pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >>> here's a miracle pair you need to meet.h of these boys was born from the same mother but in two separate uteruses. >> when they were born in october, they weighed just 1 pound, 5 ounces. carter's gone home. his brother is expected to join him, too. >> i saw it on an episode of "grey's anatomy" a couple of years ago. now in real life. >>> the latest on the doomed cruise ship that is now quote a high risk of actually sinking. >>> after filing for bankruptcy in 2009, how general motors is motoring back on top. >>> and bad news for the football fans that enjoy the chicken wings while watching the big game. oh, you're not going to like this. we'll be right back. >>> women, overseas markets are up on good news from the united states. spain and france, tng tng gained 127 points today. hong kong's hang seng was up 167. in london, the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow rose 45 points yesterday. the nasdaq index added 19. >>> well, general motors is motoring back on top. the company is once again the world's largest auto

i think pierre thomas said the sale thing.erno in [ male announcer ] if you like action movies... ♪ ♪ ...romance... ♪ ♪ ...documentaries... or whatever else then you'll love netflix. netflix lets you watch unlimited movies and tv episodes over the internet on your pc or tv via game console or other devices. and best of all, it's instant. watch as many movies and tv episodes as you want for only 8 bucks a month. start your free trial today. (speaking in international language) anand he said unto them go ye into all of the world and preach the gospel preach the gospel to every creature in the world. ♪ (applause) >>> good evening. whenne thing about the 49ers leaps out at you the physical play of the safeties. they will knock you out. well, not you, but you know what i mean. i hope they don't knock you out. early first quarter and pierre thomas was about to go in for a touchdown and he was crashed. it changed the entire game. you know dante will be bringing it sunday in the nfc championship against the giants. >> i believe the in

pierre thomas. . 616 yards of offense. and green bay threw 45 up on detroit last week. the saints are a point away. an extra point away from 45. >> cris: give a little credit here to backup tight end michael higgins as he digs out the detroit lions and it's only right that pierre thomas, after the phenomenal runs that he's had tonight, finally gets the cherry on top. >> al: the extra point is good. saints are 3:36 away from breaking into california here we come. well, you figured it would be a shoot-out. it figured to be a track meet. most yards in a postseason game. 616. chargers did it back in 1964. you had a thousand passing yards last week in the game between green bay and detroit. it's the year of the quarterback, isn't it? and the tight end. >> cris: and the offenses. i mean, we are going to see in these playoffs some just remarkable quarterback play. it's been -- it started at the beginning of the year. it has run its course throughout the season, and who knows what we're going to get in the super bowl. could end up with one of these kind of games. >> al: the mos

i think pierre thomas said the sale thing. dante's @a >>> good evening.ut the 49ers leaps out at you, the physical play of the safeties. they will knock you out. well, not you, but you know what i mean. i hope they don't knock you out. early first quarter and pierre thomas was about to go in for a touchdown and he was crashed. it changed the entire game. you know dante will be bringing it sunday in the nfc championship against the giants. >> i believe the intensity is going up another notch. when our preparation and those guys doing some talking and i think that was going to be there. i expected the running backs to run a little harder and the receivers to run a little harder and get there a little faster. you can expect for us to hit a little harder. i don't know about a blood bath, but it will be a really, really physical football game. it is two really good football teams, and only one of us can win. only one of us can reach that ultimate goal and that's the super bowl. >> we will see how it turns out on sunday. steph curry returns to the warriors toni

pierre thomas. . 616 yards of offense. and green bay threw 45 up on detroit last week. the saints are a point away. an extra point away from 45. >> cris: give a little credit here to backup tight end michael higgins as he digs out the detroit lions and it's only right that pierre thomas, after the phenomenal runs that he's had tonight, finally gets the cherry on top. >> al: the extra point is good. saints are 3:36 away from breaking into california here we come. well, you figured it would be a shoot-out. it figured to be a track meet. most yards in a postseason game. 616. chargers did it back in 1964. you had a thousand passing yards last week in the game between green bay and detroit. it's the year of the quarterback, isn't it? and the tight end. >> cris: and the offenses. i mean, we are going to see in these playoffs some just remarkable quarterback play. it's been -- it started at the beginning of the year. it has run its course throughout the season, and who knows what we're going to get in the super bowl. could end up with one of these kind of games. >> al: the mos

here's abc's pierre thomas tonight. >> reporter: denny sits on death row. he's found a way to add to the suffering of her family. saying in a taunting letter to a local newspaper, life on death row is a life of easy living. he writes, is the public aware that i'm a gentleman of leisure? watching tv. i spit in the face of your so-called justice system. and he says the chances he will ever be executed are very slim. there may be some truth to that. north carolina hasn't executed anyone for six years. like several states, it has put an informal hold on executions because of questions about whether lethal injection causes pain and whether the death penalty is imposed more on people of color. the father of the teenager he killed said the letter was tearing him apart. this has nothing to do with the national debate over the death penalty. it's just personal. >> a huge debate on this at abcnews.com. pierre thomas, tonight. thank you. >>> we turn to texas this evening, facing a historic dry spell. tonight, images of the other extreme. a deluge, over nine inches of

pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> our thanks to pierre, tonight. >>> and now, to the american womanescued from pirates after that navy s.e.a.l. team parachuted in to save her. you heard the president tell diane how moved he was by the rescue. and jessica buchanan is at a military base in italy. and she's undergoing a battery of treatment, to get over the three months in captivity. kelly cobiella is in sicily. kelly? >> reporter: good evening, david. even before jessica buchanan and her fellow captive are reunited with their families, they must go through what's called reintegration at this military base, to make sure they are ready for the transition back to normal life. the moment they were safely out of somalia, jessica buchanan and poul thisted made a pact, to go through the reintegration process together. it's the same treatment given to p.o.w.s. the former captives talking to psychologists about their time as hostages. an essential period of mental decompression. >> i know it's probably taking a toll on her. if i know her and her strength, then, she'll be okay. >> reporter: her

pierre thomas, tonight. thank you. >>> we turn, now, to texas this evening, facing a historic dry spell. tonight, images of the other extreme. a deluge, over nine inches of rain in san antonio. and in dallas, you see the cars there under water. there were reports of three tornadoes. all that rain won't be enough to put an end to the crippling drought that's stretched on for more than a year now. >>> and today, a moment of unity in washington. a 3 1/2-minute standing ovation, republicans and democrats alike, saluting a congresswoman who's become an example for us all. gabby giffords, stepping down. we all watched that moment last night. the president embracing the congresswoman, who courageously fought her way back this last year. and rocked back and forth on the eve of her good-bye in washington. today, she was back for her final day on the house floor. her colleagues, republicans, democrat, celebrated her strength and her spirit. >> gabby, we love you. we have missed you. >> reporter: giffords, mouthing the

turnovers and pierre thomas of the game with smith to crabtree. and you knew that through breez is not going to let it sleep. he is a former charger in the have the advantage at 24-23. here is smith. this place was the q b 9 are ground to the left side. after the failed to point conversion. up by five. 45 8 yds! the accuracy! and jimmy graham is going all the way. to have to go 85 yds so this man can breed again. and harbough says look for the great bargains. you will see this as he can -- bree again brief--brer againa dn the grab the first since 1997. >> it ain't over yet! seriously, if it ain't over. we have to bust our, $$##ramming . >>gary: and if new york wins they will host the game at candlestick? verne, you were on the locker room. i did everything but play. >> i was looking for the imaginary monkey taking it off the back. his career and has a game like this to come from behind. it really was terrific. you have some sound bites from the locker room? >> yes here is smith. >> we've been taking some shots all night long. i thought that alex s

pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >>> well, a crowd of 15,000 is expected today as a final memorial service today honoring the late football coach joe paterno. friends and fans lined the route yesterday as a hearse care rid his body to the funeral. his son, jay, will speak at this afternoon's service. >>> let's get some sports highlights now. an upset and nearly an upset to tell you about. the details from espn news. >>> i'm chris cotter with your espn news. a big night in the nba. we start with the heat and the pistons. chris bosh finding, who else? lebron james. the heat up 5 early. another look at how he got so open. fourth quarter. cole getting the steal. he finds james. nobody better in the nba to find than your buddy, james. detroit climbs back into this thing. 1:00 to play, heat down one, trying to avoid the upset. james driving. he's fouled. and the heat would we take the lead with the free throws. last chance for detroit now, down three. day is called for, traveling? before getting rid of the shot. >>> to the college hardwood, missouri on the road taking on oklahoma state.

you may remember this hit he laid out on pierre thomas of the saints.er tweeted that he plans on finishing his degree in consumer affairs.. which he began at ohio state. he also wants to find a fraternity. time is 6: they accidentally shot a cannonball into an east bay home. this morning... the bizarre request from the show "mythbusters." and netflix.. on the rebound. the surprise turn-around.. for the troubled company. and the market just opened about ten minutes ago. let's take a quick check on the early numbers: (adlib conditions) coming up, we'll get an update from kcbs/money watch reporter jason brooks. frightening moments.. caught on you know what's exciting, graduation. when i look up into my student's faces, i see pride. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor, i am committed to making a difference in peoples lives and i am a phoenix. was rescued from a trash can. a gas station worker heard him crying at the bottom of the can. a vet

whitner just knocks pierre thomas out on the two-yard line. ball comes lose. niners recover. turnover of the game. next saints possession, third and eight. alden smith. shakes off the double team. takes down brees. saints forced to punt. two plays later. great protection for alex smith. over the middle to vernon davis. brakes a tackle and he is gone. 49 yards to the end zone. 49ers with the 7-0 league. gets better. new orleans turns it over for a second time brees, deep down. picked off by a leaping golden. rather than fall on the ball. he decides to go for seven, hauled down at the new orleans four yardline. niner offense. red zone issues all year. not today. smith to crabtree. four yards, 14-0 niners. ensuing kickoff. starts to run, picks it up. hammered by a swarm of 49ers. ball pops lose. san francisco recovers. three turnovers in the first quarter. niners get the field goal, 17-0. brees and the saints pull themselves together. 14 yards to graham. capped a nine-play, 80-yard driver. 17-7. niners, three and out. brees on the attack. third and three. perfect pass to colston

abc's pierre thomas reports. >> reporter: you're looking at a homegrown radical in ski mask preparingonathan meleku recorded this chilling video as he drove to target the marine corps museum near quantico, virginia in 2010. >> that's a military building and there's the building up there, the target. >> reporter: that's a 9-millimeter handgun with an extended clip. he starts shooting. you see the flare of the muzzle. roughly 19 shots fired. >> all hew akbar. >> reporter: he pleaded guilty to a shooting spree that also included the pentagon and two military recruiting stations. meleku is one of 50 homegrown radicals arrested in the last two years. no one was hurt, but these haunting images make plain the threat from within is real. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> all too real. >>> well, there's word the american aid worker rescued by navy s.e.a.l.s from kidnappers in somalia is reuniting now with her family. it's taking place at a u.s. air base in sicily where jessica buchanan and her danish colleague were undergoing what they call reintegration. that's a treatment for prisoners

pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> and turning now to politics.ared. a major snub against mitt romney, the former massachusetts governor. the globe widely read in new hampshire as well. that state's big primary set for tuesday. romney is so far ahead in new hampshire polls he is jumping ahead to south carolina. two weeks before the primary there. south carolina's governor officially endorsed him. romney must overcome deep reservations of some christian conservatives in the state. >>> conservative favorite these days, rick santorum earned $2 million in contributions since his near-win in iowa this week. but having a hard time appealing to new hampshire's moderates. he was actually booed off the stage last night after a pretty testy exchange about same-sex marriage. >>> school administrators in houston are investigating a major cheating scandal. about 200 high school seniors may have cheated on an english exam last month. someone had the answers and sent them to students using of course text messages. >> i got it from friends i don't even talk to an

pierre thomas has this report. >> reporter: it was a routine depression investigation in ogden, utah.er, jared francum, hit and killed. >> agent francum was one of the more experienced agents in our unit, and will be sorely missed. >> narrator: the dreaded words heard too often. the number of police officers shot and killed is spiking. in fact, there have been six fatal shootings in the last seven days. >> i can't think of anything that really shows more disrespect toward society in general than the killing of a uniformed police officer. >> reporter: why the jump in police are using the arms race against criminals who can buy assault rifles. >> the officers aren't as well armed in cases as the criminals they're going up against. >> reporter: firing weapons, you can see the difference. this handgun is the type of weapon patrolmen usually carry on the beat. this ak47 assault-style rifle is showing up in the hands of criminals. the suspect was identified as army veteran matthew stewart, whose father says suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome. the suspect also has a criminal record,

forty one yard pass and got to the edge of the end zone to downs later how did the ball off to pierre thomas who took it in for the game serious cool so decided to beat the last forty by twenty eight st barts the second round of playoffs now come to san francisco to take on the forty niners next saturday. now let's continue our look back over some of the big events of last year and this time it's the turn of swimming in october american style michael phelps took just two goals from six races at the world cup stage here in moscow while russian world record holder kenny cata to skin to perform to his best winning the one hundred meter butterfly comes in but out of his that. despite we're going to be form where nafta below parties planned to use the fourteen time olympic champion michael phelps produced almost an identical santa result on day two of the world cup in the russian capital in the two hundred metres freestyle the twenty six year old american was overtaken in the last fifty by john the world record holder paul be there month and had to settle for silver. and phelps competing in mosco

he laid out pierre thomas of the saints right there. ouch. get out of the way. he plans to finish his degree in consumer affairs which he began at ohio state and wants to find a fraternity. good for him going back to school. very important. >>> a.m. fans and developers are kicking off -- apple fans and developers are kick off the 28th annual macworld exposition this afternoon in san francisco. the moscone convention event is now billed as macworld iworld. the idea is to highlight the so- called mobile lifestyle. for example, there is a film festival with movies shot exclusively on an iphone. pretty cool. apple made its last big deal appearance at the show in 2009 leading many to wonder if macworld still matters to apple users. >>> coming up, cnet's kara tsuboi will be in studio to give us a sneak peek of what you can expect. cool stuff. >> yeah. i guess the ipad 3 is coming out in april. the iphone 5 is coming out this year and apple is making a ton of dough. should be good. >>> a tourist hotspot, the major makeover planned for fisherman's wharf. >> investigatin

one yard pass robert mitchum to the edge of the end zone did hours later handed the ball off to pierre thomas into the dating scene a school so the saints beat the lions forty five twenty eight to advance to the second round of the playoffs about travel to san francisco to take on the forty nine ers next saturday. do i suck in our the russian team a back in moscow off to taking silver at the world junior championships in canada following a dramatic one l defeat to sweden in either time the junior red machine failed to defend their world title after losing two matches at the tournament and both of them to over win a strike luna who took goals to clinch their first victory for thirty years russia will host next year's championship in the southwestern city of fog however that team didn't seem too disappointed good silva as they won their so-called mini final by continue to earn a lot rivals canada six five in the semifinals to end the maple leaf streak of ten consecutive final appearances. and finally a martial arts school in the heart of the caucasus was celebrating last year after one of its s

and today, police told abc's senior justice department correspondent pierre thomas that it is time to say enough. >> reporter: it was a routine drug investigation last night in utah. police officers descended on a home. they were met with a hail of gun fire. >> we heard the gun shots going off. sounded like ak-47. >> reporter: six officers hit. seven year police veteran, jaron francom -- married with two children -- was killed. >> agent francom was one of the -- one of the more experienced agents in our unit. he will be missed. >> reporter: the dreaded words "officer down" being heard all too often. the number of police officers being shot and killed in the line of duty is spiking. in fact, there have been six fatal police shootings in just the last seven days. >> i can't think of anything that really shows more disrespect toward society in general than the killing of a uniformed police officer. >> reporter: why the jump? police say they are losing the arms race, facing criminals with assault rifles. >> the officers can't as well armed in some cases as the criminals they're going up a

called robert mitchum at the edge of the end zone and did as i said it's kind of the ball off to pierre thomas who took it in but they can see the score so the saints beat the lions forty five twenty eight to advance to the second round of the playoffs travel to san francisco to take on the forty nine ers next saturday. let's continue our look back over some of the big events of twenty eleven and this time it's the turn of swimming in october american star michael phelps took two goals from six races at the world cup stage here in moscow russia a world record holder you're going to cut addition to perform to his best winning the one hundred meter butterfly consenting but awful was that. despite moving to be formed then after parties playing tuesday for in time olympic champion michael. produced almost an identical set of results on day two of the world cup in the russian capital in the two hundred metres freestyle the twenty six year old american was overtaken in the last fifty by john the world record holder paul be there month and had to settle for silver. and phelps competing in moscow for

with more on all this here's abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: the battle over copyrights and controlrated movies, music, and other material online. among those charged, the leaders of a company called megaupload, which claims to have 150 million registered customers online, which accounts for they say 4% of internet use. megaupload runs online ads featuring a who's who of celebrities like kim kardashian -- >> i love megaupload. >> i love megaupload. >> check it out. >> amazing. >> to p. diddy and alicia keys. after the indictments were made public, there was an apparent online cyber attack, with the justice department's website among those under assault. a group calling itself anonymous claimed credit. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >>> well, dozens of phone-hacking victims in the scandal that's rocked rupert murdoch's media empire have been paid off to settle lawsuits. actor jude law was the victim who was paid up to $200,000 to drop claims voicemails were hacked. murdoch's company says the settlements are not an admission that senior staff at his papers knew about the hacking

here's abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: denny hemberry jr. sits on north carolina's death row for the murder of 17-year-old heather kather-ton two years ago. he's found a way to add to the suffering of her family, saying in a taunting letter to aw local newspaper, "life on death row is a life of easy living." hies, "is the public aware that i'm a gentleman of leisure, watching color tv, reading, taking naps at will? i spit in the face of your so-called justice system." and he says the chances he will ever be executed "are very slim." there may be some truth to that. north carolina hasn't executed anyone for six years. like several states it has put an informal hold on executions because of questions about whether lethal injection causes pain and whether the death penalty is imposed more on people of color. the father of the teenager hembry killed called prosecutors in tears saying the letter was tearing his family apart. for him this has nothing to do with the national debate over the death penalty. it's just personal. pierre thomas, abc news

open position, witser in hammers pierre thomas. out on this feet. fumble. niners recover.er in the first, great protection for alex smith. over the middle to vernon davis. these two just getting started. he breaks a tackle. watch vernon, almost takes down the goalpost with his post touchdown dunk. brees throwing deep. picked off. it's down inside the five. niners with red zone issues all year. not in this game. smith draws back, crabtree on the slants. four yards there, it is. niners up 17-0. brees didn't throw for 5,000 yards by accident. perfect pass to coltston, four td passes. 17-14 niners at the half. fourth quarter. frank gore, 42 yards, 11 carries, and equals that a little right here. dragged down. sets up akerss. third field goal of the game. just over 4:00 to go. saints at the niners 44. brees to sproles. right here. 44 yards to the house. saints on top for the first time, 24-23. alex smith responds. he keeps it himself on third and eight. 28-yard touchdown, two-point could converse stales. saints turn. brees to graham. patrick lohse and reggie smith collide. the

abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, has been following the investigation. good morning to you, pierre. >> reporter: josh, it was like a war zone. officers were trying to serve a warrant to a home when gunfire erupted. as many as 40 shots being fired. when it was over, six officers had been hit. the suspect, who was also wounded, took off, trying to escape but didn't make it very far. he was cornered in a backyard shed. the officer who died was a father of two. a seven-year veteran on the force. five of his fellow officers are in the hospital with serious to critical injuries. this follows a deadly year in 2011. last year, officer fatalities were up 16%. police killed by guns jumped a whopping 20%. why is this happening? josh, to be blunt, more suspects are simply willing to take on police. >> 2012, no better. pierre thomas, thank you for that. >>> the other big story this morning. president obama and defense secretary leann panetta are proposing major cuts at the pentagon this morning. some $450 billion worth. that's roughly 8% of the pentagon's budget they

pierre thomas, thank you for that. pierre, also, the other big story this morning, president obama and defense secretary leon panetta are proposing major cuts at the pentagon this morning. some $450 billion worth. that's roughly 8% of the pentagon's budget they hope to cut over the next decade. one way of achieving these cuts, trimming the ranks of the army by some 80,000 troops. high-tech weapons systems could be on the chopping block. >>> this morning, four bombs went off in baghdad, including one attached to a motorcycle. at least 27 were killed. violence has seriously spiked since u.s. combat troops left iraq. >>> and the man accused of terrorizing los angeles, setting dozens of arson fires, is on suicide watch this morning. harry burkhart appeared to be wrapped in a green blanket during his court hearing wednesday. the judge set bail there at just under $3 million, roughly the same amount as the estimated damage caused by those fires over new year's weekend. >>> and an unbelievable crash scene in fresno, california