 7 points to close at 13,986. The nasdaq dropped 3 points. A third bank has been hit with a huge fine for manipulating global interest rates. The royal bank of scotland has agreed to pay 610 million, and the bankers will pay it back because the royal bank was bailed out by british taxpayers in 2008. This is the Third International bank to be fined in the socalled libelous scandal. The ntsb will update the investigation into the battery fire of the boeing dreamliner today. Chairman deborah says the board is still weeks away from determining a cause. The dreamliner is still grounded but the faa gave boeing permission to relocate a single plane from texas to washington state. And the loss of saturdays mail could be netflixs gain. Experts estimate the Postal Service plan to deliver mail only five days a week could save netflix as much as 100 million on postal fees. Investors like the news and sent netflixs stock up 6 . Theres some positive on that. Silver lining for someone. Ashley morrison here in new york. Thank you. Well, coming up on the morning news, alzheimers disease expected to reach epidemic levels and later new Jersey Governor Chris Christie fighting back on the sensitive issue over his health. This is the cbs morning news. Sensitive issue over his health. This announcer moneywatch sponsored by vagisil. Count on it. By advantagevagisil. Count on it. [ female announcer ] imagine skin so healthy, it never gets dry again. Can your moisturizer do that . [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula, now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. Thats healthy skin for life. Only from aveeno. A tragic loss for a San Francisco 49er just hours after the super bowl. Delaney walkers aunt and uncle were driving back and were stopped outside of new orleans when a car slammed into them. Both vehicles burst into flames. Officials say it took until wednesday to identify the bodies. 26yearold Nicole Thomas has been charmed with dui and vehicular homicide. She escaped with minor injuries. Well caring for patients with alzheimerss disease costs about 200 billion a year but experts say that number could jump to 1 trillion onover the next few decades. Vinita nair spoke with someone who is helping her father deal with this crippling disease. Did you eat breakfast . Reporter amy lee takes care of her father benny who was diagnosed with alzheimers three and a half years ago. When he was first diagnosed he would say whats happening to me, i dont remember anything or somethings wrong. But now hes past that phase because his Language Skills are no longer as strong. Reporter more and more americans are finding themselves in amys position. Theres a lot of frustration. Its overwhelming. Reporter a new study predicts the number of seniors with the memoryrobbing disease is going to skyrocket from about 5 million today to about 13. 8 million in 2015. The baby boom generation is entering into retirement years and as they age we know the number of alzheimers disease will continue dramatically. Reporter as many as 15 Million People currently care for loved ones. As the number of patients go up, so does the burden on society and families. Researchers dont know what causes alzheimers, and theres no cure. Right now were not prepared as a country to deal with this crisis. Yeah, whos that . Reporter amys dad will turn 90 this summer. She knows his mental faculties will only continue to decline. I think there will be a point where hes not going to be able to live at home anymore, so thats going to be a big sad step. Reporter her goal is to make sure he has as much dignity as possible as he enters the last stage of his life. Vinita nair, cbs news, new york. The boy scouts of america have postponed a decision of whether to keep its policy on gayle members and leaders. Now a decision isnt expected until may. The executive board put off the vote due to what it calls the complexity of the issue. Now straight ahead, your thursday morning weather, and in sports an awful start by one of College Basketballs best teams fuels a texassized celebration. Fuels a texassized celebration. Sports an awful start by one of College Basketballs best teams fuels a texassized celebration. I gave birth to my daughter on may 18th, five days later, i had a massive heart attack. Bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. Now, im on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. Some folks didnt think that our coffee was their flavor it wasnt their cup. If you dont like that dark roast, weve created a coffee for you. Blonde is a beautiful light roasted coffee. Kind of mellow, sweet a little citrusy. For me, personally i love connecting with people so blonde roast just gives me a whole nother reason to connect with more customers. Im lorenzo. I work for 47 different companies. Well, technically i work for one. Vinita nair, cbs news, new york. Fuels a texassized celebration. Ompany ited states Postal Service® works for thousands of home businesses. Because at usps. Com® you can pay, print and have your packages picked up for free. I can even drop off free boxes. I wear a lot of hats. Well, technically i wear one. The u. S. Postal service® no business too small. Heres a look at heres a look at todays forecast in some cities around the country. New york, the high of 33. Miami turning cloudy with 82 the high. Chicago, ice and rain, a chilly 38. Dallas, showers, 74. Los angeles, 64. And time now for a check of the national forecast. The calm before the storm in the northeast. It will be dry and chilly with temperatures in the Single Digits in parts of northern new england. Expect a wintry mix of rain and snow in iowa. And in ohio, rain, some of it heavy, will roll across parts of the south, and a major storm moves into the pacific northwest. In sports now, Lance Armstrong will be sued for millions of dollars today. Sca promotions is seeking to recover 12 million it paid to armstrong for winning the tour de france. The Company Wants the money back in light of the cyclists admission to doping during those races. In the nba, the hotshooting rockets take on the heat. First quarter miamis dwyane wade picks ardens pocket and goes down the court for the uncontested slam. Wade would finish with 31 points, and the heat pull away to win 114108. In the College Ranks now, number 5 kansas struggles on the road against texas christian. The jayhawks scored 13 points in the second half. They cant recover from the slow start and lose 6255. It is the first big win in the conference for texas. A rough night for carey price. He takes a shot right between the thighs there. Thats during warmup. Things didnt get much better for him. He gives up two third period goals to boston and a little more than two minutes and the bruins win, 21. When we return now, weighing his political future. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has choice words for a former white house doctor who offered a dire prediction. A former white house doctor who offered a dire prediction. The freshenator. The buddy system. The do si go. The twohanded tango. El cleano. [ female announcer ] nothing leaves you feeling cleaner and fresher than the cottonelle care routine. Try it. Then name it. You are beautiful so beautiful [ female announcer ] Optimal Solutions complete protein and vitamin shake mix, part of our new line of products for women, created by women. Optimal solutions, at drug stores everywhere. Some green. When the rain will hit and how long itll last. Plus new information in the Kevin Collins case. The critical clue police just learned. That they wish they knew in 1984. And handcuffed in the back seat. How a parolee stole a Bay Area Police van. Join us for kpix 5 news this morning. Beginning at 4 30. Good morning. Its thursday, heres look at todays forecast in some cities around the country. Washington, d. C. , mostly cloudy, 42. Atlanta and st. Louis can expect rain. Denver, sunshine, a high of 50. And seattle, rain, 48 the high. Well, new Jersey Governor Chris Christie is firing back at comments about his weight. Former white house doctor Connie Mariano said on cbs this morning yesterday that shes worried christie could have a heart attack. Christie hit back and said it was completely irresponsible to make a diagnosis without examining him. If she wants to get on a plane and come to new jersey and ask to examine me andry view my medical history, ill have a conversation about her with that. Until that time she should shut up. A debate with christies weight began when he appeared monday on David Letterman and jokingly ate a doughnut. A new survey released this morning by careerbuilder looks at the most common excuses employees give for being late to work. The number one reason . Traffic. Some of the more outrageous excuses finch for being late include an employee dropped her purse into the newspaper box. Another claimed to be delivering a strangers baby on the roadside. One said she had to put a raincoat on a cement duck. And an employees angry wife soaked his keys in a glass of water. Too bad they dont give raises for creativity. This is the morning news. [ male announcer ] if you can clear a crowd but not your nasal congestion you may be muddling through allergies. Try zyrtecd®. Powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms all in one pill. Zyrtecd®. At the pharmacy counter. Announcer they dreamed of it they trained for it. Now all they need is a chance. Ive been passed over so many times. Announcer americas best companies are hiring. The person who will be getting a job is. French and malian troops continue to wage a campaign against the is lachl lamb islamics. The Historic Town of timbuktu was liberated last week. As Elizabeth Palmer reports most of its priceless treasures were preserved thanks to one man and a clever plan. Reporter fabled timbuktu these days is a dusty town but proud of its noble heritage amid its culture, art, and medieval scholarships. Last april it was invaded by islamic extremists who drove into town with their heavy weapons and took over. Abdul was there. Hes one of the keepers of a trove of priceless arabic manuscripts. The extremists arrival, he told us, triggered his emergency plan. Translator i bought every tin box i could find the kind we store Household Goods in he said, and my staff and i filled them with manuscripts until the library was empty. Manuscripts including a 12th century astrology chart and an ancient arab genealogy. Abdul quietly distributed the boxes to families to hide inside their humble homes. Reporter you sort of scattered them all over town. And then he fled from timbuktu where extremists were impos