the main prosecutor ended up having a private meeting with cynthia. it is the climax with the defendant and prosecutor maintain one on one with no lawyers present which is mind boggling. and out of that meeting he said we will negotiate. . .

. >> 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

cynthia was a school bus driver. nora was a very gifted, bright, lovely child and everyone was completely stunned. my son was 8 years old. he was a good friend of nora's and so there was this personal connection to a mother who was alleged to do something so horrific and yet she was the mother of my son's close friend. >> you can watch this and other programs on line at booktv.org. up next, elizabeth gould and paul fitzgerald take a critical look at u.s. policy towards afghanistan and pakistan and discuss the fight for control of the border region between the pastuns and punjabis. from the san francisco book store, this is about an hour. >> we are very delighted, very, very honored to representing paul fitzgerald and elizabeth gould. they are a husband and wife team since 1977. journalists, documentary

in new york city, this is "nightline," may 25th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden.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 of spiritual self-help -- >> i wanted people to be responsible for the energy they brought to

chris. >> cbs' cynthia bours in joplin, missouri. thank you. >> here is erica. >> this morning dozens of victims are in a shelter. marie is a red cross volunteer, also a victim, her home destroyed. marie, good to have you with us. first of all, give us an idea. you are essentially homeless this morning. what happened? >> i was in my car, i was under an underpass and we saw the tornado come. it came and hit in front of us, i saw them pick up and throw, flipped off onto the shoulder a car sliding everywhere, debris flying. >> you saw full semitrucks tossed about like a toy. >> yeah. they were completely picked up, just thrown, tossed, there was one slammed down in front of us on its side. and i ended up as soon as the tornado was out, getting out and running up and trying to get the driver out, pulled the windshield off of the semi-truck and helped him get out. >> i'm sure he was thankful to have you there. how much warning did you have? you were in the car at the time, you said. >> we had a fair bit of warning. they set off the sirens

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. >> no one to bury the de. >> reporter: these folks take that message very seriously. >> we t

imagine, cynthia, what a great two-fer that would have been. >> it seems like the u.s. is sort of on a roll these days. what's going on? >> reporter: well, i think you will see that the u.s. is on a roll. obviously, we got bin laden dead now. but all of that intelligence they gathered from the bin laden compound is going to lead them to others. it's going to lead them to other al qaeda figures. they've got lots to work with now. i think in the coming weeks, you'll see a lot of drone strikes, a lot of raids wherever they can find people. >> as always, martha raddatz on top of the news. thank you, martha. have a good weekend. >>> just ahead, seems very few humans have witnessed first hand, but now, you can witness them, too. we two on a arctic expedition to see polar bear cubs, just days old, in the wild. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: would foghorn leghorn make a really bad book narrator? foghorn (stammering): it was the best of times, it was the wor - i say worst of times. and by worst i'm talkin' as bad, i say, as bad

my co-anchor cynthia mcfadden is here at ground zero as well. 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 ame

cynthia bowers is in joplin with that story tonight. cynthia, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, harry. and, you know, usually in times of turmoil, kids find safety in the sanctuary of school, but in joplin, that is no longer an option. on a chilly gray evening, margaret tripp shows her two grandsons the place where she and her grandpa nearly lost their lives. >> i want them to remember this. this is tragic. mien, this is something... this has messed with people's lives. >> reporter: but for thousands of joplin children who lived through the killer storm, it's a history lesson that hits too close to home. >> there's no way that it cannot affect the children for a long time to come. this is a life-altering event. this is something that war survivors, holocaust survivors see. >> reporter: have you learned a life lesson with this? >> yes. >> reporter: what is that? >> probably the biggest thing i learned is nobody has promised tomorrow so you just like need to treasure every moment you have and the people that you're with. >> reporte

cynthia, sara and mike are also getting married this summer.a told me there's nothing quite like a near-death experience to cement your love for someone. >> seeds of hope. >>> now to the presidential race. the republican field expanded again this weekend, with new hints from more potential candidates. perhaps the biggest name of all, sarah palin, kicked off her east coast tour on the back of a harley. david kerley is in washington with that. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning. sarah palin show up here. thrusting herself on the political stage as she roored into washington. the motorcycle she rode on had a picture of george bush with the words, miss me yet? she had written on her hand, justice rolls. it seemed an odd way to start a bus tour, on the back of a motorcycle. but that's sarah palin, dressed from head to toe in black, even wearing heeled boots on the back of a harley, the start of a northeast tour. what does this indicate, governor? >> it indicates to get across america and how important it is to respect our constitution. >

cynthia? >> reporter: david, this is the levee that neighbors are pinning their hopes on, hoping it will not break. on the other side of that tree line is the atchafalaya river, which has been rising steadily. and on this side of the levee are homes that people have already moved out of. their hope is that they can return, their hopes not flooded. they just don't know. david? >> cynthia, thank you tonight. >>> now, to the dramatic reshaping of the presidential race tonight, after mike huckabee announced this weekend he's not running. the former governor had a large following, especially among evangelical voters. so, who do the republicans want to run instead? even former first lady laura bush making calls. here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: after joining ted nugent for a bit of rocking out, mike huckabee decided that when it comes to a presidential run, he is staying out. >> my answer is clear and firm. i will not seek the republican nomination for president this year. >> reporter: huckabee

it was so perfect, cynthia, we had launched on our brothers. we stayed there for the next 3 hours, and closed the cafe. sara said this brother sister thing is huge and no one writes about it, no one talks about it, the affect our brothers and sisters has on us. this is your next book, this is what you need to write. are you kidding me, i could never write anything so personal, never. that is how it started. when you >> when you were working on this, friends, you would talk about my relationship with my difficult older brother, what happened? what doors opened up, what did you learn about what people carry around about their siblings? >> it is huge. so many share this. it is like the asian flu. the first year of trying to work on this, i couldn't do it, so i approached it like a reporter. i was dancing around what it was really about, which is the red hot emotions between the 2 of us and where it had come from. i spent a year reporting, interviewing every expert, i flew the london, and the importance of relationships and psychoanalysis. >> did y

. >> 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

cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. >> mitchell: and still ahead on tonight's cbs evening news, never mind-- the doomsday prophecy that fortunately failed to deliver. >> mitchell: and finally this evening, may 21 is now in its waning hours with no sign yet that a much-ballyhooed end-of-times prophecy is coming true. ben tracy is on the doomsday watch. >> reporter: hollywood has been obsessed with the end of days for decades. mankind has struggled with the implications for centuries. >> they talk about the signs of the times which we have seen some. >> reporter: if these signs of judgment are correct, welcome to apocalypse now. >> i have to think about that. but i won't have much time to think about it, will i? >> reporter: you may have seen one of these 1200 billboards. they are the work of this man, 89-year-old christian preacher harold camping, owner of the family radio network. >> you and i are living at the time of the end of the world. >> reporter: his followers have spread the word of the world's end all across the globe, reportedly using donations to pay for it. >> there's goin

>> 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 allege

cynthia bowers shows us the unbelievable damage that was left behind. >> i got it. >> reporter: storm chasers caught the massive tornado as it barreled toward joplin, missouri. the half mile to three quarter mile twister was on the ground for nearly six miles, flattening 30% of this city, and killing dozens of people. this morning, search teams in driving rain were trying to pick through the rubble looking for more victims. the powerful winds ripped homes and businesses to shreds, and tossed around cars and semi trucks like toys. >> we lost everything in the tornado. we're just trying to salvage what we can and make the best of it. >> reporter: st. john's regional medical center took a direct hit. the tornado blew out hundreds of windows, and ripped apart the roof. the med-evac helicopter was crushed. workers say they had only a few minutes warning to get patients into the hallways before the storm struck. the medical center is no longer usable. hospital staff have moved 180 patients to other facilities. >> everybody worked together to make sure that the critical patients got out. and

good for cynthia lemay.s hitting the road, this morning, first on a bike, then on a bus. i'll tell you more about that just ahead. >>> lieutenant colonel neil harper from ft. bragg, north carolina, currently serving at ft. prosperity, shout out to wife michelle and two kids, ash jlyn and anthony, i'll be home soon. love you! it's true. you never forget your first subaru. >>> from cnn center, this is "cnn sunday morning." i'm joe johns in for t.j. holmes this memorial day weekend. >>> sarah palin will be hopping on a motorcycle this morning, she's joining the rolling thunder for their ride. some people aren't too happy about it. >>> some call it abuse but most americans call it borrowing their own money. a new bill that could limit the loans you take from your 140ek pla 14k pla 401(k) plan. >>> first the president expected in joplin shortly after 1:00 peern today. he'll meet with tornado victims and deliver brief remarks at a memorial service at missouri southern university. this as the number of dead rises t

. >> this year's beta breakers will be the first for peter, his daughter cynthia and friend reva. they came today to check out the course and hay street hill. >> it is a pretty steep hill. pretty long. but then i guess it is downhill from here. so that is pretty good. >> this is the 100th running of the largest and probably whackiest foot race in the world. an anniversary that nearly didn't happen. because drunken rowdies were messing up the city and the race. >> large groups of people would come on the street and try to urinate. and they do so aggressively and angrily when you try to keep them off your doorstep. >> reporter: the race lost its sponsor and has been losing community support. the internet company stepped in and saved the day. the day will be a little different this year. >> we will be exercising with as much discretion as we can, strict enforcement on anybody that is influencing anybody else's good time or their neighborhood. >> reporter: the new plan calls for no alcohol and plenty of bodies. 1200 along the route. people getting bibs and t's at the expo understand t

this waiting to find missing loved ones is just excruciating on families and cynthia bowers has more on that story. >> reporter: harry, perhaps of all the anguish being felt in this death and destruction the most is being experienced by families who cannot find their loved ones. they're hoping against hope that they're still alive, but they're also desperate just to know. there could be a baby boy trapped beneath all this rubble. >> the last thing he was wearing was a blue shirt with orange lettering. >> reporter: his uncle, frank reynolds, says 16 month old skyular logsdon was a preemie, small for his age, a good boy who held a special spot in his family's heart. are you confident he might still be alive? >> i'm praying he's alive everyday. >> reporter: his mom, dad, and grandma were hanging on the skyular and each other in the hall of the house that used to stand here. after the tornado struck, rescuers were able to locate everyone and get them to hospitals-- everyone except the little boy. >> he was our angel. he had such a sweet smile. >> reporter: his great grandma watches this

but today cynthia bowers shows us a greensburg that has been rebuilt and reinvented. >> oh, my god. >rter: the house where jill eller raised her family disappeared in the blink of an eye four years ago... >> this thing is huge. it has to be a mile across. >> reporter: ...when an ef-5 tornado chainsawed greensburg, kansas. >> how do you start? >> reporter: like almost all her neighbors, at first jill couldn't imagine life there after the storm. >> just total devastation. i mean, it was some kind of shock that your body goes into. >> reporter: but when it would have been easier to walk away from a town where 95% of the buildings were gone, jill eller and her neighbors decided to rebuild. it seemed impossible. >> i think we learned early on to say "we're not victims, we are survivors." >> reporter: after four years and $78 million in disaster- relief grants, greensburg is coming back. the new school opened last fall, the new hospital this march. there's a new city hall, arts center and a whole new downtown business district-- all built to be energy-efficient and tornado- resistant, turni

cynthia bowers is with us and has more on this. >> reporter: that's right, harry. it's safe to say nobody expected this. after all, they did with stand the power of a tornado as recently as 2008. typically this building plays a key role in treating the injured. but not this time. even in the midst of miles of rubble, st. john's regional medical center stands out. and not just because it's still standing. with virtually every window shattered the top two floors taken out, it looks like a bomb went off inside. how horrifying was it when it actually hit? >> it was scary. our doors and windows were blowing in on us before we could even take cover. >> reporter: this e. r. nurse had 20 minutes to raise patients and visitors into the hospital's interior hallways in search of safety before the enormous twister tore st. john's apart. >> things were flying over our heads, and just sounding like a bomb, doors were flying off. medical equipment flying over our heads. scary. >> reporter: looking at this storm, it is amazing 180 patients made it out alive. in the panicked moment

cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. >> couric: the rising cost of health care and lower payroll taxes have been a big drain on social security and medicare. in fact, a government report out today says social security will run out of money in 2036, a year earlier than had been estimated. and medicare? its trust fund will be empty by 2024, five years ahead of the last estimate. one republican proposal would change medicare for future generations to a voucher system. in an interview today with harry smith, house speaker john boehner tried to reassure worried seniors. >> the retirees are going to be taken care of. there's no ifs, ands or buts about that. but we all know that if nothing has changed, seniors' benefits will get cut. why? because they're unaffordable. that's why we have to deal with this and we need to deal with it now. >> couric: and you can see more of that interview with speaker boehner this sunday on "face the nation." still ahead here on the "cbs evening news," earning extra credit-- what some california schools are doing to avoid the budget ax. but up next, one of the w

cynthia, good morning. >> good morning, erica.en rahm emanuel. his swearing-in happens at about 11:15 this morning. his predecessor, another family man, richard m. daley, will be there, as will the vice president joe biden. after his swearing-in ceremony he will be greeting the public. that's kind of the way things go here. it will be on the fifth floor of city hall right behind me. rahm emanuel was out and about this weekend. he's already busy planning what he is calling his first term. it was a very cold, rainy weekend but he was out weeding in a community garden. he called it weeding out corruption. he met with locals. now he says that he will listen to every person in the city, and get their opinion about stuff. which is going to be interesting, given that this man, more than most, is known for his partisan politics. so we'll see how that goes. he will be replacing a dynasty. 43 of the last 56 years of chicago has seen a daley in office. now when richard m. daley took over 22 years ago, this city was mockingly called beirut by

it's been a long, expensive road. >> and cynthia, we'll all be watching "nightline" tonight.ou told me you're going to be revealing even more secrets from behind the scenes. that's "nightline" after your local news. >>> and when we come back here tonight, a simple question. if you found $45,000 hidden in your brand new home, what would you do? if you have gout, high uric acid can lead to more attacks. ♪ to help reduce attacks, lower your uric acid. uloric lowers uric acid levels in adults with gout. it's not for the treatment of high uric acid without a history of gout. uloric reduces uric acid to help you reach a healthy level. [ female announcer ] don't take uloric if you are taking azathioprine, mercaptopurine, or theophylline. gout may flare when starting uloric. don't stop taking it. your doctor may give you other medicines to help prevent flares. a small number of heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related deaths were seen in studies. it's not certain uloric caused them. certain tests to check liver function may be required. tell your doctor about liver or kidney problem

so when you say are you living your best life, it's like 99.9% there. >> cynthia, i agree.pprove. >> that's pretty close. let me tell you, it's fun to hang out with gayle king. her show airs daily on own at 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> next, a new osama bin laden tape surfaces. we'll have all the details. urfaces. we'll have all the details. smarter healthcare, smarter grids, smarter cities. but what makes them smart? it starts with pulling insights from exabytes of data. not with a new computer, but a new kind of computing. smarter computing is a new set of tools designed for data, tuned to the task, all managed through a cloud. when we say let's build a smarter planet that's how we'll do it. i'm an ibmer. [ male announcer ] what if that hemorrhoid pain is non-stop to seattle? just carry new preparation h totables. discreet, little tubes packed with big relief. from the brand doctors recommend most by name. new preparation h totables. the anywhere preparation h. n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

. >> this is cynthia fong. >> good morning, commissioners. yes or the deputy director of finance and administration. why have before you starts with the fiscal year annual budget. this budget was brought to you at the preliminary stage for the information in. they have not received any changes from last month, and i have a short power. presentation for you to recap what we saw in the budget. as you may recall, the budget includes six different pieces. we have the tax revenue and a federal state and regional revenue, the capital expenditures operating with the service costs. this package includes four components, and the first attachment is the high-level executive version with the rigid with the comparison to fiscal year 1011. you have the annual work plan, and this breaks down into each of the five sections that the authority will indicate what we plan on working on next year. you have a line item detail, listing all the different federal and state and regional type revenues, and this shows what we will be spending for the fiscal year. you a

cynthia, good morning. >>> good morning, chris. you got here in time yesterday to see how desperate the situation is and how it is being made more desperate by the weather. so cold and rainy volunteers had to set up m.a.s.h. type tram ma accept ter centers who are looking for the dead and wounded for hypothermia. >> facing cold hail and lightning, rescue crews worked into the night looking for signs of life. jeannie black is searching for anything worth saving. 36 hours ago, this was her home, now it's part of the bleak landscape that was once joplin, missouri. jeannie rode out the storm packed in this tiny basement bathroom with her family and four dogs. >> there wasn't time to be scared, really. it was more of an instinct that took over and we survived it. we just got in a circle and prayed. >> reporter: many families weren't nearly as lucky. the tornado that hit joplin is now the deadliest since they started keeping records 60 years ago. almost 17 people were pulled alive from the rubble monday. officials say many more are still

. >>> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with the economy. today was not a good day on wall street, with the dow down 130 points. consider the staggering loss of personal wealth in the u.s. since the crash 2 1/2 years ago. despite the recent recovery, almost $8 trillion is gone from our retirement savings, checking accounts and home value. about $25,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. meanwhile, the official unemployment figure is bad enough at 9% but if you add in those who have given up looking or who are working part time but want to work more the rate climbs past 15%. that's more than 24 million people. so tonight, we meet two women who came up with a highly original solution to the crunch. they decided to take advantage of a booming market for used household goods. a market that has boosted sales of the nation's biggest pawn companies, 45% alone. here's vicki mabrey. >> reporter: if you're in the market for a ten-foot tall suit of armor or you've got one that you'd like to sell, mapleville is the place for you. at this com

. -- cynthia goldstein. on my far right is joseph duffey, with the department of building inspection. dan is a senior planner and assistant to the zoning administrator. we should be joined by the department of public health and the department of public works. but this time if you would go over the meeting guidelines and conduct the swearing in process. >> the board request you turn off on all phones. please carry on conversations in the hallway. the respondents each have seven minutes to explain their cases and seven minutes for rebuttals. members who are not affiliated with the parties have up to 3 minutes to address the board and no rebuttal. members of the public who wish to speak on an item r ross but not required to submit a speaker and not -- are asked but not required to submit a speaker card. the board also welcomes comments and suggestions. there are forms as well. a good if you have any questions, please speak to board staff at a break in or after the meeting or call in the morning. this is a broad

. >> cynthia is also a mother of a elementary school student.he and three other people worked on it for a month volunteering for their time. one of them worked for google, the maps are powered by the internet search giant. it's one more tool to help them deliver the facts. >> it has a very complex school funding system, any help in that regard is certainly appreciated. anyway we can make it clearer to parents we want to do that. >> the website also has ways for parents to contact their local lawmakers. >>> it's 4:45. some of california's largest food chains recall a popular product. a health hazard that poses for people that bought. >> it he survived terrorism and lot everything. how a 9/11 survivor ended up in a local homeless shelter. >> a hint of a fire season to come. firefighters battle to protect homes in from a fast moving blaze. >> and collecting money from victims from japan's earthquake, it exceeded [ male announcer ] this sunday is one of the best sundays of all, mother's day. so give mom the day off and bring home the kfc 10 buck sun

i'm cynthia mcfadden. on this memorial day, we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom. here on the home front today, president obama announced he would nominate general martin dempsey to be the new chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. and the president laid a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington national cemetery. more than 4,400 u.s. soldiers have died in iraq since the war started in 2003. and over 1,500 have died in afghanistan. where our mike boettcher, embedded for a year with the no slack battalion of the 101st airborne. the men were just weeks from coming home when they found themselves in the battle of their lives. tonight, a report that gives meaning to the idea of uncommon valor. >> reporter: there was nowhere to run. so we dove into a muddy hillside. i ducked in with my camera next to captain ed bankston. headquarters company. no slack battalion. 101st airborne. nine months earlier, he'd been shot in the legs but fought to get back to

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran and cynthia mcfadden in new york city, and bill weir 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

. >> 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 terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir 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

my colleague cynthia fmcfadden has been reporting on the story, including the first network interviewormer best friend, his chief of staff turned chief accuser. >> reporter: doug hampton was not only ensign's best friend and chief of staff, he thought he were brothers in christ. when we talkeded to him in the fall of 2009, he was a man in despair. you lost your job. >> lost my job. >> reporter: lost your best friend. >> lost my best friend. >> reporter: and nearly lost your wife. >> nearly lost my wife. >> reporter: it was a 20-year-old friendship. here they are on vacation together. so close they'd become family. but during christmas of 2007, the friendship turned into a nightmare when hampton intercept add text message ensign had sent his wife cindy who was also working for the senator. what's it say? >> how wonderful it is. can't believe it's like a kid. scared but exciting. >> reporter: do you know instantly? >> oh, i -- i have a little out of body experience. i confront john. i think he genuinely believes i'm going to knock him out. >> reporter: according to hampton on christmas