i'm john donvan for "nightline." >> not how much of

here's john donvan with tonight's tornadoes by the numbers. >> reporter: 13 to 14. the is average warning time available now days with the knowledge we have of tornadoes. 24 minutes. that's about what they got in joplin, which is above average. even so, other numbers on how that was not enough. number of residents killed in joplin? 125. number of buildings destroyed? 8,000. number of individual tornadoes to have hit that town on sunday, just one. average number of tornadoes recorded in the u.s. annually in the past decade, 1,274. number recorded so far this year? 1,000. where the joplin tornado ranked in the ef scale? ef-5, the highest there is. minimum speed to qualify for ef-5? more than 200 miles per hour. the power of an ef-5 tornado? it's on par with a small atomic explosion. daytime population of joplin during business hours monday through friday, counting visiting shoppers, workers and others who reside outside of town? 270,000. population on a sunday, the day that the tornado hit? 49,000. which items us, clearly, had it not been a sunday, all the numbers cou

john donvan, abc news, washington. >> and our thanks to john. >>> still ahead on "world news," a commercial jet with 500 passengers on board. did you see that? struck by lightning. what is the risk of that direct hit? >>> and how a gamble on the kindness of strangers changed a little boy's life. óó ♪ there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also helps eliminate dust. so it's easier than ever to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. a fiber that dissolves completely, is cly different. benefiber. it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. that's the beauty of benefiber but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i onl

john donvan, abc news. >> and we thank you for watching. we are always on at abcnews.com.ghtline" later. and, we will leave you with live pictures, tonight, from ground zero, where that pear tree is standing strong. rl >> tonight california's two billion tax wind fall. how far will it go to ending the biggest budget crisis in history. >>> and the a tourust in san francisco last year. why the suspects in her murder claim that police botched the case. >> pidge wins the round to install the smart meter. the rate increase that requires you to help pay for them. >> ahead on senon - 7 on your side. i am michael finny. one family's two year battle to keep their home out of foreclosure. >> good evening, state lawmakers may not need as much as your money. >> unexpected surge of tax money came in and it could take a bite out of the budget. >> annette miranda is live in sacramento reporting on the money tonight. >>> and since january, it is a continuing in a strong clip. corporate taxes are up and more money are working. >> an unexpected two and half billion surge in income and taxes

john donvan, abc news, washington. >> private thoughts.g of private thoughts, an announcement was made by abc news today. it turns out one of the most mysterious and iconic women in modern american history also made tapes. recorded 8 1/2 hours of tape to be played. and in september, abc news will be bringing you jacqueline kennedy onassis on tape, as she saw family, husband, the white house and the world. more on that to come. and thank you for watching tonight. we're always there at abcnews.com. and don't forget, "nightline" later. >> and freed by computer error. >> the government develops new show room labeling. find out what to look for. >> and san francisco police are getting access to high crime hotels. a practice they could never pull off in the fairmont or ritz. >> and a woman who blew the whistle on a supervisor. the program is not work hasn't protected her. >> crews are working this house fire in oakland hills right now. sky 7 hd shows us what is happening near the campus of the high school. >> first firefighters on the scene call

john donvan, abc news, washington. >>> and we thank you for watching us tonight.re always on at abcnews.com with the very latest. don't forget "nightline" later. and a special "good morning america" tomorrow. and we hope you have a wonderful evening on this extraordinary day in the extraordinary nation where we live, the united states of america. and we will see you here tomorrow. w >> usa. usa. usa. >> a think we can all agree this is it a good day for america. our country has kept its commitment to see that justice is done, the world is safer because of the death of osama bin laden. >> a jubilant crowd in the white house celebrates the new was bin laden's divathe. but sy director panetta put it today. bin laden is dead but al qaeda is not. >> the state department said they detected no credible threat in california. but security is being stepped up. they are live with an increase in police presence in the bay area. heather? >> bart is taking the initiative on its own in part because state homeland security long identified the transit system as one of california's

john donvan, abc news. >> that's really great.ero a few months ago and the construction down there is absolutely amazing. they hope to have a large portion of that new area done in time for the tenth anniversary of course this september. beautiful work down there. >> very inspirational. that is the news for this half hour.

here is john donvan. >> reporter: it started with new york's city skyline and yes, he changed that intout who we are and how we live? because remember who we were before 9/11. last man standing after a long cold war that we won. a country delighting in such amenities as a roaring stock market and this new internet thing. where one the most pressing political questions was, how to use the budget surplus. >> the national debt will be completely eliminated. >> reporter: and where most americans didn't have much of an opinion about the muslims who'd lived among them, all of which changed because of bin laden. because first we went into afghanistan to get him, and then came the war in iraq, and sacrifices we didn't want to have to make, nevertheless had to be made. decisions, too. like, where to put the prisoners? and where to try the terrorists? and laws we never imagined having to write -- >> the patriot act, you know it was necessary to protect the country. >> reporter: -- were written and passed. and scandals erupted that had to be investigated and even while it seemed at times that the