firefighters confirm a medical helicopter crashed on its way to bakersfield. all four on board were killed. the pilot a flight nurse, paramedic and a patient flying from porterville to a bakersfield hospital. there were reports of dense fog. a fired oklahoma city police officer could spend the rest of his life behind bars. a day after his 29th birth day. daniel holtzclaw was convicted of raping and sexually abusing eight woman. he sobbed as you can see there as the verdict was read. holtzclaw will be sentenced next month. one of america's top military colleges is facing another scandal. at least eight cadets at the citadel in south carolina have been suspended pending an investigation after images popped up on facebook showing them dressed in all white with pillow cases over hair heads. they told administrators they were portraying ghosts of christmas past and singing christmas carrolls. >> the federal government is

giving state and local authorities more say in education thanks to the white house. president obama yesterday signed a sweeping rewrite of the often criticized "no child left behind" law. local groups now have more say in how to fix underperforming schools. the new version had very wide support. a day after yahoo!'s board rejected a failed strategy by the ceo to turn the company around, maier had a happier personal announcement. she's given birth to identical twins. she and husband zachary already have a 3-year-old son. she's taking only two weeks of maternity leave. sparking debate among some parents who say she's setting a bad example for other working mothers. yahoo! offer up to four months of maternity leave. >> didn't she only take two weeks? >> you know, when she got into this job and she was pregnant with her daughter and -- excuse me, her son and people were kind of focused she went back to work too soon.

it's up to every mom. i remember, richard, i started at abc and didn't tell them because it was very early on in my pregnancy when i started. you don't want to tell people when it's that early. i came back in a matter of weeks after, too. >> it's impressive. >> well, it's kind of hard. you've got do what you've got to do. >> when i had my kids, i took loads of time off. >> you didn't hesitate. you wanted to be a hands-on dad. that was nothing about vacation time. >> i'd love to have had twins. >> we were talking about this, how lana zak has twins. we're saying how she's so capable at handling her twins. you and i would probably be a disaster if we had twins. there's a reason some people are blessed with twins. >> the idea is exciting. martin zuker berg also just had a baby. >> he's taking two months. >> she's going back to it more quickly. >> move on to a christmas story. richard's part of the world. jolly old england. it's a story decades in the

making. > yeah, that christmas wish list was found by a workman while they were taking down a chimney. it was written bill someone named david moore more than 60 years ago. >> the guy who found it posted if on facebook and the paper picked up the local story. a reunion is planned to reunite david with his old wish list. >> i like stories like that. reaching back through history when you see something like that. >> what's on your christmas wish list? >> very good question. i think had i i'll think about that and give you a proper answer a little bit later >> i just want a nice bathrobe. >> from a financial collapse to a sea adventure. the reviews are in for two big movies in the insomni"insomniac theate theater". >> also ahead the new app that lets students post anonymous messages on web. what parents need to know. >> and the so would held captive for years in afghanistan. bowe bergdahl is sharing new

secrets. you're watching "world news now." innocence "world news now" weather, brought to you by no! no! hair removal.

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this is a sight that was turning heads in youngstown, ohio. a car nearly almost vertical against a telephone pole. >> how did it happen. >> amber johnson says she was driving down the street, turned around just for a second to give her 2-year-old a snack, a lot of us do that and ended up driving her car up a guy wire. she and her child thankfully not injured but it took two tow trucks to get the car down. >> and really hard to figure out how that happened. >> tell the kids you got to wait till the red light if you want a snack. >> maybe a tire hit the post and then it drove up. i don't know. gripping. reality tv star kristin cavallari is mourning the death of her older brother michael. his body was found in utah u nearly two weeks after his car

found abandoned. medical examiners say it could take two months before they know the cause of his death. his sister sent out a tweet saying my heart is in a million pieces. >> we were hoping for such a better outcome for that story. we really were. i'm so sorry to hear that. the for the first time we're hearing what happened to bowe bergdahl in afghanistan. >> the soldier opening up about the moment he walked away from his below american troops and into the hands of the taliban. here's abc's ryan owens. >> this >> reporter: this heart-pounding video shows an american soldier blinking in the sun, as he's finally brought out of the darkness after five years of captivity in afghanistan. sergeant bowe bergdahl's explanation. >> good grief, i'm in over my head. >> reporter: bergdahl's account comes from phone conversations with this screenwriter, released today as part of the second season of the podcast "serial." bergdahl walked away from his fellow soldiers and right into the hands of the taliban. the young man from idaho claims

he did it to draw attention to bad leadership in the army. >> all i was seeing was basically leadership failure to the point that the lives of the guys standing next to me were literally in danger. >> reporter: fellow soldiers call him a deserter. and they likely won't be impressed with bergdahl's other reason for leaving. to prove he could be more like the movie action hero jason bourne. >> so, i had this fantastic idea that i was going to prove to the world that, you know, i was the real thing. >> reporter: the army still deciding if he should face a court-martial or if five years in the hands of the taliban was punishment enough. ryan owens, abc news, dallas. thank you, ryan. the first series of the podcast serial is not just the best podcast i've ever heard. it's some of the best story telling of any sort on television, film, that i've ever

encountered. >> people love "serial." >> i have the first episode of that to listen to. we should talk about it more next week. follow "serial." >> it's just called "serial," not cereal like breakfast cereal. >> you will thank me. coming up, what your children may be doing without your knowledge. >> oh. the new app that lets kids send messages under a veil of secrecy. you're watching "world news now."

we're back now with the new app being used by teens it's causing concern among many parents once they find out about it. >> it's called after school. it lets kids speak to each other anonymously as mary bruce in washington has been finding out. >> reporter: it's a hi-tech outlet for teenage expression. a hot new app called after school. being used by millions of high schoolers across the country to anonymously express their feelings. but this morning, many are wondering if the app is a safe space for sharing or a danger zone for anonymous threats. here's how it works. someone creates a message board for an entire school where students can comment or post images. to gain access, the app which is free verifies through facebook that a student in fact goes to that school and lets them post without using their names. no parents or adults are

allowed. >> no adults are allowed to be there at all breaks one of my first rules for parents which is you should be where your kids are online. >> reporter: tenth grader tucker ellison says he sees more negative than positive. >> everything's anonymous. they almost feel welcome to post inappropriate content. >> reporter: his mom sarah thinks the app needs to go. >> once in awhile, you'll see a positive post. but for the most part, it's kids hiding behind that screen. and bullying. >> reporter: the app has even been used to make violent threats. one school in kansas recently went into lockdown after one person wrote i hope all students are ready to die today. the app's moderators alerting the district and police before banning the poster. and in michigan, a 17-year-old posted i'd rather take my ar-15 to school and practice on my classmates than to the gun range. that student pleaded guilty to making a terrorist threat. the app's co-founders say they're taking action. >> we're committed to parents

and schools because we're all on the same team and we've made it our goal to become the safest social network and create a safe and positive environment. >> reporter: the app says they've added content filters, parental controls and a report button so students can flag inappropriate posts. and if users seem distressed the app asks if they want to talk to a counselor about their problems. mary bruce, abc news, washington. >> mary, thank you. talking of apps, i set up an instagram account to take you behind the scenes of "world news now." richard letter p bacon, p in the middle, there is reena drinking a cup of coffee on set an hour before transmission with rollers in her hair. ten minutes before, she was asleep in a makeup chair. next to her is the man who heckles. >> the commish. >> there he is. >> yes. >> looking unhappy. >> he looks very happy snapping that photo of him while he's working. my friend said the wisest thing.

instagram is better than twitter because you write about what you hate and you photograph what you love. >> so you love the commish. sometimes we use k-y ultragel to enhance my body's natural moisture so i can get into it a bit quicker. and when i know she's into it, i get into it and... feel the difference with k-y ultragel. >> important message for residents age 50 to 85. write down this number now. right now, people are receiving this free information kit

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proof "insomniac theater" time. two movies opening today. >> first up "in the heart of the sea," stars chris hemsworth as the first mate. the event served as the inspiration for the novel moby dick but the book only told half the story as the crew battles for survival against the elements and their formidable foe. >> as i live and breathe, he's mine. sl ♪

>> and whack. it looks like the film is riding rough seas itself. david stratton of the australian calls it a turgid slog rather than a stirring adventure. paul burns of the sydney morning herald is kinder saying as adventure, it's fair to average. not a ringing endorsement. >> next up a movie that pulled in a handful of golden globe nominations. the story is based on a leadup to the global financial crisis and the burst of the housing bubble following investors who predictal economic collapse crying wolf. christian bale, ryan gosling, and steve carroll. >> i love my job. >> you hate your job. >> i love my job. >> you're policerable. >> i love my job. i love my job, honey. >> mark. >> cynthia, i'm okay.

i reall am. hey, hey, no, no, my cab. that's my cab. that's my cab. that is my cab. >> i'll call you you later. >> and guess what, carroll earned himself a best actor golden globe nomination along with christian bale. it is nominated in the comedy category. you just saw it and you said it did a good job explaining the 2008 financial crisis. >> i went to the cinema on my own which i adore doing. that's point one. point two, yes it breaks the fourth wall. every now and again a character will address the camera because they really need to understand what happens. as i guess the house of cards element. there's one point where a character turns to the camera and says here we're talking about collateral rise the debt obligations. you probably don't know what they are. here's anthony bourdain to explain. but it's a wonderful thing. >> i look forward to watching it. >> i got to say, that's the in us for this half hour you.

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this morning on "world news now," the terror investigation in california. >> fbi divers search a lake near the office building where 14 people were killed. did the radicalized couple throw important evidence in the water? >> trump on top. the republican front-runner's surge in popularity after calling for a ban on muslims is a growing fear of terrorism helping him in the polls? >> campus scandal. eight military academy students posing in controversial costumes. look at that, singing a christmas carroll. the disturbing pictures, the national outrage and the students in trouble. ♪ start spreading the news >> that's right. start spreading the news. a big milestone for frank sinatra fans. our tribute to beloved old blue