>> i do. >> reporter: mary margaret has a mission now.n, don't ignore the warning signs. >> when you're a young woman and you meet this charismatic guy who's so charming and just adores you, but he shows that jealous rage, you know what? think about what your life is going to be like, and you think you can handle it. and you know what? you can't. if something doesn't seem right when you're with someone initially, listen to yourself. there's a quote that says, "when someone shows you who they are, believe them." >> as she says, it can happen to anyone. if you're a victim, go to the national abuse hotline, you can call them at >> and we're holding discussion with an expert starting now. use #abc2020. >>> and what if you found out a fake doctor is treating you at hospital? >>> next, leo played a fake doctor in a movie. what if it happened in real life, and it didn't stop there. posing as a cop, too? but what terrible family secrets was he running from? when "20/20" returns. ! give her that sparkle she's always dreamed of... with fine and sil

mary margaret ferin is talking about the night she almost lost her life, two days after she served papers to her husband of two years he viciously attacked her she says. >> he put his hands around my neck and tackled me to the floor which started slamming me to the floor while he was strangling me and she says he also beat her with a metal flashlight but she managed to get up and grab her two daughters and get to her car. >>> can you watch more of mary margaret's interview tonight on 20/20 and tells what it was like to face her husband in court and what how she wants to empower other with women. >>> one of the big of the movies this winter 50 shades of gray is being coy -- >> look at me. >> i am. >> the best selling romance series that is poised to take the box office by storm. the 50 shades of gray series selling 200 million copies worldwide and just before the release the movie version of the erotic page turner is causing a huge surge in advance ticket sales and this morning a new controversy surrounding the racy thriller the center for national exploitation announced a campaign against

huge response on facebook, mary margaret yes, old enough to fight for us. old enough to have a drink. no, they are already stressed. why add alcohol? yes. fight for your country, damn right you should be allowed to be served alcohol? i'm pro military but why them and not everyone? i served as a veteran and drank at the age of 18 while stationed in germany. if i can die for the best country in the world i can drink for them as well. the military already has a huge problem with binge drinking. federal statistics suggests raising the drinking age to 21 has saved almost 30,000 people from deadly car crashes. >> you'll be hard pressed to find more public safety policy than the drinking age in this country. >> if maryland were to cut the age to 18 for the troops it would risk losing $32 million a year in highway funds. >>> now that virginia has a new law allowing cannabis oil for people with epilepsy families are in a quandary. original one allowed for from duction and distribution of cannabis oil. lawmakers said it was exclusively for people with severe epilepsy

living in hiding to this day mary margaret agreeing to come out of the shadows for this first interviewto share your story. >> i thin abuse gets to where i ended up with, most women in that situation never get to speak out because they're d but i felt it was just critical to speak out and to caution women in terms of getting involved with someone who shows abusive tendencies. >> reporter: because mary margaret told me there were warning science from the very beginning. and understandunderstandably, this is her passion. she wants to take something that was so horrific, so devastating and nearly fatal and save lives because women need to know th tot atht >> so powerul waid who are no e be of the abused. so much moreur i tonight, on "20/20," at 10:00, 9:00 central time. >>> now to amy and the weather. >>> tornado in florida. we have that, boca raton. strong thunderstorms moved through with this same cold front bringing all that cold air. so the temperature in boca raton this morning in the low 60s. that's chilly even for them but look how cool it is, atlanta, feels like 27. the windchill i

. >> reporter: after 12 rocky years, mary margaret had just served divorce papers to her husband. bed. your baby in her crib. and then you go into the master bedroom. >> uh-huh. >> and he's there in his pajamas. >> yes. >> what happens? >> he came at me. he put his hands out and he put his hands around my neck. tackled me to the floor and started slamming my head into the floor while he was strangling me. he's punching me ripping out my hair. i felt like i was being scalped. as he was throwing my head to the floor he said "i'm killing you." >> reporter: the former deputy counsel to the president of the united states begins clubbing his wife with a metal flashlight. >> and i thought, i'm dying. and then i was thinking i've got to hold it together. i have to stay conscious so i can save the girls. i have to get help here. by the grace of god or angels i just popped up and i ran to our daughters' room and i said to the car right now. daddy's trying to kill me. >> reporter: you got the baby. >> i got the baby. i held her like a football under my arm. >> the power of a mom trying to ma

people magazine ediror mary margaret. >>:"there was growing concerns, people have wondered the money she was given when she turned twenty one how that would play into her increasing dependence and what she would do with that. this is sort of there worse fears realized. >>:recently, there were signs that brown had made positive changes in her life. she tweeted about getting healthier, working, out and resurrecting her acting career. her supporters say they hope this is a tragic accident and just a horrible coincidence. nick valencia, cnn, roswell >>vicki liviakis:two men just floated their way into the record books. coming up we'll show you one hot air balloon race that's more than just. hot air. >>gabe slate: facebook is launching a new feature for their mobile application to help your sightseeing or dining and you'll want to know how to turn it off. >>brian van aken: the storm trackers showing rain and thunderstorms to the north and the dry conditions are changing for later this ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] aaah, the amazing

"people" magazine editor mary margaret. >> there's been growing concern. people have wondered what the money that she was given when she turned 21 how that would play in to her increasing dependence and what he would do with that. this is sort of worst fears realized. >> reporter: recently there were signs that brown had made positive changes in her life. she tweeted about getting healthier, working out and resurrecting her career. they hope this is a tragic coincidence. we will bring you the latest on her condition as soon as we get that. investigators are trying to figure out what caused a massive seven-alarm fire at a brooklyn warehouse. the new york fire department says nearly 300 firefighters 300, battled two separate fires at the warehouse early saturday morning. it's unclear if the fires are related and almost 24 hours later the second fire is still burning. the warehouse stored government and hospital records. all that paper fuelled the flames making them extremely hard to extinguish. those firefighters are battling these flames in just freezing te

"people" magazine editor mary margaret. >> there has been growing concerns.eople are wondering about the mother she was given when she turned 21, how that would play into her increasing dependence and what would happen with that. >> reporter: recently brown had made positive changes in her life. she tweeted about get healthier and working out and resurrecting her acting career and they say they hope this is a horrible coincidence. police say they will continue with their investigation. everyone so far inside that home is cooperating with police. victor, christi? >> thank you, nick. >>> bobbi kristina brown is in a medically induced coma. we want to get more from a doctor who is joining us by phone. dr. gander, thank you very much. what does it mean to be put in a medically induced coma? >> the medications are given to alleviate pain and essentially to knock you out so that you can be hooked up to a ventilator, especially if she has essentially gone through a drowning incident and we don't know that yet, but she has had tremendous damage to hur lungs as a resu

"people" magazine editor mary margaret. >> there has been growing concerns. people have wondered about the money she was given when she turned 21, how that would play into her increasing dependence and what would happen with that. >> reporter: recently, there were signs that brown had made positive changes in her life. she tweeted about get healthier and working out and resurrecting her acting career and they say they hope this is a tragic accident and a horrible coincidence. police say they will continue with their investigation. everyone so far inside that home is cooperating with police. is there no word if anything was discovered in the home. victor, christi? >> nick valencia reporting in atlanta for us, thanks. >>> let's talk more about bobbi kristina's condition. elizabeth cohen is with us by phone. why would doctors put brown into a medically induced coma. help us understand that. >> we heard a report that brown was found not breathing. so her brain wasn't getting enough blood and wasn't getting enough oxygen. so what you do when you put somebody in a

mary margaret farren was married to a white house lawyer but he attacked her just two days after she divorce papers. she says she's talking now because she hopes to make other women aware of the signs of abuse. you can see her story tonight on 20/20's at 10 o'clock right here on 6abc followed by "action news" at 11::back to you guys. >> all right alicia. "action news" continues with the latest on the measles outbreak both nationwide and right here in the delaware valley. >> and pope francis takes a stand on spanking. why the pontiff says corporal punishment is okay in certain circumstances. >> plus, the retired janitor shocks his small town. how this scruffy vermont man wound up proving you should never judge a book by its cover. >> ♪♪ >> ♪♪ >> "action news" continues with meteorologist adam joseph, alicia vitarelli shirleen allicott and brian taft. >> it is 4:30 and "action news" continues with the first freebie friday of the month where you can find everything from free tango lessons to free gym classes for the little ones. >> plus, he walked in looking for a clip on tie but walked