and i know eddie long jr.'n, and actually had a bit of a confrontation with him in the atrium not long ago about this story. and it was, let's say, a heated discussion about this story. do you think that if there's anything that will come out of this, that there's a wake-up call about people who blindly sort of follow people and who don't necessarily see the realities of the world? is there anything that can come out of this, a wake-up call for any of us? >> i think the lesson about this, and how i've chosen my own church, this is about stewardship. and this is about how you entrust your life, your spiritual life, your assets, you know, your family. you know, underneath one leader. and you've got to choose your steward well. you've got to understand -- you've got to choose a steward that is compassionate, that is out for your greater good, and not simply out for their own. i guess that's the real question here. >> here's my thing too. if the church is really about what it espouses to be, and it's about redempti

say this past sunday. >> i'm going to take a little time off to work with my family. >> reporter: eddie longng away from the pulpit for now, after his wife filed for divorce last week. stating she was doing it after a great deal of deliberation and prayer. before vanessa long's decision, there had been plenty of drama in the public eye including this interview done by waga with one of her husband's accusers. >> i cannot get the sound of his voice out of my head. and i cannot forget the smell of his cologne. and i cannot forget the way that he made me cry many nights when i drove in his cars on the way home. not able to take enough showers to wipe the smell of him off my body. >> reporter: at first long aggressively fought the allegations. using his pulpit and biblical references to cast doubt on his accusers. >> and i want you to know one other thing. i feel like david against goliath. but i got five rocks. and i haven't thrown one yet. >> reporter: but it doesn't appear he threw his five rocks. instead long, who allegedly sent these photos to one of the plaintiffs, agreed to a secret financ

friday, eddie long's church issued a statement saying his wife vanessa long was withdrawing the divorce petition but her attorney insists the divorce is still on. the atlanta-based pastor gained national attention last winter after four young men alleged the pastor had sex with them. the suit was settled this past summer. the men claimed long had pressured them into having sex with him when they were still teenagers. >>> anti-government protesters in syria are getting help from the u.s. government in getting their voices heard. details on that, next. >>> and what do you think were the top stories of the year? we'll look at the leading picks coming up. [ adrianna ] when i grill lobster, i make sure it's a melt in your mouth kind of experience. [ john ] the wood fires up the grill a little bit hotter so you really get a good sear and it locks in the juices. surf & turf -- you can't go wrong. [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's surf & turf event. choose from three grilled combinations all under $20. like our maine lobster with peppercorn sirloin or our new bacon-wrapped shrimp with

atlanta megachurch pastor eddie long is taking time off. his decision was told yesterday. he will work on his family. this only days after long's wife vanessa filed for divorce. he did not say how long he would stay on leave. >> i haven't stepped down but stepped up. we're not hiding nothing or anything like that. i'm going to take a little time off to work with my family. >> bishop long is no stranger to controversy. four young men sued him accusing him of using his influence to lure them into sexual relationships. >>> a highly classified u.s. stealth drone may be in the hands of iran. officials say they downed a drone after it invaded its airspace along the afghanistan border. officials confirming yes, one of their drones is missing. now iran is vowing an aggressive response. here's pentagon correspondent barbara starr with more. >> iranian authorities say they shot down a highly classified u.s. unmanned spy plane over its territory along its eastern border with afghanistan. iran says the drone they shot down is an rq-170. one of the most secret drones in the u.s. militar

order of business tried to be passed through was completely out of orderer in the first part. >>> eddie long the taking time páters his wif divorce. the split comes a year after allegations that long used his lavish lifestyle and position of authority to lure four young men in to sexual relationships, all allegations. long settled the cases but never admitted wrong doing. we are following a developing story out of alaska, where a gas station fire has injured a number of people. the fire injured three overnight. the crews suspected an explosion near a checkout counter inside a store. it sparked a fire in cantwell. the area was cordoned off as a precaution against gas line and propane possible explosions. >>> a houston hospital is using music therapy as a way for patients with brain injuries to recover. they used the technique on congresswoman gabby giffords shot this year. some techniques, you can do at home. music therapy is a way of helping pargets with parkinsons -- helping patients with parkinsons. >> i never used to be able to pick up a fork and go to town and feed myself. i've work sod

that's tonight at 10:00 here on nbc 4. >>> the wife of mega-church pastor eddie long has apparently hadc change of heart. vanessa long had issued a statement this morning saying she had filed for divorce yesterday. now there's word she has withdrawn the divorce papers. in another statement released this afternoon, vanessa long says she loves her husband and believes in him. eddie long is the pastor of the missionary baptist church in suburban atlanta and a father of four. he made national headlines earlier this year when he was accused of seducing teenage boys. he settled lawsuits filed by the teens out of court. >>> rapper jay-z has conquered the music and business worlds. now the brooklyn-born singer is leaving his mark on the classroom. as craig melvin reports, he's inspired a new course at georgetown university. ♪ >> reporter: this record-setting rapper and hip-hop icon has become a business tycoon and best-selling author. and now jay-z's street rhymes are being taught at one of america's top schools. in the georgetown university syllabus, it's called "the sociology of hip hop, the

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. >> now, following other abuse allegations in georgia, eddie long is stepping down from his megachurch to focus on family. his wife filed for divorce thursday. this comes a year after allegations that long was lurg young men into sexual relationships. long settled that case and never disclosed details. his wife says there's no hope of recommend sill yags. >>> the latest tonight on a deadly shooting last night. two people were shot in the 4700 block of vancouver road. police believe the men were in a parked car when shot. one was shot several times and the other was shot in the shoulder. >>> in the heart of downtown annapolis, two were stabbed and left in critical condition right around 2:00 saturday morning. a police spokeswoman says a fight started in front of a bar and then continued tup block toward the market house. police say that 22-year-old daniel halverman was stabbed in the chest and another man was shot in the abdomen. they were p their injuries are nonlife threatening >> we try and go down and monitor for fights but then for people leaving the area who may be driving while i

eddie long to going to take time off.the reason he gave the congregation. >>> a scary ordeal were customers. a car plows in to the california restaurant what the driver says caused the accident. avoid accidents on our roadways this is 695, liberty road. do not be deceived. fog, soupy and thick making for slow commutes. follow us on@maryland traffic, follow us on twitter, good morning maryland. we'll be right back.

friday, eddie long's church issued a statement saying his wife vanessa long was withdrawing the divorce petition. but her attorney insifts the divorce is still on. the atlanta-based pastor gained national attention last winter after four young men alleged the past her sex with them. the suit was settled this past summer. men claimed long had pressured them into having sex with him when they were just teenagers. >>> celebrations get out of hand after a big college game in oklahoma. 13 people were hurt. the chaos broke out when fans stormed the field after oklahoma state beat arch rival oklahoma. two people fell or jumped from a high retaining wall and are in critical condition. several others were trampled. >>> turning now to the race for the white house. we're less than a month from the iowa caucuses and right after that the new hampshire primary. our deputy political director paul steinhauser is with us now from washington. good to see you, paul. you've got new polls on the race in those two states. >> exactly. tuesday, four weeks until the iowa caucuses which kick off the calendar, br

just hours after announcing her divorce filing bishop eddie long's wife vanessa says she's withdrawn tion. earlier four young men sued long claiming he talked them into sex by lavishing them with gifts and trips. that was settled for $14 million. >>> in colorado another arrest in drugs for sex case that already landed a former sheriff behind bars. 49-year-old man charged with selling meth to retired sheriff. the former sheriff of the year accused of offering meth to a young male acquaintance in exchange for sex. he's behind bars in the county that bears his name. >>> honda recalling 750,000 vehicles in the u.s. because of bad airbags of the japanese automaker says airbags may deploy with too much force. honda says faulty airbags killed two people and injured 18 others. the popular honda accord included in the recall. >>> interesting findings from a focus group of a dozen voters. conducted by pollster peter hart and may explain why republicans are not embracing mitt romney more. asked to describe romney as if he was part of their family, one said, quote, the dad that was never home. ne

. >>> megachurch pastor eddy long said he is stepping aside from the pulpit. more than a year ago allegations surfaced that the pastor was luring men into sexual relationships. he settled the case and his wife filed for divorce thursday. long will continue to serve as the senior pastor while taking sabbatical. >>> today in d. c. occupy protestors got in a shoving match with police. they surrounded a shed near mcfear son square. they gave them a deadline to teardown the structure. they didn't follow order. police convinced them to jump on an inflatable pad appeared others had to be removed. >>> they called it the bedlam series. it lived up to it last night. more than a dozen people were injured after a celebration in football country. oklahoma state fan took to the field after they beat the sooners. they pulled down the goalposts and some fans were tram manied as the crowd struggled to reach the exits. >> all right. let's talk about tonight's weather and one weather woe this evening, it has been a nice sunday, temperature warm, but foggy breaking out, mainly ea

she's the wife of eddie long didn't give a reason for the split. the news comes months after a settlement of four young men that accused long of pressuring them into sexual relationships. he is also sued over a multimillion dollars scheme. >> a science experiment inside a minnesota classroom goes horribly wrong. a 9th grader was severely burned when the experiment exploded. three other students suffered minor burns. he says he was taking notes and then all of a sudden the next thing he knew, he was on fire. >> i just really wish it didn't happen. that's all i can say. i'm going to have to miss school. >> and the school district is conducting an internal investigation into the cause as well as state fire marshall. they're also investigating the incident. >> a school in utah is once again trying to put its name in the record books. hundreds of eisenhower jr. high school students and staff are hoping the marshmallow fight holds the record for the largest in the world. over the past 25 years the school has broken more word records than any other school

well, now apparently the wife of bishop eddie long of new birth missionary church baptist church outsidevorce. vanessa g. long filing for divorce one year after those allegations first surfaced. >>> checking our top stories across country now. a young boy turned away from a private school in pennsylvania because he is hiv positive. the 13-year-old is suing milton hershey school for discrimination after it refused his enrollment because of his status last february. the school says it made the right legal decision under the law. >>> in san francisco, b.a.r.t. says it will no longer blackout cell phone usage at its train and bus stations. the transit service came under fire after it blocked the communications during summer protests. b.a.r.t. says that action will be used only in the most extreme of cases. >>> 72 hours under water. that's the goal for florida diver alan. he is attempting to break the world record for the longest saltwater dive. he began his three-day dive yesterday. >>> all right. now a look at jobs and uncertainty low the eyes of baby boomers. millions of them are entering

look at some of the stories making news cross-country and the wife of mega church preacher bishop eddie longch issued a statement saying she reconsidered, but her lawyers say that is not the case. vanessa long filed divorce papers thursday. you may remember it was last spring that he settled lawsuits involving four young men. they had accused him of pressuring them into sexual relationships. >>> although the 5-year-old son of country music singer mindy mccready has been found and he's okay, she was discovered -- mccready was, with the young man, hiding in a closet in a home in arkansas. u.s. marshals took him into custody this morning. mccready's mother and stepfather in florida have legal custody of him. she took him last month, asking the court to restore custody to her. >>> lsu's s.e.c. championship game happening at the georgia dome today. you can be certain buddy hair will be there. he has not missed a game, home or away, in 56 years. >> he's always gone. i promise you. he will go if he has to crawl. >> he's a former air force pilot who started attending lsu games when he was a pilot fo

. >> the controversial mega church pastor in suburban atlanta, bishop eddie long stepping away from the pulpit. he made the announcement at sunday services days after his wife of 21 years filed for divorce and follows settlements he made with four young men who claimed he lured them into sexual relationships. bishop long said his absence would be temporary. >> i am still your pastor. you will still receive directs you. have given me some weeks to go and take care of family business luke you do. >> i don't think it has anything to do with what happened with his wife. i think it is years of stress. >> bishop long grew his church from 150 to 25,000 and inspires strong emotions. supporters and critics held duelling protests outside his church. that is something. that is something. we'll see if he is taking a break or done. >> you have that amount of support coming through there is going to be a lot of people watching. >> so many people are saying it is over for him. we'll see and watch the story. here is your monday forecast. drenching downpours from texas to ohio. moving to the east coast

. >>> the wife of georgia evangelist eddie long has now filed for divorce. vanessa long says the decision came "after a great deal of deliberation and prayer." this comes also after a year that saw bishop eddie long being sued by several young men for allegedly coercing them into sex. those cases were settled out of court in may. >>> well, billy graham, steve jobs, former president bill clinton, all three among a group of people being considered by the u.s. post office for the first-ever postage stamp to honor a living or recently deceased american. the postal service recently waived rules requiring an honoree to be dead at least five years and asked its customers to submit the nominees. >>> good news and possibly some bad news on the job front. the unemployment rate is down. that's great. but, those with jobs now facing a possible payroll tax hike. we'll look at how this is affecting you. stick around for "face time" coming your way shortly. >>> but first, a salute to all servicemen and women who have serviced in iraq. today the u.s. handed over control of c

he could get the death penalty. >>> bishop eddie long told his parishioners he's taking time off. divorce next week. >>> it's called sexting. some studies have shown it's pretty popular among our teens, but a new study now says that one in ten preten or teens have been involved with sexting photos. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen here to explain. you're saying that it's down or it's not as bad as we had thought? >> i don't want to go there, and i'll tell you why. this study looked to kids from 10 to 17. so the numbers are a little smaller than studies that only look at, say, 15 to 17 year olds because you're including the 10 year olds. it's hard to look at a trend or draw any conclusions bs a trend. i think as a parent if you look at 10 to 17 year olds and you see that one out of ten has either posed in, sent, or received an image, a sexual image via sexting, that's still a high number. that means if you have a school of 1,000 kids, 100 have either posed, sent or received a sexual image. we're talking about everything from where the child might be clothed but standing

. >> i have to ask you about bishop eddie long. you're friends with him. he's a fellow pastor.tled several misconduct cases filed against him. his wife just filed for divorce. your thoughts on that? first, the misconduct allegations. >> well, i think if there was actually misconduct, the young men involved -- and they are older men and i think it's a little different from a 10-year-old who can't speak for himself. when you get these older boys who can make decisions, old enough to drive a car, to go to war, if there sent a deliberate action done here, we can't take a cash settlement when we really want justice done because it leaveses the public wondering what really happened. because of theudicial system that we have today, none of us are -- our curiosities are not resolved. because the only people who really know what happened between the boys and the bishop are the boys and the bishop. we will perhaps never know at this point. but we can use it as a talking point to begin to deal with how we interact with leadership, how we interact with people and what our expectations are

recent sex abuse scandals and guess what we will talk to me about bishop eddie long.usic superstar, peter gabriel. shannon cook will talk to him about the creative process. you know him, ♪ i want to be your sledge hammer ♪ >>> and also a possible reunion. and that's me there. >> i like the turtle neck, the side burns. i'm feeling a little shaft here. can you dig it? >> ♪ is a bad mother -- >> can you dig it? we've gone too far. how you doing? >> good. >> okay, much more straight ahead. >> more coming out in the newsroom. thanks, don. >> all right. >> quite the proposal. we will show you how one man got very creative when it came to popping the question. it's a lovely moment. isn't that sweet? ♪ cheap cologne ♪ motor home ♪ i'm the rocket man! [ both ] ♪ rocket man ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone? ahh. [ male announcer ] crystal clear fender premium audio. one of many premium features available on the all-new volkswagen passat. the 2012 motor trend car of the year. ♪ and i think it's gonna be a long, long time ♪ [ knock on door

bishop eddie long says he is taking time off from the pulpit to attend to his family. his wife filed for divorce three days ago. it cites a bone fied status separation, a marriager retrievably broken and no help of reconciliation. a statement said sh she changed her mind about the divorce. but her attorney disavowed that statement. >> we are not hiding nothing or anything like that. i'm going to take a little time off to work with my family. >> reporter: so the church says long is not quitting. long's problems began last year when four young men accuse him of coercive sexual relationships. the pastor denied the allegations but quietly settled the lawsuit out of court. >>> much more on the next hour. john blake, who writes about religion for cnn.com will be our guest. you don't want to miss that conversation. >>> it is a great scene anytime of the year, but during the holiday it is even sweeter. u.s. servicemen and women arriving home from iraq. we will take you to the atlanta here in atlanta for the smiles, tears and hugs. all in two minutes. >>> emotional home comings