JIM LEHRER: The State Department confirmed today all three presidential candidates had their passport files breached. Two State Department contractors were fired for looking at Democrat Barack Obama's records.
But a third, who accessed data on both Obama and Republican John McCain, was only disciplined. Hillary Clinton's file was also viewed improperly at least once in 2007.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said internal computer checks flagged the incidents, but senior officials only found out recently.
SEAN MCCORMACK, State Department Spokesman: People at the working level did the right things. They confronted these employees, who had accessed these files in an unauthorized way, and they took action. That was the right thing to do, and that's by the book.
What didn't happen is that that information didn't rise up to senior management levels so that we could be made aware of it. That should have happened.
JIM LEHRER: McCormack did not say what kind of information was inside the passport files. Secretary of State Rice apologized personally to all three candidates today. In Washington, Rice told reporters a probe was underway.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. Secretary of State: We are going to do an investigation through the inspector general, who will get to the bottom of it and make certain that nothing more was going on. I myself would be very disturbed if I learned that somebody had looked into my passport file, and therefore I will stay on top of it and get to the bottom of it.
JIM LEHRER: Obama called for more than an inspector general's investigation. In Portland, Oregon, he said he wanted a congressional inquiry.
Late today, the Associated Press reported two of the fired contractors worked for a Virginia-based company, Stanley Incorporated.
In the presidential campaign today, Barack Obama gained a key endorsement from one of his former Democratic rivals. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson gave up his own bid for the nomination earlier this year. His backing was heavily courted by both Obama and the Clinton campaigns as the only Hispanic governor in the country.
At a rally in Portland, Oregon, Richardson said Obama would be an "historic and great president."
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), New Mexico: He will be a president who brings this nation together and restores American global leadership. Your candidacy -- and this is an expression of your candidacy -- is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our nation and you are a once-in-a-lifetime leader.
JIM LEHRER: A spokesman for Hillary Clinton's campaign played down Richardson's endorsement, saying it was too late to be significant.
The threat of flooding in the central U.S. grew today. Rivers swelled from Texas to Ohio, and many were expected to crest over the weekend. In Missouri, workers had to shore up a major interstate as rising water encroached.
And farther north, a spring storm dropped up to a foot of snow on Minnesota and Wisconsin. Some 350 flights were cancelled at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
Thousands of Chinese troops backed by helicopters fanned out across western China today. It was part of a crackdown on Tibetan protesters demonstrating against Chinese rule. Riots first broke out last week in Lhasa, but have since spilled into nearby provinces.
A leading U.S. political figure gave her support to Tibet during a visit to the Dalai Lama in India. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on the international community to denounce China's crackdown on Tibet.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), Speaker of the House: Nothing surprises me about the use of violence on the part of the Chinese government, but I would hope that world opinion will come down heavily on them, saying, "Please don't act in a violent way."
JIM LEHRER: Today, China's official news agency reported 18 rioters were killed during the anti-Chinese protests. But Tibet's government-in-exile put that figure much higher, at 99.
