for "nightline," i'm sharyn alfonsi on vashon island in washington. >> looks fun.ng abc news. we hope you check in on "good morning america." we'll talk with more passengers from that southwest airlines flight to try to find out how an aircraft could develop a

i'm very happy to announce we have sharyn alfonsi, who has an office just a couple of doors down from me. >> it was really tough getting here. i had to jump over. but i'm so excited to be here this morning. >> the torpedo of truth. >> the violent torpedo of truth. it's important to get it right. >> it bombed. >> here's the thing, people went to see a show with charlie sheen and they were surprised when it melted down. >> imagine that. they were selling the tiger's blood drink at the concession stand. apparently that did very well. good morning, everybody. it is sunday, april 3rd, 2011. also this morning, maybe you didn't get the invite to the royal wedding but you're still looking for a souvenir. well, bianna was in london this week checking out the memorabilia, and nothing says classy like a will and kate shot glass. we're going to show you what you can buy for a few pounds and which items the palace actually put their stamp of approval on and i'll give you a hint, it's not the kiss me kate beer mug. >> really? >> surprising. >> there's actually some memorabilia that's a little racy,

thank you, sharyn alfonsi. >>> coming up what did this dog do for four days in a row? okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! host: could switching to geico reon car insurance? or more host: is the pen mightier than the sword? ninja 2: ow vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. let's do this. you're a little early! [ female announcer ] prepare to ace your dental check-up. fight plaque and gingivitis and invigorate your way to better check-ups. new crest pro-health invigorating clean rinse. i know what works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris. omnaris, to the nose! did you know nasal symptoms

and sharyn alfonsi has been looking into all the errors. sharyn? >> reporter: diane, it is a staggering number. medical mistakes being made at a rate ten times worse than we thought. researchers say it's not that hospitals are getting worse, it's that the methods we use to track the errors are getting better. so, we now have a clearer picture of exactly what's going on inside america's hospitals. the blischke triplets are a picture of health today. a wagon full of cute. but hours after they were born, little taylee suddenly flat lined in her mother's arms. >> i looked down and taylee went purple. it's just like she died in my arms. she just stopped breathing. >> reporter: it turns out, a nurse mistakenly gave taylee an iv of morphine intended for her mother. >> there should be no way that a very small iv line of a 4 1/2 pound baby should be confused with that of a full-grown woman. that should not happen. >> reporter: but according to researchers, mistakes like that are more common than we realized. they looked at 795 patient records, following the

here's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: the pictures of a cute, chubby kid only tell part of the story.egnanter said he didn't just overeat. >> i was stealing to get food. and money to get food. there was never really enough for me. >> reporter: now, a new study reveals why some of us can't stop eating. it's not willpower. it's a real addiction. and it has to do with the way our brains are wired. first, researchers asked women a series of questions. do they feel sluggish, anxious or withdrawn about food? then, they were shown a picture of a chocolate milk shake. when a healthy woman saw it, a part of the brain that deals with anticipation, does not respond. the picture does not trigger any craving. but when a food addict saw the picture, that part of the brain lights up. they have to have it. craving it like a drug. then, the women were given an actual taste of the milk shake. with normal women, the part of the brain that shows you're satiated, lights up. they fill fulfilled. doctors say they say they are more likely to overeat, chasing that fulfilled feeling. researchers say the way a

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> and we'll be there with you a week from friday.s for watching tonight. always on at abcnews.com and "nightline" is com >> president obama makes a friend request at facebook. how the visit was first for him and the web. >> and two of his fundraisers and one among the priceyest in presidential history. >> free ride in the walnut creek. why a trolley service is under fire. >>> and peek inside a historic building. a owner is trying to open up it for the community. >> this is abc 7 news at 6:00. >> if you put the same energy and imagination in facebook into the political process there is nothing we can't solve. >> president obama makes his case and hoping that voters will friend him in the next election. good evening, the president's bay area visit will include one of the most expensive fundraisers ever. >> this is video of the motorcade after marine one flew him to the fold. here's two abc fundraisers and protestors are getting. >>> and we begin with david

sharyn alfonsi shows, they don't have to come from overseas.n fact, she started with a surprise in her own son's toy box. >> reporter: china. it all started in my living room and my son's toy box. china. china. china. not a single toy made in america. china. the next morning, that toy box, empty. wyatt was left to play with pots and pans and daddy's nose. it turns out, 90% of all children's toys sold here are imported from china. mr. potato head, china. etch-a-sketch, china. even g.i. joe, the american hero, is made in china. but then, we heard from viewers, from workers at channel craft toys, writing we still make toys in america. so, we went on a little road trip. charleroi, pennsylvania, just outside of pittsburgh. hoping to refill that toy box. this was once a thriving steel mill town, crippled when the mills shuttered in the '70s. >> all my uncles and cousins worked in the steel mill. >> the steel mill was the town, pretty much. so, when the steel mill left, there was nothing left. >> reporter: it was about that time dean started selling h

i'm sharyn alfonsi, vashon island, washington. >> know that well.ng there, i think it's the preschool. no agenda, no lesson plan but also very young kids getting out and exploring quite a bit. >> would you call your twins like that? >> i would have to work on that for a while. try to master that. interesting concept. for a while. try to master that. interesting concept. [ carrie underwood ] makeup. touchups. it's part of my job. with olay, taking it all off -- that's my cleansers job. olay facial cleansers remove 2x more dirt and makeup. for skin so naturally beautiful it'd be a shame to cover it up. cleansers by olay.hó ♪ >>> if this is the final four, i would have you beat. >> that's right. your movie -- >> scored over your movie. >> more than doubled my movie, which was "source code." this movie, jake gyllenhaal's character is captain stevens who wakes up in the body of another man and discovers he's part of this military program called source code. the source code really enables another man to enter the body of another man's sort of identity in

as sharyn alfonsi discovered. >> reporter: it all started in my living room. mexico. china. not a single toy made in america. china. the next morning that toy box empty. he was left to play with pots and pans and daddy's nose. it turns out 90% of all children's toys sold here are imported from china. mr. potato head, china. etch-a-sketch, china. even gi joe, the american hero, is made in china. but then we heard from viewers from workers at channel craft toys writing "we still make toys in america." so we went on a little road trip. charleroi, pennsylvania, just outside of pittsburgh. hoping to refill that toy box. charleroi was once a thriving steel mill town. crippled when the mills shuttered in the '70s. >> all of my uncles, all of my cousins they all worked in the steel mill was the town. >> reporter: it was about that time dean helford started selling his homemade toys in the back of this van. there's a tree growing out of the steering wheel. >> yeah, this is pretty sad. this was my first shop. i was in college and i could build boomerangs and demonstrate them. >

. >> sharyn alfonsi with the news. >>> we turn to that right now. this happened after an officer in the afghan mill stair opened fire today at the airport in kabul. eight of the victims were u.s. troops. >>> also this morning, word of big changes at the pentagon and cia. general david petraeus, u.s. commander in afghanistan has been chosen to take over the cia. the current cia director has been chosen by the president to take over by defense secretary when robert gates steps down. >>> millions of gamers may have had their information stolen. sony said that hackers have attacked its playstation online network. sony said it's a possibility that credit card numbers were tak taken. >>> we turn to the west and sam zwl looking at big rainfall totals from nashville, to memphis, to little rock. if you're flying east, any southeastern airport will be impacted. third day in a row of outbreak of severe that we have seen. we look quickly to the west where it's gorgeous in l.a. all of the way to phoenix. it would be mostly sunny and mild and cooling wends for to

here is sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: take a look at this list and try to remember what is on it. desk, car, pencil, shirt, phone, cup. got it? okay, was the word phone on the list? yes. what about plate? no. pencil? yes. how did you do? if you had trouble remembering and hope to sharpen your skills, consider losing some weight. yes, weight. researchers at kent state university studied 150 overweight participants. they all took a memory test. a quarter of them showed signs of poor memory. and some of the volunteers under went gastric bypass. those who didn't lose weight, their memories stayed the same and in some cases, got worse. why could your weight affect your memory? that. >> that is a $10 million question. why obesity can hurt the brain. we can look to ways to undo them or prevent them in the first place. >> reporter: one possible explanation. obesity is known to cause hyper tension, diabetes, sleep apnea. researchers say those things damage the brain by affecting how much blood flows to it. if you lose weight, improve your blood pressure, you might improve the flow of blood

sharyn alfonsi tackles those questions tonight. >> reporter: pat white is fighting breast cancer andng if supplements should still be part of her daily routine. >> do they make you feel better? >> oh, yeah. i've been taking them for years. part of it is calcium supplement. >> reporter: more than half of americans, sick or healthy, now take at least one. >> i take b, c, e. >> i take fish oils and i take a multiple. >> the only thing i really take is multivitamins. >> reporter: and while most swear by them, we reached out to more than a dozen doctors around the country for their thoughts, asking, does a dietary supplement always improve health? most of the doctors we spoke to said no. >> taking a dietary supplement may improve health in some cases but not very many. some supplements are beneficial. a few are harmful. and most don't make a lot of difference. >> reporter: so what do make a difference? the doctors say evidence shows folic acid can help prevent birth defects. calcium and vitamin d help with bone health. and how do they feel about a multivitamin? most doctors said, save you

but tonight, sharyn alfonsi goes on the trail, your clues sent her on a mission that could have a bigayoff. >> reporter: they always aim high. but we heard from a viewer, steven in d.c., that the air force needed help from us on a mission -- finding u.s. suppliers for construction projects. they're under orders to buy american-made products, but can't find certain screws, hardware and light bulbs still made here. but then we heard from leo, another viewer, about sylvania, st. marys, pennsylvania. the only place still making light bulbs in the u.s. >> i take great pride in our company that they did stick it out and stayed in the united states. >> reporter: they turned out incandescent light bulbs here for 100 years. but recently, the government announced it's phasing them out. they're not energy efficient. workers here feared they'd be out of a job if they didn't come up with a new idea quickly. so they did. creating a high tech halogen bulb, but hidden in the old fashioned shape. and this bulb not only saves electricity, it also saved 700 jobs. >> our secret is that we just never gave

here's sharyn alfonsi on what's new. what you do. >> reporter: the pictures of a cute, chubby kid only tells part of the story. michael praeger says he didn't just overeat. >> i was stealing to get food, both food and money to get food. there was never really enough for me. >> reporter: but now a new study reveals why some of us can't stop eating. it's not willpower. it's a real addiction, and it has to do with the way our brains are wired. researchers asked women a series of questions. did they feel sluggish, anxious or withdrawn about food? then they were shown a picture of a chocolate milk shake. when a healthy woman saw it a part of the brain that deals with anticipation, called the caudate, does not respond. the picture doesn't trigger any cravings. though when a food addict saw the milk shake picture, that same part of the brain lights up. they have to have it, craving it like a drug. then the women were given an actual taste of the milkshake. with normal women, the part of the brain that shows you're satiated ligh

and what is sharyn alfonsi silkscreening here?e company is hiring and proudly saying made in america. all this week on "world news." >>> and when we come back here, the elephant giving whole new meaning to "don't mess with grandma." host: would foghorn leghorn make a really bad book narrator? foghorn (stammering): it was the best of times, it was the wor - i say worst of times. and by worst i'm talkin' as bad, i say, as bad as my aunt ginny's corn puddin'. that stuff'll sink you like a stne. engineer: ok that was a little... foghorn: you gettin' all this in there son? i just added that last part it's called "adlibbin..."anyway...it was, isay it was... vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. with heart-related chest pain or a heart attack known as acs, you may not want to face the fact that you're at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps protect people with acs against heart attack or stroke: people like you. it's one of the most researched prescription medicines. goes beyond what they do

here's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: their sales pitch, eat fresh.some of those fresh sandwiches are also full of sodium. you're supposed to have 2,300 milligrams a day. basically, a teaspoon. but a single meatball marinara sub has more than the recommended amount for the entire day. the spicy italian, even more than that. subway is slashing the sodium on all of its sandwiches. but cutting back isn't always easy. salt is everywhere. >> ooh, ooh. >> reporter: so this is, what? >> 890 milligrams. for one tablespoon. >> reporter: jane dipero was surprised at the sodium in her staples. >> that's a lot. >> reporter: yeah. >> 900 milligrams for one cube. >> reporter: even that can of tomatoes had a day's worth of sodium. and what would you do with these? >> well, i'm cooking with them and i'm probably adding salt to the recipe as i'm cooking. probably i am. >> reporter: which is why most americans break the teaspoon rule and consume a teaspoon and a half a day. enough salt to fill a two liter bottle a year. but why does it matter? well, when you have too m

sharyn alfonsi has a look at the numbers. >> reporter: these triplets are healthy today.te. but hours after they were born, little taylee flatlined in her mother's arms. >> i looked down and taylee went purple. she was purple. it was like she died in my arms. she just stopped breathing. >> reporter: turns out a nurse mistakenly gave her an iv of morphine intended for her mother. >> there should be no way that a very mall small iv line of a 4 1/2-pound baby should be confused with that of a full-grown woman. that should not happen. >> reporter: according to researchers mistakes like that are more common than we realize. they looked at 795 patient records, following the method most hospitals use to report mistakes, they found just 35 errors. when they used a new, more comprehensive computerized method, they found a stunning 354 mistakes, ten times as many, the very same records. the most common? medication errors. the wrong dosing, the wrong medicine, followed by mistakes in surgical procedures, from leaves surgical tools inside of the body to operating on the wrong parts o

our sharyn alfonsi is taking a closer look. >> reporter: liam messer, cory sims and the couple's youngty show, "between mom 2." in all the drama, ups and downs, the show's finale ended with the couple getting married. >> i now pronounce you husband and wife. you may kiss your bride. >> marriage to me is a big commitment. if i take that, it's going to be forever. >> reporter: now, tabloids report just six months after the wedding, the two are getting divorced. friends telling the tabloids, arguments about money and alleged infidelity took their toll. the show has been a hit for mtv and a lightning rod for controversy. critics say it glorifies teen pregnancy. the girls often grace the covers of tabloids, right next to movie stars. another teen mom was recently arrested after she was captured on tape in this fight. this teen mom faces domestic violence charges. >> i think these girls are often impulsive. they don't have good judgment. i think it's really critical that grown-ups around teen moms support them. >> mtv had no comment on the divorce news. but plans to continue the "teen mom" f

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> take the tipping out of it.n online grocery service. >> right in this area. i was one of those supermarket guys, load up the trunk with 18,000 plastic bags but ordering online is easy. the prices aren't that bad. it's so convenient not to deal with the crowds. >> i like to go to the grocery store, pick out my stuff and especially vegetables, i like to do it myself but then again you're time strapped it's a great solution. >> i don't want to get off the couch. >> just wait for the doorbell to ring. >> that's a shocker. >>> the people who make investor's dreams come true. >> if you have a fantastic idea for a product, well, they can make it a reality. we will show you exactly how it is done, more "world news now" in 60 seconds. is done, more "world news now" in 60 seconds. d cuit@am@abch@ d u >>> well, maybe you're up right now in the middle of the night sitting on the next big thing, your big idea. maybe you've got the best idea for an invention that will change the world and you're just waiting for somebody to h

. >>> now, to sharyn alfonsi with the news this morning. >> good morning, everyone. the state department is urging americans to leave syria as soon as possible because of the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. hundreds have been killed. the white house is threatening new sanctions, calling syria's crackdown deplorable. >>> a surprise in the race 2012. mississippi governor, haley barbour, has decided not to run for president. as republicans struggle to find a front-runner, texas congressman, ron paul, is expected to form a committee today to explore his second presidential run. >>> nfl players are being told to report to work, a day after a federal judge granted their request to end a six-week lockout by owners. however, the labor dispute and next season remain up in the air because owners are already appealing the ruling. >>> and finally, beauty that's truly in the eye of the beholder. they have wrinkles and a killer overbite. but in a didn't stop 50 slobbering dogs from getting all dolled up at drake university's beautiful bulldog contest. the third ti

sharyn alfonsi has the scoop. >> reporter: if we are what we wear, many of us are confused. >> i actually 0 to sometimes a 4. >> i'm a size 2 all the way up to a size 6. >> reporter: the problem, that as much as the number's tied to our psyche, sizing is arbitrary. there is no true standard. consider a woman with a 27-inch waist. in marc jacobs she'd wear an 8 or a 10 but at chico's that same woman is a triple 0. but now this device will size you up, literally. it's called my best fit. shoppers stand in this kiosk in the middle of the mall. >> step on inside. >> reporter: and assume the position. think tsa minus the fun pat-down. the machine scans your body recording 200,000 different body measurements. customers receive a printout of what style and size would fit best for them at what store. i decided to try it out. i just need a little silent prayer. i feel like i should have got spray tanned in there or something. and then waited for my results. i feel like i'm getting my report card and the news isn't good. so is the idea is now it will tell me what jeans should probably fit me. do i

for "good morning america," sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >>> and joining us now, selena drexel, and her husband, dr. todd drexel, from their home in bowling green, kentucky. thank you very much for getting up and being with us this morning. i know it's very important for you to talk about this. can you just give us a little more background, selena? i know you also have a 9-year-old, grace, 2-year-old caroline. they with were us, too. walk us through what happened, selena. >> we were leaving new orleans from a family vacation. and when we proceeded to go through the security line, we were selected to go through the new screening procedures. anna was picked to go through. pretty much everybody except the baby was picked to go through the scanner. for some reason anna was selected for a pat-down. i can only speculate as to why. i didn't get a lot of information. although, i did ask questions as to why she was being selected for pat-down. i didn't really get a lot of information. i did ask for alternatives. i asked for her to be rescanned and was refused. >> they didn't -- >> i cho

sharyn alfonsi has the story. >> reporter: she is fighting breast cancer and wondering if supplementsly routine. >> do they make you feel better? >> yeah, i've been taking them for years and part of it is a calcium supplement. >> reporter: more than half of all americans, sick or healthy, now take at least one supplement. >> i take b, c, e. >> i take fish oils and i take a multiple. >> the only thing i ever take are multivitamins. >> reporter: and while most swear by them we reached out to more than a dozen doctors around the country for their thoughts. asking, does a dietary supplement always improve health? most of the doctors we spoke to said, no. >> taking a dietary supplement may improve health in some cases, but not very many. some dietary supplements are beneficial. a few are harmful. and most don't make a lot of difference. >> reporter: so what are some the supplements that do make a difference? the doctors say, evidence shows folic acid can help prevent birth defects, calcium and vitamin d improve bone health, and how do they feel about a multivitamin? the most of our doctors

let's go back inside and upstairs to sharyn alfonsi. sharyn? >> reporter: good morning, robin.ut it wasn't until she checked herself into a mental health facility, that she found out she was bipolar. looking every bit the movie star, catherine zeta-jones and her daughter shopping. the first time the actress has been photographed since being treated for bipolar disorder. she's featured in this week's "people" magazine. friends reportedly telling the magazine that catherine had been struggling with bouts of depression, even before her husband, actor michael douglas, was diagnosed with cancer. and that she sought help because she's about to film a new movie. >> i think she looked at michael and said, we've been given a second chance. i want to be healthy and happy and celebrate our life together. and this was really a step to do that. >> reporter: friends telling the magazine that catherine was functioning on a high level. sad, but struggling. >> what initially they thought was depression, and only found out that when she went to this hospital, that it's bipolar ii disorder. very

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> no matter what, it will be a spectacle for a lot of people. c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c

. >>> i'm joined by sharyn alfonsi right now. we've seen some of the pictures at the top of the program. sharyn, but as we see in so many of these crises, home video that really gives a feel for what was happening on the ground. >> we've been covering all of that video. it's unbelievable, the sights and the sounds, not just from storm chases. but people on the roads and in their home, awe struck, the cameras rolling. >> we're going to stay with this as long as we keep power. >> reporter: as the storm came in. >> this is the creepiest thing i've ever seen. it's just about to hit the airport. >> reporter: realization, this was not a typical storm. >> this is an extraordinarily dangerous storm. >> reporter: an ominous boom in the distance. >> we should go. holy -- we should go. >> reporter: some witnesses, gripped by the power of the storm, couldn't turn away. >> look, baby. there's the tornado. do you see it? >> where? >> there. >> wow. >> that's crazy. >> that is huge. >> it's carrying debris with it. >> reporter: the damage, comin

sharyn alfonsi has more on the groundbreaking study. we all think we have a past now.: a lot of people think that a food addiction isn't a true addiction. they think it's lack of willpower. there's new research that shows that food addicts are wired differently. we see in a new series, that addiction can often be just as powerful, just as debill tating as a drug addiction. >> my name is robby. i'm 50 years old. i'm 150 pounds overweight. >> reporter: the painful process of treating food addiction is part of a new series on the oprah winfrey network called "addicted to food." and it provides rare access into this desperate struggle. >> you know what we trade here? we call it the big "c." we treat control. >> reporter: it's not just a matter of willpower. it's biology. people addicted to food have similar activity in their brains as people who are addicted to drug or alcohol. these scans are of a brain of a food addict that's been shown pictures of a milkshake. the part of the brain that lights up deal with anticipation. it releases cravings in the same section of the br