city, this is "nightline," december 28th, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm terry moran. well, with all of the expensive airport frenzy at the holidays, your travel dollar might not feel like it goes as far as it used to, but tonight you're going to meet some everyday travelers who found ways to fly literally around the world in first class luxury for next to nothing. that sounds too good to be true? maybe it's because you've never seen the extreme measures these folks are willing to rack up frequent flier miles. here's an encore presentation. >> reporter: this is where rick gets to go practically for free whenever he goes flying. to the front of the lie at the check-in counter. to the first class lounge. to seats like these at the front of the airplane, first class and business class. and the places he and his wife have gone together, such as -- >> we've gone from savannah to athens and then flew over to croatia, spent some time there. then up to split, also in croatia. then to amsterdam and back all in business class. >> total cost, just the taxes, $60 each, plus 120,00

. >> from the global resources of abc news with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city. this is a special edition of "nightline." tragedy at sandy hook. the search for solutions. >> good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. at 9:30 this morning, church bells across america rang out in a moment of national silence. one chime for each victim of the tragedy that struck newtown, connecticut, one week ago. yet even as this nation comes together to mourn, we remain deeply divided. all weeknight line has dedicated our broadcast to examining the complex relationship between america and its guns. tonight the most divisive day yet. here's my coanchor, terry moran. >> reporter: in newtown this morning, silence, one week after the children screaming and the madman shooting. sigh length across the country. silence in the oval office. and that ancient marker of mourning and remembrance, church bells. [ bells tolling ] >> reporter: the pain is still raw, the horror still fresh. but in washington the debate is already beginning and today a key voice, a powerful voice was at last heard.

york city, this is "nightline," december 27th, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm terry moran. this year's holiday gift giving frenzy is drawing to a close. for many of us, that means this season's spending remorse is sinking in. the average american spent an estimated $700 during the holidays this year, so tonight, we wanted to bring you an inside look at the bargain stores that could help out with your wallet rehab. abc's ryan owens brings us inside the booming business of being cheap. >> reporter: they're opening their doors faster than new starbucks. >> i like it because it's cheaper. >> reporter: there are now more dollar stores in the united states than drugstores. >> since the prices are so good, it's like why not? >> you can get more stuff for cheaper. >> reporter: a $56 billion industry. >> i think we can double the size of our chain within this country. >> reporter: each pin on this map represents one family dollar store. howard levine is the ceo of that chain. >> tons of growth here. this is probably a thousand-store state. >> reporter: right now he oversees an empir

in new york city, this is "nightline," november 30th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. tonight, a multimillion dollar mystery. while the rest of the country is tearing up their worthless lottery tickets in disappointment, the identity of one of two powerball winners remains illusive. a surveillance video, the only clue. well, with the jackpot worth over $580 million, that's a lot of reasons to be curious. abc's david wright brings us america's newest overnight millionaires. >> reporter: at a gas station in maryland, a mystery man checks his numbers and then dances a jig. could it be the powerball shuffle? >> he says, is this the right numbers? i said, yeah, man, you got them all. >> reporter: in a small town in missouri, at the high school where they first fell in love, cindy and mark hill today insisted that huge check won't change their lives all that much. >> we will still be going down to the corner cafe for breakfast or fish day, i can guarantee you that. we're as common as anybody. we just have a little bit more money. >> reporter: make that a lot more money. and

i'm terry moran. today the shattered community of newtown, connecticut, mourned the young teacher who died trying to protect her first grade class, while school districts across the country are now beefing up security. in the wake of this tragedy, schools nationwide are grappling with the difficult questions about keeping their students safe, including the debate over arming teachers with guns. here's alex perez. >> reporter: she came face to face with unthinkable horror and fought to save her first graders. laid to rest today, 27-year-old sandy hook teacher vicki soto. those remembers her we're green ribb ribbons, her favorite color. her sister jillian, already know what the world is remembering, saying you have been a hero to me for a lot longer than five days. you've been my big sister, the one i've always looked up to. among the mourners, family friend musician paul simon who performed "the sound of silence." soto did everything she could to keep her school family safe and worried teachers across

here is terry moran with this encore presentation. >>> eben and holley alexander are at a high school soccer game cheering on their high school son bond. they are an american family with an extraordinary story. they have been touched by a medical miracle and maybe more. >> it was impossible after impossible after impossible. >> reporter: eben alexander survived a near-death experience and now carries the memory of what he says was a journey to heaven, a journey that all his scientific training can not explain. on november 10th, 2008, eben awoke with a searing headache. when holley checked on him he was having a tremendous seizure. >> i said say something and he didn't say anything. zblbt eben was rushed to the hospital where he was a neurosurgery. >> all we could make out was help and screaming. >> reporter: he had been stricken with a rare and virulent ecloy meningitis infection. >> i was trying to die. >> reporter: doctors gave him almost no chance to live and told his family if he did survive he would be brain damaged if rest of his life. >> his eye was off and cocked. it was like

. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. it started with two radio djs and a lighthearted prank call to the london hospital where the pregnant duchess kate was recovering from acute sickness. but today, that joke took an unexpected turn, when the nurse who picked up the call was found dead. abc's david wright brings us this look at the dark side of practical jokes. >> hello, good morning. >> oh, hello there. could i please speak to kate, please, my granddaughter. >> oh, yes, just hold on. >> reporter: as this prank phone call by two australian djs went viral around the world. >> if this has worked, it's the easiest prank call we've ever made. >> reporter: one can only imagine that the nurse that put the call through must have been mortified. >> it is with deep sadness that i can confirm the tragic death of a member of our nursing staff, jacintha saldanha. everyone is shocked by the loss of a much-loved and valued colleague. >> reporter: today, the duke and duchess of cambridge echoed that sentiment. their royal highnesses we

city, this is "nightline," december 26th, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm terry moran. for a holiday, this has been a busy time in washington. as the negotiations surrounding that looming fiscal cliff come to a fever pitch just before the new year. but this is also a time of tradition and celebration in the nation's capital, and nobody decks the halls like the team at the white house for christmas. christmas is there, has come to mean a special visit every year, not just from santa claus, but from abc's own barbara walters. barbara? >> terry, in what has become one of my favorite holiday traditions for the fourth year, i had the privilege of interviewing the president and mrs. obama at the white house. this interview was taped days before the tragic shooting in connecticut and was postponed until now. it was the first time the couple sat down together since winning re-election. mrs. obama also took me on a personal tour of what is called the people's house. and it's never more true than during the christmas season. after thanksgiving, more than 80 volunteers from nearly

and abc's expert on the supreme court, terry moran, is here right now. terry? >> reporter: well, diane, constitutionally, it doesn't get any bigger than this. the country's changed so much on this issue. the real question is, how much? and, like so many landmark cases, as you point out, this one begins with the story of one american. this case is going to go down in history as edie windsor versus the united states. edie windsor, 83 years old, is a widow now. but she had 42 happy years with the love of her life -- thea spyer. >> she was beautiful. she was smart as hell. and she was wonderful altogether. >> reporter: edie and thea were married but when thea died in 2009, edie got socked by the irs with $363,000 in estate taxes, which no widow in a straight marriage would have to pay. today, the supreme court decided to hear edie's case challenging the law she says discriminates against couples like her and thea. the defense of marriage act, which defines marriage under federal law as the union of one man and one woman. the justices will also decide whether states

from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new york city, this is a special edition of "nightline" -- a day in the life of the american gun. >>> good evening. i'm bill weir. so how does it feel to live in the most heavily armed society in human history? do you take fear or comfort from the fact that this country holds three times more gun stores than mcdonald's restaurants? for many, it took a slaughter of 26 women and children to start talking about the 34 americans shot to death every day, and that talk has many others lining up to buy their first gun. so at this moment of national conversation in a search to understand the complexities driving both sides, "nightline" teams fanned out across one nation under the gun and deeply divided. philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. sergeant john hoyt works overnight. a shift that makes a reasonable man question how anyone could call this the city of brotherly love. and just moments into his night, it begins. >> right now, a man was just shot in the face. >> actually, it's just a boy. 17-year-old. shot duri

>> from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, bill weir, and tonight, juju chang in new york city, this is "nightline," december 12th, 2012. >>> good evening to you. i'm juju chang. tonight, a baffling portrait is emerging of that mass shooter in oregon who opened fire on a crowd shopping for some holiday cheer. this year, there's been a disturbing number of mass shootings, and investigators say while copycats may be inspired, each shooter has a distinct and chilling back story. we interviewed the 22-year-old's ex-girlfriend, who calls it mind boggling. >> reporter: chaos amidst the christmas mall rush. lines of shoppers, even children could be seen streaming out with their hands up while a gunman was still inside, announcing from behind a mask, "i am the shooter." a day later, a view of the suspect is now coming into focus. police say 22-year-old jacob tyler roberts was the masked gunman, a young man with no history of serious trouble, who allegedly stole an assault rifle from an acquaintance and set off alone on a deadly rampage. >> we do not understa

"nightline" anchor terry moran covers the court for abc news. terry, good morning to you. wish you could clarify for us what's at stake here. is it possible, i think a lot of people are wondering, that the supreme court could legalize gay marriage for the entire nation? >> that's one of the choices they have. they could just rewrite the law and the culture of the country, saying gay people have an equal right to get married in every state under the u.s. constitution. that's the big kahuna for advocates of gay marriage. but they can do a lot of things short of that. one thing they could do is strike down the federal law, the defense of marriage act, which says for federal purposes, 1,000 laws, tax benefits, access to people in hospitals, marriage is only between a man and a woman. they could just strike down that one and leave the rest up to the states. >> there's a whole range of things they could do. are the justices in any way influenced by the changing public opinion on this issue? we've seen a really dramatic shift in favor of gay marriage. >> that's the most interesti

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, bill weir, and tonight, juju chang in new york city, this is "nightline," december 6th, 2012. >> good evening, i'm juju chang. tonight, the newly released tapes granting an astonishing look at the twisted mind of a serial killer. from jack the ripper to john wayne gave see, murders who seem to chose their victims at random fascinate and terrify us. it was the disappearance of an 18-year-old alaskan girl that led to police unravel one such killer's astounding 11-year killing spree. neal karlinsky brings us the chilling details for our series, "crime and punishment." >> reporter: you're watching 34-year-old israel keyes describe over coffee and a bagel his strategy for hunting and killing innocent people. >> back when i was smart, i would let them come to me. just a remote area. kind of go to a remote area that's not anywhere near where you live. but that other people go to, as well. >> reporter: the police interrogation is in anchorage, alaska, where keyes was being held for the killing of samant

abc's terry moran has more. >> reporter: this heartbreaking season continues in newtown.f funerals. as the country struggles to make sense of the horror, there's a voice you should hear. >> i know what it's like. it's the worst day of their life. it's chaotic. it's hopeless. [ sirens blaring ] >> reporter: colin knows what it's like to be in a classroom when an armed madman bursts in and starts shooting people. colin was a student at virginia tech. >> it was the most terrifying nine and a half minutes of my entire life. >> reporter: he was hit by four bullets. three of them are still in him. weeks after the shooting, he recalled those moments. >> the shooter came inside, and we were all on the ground, not moving, not making a scene at all. just lying there, acting -- playing dead, almost every one of us. yeah, it's been a little messy. >> reporter: colin's journey of recovery from that moment lying on the classroom floor bleeding to now, the rehab, the psychological therapy, the search for answers and meaning it's all led him to this. >> we are better than this. we are be

>> from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new yorky, this is "nightline," december 11th, 2012. >> good evening. i'm bill weir. the line to see santa was growing and a children's choir was scheduled to see carols in a mall outside portland, oregon, tonight. but when as many as 60 shots rang out, the scene turned into terrified chaos. witnesses say a gunman wearing a mask and camouflage was behind the deadly attack and abc's david wright has the latest details. >> reporter: a shopping mall at christmas time is supposed to be safe. so today when witnesses first heard loud pops near the food court of this portland area mall, some thought it was bursting balloons. >> we thought it was balloons. and then we saw little fire thingies. >> like lights. >> reporter: and then the screaming and everyone knew it was something far worse. >> all of a sudden we heard big bang. we covered our ears and then we got down. and then all of a sudden a matter of five seconds later, we heard rapid fire, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, and i just took off running

. >>> from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new york city, this is a special edition of "nightline," tragedy at sandy hook, the search for solutions. >>> good evening. i'm bill weir. out of all the soul-crushing images to come out of newtown, this one has a particularly devastating effect on countless folks checking their twitter and facebook feeds today. it's a letter to little jack pinto laid to rest on monday that reads, you're my best friend. we had fun together. i will miss you. i will talk to you in my prayers. i love you. signed john. two more 6-year-olds were buried today while buses rolled and grown-ups grappled with how to get on with life and protect the survivors from even more nightmares. here's abc's juju chang. >> reporter: the hugs were a little tighter today as parents in newtown gently guided their kids back to school, back to their daily routines, surrounded by sadness and a stepped up police presence. >> getting them back to a routine is the best thing, i think. >> reporter: but the jittery town suffered a fresh

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 4th, 2012. >>> and good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, we begin with the murder trial illustrating that luck can be a fickle thing indeed. when a florida man won a multimillion-dollar lottery jackpot, he didn't realize he may well have been setting off a bizarre chain of events that would end with his murder. here's abc's linsey davis for our series, "crime and punishment." >> reporter: abraham shakespeare probably thought he was the luckiest man in the world when he won $30 million in the florida lottery in november of 2006. but his luck would change in a horrific way. and now, this woman, doris dee dee moore, is on trial for his murder. moore sobbed in court today, after jurors listened to audio recordings of her allegedly agreeing to a scheme in which another man would take the blame for shakespeare's death. it was the latest bombshell in a scandalous trial. >> there was a person he knew who was willing to take the rap for hi

." >> i'm terry moran. carolyn and larry, the search for the latest instant millionaire. the latest lotto winner. and the controversial series of surgeries that allowed one woman to grow >>> a san francisco elementary school is dealing with a gastro enteritis outbreak. dozens of kids have taken ill and the school has taken to stoping the spread of the virus. ama dates has more. >> michael huntley reads from a letter that kids at faremont elementary school were given yesterday to take home to their parents. >> symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and/or stomach cramps. >> she knew something was going around the school, but wasn't notified. >> i heard yesterday a parent saying about 28 kids were out yesterday. >> her son was sick last week. >> the day before thanksgiving he was fine. on thanks imifg he -- on thanksgiving he woke up really sick from his stomach. he wasn't able to eat turkey or anything. >> an administrator said 150 students and faculty members stayed home today. the after school care program ran afterwards but with precautions. >> we were given masks beca

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 5th, 2012. >> and good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with breaking news in the increasingly strange case of american software multimillionaire john mcafee. wanted for questioning in the central american country of belize for his neighbor's mysterious murder. tonight, in guatemala, he was arrested for entering the country illegally. the same place where earl-year-old today, our team tracked him down for this exclusive interview. here's abc's matt gutman from g guatemala city. >> reporter: it is the latest in the bizarre tale of john mcafee. the software tycoon who's been on the lam for three weeks in a cat and mouse game with authorities in belize. tonight, mcafee was arrested by immigration authorities in guatemala's capital. how have you been? >> really good since i got here. >> reporter: just hours earlier, he sat down with abc news, showing that a man known for packing a pistol was unarm and insisting he did not murder greg

. >>> from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 13th, 2012. >>> good evening, i'm bill weir. you remember way back when reality television was the way people described the nightly news? the unscripted genre has completely changed the landscape inside the screen you're watching right nower but how has it altered the meaning of the word reality? today the wildly popular auction show "storage wars" is under fire from an ex-star who says they are faking some of the big money shots. abc's dan harris separates fact from fiction. >> bring it on. >> 250! >> sold. >> reporter: it is one of the most popular reality shows on tv. "storage wars" has a simple addictive conceit. people bid on the contents of storage lockers that have been abandoned by their owners. >> oh, my gosh! >> what happened? >> there's a body in there. >> reporter: inside they find either the worthless things of people's lives. >> what's this? >> not good. >> reporter: or hidden treasures. >> silver silverware set. >> reporter: one

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran and bill weir in new york city and cynthia mcfadden in newtown, connecticut, this is a special edition of "nightline," tragedy at elementary school. >>> good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight we join you from a community just beginning to process a great tragedy that unfolded here this morning. a little while ago i was just down the street where a thousand people gathered inside and outside saint rose catholic church here in newtown, connecticut, to mourn the loss of 26 people, including 20 schoolchildren, most between the ages of 5 and between years old, shot and killed in their elementary school classrooms this morning. schools in this town are part of the draw for people who live here with some of the highest test scores in the state. the kind of place parents move for the sake of their children. abc's dan harris has been at the scene since early today. dan? >> reporter: cynthia, good evening. it all started a little way behind the volunteer fire department, down the road at a suburban elementary school whi

." >> i'm terry moran. dan, up next on "nightline," they are not rich, but they fly all over the world in first class for free. the extreme methods and secret tips of frequent flier mileage hoarders. and a national memory champion tonight. he will share his astonishing >>> senate leaders will work through the weekend to a avoid the fiscal cliff. there are fewer than four days left for taxes to go up for all-americans. the president met with republican and democratic leaders today to discuss a time frame for the next few days. it starts with the senate leaders who are currently discussing the plan. they hope to have a deal ready for review and possible vote on monday. and then it would head to the house. the president says a deal is critical for the country. >> economists, business leaders all think we are poised to grow in 2013. as long as politics in washington don't get in the way of america's progress. so we've got to get this done. >> in the event congress does not get it done, does not make a deal, her

." >> i'm terry moran. carolyn and larry, the search for the latest instant millionaire. the latest lotto winner. and the controversial series of surgeries that allowed one woman to grow 14 >>> a san francisco elementary school is dealing with a gastro enteritis outbreak. dozens of kids have taken ill and the school has taken to stoping the spread of the virus. ama dates has more. >> michael huntley reads from a letter that kids at faremont elementary school were given yesterday to take home to their parents. >> symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and/or stomach cramps. >> she knew something was going around the school, but wasn't notified. >> i heard yesterday a parent saying about 28 kids were out yesterday. >> her son was sick last week. >> the day before thanksgiving he was fine. on thanks imifg he -- on thanksgiving he woke up really sick from his stomach. he wasn't able to eat turkey or anything. >> an administrator said 150 students and faculty members stayed home today. the after school care program ran afterwards but with precautions. >> we were given masks b

." >> i'm terry moran.up next on "nightline," they are not rich, but they fly all over the world in first class for free. the extreme methods and secret tips of frequent flier mileage hoarders. and a national memory champion tonight. tonight. he will share you know how much grandma wanted to be here for your fist christmas? you see grandma lives waaaay down here, and you live way up here. brian, your cousin, he's a little bit older than you, he lives here, in chicago. and your aunt lisa lives here, in baltimore. uncle earnie? waaay out in hawaii. but don't you worry, we will always be together for christmas. [ male announcer ] being together is the best part of the holidays and cheerios is happy to be part of the family. you just ate dallas! through the weekend to a avoid the fiscal cliff. there are fewer than four days left for taxes to go up for all-americans. the president met with republican and democratic leaders today to discuss a time frame for the next few days. it starts with the senate leaders who

." >> i'm terry moran. carolyn and larry, the search for the latest instant millionaire. the latest lotto winner. and thersial series of surgeries that allowed one woman to grow 14@ñ >>> a san francisco elementary school is dealing with a gastro enteritis outbreak. dozens of kids have taken ill and the school has taken to stoping the spread of the virus. ama dates has more. >> michael huntley reads from a letter that kids at faremont elemen elementary school were given yesterday to take home to their parents. iting,ptoms are diarrhea, nausea and/or stomach cramps. >> she knew something was going around the school, but wasn't notified. >> i heard yesterday a parent saying about 28 kids were out yesterday. >> her son was sick last week. >> the day before thanksgiving he was fine. on thanks imifg he -- on thanksgiving he woke up really sick from his stomach. he wasn't able to eat turkey or anything. >> an administrator said 150 students and faculty members stayed home today. the after school care program ran afterwards but with precautions. >> we were given masks because 150

." >> i'm terry moran., up next on "nightline," they are not rich, but they fly all over the world in first class for free. the extreme methods and secret tips of frequent flier mileage hoarders. and a national memory champion tonight. he will share his astonishing >>> senate leaders will work through the weekend to a avoid the fiscal cliff. there are fewer than four days left for taxes to go up for all-americans. the president met with republican and democratic leaders today to discuss a time frame for the next few days. it starts with the senate leaders who are currently discussing the plan. they hope to have a deal ready for review and possible vote on monday. and then it would head to the house. the president says a deal is critical for the country. >> economists, business leaders all think we are poised to grow in 2013. as long as politics in washington don't get in the way of america's progress. so we've got to get this done. >> in the event congress does not get it done, does not make a deal, here is

. >>> from the global resources of abc news with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, bill weir, and tonight, juju chang in new york city, this is "nightline," december 25th, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm juju chang. tonight, a massive christmas day storm is creating blizzard conditions across the nation's midsection. in texas and oklahoma, icy roads cause major pile-ups and deadly traffic mishaps. the storm system also spawned a cluster of tornados throughout the deep south, causing extensionive damage. thousands of residents lost power in mobile, alabama. the facade was torn off a historic church was 24 hours earlier hosted christmas eve services for hundreds of worshippers. >>> but we turn now to the journey of a lifetime, on a quest in search of an elusive creature known as the unicorn of the sea. it's the narwal, both rare and endangered. what we discovered was a landscape vast and beautiful, and sometimes deadly and one that's changing rapidly. so now an encore presentation of nbc's lindsay davis and producer alex waterfield's journey to the far north, and just getting there was an adven