1. Newly sworn in Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke to Pentagon employees Wednesday, vowing to continue to build strong relations around the world and engage with allies. Hagel takes the helm at the Pentagon after the Senate voted to confirm him Tuesday, following a 12-day delay.

 

2. President Barack Obama says civil rights icon Rosa Parks has taken her rightful place among those who have shaped the course of US history. Obama and Speaker John Boehner unveiled a statue of Parks at the US Capitol. 

 

3. Emotional testimony Wednesday from the father of one of the first graders killed in the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting. Neil Heslin fought tears as he urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to support a proposed assault weapons ban. 

 

4. And authorities in New Zealand say a large shark killed a man swimming at a popular beach near Auckland. Marine biologists believe it may have been a great white shark, which are common in New Zealand waters. But attacks are rare.