in new york city, this is "nightline," may 13th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. thanks for tuning in. for the past decade, we knew osama bin laden was a mass murderer with fantasies of creating a twisted religious wonder land where all immortality would be purged by the men in charge. what we didn't know was that he was apparently a big fan of porn. his image seems to shrink with each new discovery from that pakistani compound, and martha raddatz has tonight's latest details. >> reporter: it was dark, chaotic and a literal blur of gun fire when s.e.a.l.s grabbed the treasure trove of intelligence inside the abbottabad house. intelligence that reveals some stunning bin laden past times. in fact, u.s. officials say they have learned more about terrorism in the last ten days than they have in the last ten years. one of the things they learned, which they were not expecting, a quote, huge stash of pornographic videos and magazines, in a wooden box in bin laden's bedroom. >> if it is true, it is really big, because if he had his reputation on piety and then found to b

in las vegas, this is "nightline," may 26th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. the lawyer for casey anthony claims the young florida mom reacted to her toddler's death by doing, quote, what she's been doing all her life. hiding her pain. well, today, multiple witnesses testified that if she felt any pain, she hid it really well. here's ashleigh banfield. >> reporter: the facts and the evidence just keep piling up against casey anthony, the 25-year-old florida mother who is facing the death penalty in the murder of her 2-year-old daughter, caylee. >> she would have a book, she would have her teddy bear. they liked "dora the explorer." and could found to 40 in spanish which was pretty incredible for her age. >> reporter: these tears in the courtroom were missing in the days after her daughter died in june of 2008. if you believe the prosecutors, she kills her daughter and covered it up. if you believe the defense, the child drowned accidentally and casey covered it up. any way you slice it, casey's behavior after the tragedy is taking center stage in court. >> wha

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 17th, 2011. >> good evening. on the verge of being elected governor of california, arnold schwarzenegger found him answering charges that he had sexually harassed multiple women. many of the things that are in there are not true, he said. and then other things may be true, and in case they are, that's why i want to apologize, end quote. well, today, almost eight years later, schwarzenegger's apologizing again for other things no one imagined. here's david wright. >> reporter: a week ago, their 25-year marriage, including seven years as the first couple of california, came to an end with a whimper. today, came the inevitable bang. a bombshell disclosure for schwarzenegger himself, that more than a decade ago, he secretly fathered a child with a household employee. and that the mother of that child remained a daily presence in the lives of maria shriver and the couple's four children, until january, when schwarzenegger left the governor's offic

so "nightline" anchor bill weir had to find out where does all of that stuff come from?ot to bring a book. after a certain point, animal shaped clouds no longer entertain. so you inevitably reach for the staple of the seat back. soon you're marveling at the shear number of watches, foot remedies and baldness camouflages. you wonder who picks the gag tool belt sweat pants, the kitty toilet training kit, and the electric head massager, and what exactly are they smoking? i set out to find the fountain of eternal stuff and ended up at an office park next to the phoenix airport. >> this is my favorite product out of your catalog. just based on the guy on the front who looks like he may be deceased. i'm not sure. you blow that up? >> you do. you do. >> would you use that? >> i will fess up and tell you i don't have one of those. >> reporter: there are no overseas outsourced call centers. they do it all here where the typical rep will take a couple hundred calls a day. what are your most popular items? >> one of our most popular items, believe it or not, is the easy bed. all yo

>> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 20th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with the end of the world. right now, thousands of people across america are literally preparing to meet their maker before the sun sets tomorrow. then there are those who think that life as we now it is going to end not tomorrow, but next year, in 2012. a date associated rightly or wrongly with the ancient mayan calendar. so, what drives doomsday theories. why do people believe them? here's david wright. >> may 21st, judgment day. >> reporter: they believe with all their hearts in the word of god. >> god bless you. >> reporter: so much so, they see themselves as characters from the bible. >> we are the watchmen. the watchmen for the lord god almighty. >> reporter: the watchmen of the tower, envisioned by the old testament prophet. >> it's really the greatest privilege that i've ever had in my life. >> reporter: sounding the ultimate alarm bell. the trumpet of about rmageddon

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 5th, 2011. >> good evening. today, chilling information gleaned from osama bin laden's compound. material con his kated from there revealing al qaeda was planning a possible attack on the united states four months from now, on the tenth anniversary of september 11th. it's still unclear how viable the plan was, but we know the target was passenger trains. meanwhile, president obama traveled today to ground zero to honor the fallen and meet with some of the victims' families. we began the day with one of them. >> he skied in colorado. >> reporter: rose mary cane's son's name was george. he was 35 when he was killed on 9/11. he was a firefighter stationed in midtown manhattan. on that day, one of hundreds of first responders who rushed into the towers after they were hit. >>> remember walking in my house and turning on the television and, you know, those crueller cn the bottom of the screen. and i remember seeing "hundreds of firefighters trappe

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weirnew york city, this is "nightline," may 25th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with the phenomen phenomenon, the woman who is oprah winfrey. after 25 years, she ended her daytime talk show today and so it is a moment for taking stock. what has oprah just completed, and how did she do it? and why do so many people care? barbara walters joined me for a look at her legacy. >> one more hour of television history. >> the buildup was mammoth. but for all the dramatics, all the heartfelt tributes -- >> i know you don't have children of your own, but you have mothered millions. >> reporter: all of the tears. ♪ in this lifetime >> reporter: but her final program today, it was just oprah. on her own set, saying thank you. >> from you whose names i will never know, i learned what love is. you and this show have been the great love of my life. ♪ 25 years have come and gone >> reporter: 4,561 shows later, the program that in many ways redefined the talk show, with a mix

i'm bill weir. the dream of eternal youth has seduced more than one poet and sold more than one sports car. for a certain group, the phrase forever young should be absolutely meaningless. that is, people who are actually young. we thought that was the case until we melt a pageant mom who says her 8-year-old complains about wrinkles so that mother injects her face with botox. here's lara spencer. >> reporter: in the world of kiddie beauty paymentants, it seems some parents will go to any extreme to give their child a winning edge. as seen in reality shows such as tlc's "toddlers & tiaras." one mom is now admitting to more than spray tans. >> a lot of moms are giving their kids botox. there's just certain things you have to do to get into the pageant and a lot of moms do it. >> reporter: and she is one of them. it's an issue so controversial that after all interview with carrie and her 8-year-old daughter brittany aired today on "good morning america" in which viewers saw this picture, abc news learne

i'm bill weir. tonight, in an 11 x 13 foot cell, surrounded by suspected pushers and pimps sits the man many thought would be the next president of france. a man with the job of keeping the global economy from collapse as head of the international monetary fund. he's accused of violent sexual crimes on one of society's most vulnerable. my co-anchor terry moran has the latest. >> reporter: he is one of the most powerful men in the world. a titan of global banking. a jet setter with homes on three continents. a man many believed would be the next president of france. but this morning in room 130 of the manhattan criminal court, he was just another defendant. >> docket 2011 ny 0 p 5773. dominique strauss-kahn. step up, please. >> reporter: dominique strauss-kahn, 62 years old, unshaven after two nights in a new york jail, stood stone-faced. as the prosecutor announced the grim charges against him. >> -- restraining a hotel employee inside of his room. he sexually assaulted her and attempted to forcibly

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 27th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. 65% of americans have college debt. maybe you're one of them. and total student debt in this country at nearly $1 trillion is now greater than total credit card debt. that's partly because more people are going to college, even as college costs skyrocket. having decided that the sacrifice is worth it. but is it, really? tonight, we meet a man who made billions in silicone valley who says the answer is often no. here's linsey davis. >> look at a day like this, you would think anything is possible. >> reporter: and you probably think so, too, if you were peter thiel. he's the silicon valley version of the man behind the curtain in "the wizard of oz." he didn't give you a brain, a heart or courage, but he had a lot to do with giving you paypal, facebook, youtube and yelp. he's now paying students who drop out of college, is surprising for a guy who went to stanford for undergrad and law school. but m

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, and terry moran in joplin, missouri, this is "nightline," may 24th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with more deadly weather. a giant storm system with multiple tornadoes inside it is moving across a wide swath of the midwest and south. our abc news desk has been monitoring all night. we're going to start there with the very latest. >> we are getting reports this morning of a massive tornado touching down in johnson county, arkansas, ripping through the small town of denning. just the latest in a strong of severe weather tonight, including major hailstorms in dallas that shut down the rangers/white sox baseball game for hours. tornado sirens went off again in joplin, missouri, with twisters touching down in kansas and oklahoma, leaving at least seven dead and dozens injured. matt gutman was in oklahoma with a group of storm chasers. >> reporter: tornados again thrashed through this part of the country. the deadly funnel clouds left giant swatss of destructi

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 6th, 2011. >> good evening. we begin with breaking news at the end of this extraordinary week in the war against terror. american officials confirmed tonight that a drone missile attack came very close to killing a terrorist thought to be the most powerful operative after osama bin laden. we'll have more about that later in the broadcast. but first, martha raddatz has an exclusive look inside the months of spying that led up to those navy s.e.a.l.s storming osama bin laden's compound. >> reporter: take elements from every spy movie, thriller and action adventure you have ever seen and you have the reality of this operation. the raid itself was beyond daring. but what proceeded it was months of pain staking, secretive and dangerous cia work. in addition to the survey lens and satellites above, we have now learned there was a secret safe house, right in abbottabad, with cia spies inside. the house was likely far from the bin laden compound, so

>> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 4th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. president obama today explained his decision not to release photos of osama bin laden's corpse. certainly, there's no doubt among al qaeda members that he is dead, the president told cbs news. the fact of the matter is, you will not see bin laden walking on this earth again. the president is to visit ground zero tomorrow to mark the moment so many americans have waited so long for, and new details emerged today of how that incredible mission was pulled off. here's brian ross. >> reporter:er the ri er thterr president chose to send u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s instead of bombing it to the compound, so there would be no doubt of the bin lad bin l al qaeda leader. but pictures were deemed too gruesome to show and not in the best interest of the country. there does not seem to be widespread doubt that bin laden is dead. the taliban acknowledged his death in vowing revenge against america. we will attack both u.

reporte >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 19th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. what evidence does the prosecution have on dominique strauss-kahn? that's the question at the center of the case in which the former imf chief is charged with multiple first degree felonies including committing a criminal sex act and attempted rape. today, man hat than grand jury decided there's enough evidence in this case, for the charges to go forward. so, what is the nature of that evidence? we take a look. there he was again today, neat, clean-shaved and call. dominique strauss-kahn looking every inch the international power player he's been for years. >> and he has only one interest at this time, and that is to clear his name. >> dominique strauss-kahn. >> reporter: it was a stark contrast to his appearance in court on monday when she was drawn and haggered by two nights in police custody. but today, in courtroom 1213 in manhattan, it wasn't about the image. it was about the alleged crimes.

our colleague bill weir is in our studios uptown for this special edition of "nightline." last night, as we all discovered, president obama brought the country the news it's been waiting for for ten years, osama bin laden, the maniacal mass murder, religious fan pastic, responsible for the tragedies that took place here, at the pentagon and on flight 93, he is dead. killed by american navy s.e.a.l.s who staged a daring raid on a mansion where he was living in pakistan. tonight, the president spoke again. this time, to a bipartisan crowd in washington. a city that has lately seemed poisoned by partisan venom. he hailed a feeling of national unity that is surprisingly familiar. >> i think we experienced the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. we're reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for. and what we can achieve. that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics. >> one of the most captivating, most fascinating threads of this story is how american spies tracked their man to that compound. how they confirmed as best they could that

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 3rd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. what did they know? was pakistan involved in harb harboring osama bin laden? quote, either they're involved or incompetent, cia director leon panetta reportedly told lawmakers today in a classified breeching. pakistan called the u.s. strike an unauthorized unilateral action. it's easy to forget, meanwhile that the navy s.e.a.l.s who carried out the mission did not know whether their intended target, osama bin laden, was really inside that compound, when they climbed the stairs and came face to face with him. here's jake tapper with new details. >> reporter: so many new details about the attack on the compound. the mission, called operation neptune spear, definitively, a kill mission. in abbottabad, one s.e.a.l. team climbed to the third floor of the bin laden house and came face to face with public enemy number one. but today, we learned that osama bin laden was not armed. >> if he threw up his han

bill weir from "nightline" separates the fact from the fiction. >> reporter: he was supposed to be awy fugitive, slipping from cave-to-cave. high in the hindu kush mountains. but he spent five years, confined to two floors of modern comfort, in tree-lined suburbia, not far from a golf course. he was supposedly in poor health, possibly getting dialysis. in an audiotape, released in 2009, he sounded short of breath. but a look through his house reveals no dialysis machine. and medicine on a bathroom counter turns out to be vaseline, eye drops and nasal spray. we assumed he would be wearing a suicide vest. yet, after a gun fight downstairs, he was unarmed. >> he was in such deep hiding and information was so difficult to come by, there are a lot of assessments and assumptions regarding what he may or may not do. >> reporter: the man who wrote the book didn't even follow his own rules. one official says they found a mother lode of computer hard drives, laying out in the open by the dozen. and so many people were wrong about his yearn ground position. but some guessed closer to others. tw