muhammad lila?four hours sleep, which is probably three hours more than some of our viewers. we're glad you're awake. all of our insomniacs staying with us. >> good to have you. i'm brandi hitt in for paula faris. she's out on assignment today. we'll get to the latest on that monster storm in a moment. but first, the growing concern also this morning about former president george h.w. bush and his health. the setbacks that have put him into intensive care. >>> then we're going to show you trading guns for groceries. the big city weapons buyback program that's getting big results after the newtown, connecticut school massacre. >> you're going see more of that long line. unbelievable how many people turned out and the types of guns that were turned in. really interesting. >>> also later, a pretty daring claim about the death of a diva. what a hollywood private eye is claiming about whitney houston. was she really murdered? that's coming up in "the skinny" later on. >> those are some shocking claims th

i'm muhammad lila. >> and i'm brandi hitt. paula and rob are off this morning. travel could be a challenge across much of the country. tornadoes, rain, snow, even a blizzard are all a threat. >> they are picking up the piece of a series of storms turned deadly. wendy gillette is joining us with more now. wendy? >> reporter: muhammad and brandi, we may dream of a white christmas. and many of us got one. but these storms also delivered a deadly punch, all across the country. >> oh, jesus. look at that tornado. >> reporter: this is just 1 of more than 30 reported tornadoes that touched down on christmas day, leaving behind heavy damage. >> still on the ground for over a minute. >> reporter: this one roared through mobile, alabama, tearing down parts of trinity episcopal church and downtown businesses. another twister hit pearl river county in mississippi. blowing insulation into trees and peeling back walls of homes. there were some injuries reported there. but no deaths. >> judging from some of the damage we witnessed today, it's a miracle that no one was hurt any

muhammad lila, abc news, washington. >>> from india, mourners at a somber vigil in the capital. mourners gathering to remember a young woman who died after being sexually attacked by several men on a bus. she died in a singapore hospital. her body was returned home today. the incident has sparked anger and rare protests in that country over the treatment of women. police say they'll charge the attackers with murder. >>> back here in new york, and another horrific case. this evening an arrest after a man was pushed in front of an oncoming subway train. the woman in custody facing hate crime charges after telling police she pushed a man to his death because she thought he was a muslim. here's abc's akiko fujita. >> reporter: it was a bizarre ending to a crime that has shocked this city. the woman accused of pushing a man onto the train tracks, screaming and smiling as cameras captured her arrest. this surveillance video led police to erika menendez. investigators say that's her running away from a train station in queens thursday night just moments after she shoved 46-year-old sun

brandi and muhammad? >> thank you.g all week about this going down to the deadline. i mean, we are right at that deadline. this is going to be a photo finish. i mean, if this was a race -- >> and if the house ends up adjourning, it usually takes 48 hours to be called back. so the timing is really key here. whatever happens today could be the deciding factor. >> a lot of it comes down to who is going to blink first. >> if either side even does. >>> also making headlines today, retired general norman schwarzcopf has died from pneumonia. known as stormin' norman, schwarzkopf commanded the u.s. led international coalition that drove saddam hussein's forces out of kuwait in 1991. president obama was among those praising schwarzcopf's long career as a military leader, saying in part he was a true american original who stood tall for the country and the army that he loved. norman schwarzcopf died in tampa. he was 78 years old. >>> now to former president george h.w. bush's medical condition. the chief of staff says mr. bush w

good morning, andrew. >> thank you, and good morning, brandi and muhammad. the most of the storm is over with. cooler air into the southeast. the cleanup continues along interstate 10 and 25, between mobile and houston. the winter weather aspect of our storm very much alive. heavy rain along i-95 in boston, throughout your thursday. the heavy snow blanketing new england. many areas could pick up over one foot of snow. muhammad and brandi back to you. >> thank you, andrew. >>> former president george h.w. bush is in intensive care after another health setback. a spokesman says doctors are not able to lower mr. bush's high fever. so, he is on a liquid diet. he is said to be alert and conversing with medical staff. the spokesperson says doctors are cautiously optimistic. >> he's in a bad way. but the doctors believe there's a path for him to recover from this. and if we can get him to rally a little bit, we can start talking about a discharge date. but we're not there yet. >> former first lady, barbara bush, and the former president's children have been at his

. >> thank you, muhammad.been fun. >> we want to bring you the dumb criminal of the year award. this is a thief in france. stole christmas presents from a car. he left his phone in that car. he wanted his phone back, so he want to the police to report a missing phone. guess who was at the station but the people who he just stole from? >>> and then this. you want the hangover cure. drumroll. it's asparagus. accord fog the institute of medical science in south korea, thank you, south korea, asparagus and the minerals found in there extract -- it helps filter. that is why your pee sometimes smells different after you -- i'm just saying. >> and we have plenty of unique polkas this past year. this one started with our maestro, barry mitchell. ♪ who needs flowers, who needs sweets ♪ ♪ it's the valentine's polka ♪ seems like just the 1% are making all the bucks ♪ ♪ like the vampire said the economy sure sucks ♪ ♪ that's the paula polka everyone sing. ♪ that's the paula polka ♪ we love to read your comments always in

muhammad mursi, the egyptian period called for talks.refused to attend meetings with the g. the political crisis started two weeks ago when mursi gave him dictatorial powers. at least they went so far during all of this protesting in the last two weeks and they stay they will not accept a vote on december 15th on the draft conversation that mursi government put forward . a spokesman did hint of a compromise . where that is going with the two groups and refusing to talk to each other is anyone's guess, uma. >> thank you for the update and more on the fall out in of the looming fiscal christ u cliff. there will be no deal without tax increases . art lakker former member of the reagan advisory board said it is not good economics and it will contribute to more lay offings. he predicts despite the protest, the gop will lose and the president will make good on his promise. >> we want higher tax rates on the higher income earners and that the worst place to raise tax rates. they are employers and purchasers and they're the job creators and the

who would vn oath wooiss been killed. >> muhammad lila with us. they get the kidnapping was a secret and the recue as well. >> the first 72 hours are critical. this is a civilian hostage. he doesn't have the survival training that a soldier does. and publicizing the kidnapping would further endanger his life. >> our thoughts are the service member's family, thank you. >>> we turn a mexican-american icon. deloved, and flying from a concert when the plane she was on disappeared mid flight. more on the search tonight. >> reporter: mexican authorities say the small plane carries mexican-american super star jenni rivera went missing this morning. it was carrying her and six other, the 43-year-old's last known tweet her 1.4 million followers was this morning. this picture, believed to be here with her traveling companions surfaced on a mexican website. born to mexican immigrants in long beach, california, she is best known for her muse nick the mexican regional banda styles in mp she has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. she is also a reality

muhammad lila is on that story. >> reporter: an edge of the seat thriller that's now.ge of the seat controversy. zero dark thirty recreates the man hunt for sblg sosama bin la. >> we'll never find him. >> reporter: 2 1/2 hours. while fans are calling it a hit. what did you think of film in. >> loved it. >> reporter: critics are on the attack. in a rare public statement, michael morrell accuses the film of taking significant artistic license. saying it's not a realist ro portrayal of the facts. >> i'm going break him. >> reporter: his biggest attack, the movie's harsh intogether gating scenes. the cia acknowledges that some intelligence did come from those so-called enhanced techniques, but there many other sources as well. >> to portray this as our only way to get intelligence does a disservice to this country. >> for their part, the creators say it's not a documentary and it's not supposed to be. in an interview with martha raddatz, they say while some dialogue is exaggerated, it's based on authentic information. >> it was all based on firsthand accounts. it felt very

here's muhammad lila. >> reporter: it's a country racked with lawlessness and now a potential new threate associated press first reported this video which claims to be from al qaeda's yemen branch announcing a new bounty. roughly $160,000 for the head of the american ambassador in yemen and $23,000 for any american soldier. abc hasn't verified the authenticity of the video. it was posted online separately, claiming to be part of a longer video, one that we have authenticated. the threat comes at a critical time, just four months after the american embassy was stormed in libya, killing chris stevens and three other personnel. after the attacks, security levels were raised at many american embassies around the world. >> i think the security detail won't do anything differently because they had to know the ambassador was already a person who had to be protected very carefully. >> yemen is considered by many a breeding ground for militants. and there's no question anti-american sentiment in yemen is running high. in september, an angry mob stormed the u.s. embassy, enraged by the controversi

abc's muhammad lila is on that story. >> when was the last time you saw bin laden?rter: an edge-of-the-seat thriller that's now an edge-of-the-seat controversy. "zero dark thirty" re-creates the manhunt for osama bin laden. >> we'll never find him. >> reporter: cramming a ten-year search into a 2 1/2-hour thriller. while fans are calling it a hit. what did you think of the film? >> loved it. >> reporter: critics are on the attack. in a rare public statement, acting cia director michael morell accuses the film of taking significant artistic license. emphasizing it's not a realistic portrayal of the facts. >> i'm not your friend. i'm not going to help you. i'm going to break you. >> reporter: his biggest attack, the movie's harsh interrogation scenes. suggesting torture played a key role in finding sblg sbl. the cia acknowledges that some intelligence did come from those so-called enhanced techniques, but there were many other sources as well. >> to portray this as our only way to get intelligence does a disservice to this country. and the american people, period. >>

i don't know if that's expressing their opinion about morsi, but do you see muhammad moshingsi as a risk to our country and our relationship? >> hard to say. i think he understands manage about the balance of power between the -- you know, the liberal side and the army being the other three legs of this stool. but let's not kid ourselves, morsi's going to win this. he is going to win the constitutional battle. he is going to maintain himself in power. and so, one of the ways that we can ensure some sort of american influence over morsi is to continue to maintain our long-standing, intimate relationships with the military. the military will be there back-stopping, if you will, this administration, regardless of who comes out with the power on the other end of these -- of this unrest in egypt. >> jamie: hindsight's 20/20. when you see the egyptian people -- many of them are fleeing -- those who want to, for example, practice christianity. when you see them rioting, that's not what they expected to get when mubarak left. was it worth the effort, do you see the people protected enough by the

been and i'm sorry but if i was waterboard one hundred eighty three times in one month like shaikh muhammad was i probably confess that i was a damn tooth fairy if that's what you wanted to hear think about this point though for one second if it is torture did get intelligence is that enough justification to practice the barbaric it in the main act of torturing human beings i think not but despite all of these facts all of these inconsistency with the raid in the killing of osama bin ladin it won't matter because not only has the corporate controlled media regurgitated the government's narrative of the event without demanding a shred of evidence but now this narrative will be accompanied with an expensive major hollywood drama decision that will make hundreds of millions of dollars the collaboration will cement the government narrative forever in the american psyche causing historical revisionism to prevail over true. issues that so much there. yes music is our final touch of lemon toast divided against itself the sunni shia conflict rages across the arab middle east and beyond is this sect

abc's muhammad lila with the story of the rescue in eastern afghanistan. >> reporter: it happened under the cover of darkness. a joint american and afghan special forces raid to rescue this man. dilip joseph, an american doctor working for a colorado-based charity, morningstar development. >> this is a team that has lots of training on hostage rescues. but until you get in there and actually do it, you never know what you are actually going to find. >> reporter: here's how it all went down. on wednesday, joseph and two afghan colleagues were returning from a medical clinic in a remote province when they were kidnapped at a check point along a highway by armed militants. they were then taken to a mountainous region along the pakistan border. the afghan captives were eventually released but joseph wasn't. spending three terrifying days in captivity. when u.s. intelligence showed joseph's life was in imminent danger, the military made its move. >> a hostage rescue mission is really, really dangerous and carries a high risk that the hostage him or herself could be injured or killed. you nee

i'm muhammad lila in for rob nelson.up, we'll show you the storm damage and get the latest from accuweather. >>> then we'll take you to connecticut, where visitors are paying respects to the schoolchildren there and trying to help families struggle with so much grief. >>> also this morning, new inside information about the arsonist and gunman in western new york and his evil plot to kill firefighters. what police discovered, he left behind a note that is just chilling. >>> later this half hour, avoiding costly problems with the brand new electronics you just unwrapped. our technology editor is here with how to get the best use out of all that gear. >> knowing me, when i open one of those, i'm the first to scratch it, drop it, break it. >>> first, we want to get to some of this news. major damage after strong storms swept through the gulf states. at least three people have died, dozens more are injured from texas to georgia. >> and the news could be getting worse. that storm is moving east with strong winds and snow. wint

i am muhammad lila in for rob nelson, who is on a break.to date on the wrath of that terrible weather and find out which areas of the country could get hit next. >>> our other big story from western new york, the firefighters killed in a cruel, cruel christmas ambush. we'll tell you what the dead suspect left behind. >> pretty chilling when we get more details about what happened in new york. >>> also this morning, the movie showcasing the takedown of osama bin laden. did hollywood overstep its bounds here? the film is getting plenty of buzz. there's also a lot of sharp criticism. >>> and later this half hour, what jessica simpson wanted everyone to know and the unusual way she conveyed that message. that's later coming up in "the skinny." >>> first, a string of december tornadoes tore through several gulf states on christmas day, killing at least three people. >> now that storm system is moving east with winds and snow. winter storm watches and warnings are posted in nearly half the nation. alabama appeared to take a direct hit from severa

they don't some to follow the prophet muhammad. they might want to read it one more time.up next. ♪ ♪ >> andrea: time now for one more thing. >> dana: last night we had our "the five" holiday party, office party. instead of going out to have a dinner, we went bowling. at a place in times square. >> greg: we. >> dana: greg didn't come because he is a scrooge. place called 44. happened to be, president obama, the 44th president. i took that picture and said it was a sign. get it? greg? andrea and i threw pins. i don't know what happened to our eyes there. we look demonic. >> andrea: possessed. >> greg: payback. >> dana: we were angelic and we very, very good. >> andrea: speak for yourself, dana. >> eric: tell you about the score in a second. we had a blast. dana sent me this picture. posted it on twitter. i got responses. mark says i see scrooge at the party with the suspenders. sharon says love y'all, mostly bob. love to go on a date with him. he's funny. wrong, but funny. did kimberly bowl in heels? the answer is yes. stephanie wants to know who won? dana who won in your l

. >> reporter: muhammad lila, abc news, washington. >>> the president signed a sweeping wiretap law.do it without obtaining a court order for each intercept. the program would have expired today. >>> there's been a medical setback for hugo chavez. his vice president said he suffered new complications and described his condition as delicate. he's not been seen or heard from since undergoing a fourth cancer-related surgery earlier in the month. >>> a woman charged with pushing man to his death at a subway track is going to undergo a medical evaluation. this morning, "the new york times" reports that she's been arrested twice in the past for violent confrontation with total strangers. >>> back to the bargaining table today for represents of the nhl and the players' union. it's the first time in weeks that the sides are meeting fais to fais to end the ongoing lockout. the nhl offered a new proposal last thursday. >>> the nfl's second season is upon us. 12 teams still alive. 20 teams going home. sunday's highlights now from espn. >> cassidy hubbarth here with your "sportscenter" update. a

the fbi is now on this case, and abc's muhammad lila has more. >> reporter: it's a quiet strip mall,f an fbi investigation. the horrifying ordeal started friday. the victim, a woman who works at the bank of america branch here was at home when an intruder stormed in sometime after 6:00 p.m. fbi investigators say she spent the entire night held hostage in her own home. the next morning at around 8:00 the suspect drives her to the bank and straps what he says is a bomb to her neck. luckily when other employees show up about an hour later, they called police. by then a suspect is long gone without any of the money. police moving quickly and discover the bomb is a fake. >> a traumatic night to be held against your will to be used as a pawn in a bank robbery. >> reporter: do people think they can get away with crimes like this? >> they know it's a risk, but they feel like it's worth it for the payoff because that's just how bad guys think. >> reporter: as outrageous as it seems, this isn't the first time someone has strapped a bomb on a hostage to get money. just last year 18-year-old mad

and abc's muhammad lila is here with the story.ammad, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, dan. psy is in full damage retaliation after a shocking anti-american performance several years ago. it comes one day before he's supposed to perform at a special christmas concert, with president obama hen his family in attendance. he's the creator of the most-watched youtube video of all-time. and the dance that swept the nation, "gangnam style." now, korean rapper psy is fighting off controversy. it has to do with this. in 2004, after a korean missionary was killed in iraq, psy performed at a protest concert. singing along to another band's song called "dear american" including these lyrics. kill those bleeping yankees who have been torturing an iraqi captive. kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers. >> if you were making up horrible things that a pop star would say that would get them in trouble, you'd have a hard time coming up with worse things than this. >> reporter: it turns out psy is no stranger to controvers

. >>> members of president muhammad morsi's government are limiting the monetary fund. they hope to impose loans of $5 million, but first they want them to lower their deficits. they are considering austerity measures which could trigger another wave of protests. >>> japanese robots that look after the elderly, it sounds like science fiction but it's increasingly science fact and with good reason. japanese society is aging faster than any in the world. nursing facilities are stretched past capacity. against this backdrop, researchers are building new and humane intelligent machines. >> reporter: a new game is being played at this hold people's home south of tokyo. ♪ >> reporter: the residents move their bodies on cue from a robot. the exercise helps the brain and fights aging. people from the nursing industry interested in the robot came along to watch. >> translator: coming here today and seeing people talking and dancing with them made me realize that robots have become something very commonplace to old people, too. >> reporter: many of the nursing care robots are jap

mr muhammad is are there since you've mentioned ideological warfare iran has long been involved in a war of words with the west especially the united states many people say that a military operation against iran is quite possible. as one of iran's top leaders do you think this is a real possibility. do people in your country live in a constant fear of war or do people think it is unlikely. for the past thirty three years ever since these lammy cueva lucian the west and the us in particular has been plotting against iran and people in our country are aware of that. but at the same time people go on with their lives and they don't worry about what the united states me do. this does not mean that the united states does not want war with iran what i'm saying is that they won't gain anything by this war and such a war is unlikely. so we are not afraid of the us or any other country in our message to those countries is that a friendship and not a message of war. talk only a foolish person can expect is with guns but such an approach makes no sense at all. you say your message is a message

it was you take the good fighters in the cage if your kids don't like fights but like many muhammad was wrong and now things are starting to look a little like they did two years ago it's been a week of protests in cairo especially here near the presidential palace but a few days ago this very spot was at the center of egypt's political confrontation and then it looked very different petrol bombs fireworks. the deadly hail of stone it took the army to break it up but as events unfolded pictures of soldiers embracing protesters have called i'm melissa tension it looks like egypt may be about to kick another leader from power in the revolution back to square one i think it's dangerous and terms of the military my fears are that the military may. clear clear the decks for themselves over the barricades after two times the arguments became simpler and more forceful less that morsi is the president thought so i stand by this bit about the list so and we will support them with all we have no make has rushed through what the opposition say is a pro islam is constitution with no substantial deb

yesterday evening others with the vermin and laugh midway through the day a lot strewn all through muhammad mostly muslim brotherhood supporters turned up and proceed to attack the the council sends cows and says all told down the tents unattractive people that there was a running battle the opposition which has since going is because they gods but eventually the number has all the wrong mohamed morsi for justice twelve there is definitely trends of thousands of people there for a moment was the intention plea outnumbers the and see moment was to protest and push them violent along the streets leading to the presidential palace an absolute hail of stones and shoot that is going along with cultural columns a lot of the sides always be chancing their own chants and ripping up the pavement to provide themselves with ammunition really quite terrifying scenes with those at the front of each of those very tense a many people being brought back with streaming flowers from the head limping up to being hit with. various signs and a number of fronts to being set on fire the emergency services the hal

i'm muhammad lila, in for rob nelson. >> i'm brandi hitt. paula faris is on assignment today. we begin this morning with a new effort to avoid the fiscal cliff. it's an 11th-hour attempt to reach a deal. but lawmakers are not optimistic. >> wendy gillette is here with the latest. good morning, wendy. >> reporter: good morning, president obama will meet be lawmakers this afternoon. time is running out with no deal in sight. president obama will meet with congressional leaders later today at the white house. but it may be too late for a deal. there's just four days left before the fiscal cliff deadline. >> i have to be very honest, mr. president. i don't know, time-wise, how it can happen now. >> reporter: senate majority leader, harry reid, lashed out at house speaker, john boehner, accusing him of running a dictatorship. >> john boehner seems to care more about his leadership than keeping the country on a secure footing. >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. that wou

security wasn't provided before the attack and how to explain this story of the movie about the prophet muhammad as the cause of the attack. i think in egypt specifically we need to try and use our influence on the egyptian military to stabilize the situation. and to use all those billions of dollars of aide we've given over the years to try to prevent the international situation from deteriorating further. >> there's little or no evidence the president's paying attention. >> do you think it's fair to say he doesn't care about national security? he's the president. >> his record over the past four years, as he said during the 2008 campaign, he wanted to fundamentally transform america and that's what he set about doing. i don't think he's uncomfortable with decline in american influence internationally. that's what is playing out in the middle east right now. >> the vote continues next saturday likely to go even more conservative. embassador bolton, always good to see you. >> thank you. >>> for these two hours we'll continue to follow the latest in the newtown, connecticut shooting massacre and

at the organization's record and hears from some iranians who are wherry of the generalizing it muhammad shows me his box of handmade treasures earrings pendants all made from stone the only material he could find in the prison yard. michel martin this is how we killed time and the pain from the torture and hunger i still get headaches when i remember this. sham valley iranian soldier mohammad spent eighteen years in an iraqi jail during the one thousand nine hundred eighty s. iran iraq war he says he would have been freed earlier if he'd joined the ek image he didn't help to realize the militant revolutionary group was fighting iran in authority on the side of saddam hussein and recruiting new members a month reasoners but mohamed refused other they were terrorists killing innocent people i couldn't have anything to do with them i betray my country then the group indeed had a very gory history in the one nine hundred sixty s. it started a bombing campaign against iran's shah and his allies they were linked to the killing of american citizens and welcomed the u.s. embassy siege in tehera

here's muhammad lila. >> reporter: call it controversy, "gangnam style." long before it sparked a dance craze, he performed at a politically charged concert in 2004 with anti-american sentiment running high after a korean missionary was killed in iraq. he sang these lyrics. kill those bleeping yankees who have been keeping them hostage. kill their daughters, mothers, daughters in law and fathers. >> if you were thinking of horrible things that could get pop stars in trouble, you would have a hard time coming up with worse things than this. >> reporter: many fans are reacting with fury, saying spy should not be able to headline the christmas in washington concert on sunday. the president scheduled to attend. this is not the first time an artist has courted a political controversy. but this is different. spy is so popular. his youtube video is the most watched of all time. it was social media that helped make his career. now it's social media that could break it. even after psy apologized, saying it was a deeply emotional reaction and said he will forever be

egypt's top prosecutor is looking to outlaw the leaders of the opposition launching a probe into muhammad merce's three top opponents they're accused of inciting their followers to overthrow the islamist president this week the country's new constitution was officially adopted offer to stage a referendum to receive the support of more than sixty percent of voters amid a low turnout in that occasions of massive fraud opposition activists say the new charter hastily join up by the muslim brotherhood effectively imposes shari'a rule on the country well neil clark a world affairs contributor for britain's guardian newspaper explained why he thinks mercy is going after the opposition now. think he wants to sort of deflect attention from the economy because the underlying problem plate the biggest we're facing is the economic crisis one of four egyptians are without jobs poverty is on the rise and the subsidies on fuel which means that the prices of gas and the city are going to rocket and so this is a kind of sort of smokescreen for him and he was very keen to get the opposition tied up in the

in egypt the president's supporters weigh in with rival protests amid liberal fury against muhammad mercy self-imposed our constitution is our allies have drafted. and the u.s. hits back at his role for authorizing thousands of new settlements in the west bank in east jerusalem just a day after the u.n. upgraded palestine's diplomatic status. this is r.t. broadcasting live from moscow kerry johnston be islamist opposition in kuwait is boycotting saturday's parliamentary ballot in a bitter standoff for the country's unelected leaders the u.s. backed monarchy is accused of amending the voting rules to influence the outcome of the poll. is in the gulf state with the latest for us now. doesn't often featuring the headlines what's the significance of events happening in the country right now . hikari all of course kuwait may be a tiny country but it holds enormous geopolitical strategic significance for the region especially as arab gulf monarchies are struggling to fend off the effects of the arab spring as well as the west as an opec member claiming just ten percent of the world's crude oil