steve osunsami is in jackson. >> reporter: we have searched high and low for former governor haley barbour of mississippi. he's not spoke an public word since the release of some 200 prisoners. there's a fire storm of controversy here in mississippi. even though the courts have stepped in to try to put the pardons on hold, four convicted murders were set free and no one knows where they are. the victims of the families involved in those cases are furious. one person said she thought that governor barbour was a coward for not talking to the families directly. >> i can't understand how a man that has children of his own could do this. >> reporter: the courts have now stepped in and put a pause on the process. they're asking on the 23rd, the inmates who have been released, to return. but the mississippi attorney general who has been leading this effort says there's really not much he can do. they are free men. and are entitled to go where they please. steve osunsami, abc news, jackson, mississippi. >>> now we turn to the republican battle for south carolina. the first signs this morning of so

steve osunsami, abc news, center point, alabama. >> steve will report live from alabama later today on "good morning america." >>> well, the first of three public memorials for legendary head coach from penn state joe paterno takes place today. smaller tributes are cropping up as well. like the impromtu shrine near his statue on campus. >>> divers have recovered two more bodies. the number of dead is now 15. on top of that, at least 17 people are still missing. including a retired minnesota couple barbara and jerry heil. the cruise line is offering a 30% discount on future cruises to the people that were on board. >>> time for the weather across the nation. a quieter and milder day across the country. one severe patch in texas, oklahoma, and louisiana. light snow in buffalo and rochester. a new storm in the pacific northwest brings more rain and a flood threat. >> it will be 45 in seattle. 59 in sacramento, 66 in l.a. dallas, 62, miami, 81. in the east, 10 to 15 degrees above normal. seasonal ever where else. >> the goal is to get where it's yellow not blue on the map, right? >> amen.

abc's steve osunsami in alabama reports on the freakish, frightening new weather pattern. steve. >> reporter: good evening, diane. it feels like we've been here before -- and we have. the tornado that hit here last night destroyed some of the same homes that were hit the last go-around. families who lived here were lucky to get out alive. it was so terribly frightening -- in the middle of the night, the sound of sirens sent families across alabama out of their beds. and then came the sounds of the tornado, with wind speeds clocked at 150 miles an hour, faster than a high-speed train. >> there it is. >> reporter: twisting giant trees, flattening neighborhoods, cutting a deadly path. >> it's total destruction. >> it was an experience for me. i don't want to go through it again. >> reporter: more than 100 people were hurt. some trapped in their homes. like this one, where 86-year-old bobby sims lost his life. and 16 year old christina heichelneck was also killed. she was an honor student and sang in her high school choir. her friends say she sang like an angel. what were you d

steve osunsami is in jefferson county, alabama. >> reporter: what happened here?nn and jim adams are struggling to understand why. why them? why their home was destroyed in the tornadoes last april. and why it happened again. >> we're probably more terrified this time than the first time. >> yeah. >> because we knew what was fixing to happen. >> reporter: this time, most of the walls held. but every window shattered, sending them running for cover. >> we were on the floor. and we think, what have i done to deserve this again? >> reporter: the adams and so many other families here had time to get to their safe place. >> a tornado warning. >> reporter: because the warnings came early. >> the western corner of the state. >> reporter: the forecasters began spreading the word last thursday. two people were killed and there were many injuries. authorities tell us tornadoes that strike at night often kill more. families were glued to their smartphones. michael rogers had an alert on his that woke him up. since monday, 20,000 people here have downloaded the app and signed

here's abc's steve osunsami on what barbour is saying tonight. >> reporter: we've been chasing the former mississippi governor for days. at a speech event in florida, his home in mississippi, and his offices here, as well. >> leave now or i'm going to call the police. >> reporter: and today, he finally showed up and gave everyone an earful. he stood by every one of the pardons, including the four convicted murderers he set free. >> i am very comfortable with the decisions i made during my term of governor as to clemency. >> reporter: he did not apologize one bit. saying that he's a religious man who believers in forgiveness and second chances. and for the more than 200 people he pardoned this week, some of them murderers, rapists and thieves, his pardon is their second chance. barbour says he understands the emotions behind the outrage over his decision. families like the relatives of tammy ellis, who was shot dead by an estranged husband who is now free. families who call him a coward. but he says, the state shouldn't be delivering revenge. of all the 200 pardons he issued, much of the a

steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >>> and still ahead tonight, we have new details on an amazing rescue, ten brave strangers climb nothing freezing waters turning a car right side up, firing a gun into a window to pull out three children. >>> and the woman whose voice vanished for 30 years speaking tonight all because of a story she saw right here that changed her life. sometimes investing opportunities are hard to spot. you have to dig a little. fidelity's etf market tracker shows you the big picture on how different asset classes are performing, and it lets you go in for a closer look at areas within a class or sector that may be bucking a larger trend. i'm stephen hett of fidelity investments. the etf market tracker is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. climb nothing freezing waters dy and explore your next investing idea. when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic

steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >>> and tonight, the u.s. marine corps is going public about a controversial video that has surfaced online. it appears to show marines desecrating the corpses of taliban fighters. we should emphasize the authenticity of the video has not been verified. but the marines released a statement today saying, a full investigation is under way. and those responsible will be held accountable for their actions. >>> and a note from the crisis on the streets of syria tonight. one of those outside monitors who traveled into the country to observe what is really happening on the ground quit the mission in disgust. telling al-jazeera, he had witnessed, quote, scenes of horror, that he felt powerless to prevent. he called the mission in syria, a farce. >>> and still ahead here on "world news," michelle obama speaking out about that bombshell book and the portrayal of her that she says is all wrong. >>> sleepless in america. so many women who spend the day exhausted. a disorder they may not know they have. >>> and the alaska

steve osunsami, jackson, mississippi. >>> so many americans have served valiantly in afghanistan. and they, too, are learning more about the four men, u.s. marines, seen in that disturbing video, causing so much concern. as they seem to desecrate the bodies of taliban fighters. we're told these four americans will likely be charged next week and could face jail time. abc's martha raddatz has the latest on who they are. martha? >> reporter: diane, we're finding out more about these marines. and it is disturbing. two of the marines were noncommissioned officers. sergeants, probably in their mid-20s. after all their years of training, they should have been the ones saying, this is wrong. the marine corps has now identified and interviewed all four marines in the video, the two older ones and two younger. but they are now looking for the marine who videotaped the scene, the person who posted the video to youtube. aside from the criminal charges the marines could face, the marine corps will take a hard look at where leadership failed. >> when you're in a combat zone, the things that yo

here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter: they are reeling in mississippi. and the pardon no one can forgive is david gatlin, who shot his wife dead with their son in their arms. he walked out of jail before the courts could step in. tonight, no one knows where he is. >> this was a cold-blooded, well thoughtout, premeditated murder. >> reporter: his wife's sister worries he's coming back to the family to finish the deed. she says governor barbour is a coward for freeing these men and then disappearing. >> he just didn't know. now, i think he didn't care. i think he doesn't care. >> reporter: it's now clear that gatlin and three other convicted murderers were given a get out of jail free card because they worked in the governor's kitchen and washed his cars. today, lawmakers here are searching for ways to block the 4 pardons of those convicted murderers, as well as the nearly 200 other pardons barbour issued on his way out of office. >> the public just doesn't get it. i don't get it, either. haley's done a lot of great things. but i'm afraid, in the large mea

steve osunsami, abc news, jackson, mississippi. >> yeah, this morning jackson's "clarion ledger" saidpected to return to prison because none of them met deadlines to publish announcements about their requests for pardons. typically, you know, the governor has to give a heads-up to the families and also to the authorities that this is going to happen. it just kind of came out of the blue. >> so some legal technicalities may bring them back -- but honestly, coward's the right word. you can't let murderers out and at least oust respect to the victims not say this is why i did it, this was my rationale, and beyond that kind of ridiculous rationale of well, they worked in the governor's mansion so, that's tradition in our state that we let them go. i think the people are owed more than that. we'll see if haley barbour comes out of hiding, mans up to his strong rhetoric reputation, and we'll see how it plays out. >>> now to florida where an 82-year-old man ended an apparent robbery attempt by shooting and killing the intruder. charles robbins did not hesitate when he heard some banging arou

steve osunsami, abc news, jackson, mississippi. >>> let's go to ron claiborne with the other headlines. >> good morning, everybody. we begin with politics and "your voice, your vote." the uphill climb facing the republican candidates. chasing mitt romney is a little bit steep they are morning. a federal judge had denied a lawsuit by rick perry and three other candidates to have their names added to the virginia ballots. he said they should have applied for this before they were not on the ballot. >>> former hopeful john edwards trial has been delayed because he has a serious heart condition. edwards will undergo a procedure next month. the condition could be life-threatening if not treated. this is the third time his federal trial has been delayed. >>> and the u.s. marine corps is still trying to find out the person who took this video. it shows four marines urinating on the bodies of dead taliban fighters. the marines have interviewed the four men in the video. charges are expected to be field against them next week. they've launched an investigation into the culture of the marines. t

families of the victims wish he had talked to them firssteve steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >>> president obama is back at the white house. after a quick campaign fund-raising trip to his hometown. they can't give up in the battle to win the white house for another four years. after the official events, the president made a surprise visit to his old home. mr. obama confidently told his neighbors, i won't be back to this house for another five years. >>> meanwhile, mitt romney opened his south carolina primary campaign by blasting the president for being silent when it comes to the threat posed by iran. he acknowledged the nearly 10% unemployme unemployment rate. he holds an event there before heading to florida. >>> newt gingrich is out with a new web ad attacking romney. it's called for the dogs. gingrich was criticizing romney's business practices. he released a tv ad that portrays romney as a flip-flopper. >>> the armed services are investigating reports that a video of soldiers urinating on the corpse of a soldier is real. the u.s. is denying it had anything to do with the assassinati

abc's steve osunsami has been on the story from the beginning. >> reporter: former mississippi governor haley barbour defended the more than 200 pardons he issued on his way out of office this week saying he believed in forgiveness and second chances. >> i'm very comfortable and totally at peace with these pardons. >> reporter: a popular governor, he now finds himself defending the murderers and rapists that he set free. >> these powers are given to the governor by the constitution. i'm fully confident that these pardons and other clemency are all valid. >> reporter: mississippi's attorney general is trying to block the pardons and is taking the issue to court. but five men, four of them convicted murderers who cooked and cleaned at the governor's mag mansion have been set free. barbour says he doesn't believe they're a danger to anyone. he let them play with his grandchildren at the mansion. >> they're no threat to society. that's what i would say to the public of mississippi. >> reporter: one of those men, david gatlin was sentenced to life for murdering his estranged wife. he shot he

steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >> i know it's a political tradition.fore you leave office sits well with anybody regardless of what side of the aisle you sit on. it never passes the smell test. >> from 200. and previously he had only issued five pardons and three indefinite suspensions in eight years as governor. so that kind of puts it in context. but some of these guys that he did pardon, it was just kind of a way to clear their record, these guys were members of society. they were signing in and out. so they kind of had been released. so -- >> it was more of a gesture than a pardon in some cases. >> yes, just to clear their record. >> interesting, though. >> but you can understand that the families would want some sort of heads-up. >> if you're the victim a different perspective. real quick, too, barbour is now going to join a law firm in mississippi, also a washington lobbying firm. he's going to write about his experiences during hurricane katrina as well. so he will still be making some bucks now that he's out of office. >>> police in maine say t

steve osunsami, abc news, jackson. >>> now, we have a bright note for anyone looking to buy or refinance a home. the average rate on a 30-years fixed mortgage fell to 3.89%, the lowest rate since 1971. and the rate for a 15-year fixed mortgage is now down to 3.16%. >>> we turn, next, to the fallout from that disturbing video, showing u.s. marines desecrating the bodies of their taliban enemies. we learned today who the americans are and when this reportedly happened. and voices from all sides are speaking out about what should happen next. abc's martha raddatz has been looking into this all day. martha? >> reporter: diane, the pentagon has spent all day trying to find out who these marines are, where they're from. and tonight, success. the marine corps has now identified these four marines as part of the 3rd battalion 2nd marines from camp lejeune, north carolina. they have names of two of the marines and are looking for i.d.s on the others. these are not just any marines. they are elite, highly-trained scout snipers. the four are seen not only urinating on dead, bloodied insurgents. but

here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter: in mississippi today, they came searching for haley barbour, who issued a mountain of pardons. it felt like a knife in the back to the victims of who's loved ones were killed, caped and robbed by the men and women set free. 40-year-old david gatlin received one of the last minute pardons in 1993 he killed his estranged wife. her mother marched up to the state capital, hoping to get some answers. >> i can't understand how a man that has children of his could do this. >> reporter: governor barbour was long gone. randy walker was shot in the head by one of the pardoned men, did find the new governor, sworn in hours after the pardons were issued. >> this, again, has given mississippi a black eye. >> reporter: some of the pardons were for prisoners assigned to cook and clean at the governor's mansion. the attorney general said he would try to block the pardons, arguing that the state constitution requires 30 days to know beforehand. and that didn't happen. we went looking for barbour. and found he is beginning his life in florida. why he may have r

steve osunsami, abc news, clay, alabama. >> those people will need a lot of help to recover indeed.nd actually, speaking of that, more evidence these days that americans may be the most generous people on the planet. despite the sluggish economy, we actually gave away nearly $347 billion last year to our favorite causes. that's up 7.5% from the year before, believe it or not. americans will open their wallets to just about anyone in need, but the bulk of those donations go to religious organizations. >> you did ask for my credit card. i'll give it to you after the show. >> yes, i need to get a new car. >>> the northern lights were in full effect over the skies of scandinavia last night thanks to the largest solar storm in six years. and scientists say we should expect more action from the sun in the coming months and years. here's abc's gina sunseri. >> reporter: think of it as sort of a tsunami in space moving at nearly 5 million miles an hour. this massive chunk of the sun's atmosphere hurtled toward earth as a huge ball of plasma, which flattened out into sort of a pancake shape

steve osunsami, abc news, center point, alabama. >> and it was just last april we saw another line ofete devastation. and in may it will be one year since the joplin, missouri tornado that obviously was just crippling to that community as well. so it's been a rough, rough weather spell the last year. >> and i'm just trying to imagine 150-mile-per-hour winds in the middle of the night out of nowhere. >> it's the sound bite you always hear, but it's so true. it sounds like a freight train coming right through your town. it's scary. so our thoughts are with you guys this morning. >>> the threat to the south is over today. much quieter for most of the country. a bit of snow in buffalo and rochester. the most active area will be parts of texas, oklahoma, and louisiana, with the threat of strong thunderstorms, some rain in southern new mexico and in the pacific northwest. >> 42 in portland, 66 in l.a., 41 in salt lake, 24 in minneapolis. dallas at 62. new orleans 71. 81 in miami. and along the east coast we'll be 10 to 15 degrees above normal. sounds good. atlanta, meanwhile, 66. big apple

steve osunsami. sam with more on this in a moment. >>> the supreme court has ruled the police must obtain search warrants before using gps to track suspects. >>> and now, the first public memorial for former penn state football coach joe paterno. it will be held today on the penn state campus. paterno's son is assuring fans his father was at peace before he died. >>> dangerous scene here in massachusetts. family, including a 3-year-old boy, fell through the pond. firefighters got there. several of them fell in themselves in the process of the rescue. they did manage to pull the boy out, then his parents, then all of them. all were treated for hypothermia. >>> finally, a much-needed spelling lesson outside this s-c-h-o-o-l. some say ewe tutility crews did. others say school officials had that there for months. i'm ocd about that. that would have driven me -- i would have painted it myself. >> no spell-check on the streets. >> where is autocorrect when you need it? >>> now to the standoff between airpo

steve osunsami, abc news, clay, alabama. >> those people will need a lot of help to recover indeed. and actually, speaking of that, more evidence these days that americans may be the most generous people on the planet. despite the sluggish economy, we actually gave away nearly $347 billion last year to our favorite causes. that's up 7.5% from the year before, believe it or not. americans will open their wallets to just about anyone in need, but the bulk of those donations go to religious organizations. >> you did ask for my credit card p. i'll give it to you after the show. >> yes, i need to get a new car. >>> the northern lights were in full effect over the skies of scandinavia last night thanks to the largest solar storm in six years. and scientists say we should expect more action from the sun in the coming months and years. here's abc's gina sunseri. >> reporter: think of it as sort of a tsunami in space moving at nearly 5 million miles an hour. this massive chunk of the sun's atmosphere hurtled toward earth as a huge ball of plasma, which flattened out into sort of a pancake sh

steve osunsami, abc news. >> very important issue, a polarizing one.easons there. >> a lot of folks chiming in on facebook on this one. >> a lot of fans, viewers. >> they're not really fans. >> no, they don't like us. that's part of what is wrong in the first place, parents working all of the time. deborah murray says yikes our children don't feed themselves. i would hate for children to get that in their head at such a young age. as parents we must give our children the tools to thrive. >> you know what, kids do kind of feed themselves if the parents aren't around. the onus on us to have healthy choices in the cupboard and in the cabinet or else put them too high. my kids can't reach anything. >> put them way high. if you look at the stats. first, second graders, high blood pressure. a third of the children obese. clearly a problem. the thing that heightens the discussion probably is a good thing. may not like the ad campaign. it is a legitimate issue and a real problem across the country. hopefully this gets some action down. scary. >> a lot of peopl

abc's steve osunsami tracked down some survivors to find out how they knew what to do. >> so what happened here? >> reporter: ann and jim adams are struggling to find out why. why them. why their home of 33 years was destroyed in the tornados last april and why it happened again. this time most of the walls held but every window shattered, sending them running for cover. >> we were in this closet. >> we were on the floor. >> reporter: the adams and so many other families here had time to get to their safe place. >> tornado warning -- >> reporter: because the warnings came early. >> in the western corner of the state. >> reporter: their trusted forecasters started spreading the word last thursday, days before the storm. while two people were killed and there were many injuries, authorities told us tornadoes that strike at night often kill more. this time families were glued to their smartphones. michael rogers received a tornado alert on his that woke him up. since monday 20,000 people here have downloaded the app and signed on to similar services. >> because it's loud enough to alert you a

. >> reporter: steve osunsami, abc news, jackson, mississippi. >>> let's go to ron claiborne with the other headlines. >> good morning, everybody. we begin with politics and "your voice, your vote." the uphill climb facing the republican candidates. a lawsuit was denied by a judge to rick perry and other candidates to have their names added to the virginia ballot. >>> former hopeful john edwards trial has been delayed because he has a serious heart condition. edwards will undergo a procedure next month. the condition could be life-threatening if not treat t. >>> and the u.s. marine corps is still trying to find out the person who took this video. the marines have interviewed the four men in the video. charges are expected to be field against them next week. they've launched an investigation into the culture of the marines. >>> a sad ending to the search for the missing montana mother who went jogging last saturday and never came home. shorts say sherri arnold is dead and two men are being questioned in regards to her death. >> reporter: this was not the update the people of sidney had

steve osunsami. sam will have much more on this in just moments. >>> meanwhile, a huge blow to law enforcement. the supreme court has ruled the police must obtain search warrants before using gps to track criminal suspects. the justices as warn that they'll be staying on top of technology to uphold privacy rights. >>> and now, the first public memorial for former penn state football coach joe paterno. it will be held today on the penn state campus. paterno's son, meanwhile, is assuring fans that his father was at peace before he died. was not brokenhearted over being fired, as many had feared. >>> a dangerous rescue scene here in massachusetts. a family, including a 3-year-old boy fell into that icy ponsd. fell through that ice. firefighters got there. several of them fell in themselves in the process of the rescue. they did manage to pull the boy out, then his parents, then all of them. all were treated for hypothermia. >>> finally, a much needed spelling lesson outside this new york s-c-h-o-o-l. ta

steve osunsami has the latest. good morning to you, steve. >> reporter: good morning, josh. a judge has been asked to send notices to the prison inmates that have already been released. warning them their pardons could be investigated and they shouldn't go far. families across the state are outraged and terrified. overnight, a state judge blocked 21 of the pardons temporarily. four men convicted of murder have already been released. they don't have to tell anyone where they're going. >> a lot of pain and heart ache for us. >> reporter: 40-year-old david gatlin is one of the men set free. he's accused of killing his estranged wife and shooting this man in his head. >> the governor has to look me and the family in the eye and say, hey, i'm going let this guy go. there wasn't any of that. that's the coward's way out if you ask me. >> reporter: the new governor is trying to calm nerves. >> i had an aunt that was kidnapped, raped, and murdered. i'm a former deputy sheriff. i don't think anyone will have to worry in the future about me pardoning anyone. >> reporter: overnight, hal