making news this morning -- homeward bound. >> the aid worker rescued from pirates due for a family reunion. new details from the relieved luved ones. the president and arizona's feisty governor. an exchange and the name-calling that came later. 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 american hostage is

expected to be reunited with her loved ones very soon. >> her rescue was carried out 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 u.s. base in africa. tuesday night, after the state of the union, president obama told buchanan's father that his daughter was rescued from somali 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 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. team 6 took down nine armed kidnappe kidnappers, saving buchanan and thisted. president obama ordered the mission to save jessica buchanan 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 book. >> 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. the president 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 to retiring congresswoman gabby gifford. he'll speak at a u.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, romney 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 emotional moment for hundreds of democrats and republicans. as gab gooe giffords came to say good-bye. she received tributes. including one from her close friend, debbie wasserman shults. >> i am so proud of my good friend. it will be one of the great treasures of my life to have served with her in this body. >> house speaker john boehner was also moved to tears. she moved to the podium and handed him her 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. you're going to see rain in d.c., philly, new york, and boston. an icy mix from pittsburgh to indianapolis. rain from northern california up to seattle. snow in the cascades and rockies. >> 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 air fares may seem higher today. and 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. 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.

short-term rates will remain near zero. it's not good news for those holding cds or long-term bonds. the market responded well. 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 new orders to reveal all fares. it forces airlines to advertise the full cost of a ticket, including surcharges, federal and internashlg ttional taxes a fees. 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. th is the first time it is held without steve jobs. first, the blackberry thumb. now ipad shoulder. users of the ipad have been complaining of neck and shoulder pain while using it. 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. coming up next, alec baldwin breaking his silence. embarrassed about getting kicked off the flight a few weeks back. and today, thousands offer their good-byes to joe paterno. we're right back. come for a smoke? yeah.

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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 to fast coming down at up to 2 inches an hour. that triggered flash flooding from san antonio to dallas. record crowds were drun by that road way. flooding on i. 10 and 20 from new orleans and shreveport to tallahassee and atlanta. i-95 will be wet. icy on i-70 from indianapolis to pittsburgh. snow on i-84 and 90 in the cascades. >> and if you're flying out there today, airport delays are 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 ra raping a woman.

43-year-old greg kelly is a morning anchor on new york's fox tv station. >> sources say the alleged rape took place last october. greg kelly's attorney says he quote strenuously denies any wrong doing. 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 a state that has not executed a prisoner in six years. >> reporter: he sit 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. 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. 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 pain and whether the death penalty is imposed more often on people of color. the father of the victim called in tears saying that the letter is tearing him apart. 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 a hearse care rid his body to the funeral.

his son, jay, will speak at this afternoon's service. 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. a big night in the nba. we start with the heat and the pistons. chris bosh finding, who else? lebron james. 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, james. detroit climbs back into this thing. 1:00 to play, heat down one, trying to avoid the upset. james driving. he's fouled. and the heat would we take the lead with the free throws. last chance for detroit now,

down three. day is called for, traveling? before getting rid of the shot. to the college hardwood, missouri on the road taking on oklahoma state. second half action, oklahoma state down five. pays lobs it up. gets the throwdown. watch it again. brown would be called for a technical for getting in the face of matt pressy. he would be ejected. that only served to fire up state. nash 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. for more news and highlights, tune in to espn news. if i saw this next video, i think i would freak out. life guards are warning surfers

and swimmers about a shark seen just off the coast. >> a group of surfers saw some dolphins scatter off the coast. he captured these shots of the dorsal fin. >> i'm petrified of sharks. i don't like to go in the ocean past my knees. >> good call. up next, "the pulse." alec baldwin's war of words with american airlines is not over yet. and we'll have the details on the drug use that could have sent demi moore to the hospital. 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 and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

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time now to check "the pulse" the stories you'll be talking about 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 state hood once it reached 13,000 red dents. the latest on demi moore's downward spiral. there's word she was doing a party drug before suffering a seizure and landing in the hospital. >> tmz reports she was doing whip its.

they say her addiction to prescription drugs was part of the reason that their reason collapsed. >> a source says kutcher wanted moore to take care of herself but she would not. 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. >> he spoke about the flight attendant last night. >> 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 took a near 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. 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? then i found new pronutrients omega-3. it's from centrum. it's a smaller minigel. with two of the best omegas to support my heart, brain and eyes.

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find your co-pay at myflexpen.com. updating the day's top stories. both sides say no hard feelings after an intense discussion between the president and the governor of arizona over immigration. the republican candidates are sharpening their attacks 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. today's weather, wet in the northeast. severe storms from tallahassee to new orleans. rain in southern california. and finally, the teacher who keeps going and going and going. >> 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. >> 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 neubauer is approaching 100 next week. >> 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 more. >> i had 200 girls all the time. first, second, third, and fourth grade. >> reporter: in 1985, it was physical education.

she's teaching reading now, 6:00 a.m. to 12 noon. >> the kids are great. >> she's an excellent teacher. off of our kindergarten kids can read well by mid year. >> 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? >> 6. >> reporter: how old? >> 6. >> reporter: we had this story scheduled a week ago. at the last minute, this story was canceled. because she refused to go on television without getter her hair done. >> thawas funny. >> reporter: