making news this morning -- homeward bound. >> the aid worker rescued from pirates due for a famil reunion. new details from the r relieved luved ones. the president and arizona's feisty governor.or. an exchange and the name-calling that came later. fro from the red carpet to rehab. new details about demi moore's health crisis and what she was doing before the paramedics rushed to her side.

and good thursday morning, . everyone. i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. that freed ametage is expected to be reunited with her loved ones very soon. >> her rescue was carried outunr under cover or darkness by an elite team. tahman bradley has the new details. >> reporter: after three months in captivity, jessica buchanan is now safe at a base in.s. bas africa. tuesday night, after the state of the union, president obama told buchanan's father that his daughter was rescued from somasi pirates by u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s. >> to know she's safe is such a weight off our shoulders. >> reporter: the 32-year-old aid worker spoke with her father shortly after her rescue. her unged described part of the conversation. >> she said i feel safe for the

first time in 93 days. the men that risked their lives, you just can't say enough. really, really appreciate it. >> reporter: the men were the elite navy s.e.a.l. team six. the same one that killed osama bin laden. this mission m this mission may have been even tougher. >> it's a self-containing unit that can go any place in the world and literally do nothing but kick ass. >> reporter: one by one, the s.e.a.l.s parachuted silently to within a few miles of the hideout.am 6 took down nine arm kidnappe kidnappers, saving buchanan and thisted. president obama ordered the mission to savca jessica buchann after intelligence reports indicated her health was deteriorating.

she's said to be doing well this morning. >> do we know what the hostage takers, what they wanted in all this? >> reporter: well, it's ransom money. pirates capture people all the time demanding money. once it's paid, they release them. they reportedly turned down $1 million. other pirates still have hostages, including a german-american journalist captured last week. and to presidential politics now. and an intense exchange between president obama and the governor of arizona. this is jan brewer shaking her finger at the commander in chief. he apparently gave a critique of her new >>. >> bottom line is, that i wanted to be there to -- welcome him to come and see firsthand what arizona has done in regards to

our economic recovery. he wanted to talk about the book. and i thought that he was pretty -- thin-skinned >> in that book, she said she felt the president was condescending and patronizing to her at a white house function. pparently apparently thought otherwise. during that stop, mr. obama spoke to workers at an intel chip plant to repeat his message that the american economy is coming back. he also paid tribute tog retirig congresswoman gabby gifford. he'll speak at au.p.s. facility today. be sure to watch "world news" and "nightline" tonight for more. the republican contenders will face-off tonight. five days of campaigning are left to go before the sunshine

state's big primary. it's a close race right now. right now,now, leading gingrich in the polls by just 2%. on the campaign trail, both men attacks the president for dem d demanding that congress impose higher tax rates on million nars. gingrich said it would kill jobs, lead to a dramatic stock market plunge and force people to invest overseas. that debate over taxes caught fire last year when billionaire warren buffett said his secretary paid more in taxes than he did. his secretary was back to work yesterday after attending the state of the union address. >> i feel like the average citizen. maybe i should say i was representing the average citizen who needs a voice and wants to be treated fairly in the area of

taxation. >> deb is typical. she's right in the middle. >> for the record, she spays ata 30% tax rate. politics were put aside for a few brief moments yesterday on the floor of the house. a very a few brief moments yesterday on the floor of the houseoment for hundreds of democrats and republicans. as gabby giffords came to say good-bye. from her close ibutes. friend, debbie wasserman >> i am so proud of my friend. it will be one of the great treasures of my life to have bby met gabby giffords and to have se this body. >> house speaker john boehner was also moved to tears. after giffords slowly made her way to the podium and gave him

an envelope. inside that,, was her letter of resignation. the speaker an emotional guy. >> for a moment, unity among congress. >> good to see after tuesday night. time for the weather across the nation. stormy across the south. with hail and tornadoes to montgomery. you're going to see rain in d.c., ph bostw york, and boston. an icy mix from pittsburgh to indianapolis. rain from northern california up to seattle. snow in the cascades and rockies. >> 50 in boise. 55 in albuquerque. 63 in sacramento. 44 in omaha. just shy of 60, meanwhile, in dallas. new orleans, 72, miami, 81, 68 in atlanta. 44 here in new york. up next, the surprising announcement from a member of the president's cabinet and how it could impact wall street today. plus, why airfares may seem higher today. a new government rule in effect at the ticket counter. and look out. the latest great white sighting off of southern california captured on camera.

welcome back, everyone. treasury secretary timothy geithner is speaking bluntly about his future. he says he's unlikely to be asked back for a second obama administration if the president is re-elected. he's been something of a lightning rod. at the treasury since leading the administration's response to the 2008 financial crisis. he's the only remaining top

member of the president's original economic team. great news this morning for people shopping for a new home. the federal reserve announced no plans to raise interest rates until the year 2014. rates will near zero. it's not good news for those holding cds or long-term bonds. little dividends will be paid out. the market responded well. finishing the day on a high note. the dow finished up 81 points. the nasdaq up 31 points as well. tokyo's nikkei average down 34 points today. the hong kong's hang seng was up 328 points. in london, the ftse opened higher. starting today, the airlines are under government orders to reveal all surcharges are tacked on to fares. it forces airlines to advertise the full cost of a ticket, including surcharges, federal and international taxes and fees.ity however, airlines are not required to include fees for checked bags or other extras. apple's stock rose to its

highest price ever yesterday just as the world's largest apple convention opens today. the event, called mac world, is held in san francisco. it's expected to draw more than 20,000 exhibiters. this is the first time, of course, in 28 years, that the convention is being held without apple's founder, steve jobs. first, the blackberry thumb. now ipad shoulder. users of the ipad have been complaining of neck and shoulder pain while u harvard researchers recommend placing the tablet higher up and using a case to help prevent discomfort. the injuries related to the high-tech world there. >> maybe that's why we're both experiencing neck pain. >> really? i thought it was from turning like this all day. we'll see. >> i don't know what it is. coming up next, alec baldwin breaking his silence. embarrassed about getting kicked off the flight a few weeks back. and now, what's he saying about running for office? and today, thousands offer their good-byes to joe paterno. we're right back. es to joe paterno.

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a much calmer day is on tap for parts of texas after they got pounded by as many as five tornadoes as well as some torrential downpours. the rain was too much too fast, coming down at up to 2 inches an hour. that triggered flash flooding from san antonio to dallas. record crowds were drawn to that lake as it rose near that roadway. look at that. flooding on i-10 and 20 from new orleans and shreveport to tallahassee and atlanta. it will be wet on i-40 from little rock to nashville. i-95 will be wet. icy on i-70 from indianapolis to pittsburgh. snow on i-84 and 90 in the cascades. and on i-5. >> and if you're flying out there today, airport delay thare possible in memphis, atlanta, and new orleans. now to a story developing overnight.

the new york city police commissioner's son is being investigated for allegedly raping a woman. 43-year-old greg kelly is a morning tv s fox tv station. he's a been a white house correspondent and anchor on the fox news channel. >> sources say the alleged rape took place last october. greg kelly's attorney says he quote strenuously deniesg doing. and is fully cooperating with the district attorney's investigation. much more coming up on "good morning america." a convicted killer is mocking the justice system by bragging about his cushy life on death row. he's flaunting it in the face of the victim's family and the officials in a state that has not executed a prisoner in six years. >> reporter: danny hembree jr. sits on north carolina's death

row for the murder of heather catterton two years ago. he's found way to add to the suffering of her family saying -- life on death row is a life of easy living. he writes -- is the public aware i'm a gentleman of leisure? watching color tv, reading, taking naps at will. i spit in the face of your so-called justice system. he says that the chances of him being executed are slim. there may be truth to that. north carolina has not executed anyone for six years. like several states, it's put an informal hold on executions because of questions about whether lethal injection causes mposed more often on death n on people of color. the father of the teenager that hembree killed called the prosecutor in tears, saying the letter was tearing his family apart. for him, it's nothing to do with the debate over the death penalty. it's just personal. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. well, a crowd of 15,000 is expected today as a final memorial service today honoring the late football coach joe paterno. friends and fans lined the route

yesterday as the hearse carried his body to a private funeral. his son, jay, called the scene very moving. he'll speak today at the service at the penn state basketball arena. let's get some sports highlights now. an upset and nearly an upset to tell you about. the details from espn news. i'm chris cotter with your espn news update. a big night in the nba. we start with the heat and the pistons. in detroit. chris bosh finding, who else? lebron james. of all people to get open. lebron james for the heat. the heat up 5 early. another look at how he got so open. fourth quarter. cole getting the steal. he finds james. nobody better in the nba to find than your buddy, lebron james on the wing for the slam. detroit climbs back into this thing. tied at 95-95.

1:00 to play, heat down one, trying to avoid the upset. james driving. he's fouled. and the heat would retake the lead with the free throws. last chance for detroit now, down three. day is called for, traveling? before getting rid of the shot. miami 101-98. to the college hardwood, missouri on the road taking on oklahoma state. second half action, oklahoma state down five. page lobs it up for brown.gets n gets the throwdown. watch it again. brown would be called for a technical for getting in the face of matt pressy. and he would be ejected. that only se oklahoma state. nash with a career-high 27 points with the three-pointer. oklahoma state up four at that point. they would run out the clock. the folks could storm the court. oklahoma state wins, 79-72. that's going to wrap it up for us. for more news and highlights,

tune in to espn nets, tune i if i saw this next vi think i would freak out. life guards are warning surfers and swimmers near san diego about a great white shark seen just off the coast. >> a group of surfers saw some dolphins scatter when they were checking the water. a surfer captured these shots o the water. >> i'm petrified of sharks. i don't like to go in the ocean past my knees. i really am frightened. >> good call. up next, "the pulse." alec baldwin's war of words with american airlines is not over yet. >> back in the news again. and we'll have the details on the drug use that could have sent demi moore to the hospital. stay with us. could have havesent demi moor. stay with us. with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor

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time now to check "the pulse" the stories you'll be tat today. we start with newt gingrich's rather lofty ambitions for interplanetary travel. he says if he's elected, space stations will operate more like airports. there will be an american base on mars and the moon by the end of his second term. >> back when he was in congress, he proposed that a lunar colony be allowed to apply for statehood once it reached 13,000 residents. >> all righty. >> okay. the latest on demi moore's downward spiral. there's word she was doing a party drug before suffering a

-- what looked like a seizure and landing in the hospital. >> tmz reports she was doing whip-its. inhaling nitrous oxide from whipped cream containers. they say her addiction to prescription drugs was part of the reason that their marriage collapsed. >> a source says kutcher wanted moore to take care of herself but she would not. >> a beautiful woman, a great actress. a sad twist in her story. hope she bounces back. also, actor alec baldwin is poking fun at himself again after being booted from the american airlines flight. last month, he was booted from the flight for refusing to turn off his cell phone while playing the very popular game words with friends. >> last night, with piers morgan, he spoke the the flight attendant. >> she was very ardent. she was very tough. she really, really came at me with everything she had. she was plenty blistering. the truth of the matter is that, in the ends, turn your phone off when you're on the plane. that's what i have learned.

>> it's too bad it took an international incident to learn that lesson. he said as he was being taken off the plane, four people were tweeting about it. he says he's still not ruled out a run for political office. we'll be right back. a run for political office. we'll be right back. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. try breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com. [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too?

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fast heartbeat or sweating. with flexpen, say good night to vial and syringe. ask your doctor about levemir flexpen. covered by 90% of insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay at myflexpen.com. next are there more accusations on the way? ross mirkarimi heads back to court today. new details about a third accuser coming forward. the angry crowd that has delayed a vote on lay-offs in oakland. and our forecast. plenty of clouds and dense fog. sue hall will have traffic.

all that n updating the day's top s. both sides say no hard feelings after an intense discussion between president obama and the governor of arizona over immigration. the republican candidates are sharpening their attacks before tonight's debate in florida. the primary is there on tuesday. and treasury secretary tim geithner says he does not expect to be part of a second obama administration if the president is re-elected. giter in is the last of the president's original economic team. today's weather, wet in the northeast. severe storms from tallahassee to new orleans. rain from seattle to northern california. and finally, the teacher who keeps going and going and going. she's like the energizer bunny.

>> she got her first teaching job back in 1935. nearly eight decades later and just shy of her 100th birthday, she's still at it. more from frank massy in chicago. >> reporter: at ashburn lutheran school, we come across proof you're never too old to improve young minds. it's a private school. stressing the basics beginning in pre-k. the reading teacher, olivia neubaue rrvegs, turns 100 on march 11th. >> my son asks me when i'm going to quit. i say, the lord will tell me. >> reporter: he hasn't said anything yet? >> no. >> reporter: the student to teacher ratio was much different 77 years ago when she started her career. >> i had 200 girls all the time. first, second, third, and fourth grade. high school. >> reporter: in 1935, she was teaching physical education. now it's all reading. she's here five days a week from

6:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. she can't get enough of it. >> oh, i just love it. the kids are really great kids. >> she's an excellent teacher. all of our kindergarten kids can read well by mid-year. they are fluent by the end of kindergarten. that's exceptional. >> reporter: she helped found ashburn lutheran in 1964 and has been a source ever since. even with her 100th birthday around the corner. give me a guess. how old do you think she is? >> well, i think she's six. >> reporter: she's what? >> 6. >> reporter: i have a cute story to tell you. we had this story scheduled for last wednesday, a week at t at the last minute, the story was canceled because olivia refused to go on television without getting her hair done. she got her hair done. >> oh, that was funny. >> reporter: it looks good. >> it helps to love your job.