for "nightline," i'm cynthia mcfadden in new york. >> a tour de force, our thanks to cynthia mcfadden a glory of silver, gold and bronze. is there a room for a winner in the fourth place podium? tally o. do it again. that's good. kick out the committees. call in the engineers. call in the car guys. call in the nerds. build a prototype. mold it. shape it. love it. give it 40 mpg. no, 41. give it a huge display. give it a starting price under 16 grand. take it to the car shows. get a celebrity endorser. he's perfect. "i am?" yes, you are. making a groundbreaking car. it's that easy. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. orgdoes your cauliflowernic have a big carbon footprint? not at all. that's great. melons!!! oh yeah!! well that was uncalled for. uhh... mr. gallagher. incoming!!! hahaha! it's wasteful. you know jimmy. folks who save hundreds of dol

. >> announcer: : from the global resources of abc news with terry moran and cynthia mcfadden in newnd bill weir at the olympic games in london,, england, this is "nightline," august 9th, 2012. > good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. todaday the accused gunman in t massacre aearered in court where for the first time his lawyers disclosed that they believe he is mentally ill. it was only three weeks ago that police say james holmes killed 12 pple and shott 58 re. and with thehe discovery that holmes' psychiatris voiced the spre could all this efore hearreak have been averte here is abc'sark grnblat. >> reporter:r: today jam holmes sain crt hisis hair still bright oran. his attory saidd several timese he was mentally ill when he allegedly killed 12 people and wounded 58 others at a batman movie premiere. outside court his victi reacted with anger. >> sitting next to my girlfriend. didn't seem to crazy when he ordered all the ammunition, his apartnt didn't seem crazy ed to me. >> reporter: the biggest question foris victims whetherer it could have been prevented. >> i think if somemeone c

this is "nightline" august 27th, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, tropical storm isaac is spinning straight towards the gulf coast, growing stronger each hour and expected to grow into a full-on hurricane as it churns towards new orleans. where, as fate would have it, the storm is predicted to hit seven years to the day that hurricane katrina brought the city to its knees. abc's ginger zee with the extreme weather team brings us the latest from the ground, tracking isaac. >> reporter: tonight, a storm that could be the first hurricane to hit the gulf coast in four years is aimed squarely at new orleans. are you ready? >> yeah, you know, we feel pretty confident about the system. it's almost not comparable to what was in place when hurricane katrina hit. >> reporter: today, we got up close to the colossal machinery, part of the 133 miles of levees that is now new orleans' first line of defense. see all the yellow boxes here? there's 11 brand-new ones, 11 tons apiece, that shut down and separate the 17 street canals from lake pontchartrain. t

. >>> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. breaking news, gofrper mitt romney's campaign announced late this evening he will reveal his choice for vice president tomorrow morning in virginia. "good morning america" will have the news as it develops. but we turn now to the summer of wild weather. the hottest july on record, crippling drought in half of the country and now tropical storms bringing epic rains to the east coast. ji ginger zee has been out storm chasing. >> reporter: we're chasing one of nature's most destructive and unpredictable forces. >> oh, look at that. that was beautiful. >> reporter: tim samaras is a seasoned storm chaser and no stranger to wild weather. >> most of the core i believe is right here. >> reporter: but today he's focused on another nearly impossible mission. he's attempting to document the birth of a lightning strike. tim wants a glimpse behind that blazing flash he believe this is moment holds the clues that will help us better understand the mystery of this lethal phenomenon. armed with an ul

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news with terry moran and cynthia mcfadden in new york weir at the olympic games in london, england, this is "nightline," august 9th, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. today the accused gunman in the tragic colorado movie theater massacre appeared in court where for the first time his lawyers disclosed that they believe he is mentally ill. it was only three weeks ago that police say james holmes killed 12 people and shot 58 more. and with the discovery that holmes' psychiatrist voiced serious concerns weeks before the spree, could all this heartbreak have been averted? here is abc's mark greenblat. >> r

i'm cynthia mcfadden.tigation is under way into what provoked a shooting spree this weekend and whether it could have been prevented. just two weeks after the shooting in aurora, colorado, a gunman opened fire in a sikh temple in wisconsin, killing six. today, president obama called for americans to do some soul searching as new details emerged linking the suspect to the neo-nazi movement. abc's brian ross has the latest on the tragedy at the temple. >> reporter: it was a senseless slaughter.

i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, we look at atheism in america. there are tens of millions of nonbelievers in the country. the number has more than doubled in the past two decades, so little surprise there is a new movement. the separation of church and summer camp. a wave of atheist camps offers a god-free alternative to religious camps. lindsey davis has a look inside. >> reporter: he has a summer ritual. a week away from home in washington state to attend atheist camp. why don't you believe in god? >> well there is no proof that god exists. >> reporter: to it's actually called camp quest. it's where hundreds of nonbelieving parents send their offspring. this is ella, age 9. >> if he were to come down and do something really amazing, i would be able to accept that he exists. >> reporter: heady stuff for summer camps. >> you guys are united here in your nonbelief. >> yeah. >> reporter: but it's time to pm ssms. >> i don't have any atheist friends. i would like have go to a friend's house and have dinner and not have to pray. >> all my friends are

i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, an fbi investigation is under way into what provoked a shooting spree this weekend and whether it could have been prevented. just two weeks after the shooting in aurora, colorado, a gunman opened fire in a sikh temple in wisconsin killing six. today, president obama called for americans to do some soul searching as new details emerged linking the suspect to the neo-nazi movement. abc's brian ross has the latest on the tragedy at the temple. [ sirens ] >> reporter: it was a senseless slaughter. >> and last i heard, a balding man with glasses may have gone inside with a gun and there were shots fired. >> reporter: six people killed at a sikh house of worship. >> my dad was shot on the ground. >> reporter: amardeep kalika's father. killed inside the temple. >> and they're saying that the people are still in there. >> ambulance up, subject down. >> reporter: among the first on the scene, 51-year-old brian murphree. >> he shot at close range. >> reporter: the shooter, an army vete

i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with religion. it's been said that wisdom comes from the mouths of babes but what about eternal salvation? in an age when many kids are more interested in computer games than spiritual guidance, one 11-year-old has already become an ordained minister with a faithful crowd of followers. and he's not alone, he's just part of a controversial world of preaching kids. abc's dan harris brings us a look inside his unusual life. >> somebody shout glory! hallelujah! >> reporter: he may not even be in the sixth grade and his voice may not have broken yet. >> with the holy ghost, you got to pray! >> reporter: but grown men and women -- >> amen -- >> reporter: kneel down before ezekiel stoddard as a prophet. >> hallelujah! >> reporter: when did you know you wanted to be a preacher? >> when i was 7. god had a dream and he wanted me to do his will. >> reporter: you're a very confident 11-year-old. >> yes, sir. >> lord, use her right now. hallelujah. use her right now. >> reporter: and of healing. >> heal him, lor

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with cynthia mcfadden in new york city, bill weir in new orleans, louisiana, and terry moran in tampa, florida, this is "nightline," august 29th, 2012. >> good evening, i am bill weir. and much to the relief of everybody here, isaac is finally leaving tomorrwn. but not without leaving new orleans very wet, battered and dark. hundreds of thousands of people will head into the holiday weekend without power. and here is the satellite map tonight, as isaac slowly churns north, after more than 24 hours of just driving rains. still some powerful squalls on the tail end of this departure. and here's some fresh pictures from one of the most desperate places in isaac's wake. la plasse, louisiana, where hundreds of families had to be evacuated. this follows, also, a day of rooftop rescues in the southern reaches of this area. much smaller than katrina, but still, an eerie example of history repeating itself. in this part of louisiana, a lot of folks keep axes in their attics. exactly seven years after katrina, fred leslie is another reminder w

. >> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with cynthia mcfadden. >>> americans spend an estimated $50 billion, that's right, $50 billion a year on weight loss products. but what if much of that cash is being spent in the wrong ways. well, that's what one doctor says. claiming that food can be as addictive as heroin. and he claims the only way to break free is diet rehab. so, we put his 28-day solution to the test with the mother desperate to lose weight. here is abc's juju chang with an encore presentation. >> when i look at myself. when i look at my body, i am not happy. i just don't want to be big anymore. i don't want to feel uncomfortable in my own skin. >> reporter: khalia moss says she is an addict, a food addict. >> i feel like i abuse it. >> reporter: in one day she can eat an entire box of pasta. a typical meal includes huge portions of white rice and beans. >> feeling stuffed but still hungry kind of. it is weird. >> reporter: she is constantly snacking. what kind of foods would you mindlessly eat? >> chips. my favorite, onion rings. i would sit there and not r

>> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," august 21st, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm terry moran. tonight, a great adventure. we take you to the edge of the world. a journey of a lifetime on a quest in search of an elusive creature known as the unicorn of the sea. it's a nar wall. an arctic la viason. what we discovered it a vast and sometimes deadly. linsey davis and our producer alex waterfield, journey to the far north, just getting there was an adventure of its own. >> reporter: it's in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere in one of the most inhospitable places in the world. aside from my guys, i'm all alone. the wind is punishing. the only thing my iphone is good for is taking video. >> this location is so remote, we've had to take three planes. and now we're into our third hour of getting pulled by a snowmobile. >> i can't see much on the phone. my three guides are nice but they're not exactly inspiring confidence right now. what happened? >> yeah, well, it's broken. >>

. >>> "nightline" continues from new york city with cynthia mcfadden. >>> today, an historic achievement, nasa's rover curiosity touched down on mars in what scientists call a miracle of engineering. so just imagine the complications of actually bringing humans to mars. well, one south african-born billionaire is looking to do just that and more, as early as 2025. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: astonishing new images of our closest neighbor in the solar system. sure, they're not quite the stuff of mission mars as imagined in 1968. not quite ray bradbury's "martian chronicles" either. >> this is a wondrous moment. >> is it? >> reporter: these images are real, and new. from nasa's most advanced and expensive mars mission to date. curiosity, a $2.5 billion robot, a size of a mini cooper that dropped down to the surface last night. >> this is all built pretty much from scratch. >> reporter: here on earth, there are people already planning the logical next step. >> i think we'll be able to send probably the first people to mars in roughly 12 to 15 years. that's my estimate. >> report

. >> announcer: from the global resours of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and juju chang in new york city and bill weir in london, this is "nightline," august 8th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm juju chang. tonight, it is an uprising that started in the hopeful days of the arab spring last year, when tyrants from egypt to libya were being overthrown. but the tight in syria has dragged on and on and spiraled into a brutal civil war. but now, it may be reaching a tipping point. abc's alex marquardt traveled behind rebel lines to bring us this dramatic report from just outside aleppo, syria. >> reporter: it's the most decisive battle of the 17-month long uprising. the fight for aleppo. victory by rebels here could mean the end of the 40-year dictatorship of the family of president bashar al assad. the toll, brutal, for civilians and fighters on both sides. as the fighting intensifientens we're invited to join a group of young rebels in a safe house just 20 miles away. it's kind of a last supper. tonight, they're going to join the fight. are you afraid? "no, no, no," says ali. "w

." >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," august 17th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. well, it wasn't just a crime of fashion, when yesterday, u.s. customs stopped a multi-million dollar haul of counterfeit designer high heels from china before it could enter los angeles. these knockoffs are only the tip of the iceberg, a sketchy industry worth an estimated $600 billion worldwide. phony designer swag that is not only sold on street corners but in high end shopping malls. abc's ryan owens brings us an encore presentation. >> reporter: they are the name brand fashionistas love to wear. gucci, prad day. but for every pair of real designer jeans, there are dozens of fakes for sale. it's a booming business for the bad guys, worth an estimated $600 billion a year. just yesterday, authorities in california confiscated more than 20,000 pairs of faux pumps, with a retail value of $18 million. >> these red-soled shoes were coming out of china. the genuine products are only made in italy. >>

. >> reporter: 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," august 22nd, 2012. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. it's a scandal that rocked penn state university, brought a community to its knees, destroyed lives. jerry sandusky sits in jail now, awaiting sentencing after being convicted on 45 accounts of abusing boys over 15 years. legendary coach joe paterno died in january, his reputation tarnished. tonight, however, one of the central figures at penn state is speaking out, for the first time, about what he knew, his regrets and the report that implicated him in the coverup. penn state: an insider speaks. >> we didn't know. ill certainly didn't know. >> reporter: it was a drum beat, over and over again, a steadfast refusal by former penn state president graham spanier to concede that he failed in any way to protect the children who were victims of abuse by long-time assistant football coach jerry sandusky. an iconic figure on campus, who was able to repeatedly molest young boys in th

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," august 24th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. well, the crowds were thick in the shadow of the empire state building this morning when a gunman sent tourists and pedestrians running for cover in the streets. while the shooter and his intended target both lost their lives, the hail of police bullets and the density of the crowd left nine jourped in the gun fight. abc's ron claiborne has more of the latest details. >> i just got shot. rush me to the hospital. >> reporter: it is this scene today, a shooting in the shadows of the empire state building. one of the world's most iconic tourist attractions, that sent thousands of visitors and locals running through the streets of new york city. >> three, four and five. four people shot. >> multiple people shot at that location and shots still firing at this time. >> reporter: the landmarke, visited by 4 million people each year, is now part of a crime scene. >> heard multiple gunshots. i'd say about

. >>> from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," august 15th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. well -- six numbered and air propelled ping-pong balls may have given someone out there over $213 million after taxes. we don't yet know if anyone won tonight's near-record powerball drawing. we do know that few things capture the american imagination like instant wealth, despite incredibly long odds. and as abc's john donvan discovered today, that dream gives rise to some strange and unusual strategies in purr suit of the prize. >> next in line please! >> reporter: in this year of big jackpots, it got big again. so, that tonight, it was in the third of a billion dollar range, $320 million when they picked the numbers. >> get ready, everybody. this is powerball. >> reporter: hitting that jackpot? 1 in 175 million. crazy way to put that in cont t context, try this. your are 28 times as likely to be killed by bees. which is why you need a system. and at this washington, d.c. liquor store, where the ticket

. >> from the global resources of abc news with cynthia mcfadden in new york city, bill weir in new orleans, louisiana, and terry moran in tampa, florida. this is "nightline." august 28th, 2012. >> good evening to all of you in the west. i am bill weir, and this is new orleans under hurricane isaac. as we come on the air, the eye of the storm is churning, sliding just to the west of the crescent city. as the relatively weak category 1 hurricane. but if you look up and down canal street where mardi gras floats and cable cars cruise on happier days, nothing seems weak about this right now. and what a way to mark the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina, the storm that changed so many lives up and down the gulf coast, had us wondering how would this storm compare, would people be ready? to give you the whole picture, we have our extreme weather team up and down the gulf coast tonight and we'll check in with each one of them in just a moment. but first, this is the image so many people are watching in shelters of plaquemines parish and the bars of the french quarter tonight. the latest trac

. >> announcer: from the global resours of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and juju changn new york city and bill weir in london, this is "nightline," august 8th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm juju chang. tonight, it is an uprising that started in the hopeful days of the arab spring last year, when tyrants from egypt to libya were being overthrown. but the tight in syria has dragged on and on and spiraled into a brutal civil war. but now, it may be reaching a tipping point. abc's alex marquardt traveled behind rebel lines to bring us this dramatic report from just outside aleppo, syria. >> reporter: it's the most decisive battle of the 17-month long uprising. the fight for aleppo. victory by rebels here could mean the end of the 40-year

. >> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with cynthia mcfadden. >>> americans spend an estimimad $50 billion, that's right,t, $5 billion a year on weight loss products. but what if much of that cash is being spent in the wrong ways. well, that's wha one doctor says. claiming that food can be as addidictive as heroin. and he claims the onlnly wayo break free is diet rehab. soso, we put h 28-day solution to thehe tes withhe mother desperate to lose weight. here is ababc's juju chang withn encore presentation. >>hen i look at myself. when i look at my body, i am not happy. i just don't want to be big anymore. i don't want to feel ununcomfortable in my own skin. >> reporter: khalia moss says she is an addict, a food addict. >> i feel like i abuse it. >> reporr: in one day she can eat an entire box of pasta. a typical meal includes huge portionsf white rice and beans. feeling s stutuffed but still hungry kind of. it is weweird. >> reporter: she i constantly snacking. what kind of foods would you mindlessly eat? >> chips. my vorite, onion rings. would sit there and not realiz

. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden.look at atheism in america. >> oftentimes people will -- [ applause ] >> come up to me and tell me, your show's on too late for me. you're going to need a new excuse now. like for instance, your show sucks. [ laughter ] >> starting in january, "nightline" "will be on after us. after that not much of change. >> eric deggans, the funny thing is that nightline was winning its time slot and still gets bumped out of the prime slot. >> exactly. this is all about potential. i think abc feels they can make a lot more money if jimmy kimmell is snfl thuccessful in slot. and it's about jimmy kimmell's maturation as a perforr. the white house correspondents dinner, he will host the emmys this year. he had a contract reportedly where he asked for this time -- time slot switch. he has come into his own. he wants to go up against letterman and leno. frankly, i think he's going to do well. >> i like kimmell, i get kimmell. but putting a new show on at 12:35 in the morning, isn't that close -- tantamou

cynthia mcfadden, abc news. >> don't we love taylor swift? that's the big news. live concert will be right here, october 22nd and 23rd. "gma" is the place to see taylor perform her new songs first. and all of them will be live. >> i know a couple girls home that want the day off from school. >>> ginger? >> rain drops. >> falling on our head. >> yes. we do have rain. it will be heavier later this morning through the afternoon in the northeast. what's your name? >> rogers. >> you want to make everybody smile. >> yeah. >> let's do it. let's smile as we go into western heat. i don't know if they're that happy about it. phoenix, 112 today. 105, sacramento. l.a. will be 87. a little cooler near the coast. and severe weather comes along with the rain that's coming. including an isolated tornado, damaging winds and golf ball-sized hail. look in that region. i'm going to fly you across the nation now. hot in the southwest. but showers in through the middle where they really need it. showers and thunderstorms in florida where it's a little bit damp. and the severe weather

reporter: it may have started in january, when madonna slyly insulted gaga during an interview with cynthia mcfaddenlook it up. >> reporter: but elton was having none of it. it turns out gaga is godmother to his son. and in days, he was lobbing insults at madonna at the golden globes. >> madonna doesn't have [ bleep ]. >> those are fighting words. >> accurate words. >> reporter: then, in an interview with "gma" right before the super bowl -- >> what would your advice be to madonna this year? >> make sure you lip-sync good. >> reporter: for her part, madonna has been able to express herself on the issue of gaga. she pointedly mashed up her song. with gaga's "born this way." ♪ i'm on the right track, baby i was born this way ♪ >> reporter: as the tour as gone on, madonna made headlines for what has come off. >> if madonna had any sense, she would have stayed away with the dance stuff. but no. she had to prove -- and she looks like a [ bleep ] fairground stripper. >> oh, my. while we haven't gotten an official response from madonna to elton's latest comments. but one tells r s to elton's latest comment