Murdoch's day in the hot-seat: Live blog

Three of the most powerful people in the world's media will face questions Tuesday over how much they knew about the illegal phone hacking practices going on under their watch at News Corporation's newspapers in Britain.

Members of Parliament will ask News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, his son James and his long-time loyal sidekick Rebekah Brooks what they knew, when they knew it, and why they didn't reveal the extent of the hacking years ago when it first came to light.

Video: Live feed from Parliament in London
Who's who in the phone hacking scandal
Special section: Murdoch in Crisis

The two most senior officers in London's Metropolitan Police Service, commonly referred to as Scotland Yard, have resigned over their personal connections to a former News of the World editor. Those two men will be first to face lawmakers' questions.

Below is a Live Blog which will follow the day's events in London:

2:28 p.m. This concludes our liveblog coverage of Parliament's hearings into the British phone hacking scandal. For the latest news stories, blog posts and videos, check out our special section, Murdoch in Crisis, and tune into tonight's "CBS Evening News."

2:22 p.m. In ending her testimony before the committee, outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks said the most important thing is for the truth to be uncovered in the scandal, especially with respect to the Milly Dowler hacking.

(Watch at left)

2:15 p.m. Referring to news stories reported about outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks' relationship with Prime Minister David Cameron, Brooks denied owning a horse or a piece of land with Cameron, describing him as "a neighbor" and "a friend."

2:12 p.m. Outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks told the committee that she's "never" been to Prime Minister David Cameron's government headquarters at 10 Downing Street during his time as the head of the British government, but she left out the two times that she's reportedly been to Cameron's official private residence, named Chequers, according to documents his office recently released.

2:06 p.m. "There are some people that didn't want a job," outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks told MP Philip Davies, of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party, when asked whether the company was helping get a job for ousted News International legal director Tom Crone, making him sound like one of the lucky few in such poor economic times.

1:59 p.m. In response to a question from MP Thérèse Coffey, of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party, on who she thinks would be convicted of crimes related to these new allegations, Rebekah Brooks said, "None of us here should be judge and jury."

1:53 p.m. More from Rebekah Brooks on Milly Dowler's intercepted voicemails: "The suggestion that someone intercepted Milly Dowler's voicemail was unknown to me. It's abhorrent to me."

1:36 p.m. Outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks is sticking to her story that she was unaware of the Milly Dowler phone hacking, telling the committee, "I really, really do want to understand what happened" and "I just don't know anyone who would think it was a right and proper thing to do."

1:22 p.m. It appears we experienced some technical difficulties with our live player. Looks like it's back now.

1:17 p.m. When Rebekah Brooks announced the folding of the News of the World to its newsroom July 7, she told them that she appreciated they might not be able to understand why News Corp. reached such a decision then but maybe within a year's time, Brooks told the committee. The News of the World had a staff of about 200, and Brooks told the committee that News Corp. would help all of them find new jobs.

1:10 p.m. Outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks told the committee, "I've never paid a policeman myself. I've never sanctioned such a payment."

1:07 p.m. Outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks told the committee that she didn't learn about News of the World's employment of Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator jailed in 2007 for conspiring to illegally access the phones of royal aides, until she heard about his arrest in 2006.

1:05 p.m. MP Tom Watson, of the opposition Labour Party, commented that his questioning of outgoing News. Corp executive Rebekah Brooks was "pointless" after he asked the same question several times and clearly wasn't getting the answer he was looking for.

1:02 p.m. Outgoing News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks told the committee that she didn't learn about a private investigator's hiring at the News of the World until she saw it reported in an investigation by another media outlet.

12:57 p.m. The British Broadcasting Corp.'s liveblog reports that reporters haven't been let back in the hearing room after the commotion toward the end of the Murdochs' hearing. Parliament's sergeant-at-arms has now banned reporters from sending updates via text message, the BBC reports

12:54 p.m. Rebekah Brooks tells the committee that the News of the World wasn't the only British publication to employ private detectives, noting that a chart once ranked the tabloid only fourth among publications. It's in line with similar News Corp. statements that the media empire wasn't alone in using tactics like phone hacking or the use of private investigators.

12:49 p.m. Rebekah Brooks told the committee that the Guardian's report about the payout to footballer Gordon Taylor is "when information unraveled but very very slowly" about the extent to which phone hacking was done.

12:45 p.m. Rebekah Brooks, the outgoing News. Corp executive arrested Sunday, is now taking questions.

12:38 p.m. More about the earlier disruption in the hearing room: A CNN producer in the hearing room told the cable news network on air that a man in his late 20s or early 30s walked to the front of the room and hit Rupert Murdoch "squarely in the face" with a disposable plate that held what appeared to be shaving foam. The man said, "You are a greedy billionaire."

12:32 p.m. The questioning of the Murdochs has concluded.

12:31 p.m. Rupert Murdoch: "Saying sorry isn't enough. Things must be put right."

12:30 p.m. Referring to the family of Milly Dowler, the murdered British teenager whose phone was hacked by News of the World reporters: "At no time do I remember being as sickened as what the Dowler family had to endure."

12:28 p.m. Rupert Murdoch is giving a closing statement: "All that has happened, I know that we needed to be here today. James and I would like to say how sorry we are for what has happened, especially for victims of crime."

12:25 p.m. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch responded to whether he has considered stepping down by saying, "I feel that people I trusted ... they let me down ... betrayed the company ... I think that frankly I'm the best person to clear this up."

12:22 p.m. James Murdoch won't say whether News Corp. will take legal action against those who told executives that the phone hacking problem was as widespread as it has turned out to be.

Protester rushes Murdoch, delays hearing

12:12 p.m. MP Louise Munsch, of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party, said the 80-year-old Rupert Murdoch showed "immense guts" for continuing the hearing after reporters and audience members were ushered out to an overflow room. "My questions will be just as tough as they would have been," she told the Murdochs.

12:09 p.m. The hearing has resumed. Rupert Murdoch isn't hearing his suit coat.

12:04 p.m. The British Broadcasting Corp.'s liveblog reports that a man shouted "greedy" while hitting Rupert Murdoch with "a plate of shaving foam."

12:01 p.m. CBS News reports that a review of the videotape appears to show a protester heading toward Rupert Murdoch with a pie. Murdoch's wife, Wendi Deng, then lunged at the protester.

11:58 a.m. From the Guardian: "A young man in a checked shirt has been detained by police."

11:57 a.m. The Guardian liveblog reports: " Someone has just tried to attack Rupert Murdoch. His wife Wendi seemed to slap the person."

11:54 a.m. The hearing's been suspended after a commotion in the hearing room.

11:52 a.m. Rupert Murdoch told the committee how proud he was of his father, a journalist who he said was "hated" in England for exposing a scandal.

11:50 a.m. "It was totally wrong. There was no excuse for breaking the law at any time," Rupert Murdoch told the committee in response to a question about whether he pressured his newspapers to produce scoops.

11:46 a.m. The hearing hasn't affected News Corp.'s stock price much. About a half hour ago it was up more than 4 percent on the New York Stock Exchange.

11:44 a.m. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch told the committee that he didn't think Les Hinton, the Dow Jones chairman and publisher of The Wall Street Journal who resigned Friday, "misled me for a minute, but you'll have to find out for yourself," possibly a reference that Hinton, an American citizen, would have to be extradited or come willingly to face committee members.

11:39 a.m. "To my knowledge, certain things were not known and when certain things came to light the company acted on it," James Murdoch said to the committee.

11:36 a.m. "Nobody's kept me in the dark," News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch told MP Alan Keene, of the Labour-Co-operative Party.

11:34 a.m. Rupert Murdoch told the committee that he understood that Les Hinton, the Dow Jones chairman and publisher of The Wall Street Journal who resigned Friday, was appointed "to find out what the hell was going on," but Murdoch added he couldn't swear to the accuracy of that.

11:30 a.m. James Murdoch tells the committee that News Corp. didn't further look into allegations of phone hacking after 2007 because the police said the case was closed.

11:22 a.m. MP Paul Farrelly, of the opposition Labour Party, is pressing James Murdoch on his opinion of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire, the two News of the World workers jailed in 2007 for conspiracy to commit phone hacking, but Murdoch is avoiding commenting, citing Goodman's recent arrest in a police bribery investigation.

11:14 a.m. MP Paul Farrelly, of the opposition Labour Party, called Murdoch-owned Sunday Times "a great newspaper."

11:09 a.m. Rupert Murdoch said he would cut off paying legal fees for Glenn Mulcaire, the News of the World private investigator jailed in 2007 for conspiring to access the phones of royal aides, provided that such an action isn't a breach of contract.

11:07 a.m. James Murdoch said News Corp. paid for "certain legal fees" for Glenn Mulcaire, the News of the World private investigator jailed in 2007 for conspiring to access the phones of royal aides. Murdoch said he was "surprised and shocked" when he learned that.

11:02 a.m. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch said he continues to trust Rebekah Brooks, News International's outgoing chief executive who was arrested Sunday on charges of phone hacking and bribing the police.

11 a.m. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch said that Les Hinton, who resigned as Dow Jones chairman and Wall Street Journal publisher Friday, could have approved settlement payments during his tenure as a News International executive. Murdoch said a chief legal officer or an assistant chief financial officer could have approved the payments.

10:53 a.m. James Murdoch said that the 700,000 British pound payout to footballer Gordon Taylor came from a calculation by outside counsel that included possible damages, legal fees and other costs it would cost to not settle out of court.

10:48 a.m. A member of Parliament gets a chuckle from people in the committee room when he expresses surprise that Rupert Murdoch's conversations with the News of the World didn't touch upon the payments to people who sued the newspaper over phone hacking.

10:43 a.m. James Murdoch told the committee that, regarding the dismissal of News International legal director Tom Crone, who determined in an internal News of the World investigation that only two people were involved with phone hacking, "the management of the company believed that it was time to part ways."

10:39 a.m. James Murdoch said the amount paid to footballer Gordon Taylor and the advice to keep it a secret came from outside counsel.

10:38 a.m. James Murdoch said there are no immediate plans made for replacing the folded News of the World tabloid on Sundays. "We leave all those options open," but it is not a priority right now, he said.

10:28 a.m. The settlement to footballer Gordon Taylor didn't require authorization of the News Corp. board, James Murdoch said. (Corrected at 10:44 a.m.)

10:24 a.m. A viewer texted from Southampton, England, to the British Broadcasting Corp.'s live blog, "Rupert sounds stunned by what is happening - James just sounds pushy."

10:16 a.m. The FBI has not obtained any evidence of wrongdoing in the United States, News Corp. Rupert Murdoch said. He added that he cannot imagine phone hacking happening in America.

10:14 a.m. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch tried multiple times to hand off questions from MP Tom Watson, of the opposition Labour Party, to his son James Murdoch, but Watson stayed on the elder. Murdoch would take long pauses before answering some questions.

10:11 a.m. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch said he was not told about the settlement of 700,000 British pounds to Gordon Taylor of the Professional Footballers' Association. James Murdoch, chief of News Corp.'s operations in Europe and Asia, said the amount was below the "approval threshold" required to inform his father and a local issue.

10:08 a.m. The British Broadcasting Corp. notes in its live blog that MP Tom Watson, of the opposition Labour Party, was soft-spoken in his questioning of Rupert Murdoch, which conflicts with an anecdote that Watson once shouted across the House of Commons calling someone a "miserable pipsqueak."

10:03 a.m. "We find your executives guilty of amnesia." -MP Tom Watson, of the opposition Labour Party, to News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch

Who's heir to the Murdoch empire?

9:59 a.m. It appears that, in addition to former NYC schools chancellor Joel Klein, Rupert Murdoch's third and current wife, Wendi Deng, accompanied the Murdochs to the hearing and is sitting just behind Rupert.

9:54 a.m. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch claimed that he had little knowledge of any wrongdoing and his attention and trust was spread across the company. He said that News of the World was less than 1 percent of company. Murdoch said he employed 53,000 people "who are proud, great, ethical and distinguished professionals in their life."

9:45 a.m. Joel Klein, former New York City schools chancellor who is overseeing News Corp.'s internal investigation, is sitting behind James Murdoch looking very stone faced. (Photo credit: CBS)

9:40 a.m. British Sky Broadcasting chairman James Murdoch opened his testimony by apologizing to the committee for the scandal. "It is our determination to put things right, make sure these things don't happen again."

CBSNews.com's live video player has switched from the Home Affairs Select Committee hearing questioning Scotland Yard officials to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, where the Murdochs are scheduled to be questioned.

9:36 a.m. "Do you accept that wrongdoers do not cooperate with the police?" -MP Michael Ellis, of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party, to John Yates, outgoing Scotland Yard assistant commissioner, on the police's complaint that News Corp. didn't cooperative with the investigation

9:33 a.m. "God I wish I'd done something different." -John Yates, outgoing Scotland Yard assistant commissioner, on deciding in 2009 not to re-open the 2006 investigation that first probed phone hacking by News Corp. journalists

9:22 a.m. John Yates, outgoing Scotland Yard assistant commissioner, may or may not enjoy being questioned, but he clearly doesn't like being interrupted. While answering a question from MP Nicola Blackwood, of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party, he told her "you broke in and interrupted my flow" while he was answering a question earlier.

9:07 a.m. "I was a post box for CVs." -John Yates, outgoing Scotland Yard assistant commissioner, on whether he secured a job with the police for the daughter of Neil Wallis, a former News of the World executive editor who worked part-time for the police as a media strategist. What a job description. He testified that he sent the resume for Wallis' daughter to the Yard's human resources department and did nothing more to help her.

9:02 a.m. John Yates, an outgoing deputy to Sir Paul Stephenson at Scotland Yard, is taking questions.

9 a.m. "It's something that had been in place since I started at the Met, something that I inherited." -Dick Fedorcio, Scotland Yard's director of public affairs, on senior police officers and commissioners meeting with the press over meals

8:52 a.m. (AP) During Sir Paul Stephenson's testimony, the outgoing London police chief told the committee 10 out of 45 press officers had worked for News International, News Corp.'s British subsidiary.

8:48 a.m. In proving that not even a phone hacking scandal outweighs the use of taxpayer dollars, two conservative members of Parliament pressed Dick Fedorcio, Scotland Yard's director of public affairs, on the cost of hiring Neil Wallis, a former News of the World executive editor who was hired to work as a media strategist for the police. Fedorcio used the best excuse available to a government official: Wallis was the lowest bidder for the contract.

8:36 a.m. Dick Fedorcio, Scotland Yard's director of public affairs, told MP Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, that he had not yet obtained legal counsel and asked the committee to watch out for him should he veer toward providing information that he shouldn't. Not exactly the kind of honesty viewers of U.S. congressional hearings might be used to.

8:31 a.m. Dick Fedorcio, Scotland Yard's director of public affairs, is now taking questions.

8:28 a.m. Sir Paul Stephenson told MP Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, that he had no new information on the death of Sean Hoare, the ex-News of the World journalist who blew the whistle on phone hacking to The News York Times in a magazine article published last September. Hoare was found dead in his London apartment Monday, and police initially suspected no foul play.

7:59 a.m. (AP) News Corp. board member Thomas Perkins said Monday that embattled Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has the full support of the company's board of directors, and they are not considering elevating Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey to replace him amid a phone-hacking scandal in Britain.

7:44 a.m. Stephenson says he accepted a free stay at a posh health spa, as he was recovering from an injury, because the owner of the spa was a family friend. He calls it "damnably unlucky" that the resort, Champney's, ended up being connected to Neil Wallis. Wallis is head of a PR firm which, at the time, listed Champney's as one of its clients. Rebekah Brooks, the resigned CEO of Murdoch's companies in Britain, is also married to a former race horse trainer who runs a spa at the resort.

7:26 a.m. Stephenson tells MPs he didn't reveal a "very minor contract" that he and other senior Met officers signed with a former News of the World editor, Neil Wallis, to try and improve the force's public image, because he saw "no reason" to do so. Stephenson maintains that Wallis was paid for a "minor role" to give the Met advice, and that he saw no reason to disclose the contract to officials as he saw no conflict of interest. The senior policeman said he only learned of Wallis' connection to the hacking scandal this year.

7:10 a.m. The hearings have kicked off, with the head of London's Metropolitan Police force, the largest police department in the world, taking the first questions. Sir Paul Stephenson, who has resigned but retains his position for several more days, says the decision to step down was his and his alone. He says he stepped down not because he did anything criminal, but because he didn't want to become a distraction to the force.

5:30 a.m. Rupert and James Murdoch have arrived at Parliament in central London in advance of their appearance before the House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Select Committee (CMSC), according to the BBC.