a blessing, a blessing. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm steve osunsami in phil campbell, alabama. >a blessing. thanks to steve for that. and finally tonight, a look ahead. tomorrow night on "20/20," barbara walters will have a fascinating hour on four people who made billions all from humble beginnings, how big ideas created hugely successful companies and thousands of jobs. among them, this man, the driving force behind cirque du soleil. his latest production is set to the music of michael jackson. ♪ billie jean ♪ is not my lover

steve osunsami, abc news, hackleburg, alabama. >> buy more wrang learns.. we're always on at abcnews.com. and don't forget, barbara walters will have much more with her interview with bernie madoff on "nightline" later. i'll see you tomorrow on "gma." have a good night.

abc's steve osunsami is in steele, alabama. >> reporter: for the hispanic students we met in jefferson county, alabama, today's court ruling brings relief. some of them are undocumented and for now, the schools can't report them to police. but for their parents, who work on the farms and in the factories, the law still stands. their employ years have to report their citizenship, and police can stop and detain them at will. >> the new immigration law is going to put us out of business if we don't get some help. >> reporter: in the heart of tomato country, hispanic workers are walking off the job and leaving the state in fear. phillip and jeffrey smith have lost half their people. today, their crop is dying on the vine. and they're racing to pick as much as they can before more workers leave. a lot of people seem to think, or hope, that you can find other people to do this work. >> it's not that easy. they can't take the hours and they -- and honestly, they can't take the heat. >> we tried a different way, you know, tried to like, get american people, you know, to help right here but the

steve osunsami, abc news, hackleburg, alabama. >> i think it's time to buy some more wranglers.we're always on at abcnews.com. and don't forget, barbara walters will have much more from her interview with bernie madoff on "nightline" later. i'll see you tomorrow >>> occupy oak ln. the city backs off it's get tough policy. >> and tear gases and bean bags. tactics in clearing streets. was it for nudge something. >> this man claims he was beaten up by plain clothed cops. he's the one facing charges. it's an i team report. >> and today's cars, tomorrow's technology. an interview with a top man at ford. >> sky 7 is live over the plaza tonight. the occupy oakland protesters are regrouping once again. the city has changed its mind about trying to force them out. and throughout the day, for tents have been popping up with no resistance there is a live look and protesters moving into the amphitheater for a meeting that may have a special guest. and laura anthony is live with the latest. laura? >> tents are back and so are several hundred demonstrators. they have b

abc's steve osunsami has details. >> reporter: she has a history of not showing up for hearings, violating probation and going back to jail. and lindsay lohan can repeat herself again. an l.a. county judge wants to know why she finished so little community service since may. 21 hours of the 480 hours she's supposed to finish by next april. lohan was sentenced after she pleaded no contest to stealing a necklace from a jewelry store. >> lindsay's attitude continues to blow these things off. to ignore her obligation to engage in counseling. >> reporter: at the women's shelter where she was ordered to serve, they haven't seen much of her. at her current rate, she'll need 114 months, a whole 9 1/2 years, to finish her sentence. >> she's testing everybody's patience. and pretty soon, the judge has no alternative but to send her to jail. >> reporter: if she doubles down and puts in just 19 hours a week, she'll make it in time. and if she worked at least 40 hours a week, she'd be finished in january. >> these people, time and time again, enter rehab. and don't understand the consequences. got to d

for "good morning america," steve osunsami, abc news. >> dan, i know one of the centers where lindsay's supposed to be volunteering asked that she not come back. >> can you imagine? >> how does that affect her sentence? >> she's been transferred effectively from the women's shelter to the red cross. but think about what that says. they need volunteers there, right? they they're saying no thank you. you've become too unreliable. one of the areas of the sentence is she has to serve it in four-hour blocks. she can't just show up for half an hour, an hour here. that's been another one of the problems. >> she can't seem to catch a break. so many people rooting for her. but finds herself in trouble once again. >> maybe we her own fault. >> that's right. >>> are your hands shaking? >> from the coffee? >> you coffee lovers, put your coffee cup down and brace yourself. what you're about to see, may be emotionally disturbing. an expert in the field has a dire warning. and abc's barbara pinto has that story. >> here, pickers such as juan valdez pick their coffee with pride. >> reporter: imagine ju

steve osunsami heard from their relatives and the man who finally helped them get to safety. >> reporteren-foot waves. and they were treading water for 20 miserable hours. >> rained all night. that's a long night, man. >> reporter: only two of the women and the 4-year-old girl were wearing life jackets. those two took turns holding on to a floating, blue cooler. and they took turns holding the girl, holding her hand. making sure she was okay. >> could have lost my whole family in one boat. >> reporter: their 79-year-old grandmother is still missing this morning and presumed dead. she's the only one who never made it to a life vest. when the boat capsized, the three men were not wearing life jackets. their jackets were under the boat. and one of them had to take the risk, swim below and get them. it's sheer luck that on sunday afternoon, there were fishing men out. they spotted the hull of their boat and called for help. >> we tied a rope on the back of the boat. and the guys swam one over at a time. >> it was all sinking in. and all of the ladies simultaneously started crying. >> reporte

abc's steve osunsami has the story of one georgia mother's agonizing decision. >> reporter: it was ae some people on the ground yelling for her not to do it. but with a fire raging at her door and smoke filling her apartment, she says she and her children had only one way out, this third-floor window. >> it's scary. i was going back and forth. >> reporter: her fiance is a roofer. and had the rope, seen in this cell phone video, lying around the apartment in suburban atlanta. in the video, she had it tied around her 3-year-old daughter, jada. >> i tried to get my body as far out the window. i dropped him gently. and he landed gently. and he is just fine. >> reporter: lawrence caught the girl in a big, fluffy coat. he promised he would catch her. >> i promised her i would catch her. so, i had to catch the baby. >> reporter: but what the video doesn't show, is she did this three times. first, with her son, harvey, and with her mother. brown said the ordeal lasted 15 minutes but felt like an eternity. >> my kids came through. and that's all that matters. >> reporter: for "good morning am

now, the gift of life is proof that the town is marking a new chapter, as abc's steve osunsami foundthis looked like it did that day. >> yes. >> reporter: this morning, mitchell and amanda johns are amazed they ever survived this. exactly six months ago, an incredibly large tornado was bearing down on their home, shredding it to pieces. amanda was five months ago. her husband and her mother were trying to hold on to this concrete floor. >> and the whole, entire time i kept thinking to myself, i need to put myself in a fetal position to at least save my baby. >> reporter: all three were thrown from the home. her mother and 26 others in town were killed. her husband ended up in a coma. and amanda was screaming for help, realizing she was losing the baby. >> i immediately tell them i'm five months pregnant. and they done an ultrasound. and discovered that i had a hole in my placenta. where something had punctured me. >> reporter: but their story would take a miraculous turn. in a few, short days, the wound that threatened the baby's life, suddenly healed on its own. and on september 1st