in new york city, this is "nightline," february 7th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. until a few weeks ago, le roy, new york, was best known as the birthplace of jell-o. but now a medical mysteries that thrust the small town into a spotlight. the case is drawing so much attention because the victims of this mystery malady are almost all teenage girls, classmates at the lee call high school. so, could it be something in the water causing their condition? in the air? in their heads? here's my co-anchor cynthia mcfadden. >> reporter: it's all anyone on main street can talk about. >> there are just so many different rumors. >> some people are weird about it. >> different stories. >> reporter: at the white hot center of it all, the question of what is happening to the girls at le roy junior/senior high school. 15 of the 600 students have come down with a strange illness, a disturbing tick. their claims have gotten them national attention. but many of the families insist no real resolution. so, we went up to see for ourselves what was going on. there we met traci and her fr

february 6th, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm bill weir. we begin tonight with an explosion of fire that suddenly ended three lives at the center of an unusually volatile and public family drama. the victims were two little boys. the suicidal perpetrator was their father. a man suspected but never charged in the disappearance of his wife two years ago. the boys' grandparents said they feared that father might be capable of violence. tonight, they have their terrible confirmation. here's abc's neal karlinsky. >> reporter: it was a twisted murder/suicide. two young boys killed at the hands of their father josh powell in a terrifying end to a long and sordid nightmare. >> i was afraid that if he had the chance, the only way he could win this game that he was playing was to kill them. >> reporter: but what happened inside the house before the flames broke out is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined. police say josh powell tried to kill his 7-year-old son charles and 5-year-old braden with a hatchet before the fire could take their

my co-anchor bill weir's exclusive look at apple's biggest factory in china. but why is it there and not in america? why their manpower builds our machines. >>> plus, cry for help. syrians dea moving tribute for an american killed today. for a haunt iing last report, ia city raining with hostility against his own people. >>> good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, the verdict in a much-anticipated murder trial. university of virginia lacrosse player, george huguely v was found guilty of murder in the second degree. it took just nine hours for the jury to reach a verdict. formal sentencing will take place april 16th. but jurors tonight recommended he receive 26 years in prison. "good morning america" will have more in the morning. >>> we turn, now, to americans in debt. and a new report from the federal reserve showing that consumer debt rose 7.5% at the end of last year. much of that was wracked up on credit cards. well, tonight, we meet a woman at the extreme, who says she can't stop charging. even things she doesn't need. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> i

i'm bill weir. columbine high school has produced countless good kids over the decades but there's a couple well-armed bad ones who took so many lives that it tainted the place in our collective memory. for a moment, this morning, it seemed that chardon high school in suburban cleveland was doomed to a similar fate. when a 17-year-old allegedly stood up in the cafeteria and opened fire, killing at least one, wounding others. it is horrific, but it could have been much worse. and chardon could have been another columbine, if not for the extraordinary actions of one assistant football coach. here's abc's reena ninan. >> we have an active shooter at the high school. >> reporter: the terror began early this morning in a normally quiet suburb of cleveland. >> repeat, active gunshots at the high school. >> reporter: inside the cafeteria at chardon high school, where 1,110 students go to school, kids were settling in for breakfast around 7:30 this morning when a boy stood up and started shooting. nate muel

i'm bill weir. that gust you heard earlier tonight, that was the sound of mitt romney, exhaling, after watching his momentum slam into rick santorum and then careen over a few of his own gaffes. romney did win primaries in both arizona and his home state of michigan tonight. but while he is a few dozen delegates closer to the nomination, the michigan could sting him in the fall if he gets that far. john berman explains how and why, in tonight's "your voice, your vote." michigan, it's the state where they make cars. but moore importantly, it's the state shaped like a hand. and for the last two weeks, that hand had an unprecedented grip on the republican contest. with candidates traveling from pinky to forefinger, tryinging to get a thumbs up. let's talk to the hand. first, the ring finger. mitt romney loves michigan. >> thank you. >> and tonight, it loves him back. >> what a win. this is a big night. >> michigan is where his father was governor. and where, as a teenager, he met his wife. and apparent

i'm bill weir. so, how does a garage start-up become the most valuable company in the world? well, apple computer did it by selling 93 million iphones last year. and 40 million ipads. and the only reason they didn't sell more is that they can't make them fast enough. but that relentless demand has raised uncomfortable questions about how these precious objects are made, and how the people who make them are treated. a few weeks ago, the company invited ma ed me to witness the third-party audit, of foxconn. for the record, apple and our parent company, disney, have strong ties. but i only agreed to report exactly what i saw. on this, the first look inside the i-factory. we arrive at dawn. is this the entrance? no idea what to expect. but eager for a glimpse of the mysterious place that builds the stuff that fills our lives. we're met by a top foxconn executive, who refuses to confirm that inside all these buildings, they're working on top-secret projects for intel, nintendo, dell and many others. there we go. but apple has allowed him to show me how they build the world's most

i'm bill weir. crossing the line in search of a better life. it's one of mankind's oldest stories. and in america, immigration is behind one of today's fiercest debates. but tonight, we bring you a story that transcends the argument with a 5-year-old boy, whose mother broke america's rules, only to undergo a forced separation that broke her heart. and there may be thousands of invisible cases just like it. tonight, abc's brian ross investigates. brian? >> reporter: bill, this is a heartbreaking story of how a 5-year-old boy in missouri has ended up in the middle of a tug-of-war, who his parents should be. a tug-of-war triggered on this country's crackdown on illegal immigration. and this abc news investigation, along with five graduate students, assigned to work with us as carnegie fellows. his name is now jamison. put up for adoption for melinda and seth moser. after a judge ruled his mother had abandoned him. >> i could not love him more, had he come out of me, physically. >> reporter: but now, the adoption is being challenged. next month, the mosers will face the prospect in cou

abc's bill weir made his way into the giant factory. and tonight, tells us what he saw. >> reporter: her name is xiau-ying. she's a 27-year-old, mother of two. and she makes a living slicing apples. trimming aluminum burrs, to be exact, from those iconic ipad logos. she has helped make hundreds of thousands of these coveted gadgets. but since it would take three months' salary to buy an ipad of her own, this is the first time she's ever seen the final product. and her eyes light up. that's my daughter, yeah. she likes climbing trees. your daughter is cute, naughty, she says. which is poignant, since her kids live two hours away and she can afford to see them just once a month. but this is typical for most of the 235,000 who work in this 1 foxconn complex. many leave distant villages, where families live in rooms like this. how do you stay warm? to share a dormroom, like this, with seven strangers. foxconn attracts a lot of business by having workers close to the assembly line. they spend 12 hours in the factory, with 2 1-hour meal break

tonight on world news, bill weir will have a lot more on his exclusive, the first journalist in chinahones and i pads and the worker that's live there, 60 hours per week, pay they send back to families. we're going to see their lives, finally, coming up. after abc 7 news at 5:00. see you tonight. ♪ ♪ we were skipping stones ♪ and letting go ♪ over the river and down the road ♪ [ female announcer ] at nature valley, we know nature comes together in amazing ways. that's why we bring together natural ingredients, like dark chocolate with toasted oats, or sweet golden honey. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ ♪ i was thinking that i hope this never ends ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. >>> as we head towards the top of the hour, it is a look at downtown san francisco. the skyway and nobody going anywhere, fast. traffic is moving at a snail's pace. the oscars coming up lots of people there is a temptation to munch on the snacks, pop corn and candies and goody autos now, to riddle you with guilt. >> t

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." february 17th, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm terry moran. and earlier today, a daughter said good-bye to her famous mother. bobbi kristina, the daughter of whitney houston. and cissy houston, the car's mother, paid their respects at a private wake in newark, new jersey. a crowd is gathering to say farewell to a talent the world will not soon forget. that talent carried whitney houston away from home young. but talent alone cannot count for the trail-blazing figure she became. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: it's fitting that the last song whitney houston performed on stage just last thursday, would be "jesus loves me." after all, whitney houston was a product of the gospel tradition. her service tomorrow is being called a homegoing. and in this case, the term is as literal as it is figurative. it's a nod to the return to heaven, for the voice so often described as a gift from god. in her hometown of newark, new jersey, a celebration of her

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city. this is "nightline." february 10th, 2012. >>> and good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. it's friday. we begin, tonight, with problem pets. and a controversial but increasingly popular method for getting them to behave. psychiatric drugs, meant for humans. last year, pet owners spent a combined $7 billion on drugs like prozac and zoloft for their pets. now, that number is up, 35% in the last four years. but is that money worth it? and is it even ethically correct? here's abc's chris bury. >> reporter: this otherwise lovable mutt, frisbee, is cursed, with an obvious and serious affliction. 10 or 12 times a day, something, no one knows exactly what, sets frisbee off. turning this family pet into a tasmanian devil. so desperate for a fix -- erin riley hauled frisbee to a psychiatric clinic for pets, where they treat animals for mental conditions usually only diagnosed in humans. this used to be the state's mental hospital? >> it did. >> reporter: its founder is fully aware

>> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." february 16th, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with the business of sex and the question of whether more women are paying for -- well, what exactly? the ultimate boyfriend? well, tonight, we visit a company in las vegas that caters exclusively to a female clientele. the women pay for dates. they say, they're just out for fun. and the men insist whatever money is exchanged violates no law. here's juju chang for our series, modern sex in america. >> reporter: meet shawn. he's getting ready for work. >> i put a little vaseline lotion. make my skin nice and soft. >> reporter: his is not your average day job. his line of work, fulfilling women's fantasies for a price. $500 for a night. or $1,000 for a night. how much of that do you see? >> 80%. >> reporter: $800, just another night for a gigolo. ♪ ♪ call me >> reporter: richard gere may have immortalized the concept in "american gigolo," but male escorts catering to women, has a

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," bruary 9th, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm terry moran. religious refugees. now adays there's no sense in hitching up a wagon to get a congregation. it's gone online. tonight, we meet a man, an online preacher with an unorthodox message. here's abc's neal karlinsky for our series, "faith matters." >> what if i told you, jesus came to abolish religion. his rap has been viewed 19,000 times. it is a slickly produced youtube video, from a guy no one had heard of. a 22-year-old born-again christian, who makes the provocative and viral claim that he hates religion, but loves jesus. >> if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars? why does it build huge churches or fails to feed the poor? >> there's a problem that people know you're a christian by your facebook. >> reporter: you see a lot of hypocrisy in organized religious. >> i see a lot of hypocrisy in the world. >> reporter: jeff bethke is the preacher in this sermon. he's speaking to a gen

cynthia mcfadden, terry moran, and bill weir in new york city.his is a special edition of "nightline," "one moment in time: whitney remembered." >>> good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. almost no one had what whitney houston had. a talent so big that fans in the millions gave their hearts not only to her songs but to the woman herself. this weekend, she was preparing for music's biggest night of the year, the grammys, where she had won so many times before, but it wasn't to be. tonight, her journey, in her own words and through the eyes of some of those who knew her best. ♪ and i will >> reporter: it's as if the world lost its voice, one fan said. and what a voice it was. ♪ i will always whitney houston. a sweet and soaring melting pot of gospel and soul silenced at 48. >> thank you so much. >> last night, alongside the celebration of adele's big win at the grammys -- >> heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister whitney with us. >> reporter: the industry mourned the loss of the woman with the golden voice. >> amen. ♪ no matter what they

i'm bill weir. today marks a main event for shoppers. presidents' day. retail discounts typically among the deepest of the day today. before you open your wallet, consider this, some of those products might be fake. the black market for counterfeit goods in this country is exploding. seizures nationwide up 24% last year. these items are sold not only on street corners but in high-end shopping malls. ryan owens brings us this encore presentation. >> reporter: these cops aren't on the hunt for drugs or a murderer. at this luxury mall in the o.c., orange county, california, police are raiding a shop near nordstrom's and macy's. the contra band these cops are after, counterfeit clothes. >> just relax. we have a search warrant. >> okay. >> reporter: santa ana police officers arrest the store manager. he's a cused of selling phony product, dolce, and a huge stash of true religion jeans. he pleaded not guilty. while police put their suspect in the car outside, the brains behind the bust is counting the merchandise inside. so there's not a real pair of true reli

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." february 24th, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm juju chang. tonight, we begin with exotic and dangerous animals, that might be lurking in a backyard near you. they're kept as pets by people who don't seem to mind what the neighbors think. with recent headlines about brutal animal attacks and lions and tigers and bears on the loose, we meet the guy who makes it his job to keep those predators caged and your town safe. his business, wild animal insurance. here's abc's matt gutman for our series, "american jungle." >> reporter: cute. but deadly. this might look like a zoo. but it's actually someone's backyard. these guys are closer than you think, living as pets, right next door. >> okay. >> reporter: a rash of recent attacks and scares by exotic animals. >> there's a lion on mt. perry road and crenshaw. >> i just seen one. looks like a jaguar or a wolf or something. >> reporter: in zanesville, ohio, in october, more than 50 dangerous animals unleashed b

more tonight from bill weir taking us inside the secret place in china where the iphones and ipads areonight. >> referring to bill's report. inside the apple factories this morning. fascinating stuff. >> thank you, josh. pop news lara? >> i would love to. happy fat tuesday, everybody. tradition says it's that day to indulge before lent begins. will ferrell seems to be doing just that. enjoying his new royal status. not the new spokes person for burger king. he's the king baucus for the mardi gras parade. in new orleans. he rode on the main float tossing beads and taking in the sights. >> i do want a whopper right now. >> i'm going to move on on that note. by the way, king baucus is the roman god of wine. >>> it was date night last night for beyonce and jay-z here in new york. they sat court side at the new york knicks game against the new jersey nets. they must have been so conflicted. so hard not to get swept up in the linsanity. jay-z has to root for the nets because he's part owner. that probably made date night all the more special. >> we did talk about linsanity again. so the stre

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." february 2nd, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm terry moran. there are an estimated 370 million pornographic websites on the internet. and for any parent concerned about what their teen does online, the huge popularity of the young man you're about to meet may be deeply disturbing. his name is james deen. that's two "es," an he has an avid fan base of teenage girls. james deen isn't his real name. it's his porn game. here's abc's cecilia vega for our series, "modern sex in america." >> i think it's fantastic. >> just a ridiculous amount of love for him. >> james deen's like a guy you can meet in your neighborhood. and just get to know. >> reporter: these young women could be gushing about any number of heartthrobs hanging from their bedroom walls. ryan gosling, justin bieber, justin timberlake. but they're not talking about a mainstream hollywood crush. they're talking about james deen, a porn star. >> he's the ryan gosling of porn. >> reporter: the am

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city. and terry moran in washington. this is "nightline," february 3rd, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm terry moran. let's talk football and security. it's got the makings of a spy movie. undercover officers, giant x-ray machines. bomb squad robots and emergency response aircraft. all part of an incredibly elaborate security apparatus designed to protect a colossal event, the super bowl in indianapolis, this sunday. where tens of thousands of fans are already gathered. here's abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas. >> reporter: it's a week-long party on the streets of indianapolis. this night, kevin stickford and his dog are not the only ones looking for trouble. kevin and sonya are the few who are not here to party. they're members of a special unit called a hit team. it may look random. the leader of the team is very precise in what he was looking for. i noticed when you were coming down here, you were very targeted in some of the things you were doing. trash cans. bins. >> y