in new york city, this is "nightline," november 29th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, on the island of aruba, the only suspect in the disappearance of a 35-year-old american woman was released after four months in jail. authorities on the island believe a man she met online, gary giordano, was involved in her disappearance. but as of tonight, there is still no body and no physical evidence. abc's matt gutman had exclusive access to giordano as he was released. >> reporter: it was the moment gary giordano had waited for for 116 days. the only suspect in the disappearance of robyn gardner. now, a free man. but even as he and his attorneys rolled out of the prison gates, they were swarmed by the media, blocking his car, peering inside. abc news was there as giordano arrived at this hotel. low cams angry taunts of "murder." tonight, his first night out of a bathroom-sized cell he shared with two others for 17 hours a day. his first unmonitored and emotional call home to his three sons. and an embrace. the attorneys that helped secure his release. but that freedom

in new york city, this is "nightline," november 17th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with marriage and regret. the actress demi moore today announced she plans to divorce her much younger husband, ashton kutcher. they've been married six years. some marriages don't make it nearly that long. exhibit a, kim kardashian and her 72-day union. the authors of a new book say, don't be shocked. 30% of divorced women put on their white dress and march down the aisle even though they had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to work. the question tonight is, why do they do it? here's abc's andrea canning. >> reporter: it was billed at kim's fairy tale wedding. it cost a reported $10 million. a custom dress by vera wang. $15,000 wedding cake, six feet tale. and that multimillion dollar deal signed with e entertainment to make it a television spectacular not to be missed. >> you may be seated. >> reporter: but in the end, it all added up to a fizzled fairy tale that lasted just 72 days. was it a hoax? was it a scam? shockingly, kim says no. it was really just a big mi

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 16th, 2011. >> good evening. we begin tonight with a major development in a child abuse scandal that continues to grow. yet another mother has come forward, saying her son was adopted by the now disgraced former penn state coach, jerry sandusky. she says sandusky used the children's charity he set up and ran to gain access to her son and others. sandusky is charged with 40 counts of molestation and abuse. here's abc's jim avila. >> it was unnatural from the beginning. >> reporter: she knows jerry sandusky all too well. debra long shares a child with him. hers by birth, his first as a foster child and at age 18, adopted as an adult. after a relationship that began when matt was just 10 years old. >> when it first started, you could see that he was, like, excited to see jerry show up. and as it progressed, it got to the point where he would look out the window, see jerry pull in and hide behind a bedroom door. >> reporter: matt has said pu

i'm cynthia mcfadden. today, as so many of us gathered around the family table to share food and laughter, we thought it fitting to remember that on the other side of the world, there are 116,000 mostly young americans serving in iraq and afghanistan, whose families are celebrating another holiday without them. as two wars that have told now for more than a decade wind down, they fight on. abc's senior white house correspondent jake tapper and "nightline" producer ely brown traveled to afghanistan to spend time with them. >> reporter: we're headed to the tip of the spear. to a remote base in mountainous northeast afghanistan. pakistan is right there. that mountain, under the clouds. this is the northern-most forward operating base. how does that feel? >> differences between you and the enemy, but still. >> reporter: it's morning at forward operating base bostick. the men and women of the 227 infantry the wolfhounds, prepare for their day. >> start off with role call. >> reporter: whatever the pending plans

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 10th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. it's the kind of extreme decision that, if we are lucky, we never face. to risk an irreversible medical procedure in hopes of repairing a chronic health problem and starting life anew. the woman you are about to meet, now 39 years old, came to believe that her weight problems would kill her before she got to see her children marry. so, she took the leap. here's abc's matt gutman with her story. >> reporter: for holly, the breaking point came when her 10-year-old son payton couldn't get his arms around her for a hug. when we first met her last october, holly was more than 200 pounds overweight. she could barely walk, much less keep up with payton, her 11-year-old son tyler and her husband, barry. >> i want to take them to disney and go on rides. i just want to have more energy. i want to keep up with people my age. >> reporter: for as long as she could remember, holly had been fat. >> i've bee

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, bill weir and tonight, juju chang in new york city, this is "nightline," november 2nd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm juju chang. and we begin tonight with a single mom who came to this country and made it big. sofia vergara is the rehot star of "modern family" here on abc. in many ways the show reflects the changing reality of the american family. in her spare time, she's launched a line of clothing for women who want her hot hollywood flare for less. all this, from a woman who once thought she'd be a dentist. here's my colleague cynthia mcfadden. >> i know that i have an accent but people understand me just fine. >> reporter: it was a role written just for her. >> i called your secretary and told her to order you a box of baby jesus. >> reporter: she plays gloria on abc's hit comedy "modern family." >> it's all very good. >> reporter: she's loud. she's funny. >> drop it. >> reporter: and she's perfectly sexy. and, of course, there's that accent. >> i didn't say hairing. i said hairing. >> reporte

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 1st, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. thanks for checking in tonight. in the genre films, hiring a hitman means a briefcase and a photograph, works almost every time. but real life is a little bit messier and paying to have someone killed is a transaction rife with all kinds of complications. cops are called, money is stolen, gunmen miss. tonight, the story of three famed murder attempts and one incredibly complex marriage. here's abc's john donvan for our series, "crime and punishment." >> reporter: the disturbing math of yet another murder for hire plot. yvonne stern and unbelievable, three times, is gun mn have tried to kill her. >> unusual amount of people are involved. >> this is the second accused hitman to go to trial. >> reporter: the first, february 2010, the house was sprayed with bullets. she wasn't at home. the second time, april, 2010, she and her family were home, this time, the shooter missed. the family moved out of

. >>> and good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with an urgent search for a missing florida mother. just hours before michelle parker vanished she was seen on national television appearing on the program "the people's court." she and her former fiance, the father of her twin, were in a tense face-off. he accused her of throwing away an expensive engagement ring. she accused him of violence. now her family is making an emotional appeal for her safe return. here's abc's matt gutman. >> this is the defendant. >> reporter: it seemed like a typical episode of "the people's court." >> he gets pretty malicious and vindictive and he is a mean person when he is drinking. >> reporter: michelle parker and her fiance dale smith bickering over an engagement ring thrown off a balcony. >> i took it off and threw it at him. >> reporter: even away from the camera their mundane arguments seemed to turn violent. >> he said get back up on stage you -- you know. >> reporter: just hours after this episode of "the people's court" finally aired l

." >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 8th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. they say it's not the crime that creates trouble, it's the coverup. but sometimes it's both. as with the pedophilia epidemic in the catholic church and the attempt to hide it and now a narrower but deeply troubling scandal at a distinguished american university. what kind of person knows about the abuse of children and does not do everything to stop it? well, tonight, fingers are pointing at a man millions long considered a symbol of decency. here's abc's dan harris. >> love you, joe! >> reporter: tonight, an extraordinary show of support for joe paterno, the embattled penn state legend, his house mobbed by hundreds of students, linking arms, chanting and singing. ♪ for the glory >> with penn state, i'm proud of you. i've always been proud of you. >> we love you, joe! >> reporter: that joe paterno is fighting for his job tonight is an epic reversal of fortune for a man who built penn state into

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 15th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. it's a shocking scandal that seems only to be getting bigger now. a new accuser is speaking out against penn state university tonight, saying that he was abused by a professor there, but that the school treated him with hostility when he spoke up. this, after yesterday's stunning development, a flat public denial from form eer coach jerr sandusky that he abused young boys. tonight, here, a woman of one alleged victim tells us what she thinks of that denial. here's abc's jim avila. >> reporter: ten days after the sexual abuse scandal at penn state first erupted, happy valley continues to roil, amid horrifying allegations against jerry sandusky. in an interview last night with nbc's bob costas, he admitted to showering with young boys from his second mile charity in the team's locker room. >> okay, we were showering and horsing around and he actually turned all the showers on and was actual lly

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 23rd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. tomorrow is thanksgiving, a day to feast, but it's also the start of the multibillion dollar holiday shopping season. black friday has now changed into black thursday. and it also marks the beginning of a lesser known, more sinister holiday tradition. turns out that with a huge flood of shoppers who come to buy comes a huge flood of shoppers with other plans and it may end up costing you. here's abc's john donvan. >> reporter: it's that warm and fuzzy time of year again. that open up your wallet time of year again. from now, until christmas. on the front lines of the american consumer marketplace. but it is also time, did you know, for a lot more of this. the theft that goes on, spring, summer and fall, at a cost to the retail industry of $35 billion last year. and did you know it really starts to spike now, in the holiday season? and in the supermarket industry, where the stores really only

. >>> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. a story far from american shores but with deep connections to this country. liberia, nestled on the coast of west africa, came into being when freed slave from the u.s. settled there in 1822. but that hopeful beginning dissolved in a horrific 14-year civil war, leaving the country and its health care system in ruins. only 60 doctors remained and not a single pediatrician among them. this is where two young american doctors come in. it was a dream of gridiron glory for phil, a 1997 michigan wolverines were national champions. on that field, number 46. andy secler. a classic american story. small town boy makes it big. andy had overcome plenty to get there. his father left when he was small. his mother and he often struggled to make ends meet. >> she's like the savior of my life or the shining star for me. >> number one in his high school class, at 18 he walked on to the university of michigan football team. the following year, they won that national championship. but andy secler, now d

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 11th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. and we begin tonight with the scandal engulfing penn state university. the accusations of repeated sexual assaults on children by a coach there have shocked the country. today, president obama expressed his outrage. now, in an exclusive interview, the mother of a boy who says he was sexually abused by coach jerry sandusky speaks out for the first time. her story is gut-wrenching, for all parents, especially those whose kids play sports. boys, as well as girls. linsey davis reports. ♪ >> reporter: thousands gathered tonight to remember the victims. a candlelight vigil on the steps of penn state's old main building marked the end of a stunning week. first, the shocking arrest of former defensive coordinator jerry sandusky. and then, the firing of legendary head coach joe paterno. >> we want joe! >> reporter: riots shook the campus and have threatened to overshadow the eight young sexual assault

. >> announcer: from the glow wall global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden andill weir in new york city this is "nightline," october 31st, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. for pure branding savvy, it would be tough for any madman to cop kim kardashian.and, herself since eclipsed her reality star beginnings in a recent blowout wedding with designer dresses and tv rights, was just business as usual. but now a twist. and questions about how the business might threaten the brand. here's abc's john donvan. >> why did kim kardashian file for divorce? >> reporter: so, the story breaks in the entertainment world today. >> was her 72-day marriage to kris a giant tv stunt? >> reporter: and are we really supposed to be surprised? >> married just over two months, kim times for divorce. >> reporter: really? >> this fairy tale is over, after 72 days. >> reporter: 8:10 this morning, a los angeles courthouse, kim kardashian, famous for being famous, times for divorce, 72 days after saying her nuptials in a televised broadcast on the e net work. a four-hour ceremony that co

. >> announcer: from the global e resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and billr in new york city, this is "nightline," november 22nd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. well, on the eve of this holiday season, your travel dollar might not feel like it goes as far as it used to, but tonight, we're going to make some every day travel earls who found ways to fly literally around the world in first class luxury for next to nothing. if that sounds too good to be true, maybe it's because you've never seen the extreme measures these folks will willing to take to wrack up frequent flyer miles, that allow you to fly for a discount or for free. here's abc's john donvan. >> reporter: this is where rick ingersoll gets to go practically for free when he goes flying. to the front of the line at the check-in counter to the first class lounge. to cements like these at the front of the airplane, first class and business class. and the places he and his wife have gone together this year? such as -- >> this year we've gone from savannah to athens and then flew over to kroi wa

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 3rd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. he was paid $150,000 a month to keep michael jackson healthy. but conrad murray could soon spent 48 months earning prison wages. after the death of the pop star, six weeks of testimony, 12 men and women are deciding murray's fate tonight. as today's tense closing arguments indicated, the stakes feel much greater than the maximum of four years murray could spend locked away. abc's jim avila was there and has the latest tonight. jim? >> reporter: bill, there was no holding back from either side today in closing argument. this was street fighter litigation, with the prosecution blasting conrad murray as incompetent, saying his mistakes and his negligence led directly to michael jackson's death. while the defense contended that, in fact, it was michael jackson and his terrible lifestyle that killed michael jackson. >> for michael's children, this case will go on forever, because they do not have a f

." >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 9th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. and there is breaking news tonight, as penn state university announces their legendary football coach of 46 years, joe paterno, is done. >> joe paterno is no longer the head football coach effective immediately. >> this comes after grand jury allegations that one of paer the nope's top assistants raped young boys on campus and paterno did not do enough to stop him. earlier today, the 84-year-old football legend said he would retire at the end of the season. but according to the associated press, paterno said tonight, quote, right now, i'm not the football coach and that's something i have to get used to. the school's board of trus deeps announced that university president graham spanier would be stepping down. students who have rallied around the coach all week yesterday in large numbers, are gathering tonight with tears and cheers following that announcement. >>> well, we turn now to a cautiona

. >> from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill we're in new york city, this is "nightline." november 18th, 2011. >>> good evening, i'm terry moran. tonight, the paterno family speaks out about the child abuse scandal that has ended the storied career of penn state football coach joe paterno and given rise to harsh new national scrutiny of college sports altogether. paterno's son jay in his first sit-down television interview since the scandal broke spoke just tonight with our sister network espn answering questions about how his 84-year-old father's handling this crisis and a new diagnosis that he has cancer. in just two tumultuous tragic weeks, joe paterno has had a fall from grace that is hard to believe. at 84 years old, revered by sports fans across the nation after coaching penn state's football team for 46 years and winning more games than any other major college coach, he was fired last week. >> joe paterno is no longer the head football coach effective immediately. >> reporter: disgraced for allegedly not doing enough to stop what he w

. >> you'll hear from big brother john next but first here is cynthia mcfadden after what you'll see at abc 2 news at 11. >>> coming up on nightline, a missing florida mother vanishes hours after an appearance on the peps court. tonight, the latest. >>> plus, iraq veterans dancing with the stars finalist j. r. martinez, his dramatic untold story coming up on nightline, right after abc 2 news at 11. >>> thanks a lot, cynthia. you know it's a quick turnaround for the ravens. they have another home game coming up on thanksgiving night. >> yeah, it's the 49ers against the ravens but john versus jim. big brother versus little brother, first time ever, usually mondays an off day but not this week. all about brotherly love coming up thursday night. coach was raised around football and he thinks you should bring your son and daughter into your work. >> bring your kids around. let them be a part of what you're doing, take them to work. it's really meaningful to be along with your mom and be around them and be a part of what they're doing and i think that's something our parents did for us so