and so i'm here along with my colleague david muir to gather together for the first time since that day so many of the people who were there on the scene at the hospital to talk and to make sense of what they've lived through to continue finally that very american conversation they set out to have that morning. it was a typical sun-soaked morning in tucson, arizona. >> good morning. it's 10:00 a.m. on saturday, january 8th, 2011. >> representative gabrielle giffords tweets from her ipad. "my first congress on your corner starts now." >> gabby is very popular. people want to see her. >> 20 or so are in the crowd. among them, retired army colonel bill badger. >> i got a lot of respect for her because of her willingness to meet with the people. >> it was to be just that, a simple meet and greet with constituents in a parking lot at a local supermarket. no one really thought it would draw a big crowd, but somehow it did get the attention of a 9-year-old girl willing to forfeit saturday morning cartoons. >> she was jumping up and down and she kept saying, i'm next, i'm next. >> and a 20-year

david muir starts us off from tucson.

here's david muir. >> reporter: first, it was that extraordinary image from her husband this week. mark kelly holding his wife's hand as gabrielle giffords recovers in that hospital bed. and just today, a tweet from him. "thanks for all the messages of support. i have some great followers. gg has been improving each day." that message echoed by her doctors today, who said with every day, she's opening her eyes even more and no longer zwlaus she's following commands, it's the way she's following them that's so encouraging. >> we can even think that she is beginning to carry out more complex sequences of events, more complex sequences of activity in response to our commands. >> reporter: doctors say they are now hopeful they'll be able to remove her breathing tube, that she'll breathe on her own, within the next 24 hours. while today at the congresswoman's office, another survivor made a triumphant return. a member of giffords' staff, pam simon, shot in the chest and arm, was wheeled up to the office door by her farmly and she was determined to stand up to greet the colleagues who ha

. >>> i'm david muir. tonight on "world news," the terrible toll those rare and deadly new year's tornadoes across five states. at least 40 twisters and our reporter with her own family when the sirens went off. >>> survivor story. the teenager stranded in the snow for hours, building a snow cave just to survive. >>> rescue mission. our team in afghanistan right there for a new year's eve rescue. the dramatic struggle to save an american soldier's life. >> miracle worker. so many of you made resolutions, but can this product really cure cancer, trim waste waistlines? >>> and timeless, from the beatles to beverly hills, the glamour dusted off. who was this hollywood star? >> good evening on this new year's night, and what a way to start the new year for a huge part of the country. at least 40 tornadoes ripped across nearly half a dozen states, and the images coming in today show homes completely destroyed, and as so many families sifted through for cherished photos. whatever they could salvage, one woman sa

as we sign off, david muir continues our coverage online. on facebook.conversation at abcnews.com. have a good night. >> alan: in perhaps its final act as san francisco mayor, gavin newsom makes a surprise announcement. first -- >> jared loughner was subdued by brave people at the sing. >> alan: the fbi director praised those who stepped up in the shooting in tucson. the suspect in the shooting of congresswoman gabrielle giffords is facing federal charges tonight. they include five counts of murder and attempted assassination. we have the latest from tucson. >> did you say gabrielle giffords was hit? >> reporter: representative gabrielle giffords is in a medically drug induced coma, her police unclear. many are calling it a miracle she evenrv

. >>> i'm david muir. tonight on "world news," the chaos in cairo and why the stakes are so high for the u.s. more than 70 dead, thousands injured. our team in the streets and the protesters in their own words. why they're doing this. >> inside the delicate diplomacy of the white house. this evening, who will our president side with -- the egyptian president or the protesters? jake tapper at the white house. christiane amanpour in egypt. >>> and the slipping stocks. the effect at home. where will the market go next, and will it take oil prices and gas prices with it? >>> also, warning signs missed. the florida mother accused of murdering her own children. what we now know about her. >>> and this evening, we remember a true talent. a man who mastered the presidential parody. >>> good evening. the eyes of the world remain fixed on egypt tonight where the president is struggling to maintain his grip on power, and the stakes are huge for the united states. egypt is a powerful ally on the war on terror, but wha

it's david muir at abc news. first, put on hold, then told by another worker we'd get a call back. and this afternoon, we heard from them. could this possibly be true that they were dropped over two cents? >> we've reviewed the situation thoroughly and to establish facts and we're pleased to say that we've been able to work with the employer and mr. flanagan's cobra coverage was reinstated. >> reporter: i just got off the phone with his wife and they have not been told that yet. >> we're in the process of communicating with them. >> reporter: the flanagans confirmed after so much worry over that two-cent error, it's finally over. what would you say to mr. flanagan tonight? would you offer an apology? >> for what specifically? >> reporter: knowing that they were dropped because of a two-cent discrepancy as he waits for a stem cell transplant? >> we followed the normal processes, which are in complete compliance with the law and the regulations. >> reporter: mr. flanagan says he's been back on the phone with the transplant coordinator telling him he has his insurance back now, trying

david muir set out to learn if this is happening around the country and if anyone is pushing back. >> reporter: michael frazier was stunned when he opened up the bill from his insurance company. >> my rate's going up 59% on march 1st. >> reporter: his monthly payment shooting up from $271 to $431 a month. >> i feel helpless. i feel i can't -- there's nothing i can do. >> reporter: he's among the tens of thousands of customers affected by this one company alone. and it's not just california, it's across the country. new york state, wellpoint insurance looking to raise rates 28%. in iowa, wellmark looking to hike rates 18%. and across iowa today, angry customers asking, how could this be? >> it's like a david and goliath scenario to me. >> reporter: so, we called up the insurance companies, asking why. blue shield in california, that 59% hike -- there's no one who can say anything on camera about what's behind the hikes of up to 59%? >> no, i don't have anybody. >> reporter: what they gave us was a statement, saying, "these rates reflect trends that were building long before health refo

well, here's david muir on some bold bank robbers that actually dug their way in to riches on argentinartied above ground on new year's eve, thieves were quietly at work under ground. just like that scene in the movie "the bank job." the real-life thieves had built their own tunnel. >> we're in. >> reporter: authorities in buenos aries say the thieves had rented a building right near the bank last june. and for six months, they'd been digging. a 100-foot tunnel. it was ventilated, had lights, it even had reinforced walls. and that tunnel led them straight to the vault in the bank where the safety deposit boxes are kept. outside the bank today, a line of angry customers, waiting to hear how much they'd lost. this man motions, "they showed me my safety deposit box. there was nothing inside." investigators hovered over the hole dug in the ground at the building next door. the width of the hole, just wide enough to the fit the thieves. authorities say the thieves spent the entire weekend prying open and emptying about 140 safety deposit boxes. but police had no idea until the bank opened on

i'm david muir. tonight on "world news" from tucson, after the tragedy. the first test in washington now. arizona senator john mccain praising his one-time opponent, president obama, on his push for greater civility. but what will last? >>> climbing back. the congresswoman and her remarkable recovery. what doctors have done here this weekend, and why this next week is so crucial. >>> the town hall. after that meeting outside the safeway was cut short one week ago, the survivors and the heroes who saved them, determined to continue that conversation, all together for the first time. >> this is the hero. if i'm a hero, he's a super hero. >>> the family feud. why one of ronald reagan's children is now lashing out at another. >>> and, here in tucson, christina's gift, to the friends she left behind. the boy in the stands, the girl on the field. tonight, their simple message for our country. >>> and good evening from tucson. where tonight, a community so tested, having endured such pain is clearly trying

and david muir tells us all he is in tucson tonight. david? >> reporter: diane, good evening to you. in fact, doctors did echo that tweet, that message from gabrielle giffords' husband today, saying the congresswoman is making real progress here. while meantime, at the congresswoman's office today, we were there for an extraordinary return. with every day, doctors here say gabrielle giffords is opening her eyes even more, and today, they said, they are hopeful to be able to remove her breathing tube, that she'll breathe on her own within the next 24 hours. >> we could even think that she is beginning to carry out more complex sequences of events, more complex sequences of activity in response to our commands or even spontaneously. >> everyone is right behind you, pam. >> reporter: as word of her progress came, at the congre congresswoman's office today, a triumphant return. pam simon, shot in the chest and arm, she was determined to stand up to greet the colleagues who have been praying for her. pam was standing right beside the congresswoman

david muir, abc news, new york. >>> another snow storm is on the way to the new york area today.t-christmas blizzard. in addition to the usual work, teams will now be feeding video back to city halls so managers can stay ahead of problems. the city is still not back to normal since the last storm. garbage is still uncollected in some neighborhoods. >>> speaking of the weather most airlines have already canceled some flights and are waiving fees. >> today's storm could be the first of two waves of snow. meteorologist ava dinges has the latest from accuweather. good morning, ava. >> vinita and mike, i think the last thing people on the east coast want to hear is word snow. i'm going to be saying it a lot in this forecast. at least this storm won't be the monster we dealt with over the christmas holiday. we are going to see a heavy shot of snow. whether it be in new york city, starting after the morning commute, continuing into the afternoon hours. that snow building into boston in the afternoon. we'll see a heavy band of snow back into upstate new york. widespread travel concerns.

she anchored 2003-2004 along with david muir. >> and no surprise to those that knew her, she's now an anchor at our station wpbi in philadelphia. she's the start of a lot of flashes to the past we'll show throughout this week. >> don't go far and enjoy the whole week. >>> it's not just cars going green these days. the pentagon has been quietly testing a new kind of spy plane that's a hybrid electric contraption like a prius. >> the global observer will be a powerful military tool but it could be a lifesaver in civilian emergencies, too. john hendren got an exclusive look. >> reporter: this is how aviation history is being made. slowly, silently, lumbering into the stratosphere, an unmanned the stratosphere, an unmanned spy plane that will soar higher and stay up longer than anything in the air right now. the aircraft weighs about as much as a large suv but to fly so high for so long the wingspan has to be enormous, about half a football field. that way, even though you can't see it, it can see you. >> reporter: like a satellite but for a fraction of the cost. >> a large satellite, bil

more now from david muir. >> staggering sum of money. one map. one year.ore than 5 billion dollars in profit. industry expert say it could be the largest aerial hall ever. turns out the last record set was his by the same man. hedge fund manager john paulson. 4 billion back in 2007. after betting against those risky mortgages that brought down the housing market. but the nightcast comes as unemployment in the country remains stuck at more than 9 percent. the giant payday are back. but the jobs aren't which is why some lawmakers are so angry asking why are hedge fund manager getting the tax break the average american does not. paulson has defended this before. >> i believe our tax situation is fair. >>reporter: good portion of his profit are considered long-term capitol gains. income taxed at 15 percent. while so many americans make income tax up to 35 percent. >> i think it is outrageous. he should pay like everybody else does. ordinary income ta tax. >>reporter: he argues that closing the loop hole could bring in 25 billion in taxes over the next decade.

david muir is here tonight. david. >> reporter: diane, the numbers we already knew were staggering. now nearly 600 million people on facebook. more internet hits on facebook last year than any other site. that includes google. tonight, the biggest number of all. just how much facebook is worth. it's found more than goldman sachs simply liking facebook. this is a giant investment. reported $500 million just for a sliver of facebook. a social network reportedly now valued at $50 billion. until today, we had no idea it had reached this. >> $50 billion is a major milestone for facebook. investors are trying to get in because of the potential that facebook represents. >> reporter: attaching a price tag, a value to facebook, has been nearly impossible. it's not publicly traded. as for how much the 26-year-old founder, mark zuckerberg, is worth. >> what does it mean to you to be a billionaire right now? >> well, i'm not. the company's a private company so i don't really have access to any money like that. >> reporter: he says, i don't really have access to money like that. >> he doesn't ha

and here's david muir. >> reporter: sargent shriver married american royalty in eunice kennedy, the sisterf then-senator john f. kennedy. >> she's got real guts. she's got a terrific jaw, maybe you noticed that. it comes from both their mother and her father, who are people of great, great character. >> reporter: shriver went on to build a career in what was called president kennedy's new frontier, helping to found the peace corps and later spear-heading lyndon johnson's war on poverty. his dedication to social causes continued throughout his life. he served in leadership roles in head start, job corps, upward bound, among others. he may be best known as champion of the special olympics created by eunice in 1984. in 1972, shriver stepped in as george mcgovern's running mate after news that thomas eagleton had been treated for depression and was forced off the ticket. for his lifetime of public service, shriver received the presidential medal of freedom in 1994. a father of five, one of those children, california's former first lady, maria shriver. he slipped into the shadows of alzheimer's

i'm david muir. as we come on the air from the west coast, it starts as a routine exercise in democracy, a congresswoman in a supermarket parking lot, meeting with her constituents when it became a seen scene of chaos. here are the late numbers at this hour. 19 people shot, 6 are now confirmed dead, including a federal judge and a young girl bury 9 years old. the congresswoman is fighting for her life, and the suspected gunman, just 22 years old, is in custody, and authorities are not convinced he acted alone. they're actively searched for someone else. president obama called this a tragedy for arizona and the entire country. and there was this from the congresswoman herself before the shooting. my first congress on your corner starts now. please stop by to let me know what is on your mind. we have coverage with david wright. >> 10:00 a.m., the congresswoman was hosting her first public event of the year. she was standing behind a table talking to constituents when a man appeared and began shooting.

i'm david muir, and we're back here in tucson where today we witnessed an extraordinary gathering right here in this church. it was one week ago here in tucson that gathering outside a supermarket held by congresswoman giffords was stopped short by a gunman. today, so many of the survivors and the people who saved them, all who had gathered for the congress on your corner, came here to continue that conversation that they never had. it was an extraordinary and moving town hall, and you'll hear some of it in a moment. but we do begin tonight with another major development. congresswoman giffords' breathing tube has been removed, a sign she no longer needs a respirator. and then this today, a bizarre home movie made by the suspect has been released. providing insight into his troubled mind. >>> and we're learning more tonight about the mystery woman, the photograph taken one week ago. tonight, that hero reveals what she did as she sits down with us. >>> first, the latest on the congresswoman tonight. we're at the hospital in tucson where so many have held vigil for a week. >> reporter: go

david muir will be here tomorrow. diane's back monday, and i'll see you that morning on "gma."a great weekend. >>> a light earthquake shakes up nearly the entire bay area, we're going to have latest information for you san francisco appears to have a new mayor in a vote late today. >> and plus, everyone wanted him but 49ers got him. jim harbaugh taking talents north. >> and the smashing success of a project by a singing duo and a teacher to increase literacy in richmond. >> good evening, everyone. a magnitude 4.1 earthquake rattled the bay area. and widely that it struck a 4:10 in the afternoon centered east of san jose city hall. it hit 4.4 miles underground and there is a no reports of injuries or damage autos this is what it looked like on the seismograph. two after shocks, including one had a magnitude of 2.6. and

i'm david muir. for diane sawyer and all of us here, a thank you to them. see you next year. good night. ♪ should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? ♪ ♪ should auld acquaintance be forgot ♪ ♪ and days of auld lang syne? and days of auld lang syne my dear and days of auld lang syne ♪ ♪ we'll take a cup of kindness yet ♪ ♪ for days of auld lang syne ♪ for auld lang syne my dear ♪ we'll take a cup of kindness yet ♪ ♪ for days of auld lang syne ♪ should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? ♪ ♪ should auld acquaintance be forgot ♪ ♪ and days of auld lang syne? for auld lang syne my dear ♪ ♪ we'll take a cup of kindness yet ♪ ♪ for days of auld lang syne ♪ days of auld lang syne ♪ days of auld lang syne >>> getting ready for crowds what new years revelers can expect tonight. >> and just how wet will it be? i'm spencer christian. >> and race against america's cup crosses a finish line and an official announcement is seconds away. >> marking a new beginning what an oakland church took away today to honor past victims of violent

and, as abc's david muir reports, this is just one of the many wall street paydays benefiting from a giant tax loophole. >> reporter: it is a staggering sum of money. one man, one year, more than $5 billion in profits. industry experts say it could be the largest yearly haul ever. and it turns out the last record set was by the same man, hedge fund manager john paulson. $4 billion back in 2007 after betting against those risky mortgages that brought down the hoing market. but this newest number comes as unemployment in this country remains stuck at 9%. the giant paydays are back, but the jobs aren't. which is why some lawmakers are so angry, asking why are hedge fund managers getting tax breaks the average american does not? paulson has defended this before. >> i will say i believe our tax situation is fair. >> reporter: good portion of paulson's profits are considered long-term capital gains. income taxed at 15%. while so many americans pay income taxes up to 35%. >> i think it's outrageous. he should pay like everybody else does, ordinary income tax. >> reporter: he argues that clo

david muir, abc news, new york. >> this has happened before, too.05, 68 million bucks taken from a bank in brazil using a tunnel. unbelievable. >> the amount of dedication to that, half a year. officials are saying one of the hardest details here is that when you're a customer you don't have to tell the bank how much you're securing. so they really have no way to tell how much was actually lost, 140 boxes. there's no telling what was in there. >> i had $200 million in that bank, that's all i'm saying. >>> coming up, selling diet plans with some celebrity help. >> why the weight loss regimens of the rich and famous fascinate so many people. owowowowowowowowÑ >>> if you made a new year's resolution, you're definitely not alone out there. an estimated 45% of american adults did make one this year. topping that list, weight loss. >> on the top of mine every year. many people turn to celebrities for inspiration. they always seem to lose weight and they keep it off. so how do they do it? chris connelly went behind the scenes at the annual "us weekly" cele

david muir crunches the numbers. >> reporter: it's far more than goldman sachs simply liking facebooknt investment. reported $500 million just for a sliver of facebook. a social network reportedly now valued at $50 billion. >> $50 billion is a major milestone for facebook. investors are trying to get in because of the potential that facebook represents. >> reporter: attaching a price tag of value to facebook has been nearly impossible. it's not publicly traded. as for how much the 26-year-old founder, mark zuckerberg, is worth? >> what does it mean to you to be a billionaire right now? >> well, i'm not. the company is a private company so i don't really have access to any monies like that. >> he says, i don't have access to money like that. >> mark zuckerberg doesn't have access to money like that but he's a billionaire. he's worth $10 billion at least. no doubt about it. >> reporter: there's also no doubt this new deal with goldman sachs is a sign facebook is inching closer to going public. a move diane asked zuckerberg about in july. >> ipo next year? >> when it makes sense. at some

to get an idea of just how long and how giffords survived all of this, david muir spoke to our medical editor dr. richard besser and bob woodruff who survived a traumatic brain injury himself. >> you learned today that the bullet pierced the left side of her brain. we were initially told it went through the front and out the back. is that your understanding? >> i brought a skull to show you. the bullet went in the back of the skull on the left side and went straight through and out the front. and that has important meaning in terms of her survival and why she survived. inside is the brain. and again, the bullet went straight through one side. if it had crossed over to the other side, that would have left her if she survived, with many more deficits because the connections between the two halves of the brain are very, very important. the angle of the bullet had been a little lower it would have gone into the fluid-filled sacs in the brain. neurosurgeons say that's a poor sign in terms of survival. this went straight through. one inch either way and she likely would have died on the scen

david muir's been looking into the research breakthrough that may lead to getting back a full head of. david, i feel a little abashed. you and i talking about this. everyone's going to be throwing rocks at the screen. what have we got here? >> reporter: i think the producers said, wouldn't it be fun to send david muir out, find guys with receding hairlines. a man has a 50% chance of experiencing hair loss by his 50th birthday. this morning, there is new hope that a real fix might not be too far off. researchers have discovered a surprise. and it's hidden right on the scalp of balding men. it's estimated 50 million american men have hair loss. "seinfeld's" george costanza, famous among them. always looking for a fix. >> and here is what it got you. >> reporter: researchers say the new findings are worth holding on to. here's what they thought going in. that men who are balding must have fewer of the necessary stem cells that produce hair. but that was the surprise. the number of stem cells in bald men was actually the same as in men with full heads of hair. it's a secondary group of ce

she talked with her coworkers and with abc's david muir. >> it was here we first heard from pam simontaffer shot in the chest and arm who smiled wide when she was wheeled back to the congresswoman's office standing up to greet the colleagues. >> the bullet went through my wrist. not sure where to where but it did. and miraculously did not hit anything on my right hand. i took a bullet to the chest. and when i woke up from the exploratory surgery, the surgeon said you are one lucky lady. >> just like us as we sat in that room with her, so many of you were stunned at her recovery, her bravery. you tweeted us. so many miracles, still not forgetting those that lost their lives. that is truly amazing. she's definitely blessed. one doctor said this is unusual, surprising is what he said. even from trauma doctors who have seen it all. but this survivor doesn't have a medical explanation. she's calling it what so many of you call it, a blessing as she now prays for others. >> i happened to get hit by bullets, but you got wounded, too. >> a private memorial was held this weekend for another of

and david muir will be back at 6:30 tonight with your evening news. jump through hoops. >> have a good day. >>> good morning. you let's get a quick look at the forecast with lisa argen. >> this the way it looks outside. plenty of cloud cover but to the north, fog and haze with cool temperatures in the 40s, santa rosa and elsewhere. san francisco, delays of 27 minutes at the airport. we'll be looking at high pressure giving way to low pressure that will continue to sag to the east and south. showers this evening to the north bay, maybe as far south as the airport but by 8:00 the front begins to push through and we have showers for the overnight hours into early tomorrow morning. heavier rain and looking at the possibility of thunderstorms right on through sunday morning. it is a little bit of a snow maker with three to six inches at lake level. wind weather advisory on the way up to sierra nevada. plenty of cloud cover in the south bay with upper 50s. palo alto and san jose, 56 in oakland. 53 in san francisco. temperatures are cooler than average with

autry spoke to abc's david muir at the time. >> it was a split-second decision.on't like at myself as a hero. i got to be humble about this. i don't want people to blow this out of proportion. >> reporter: this harvard professor has delved into the science of heroism to find out if there's something that separates the heros from the rest of us. he focused on the deadly terrorist attacks in mumbai, india, where hotel workers took extreme risks to protect guests they didn't even know. during several desperate hours of explosions and gun fire, kitchen staff formed a cordon around guests as the attackers machine gunned them down. hotel operators stayed at their phones to call guests in rooms with life saving information. >> i was surprised because there was no easy explanation for why these imemployemployees did wha did. >> reporter: it starts with personality. >> it seems that they have a much more highly developed moral compas compass. they have this instinct for doing something good for other people. we find this across a whole series of situations where people ri

david muir starts us off from tucson. david? >> reporter: good morning, george. we're hearing about that incredible hurdle overnight that congresswoman gabrielle giffords last night. she's been upgraded from critical condition to serious condition. as you point out, diane sawyer also here this weekend taking with giffords' husband, mark kelly who breaks his silence for the first time. gabrielle giffords' husband mark kelly who spent most of the week holding his wife's hand told diane sawyer that his wife is now responding to more complex commands. at one point, she even reached out and started giving him a neck rub. he sold sawyer, this is so typical of her. she's in the icu, going through this traumatic injury and she spent ten minutes giving me a neck massage. i kept telling her, gabby, you're in the icu, you don't need to do this. it's so typical of her, no matter how bad the situation might be for her, she's looking out for other people. he told sawyer, i just stay there because is seemed to comfort her. in their time together, sawyer asked kelly what he migh

david muir is in tucson with more on this. d. >> reporter: robin, great to see you this morning. and astronaut mark kelly described the moments, the last 10, 11 days, in that hospital room next to his wife. he said he reached to her. he tells her he loves her. he did say he has yet to share with her any of the horror of that saturday. he does remember how he learned and what it was he learned in those first few hours. for the first time, we heard about the moment astronaut mark kelly got that call, that his wife had been shot. giffords' chief of staff, calling him at home in houston. >> and i had a look -- i had to look at my phone to say, did pia really call me? was i imagining this? could this be possible? >> reporter: it was a friend who gave him and the family a ride in a private plane, to get to tucson to his wife. onboard, they turned on the news. >> the congresswoman has been killed. >> respective giffords is dead. >> and the kids started crying. my mother starts -- i think she almost screamed. and i just, you know, walk

but david muir joins us from tucson, arizona, with another look at the interview and the latest on the morning to you, david. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. we were all stunned here in the last 24 hours when doctors said the congresswoman might actually leave the hospital here within weeks, perhaps even days. the rehab phase comes next. while that might seem unbelievable, it is not. we from from the hospital roo from her astronaut husband. doctors here say gabrielle giffords seems to fixate her eyes on her husband. but they're not sure how much she can actually see or who she knows. her husband, astronaut mark kelly, told diane sawyer, he's convinced. >> pretty sure she does. and certainly today. >> what convinced you? >> yesterday. particularly, she started playing with my wedding ring. i'll hold her hand. she'll play with my wedding ring. and she'll move it up and down my finger. she'll take it off, like this. she'll put it on her own finger. she'll move it to her thumb. and then, she can put it back on my finger. and the reason why i know that that means she recognizes me, is