in new york city, this is "nightline," december 29th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. it is a startling fact. tens of thousands of preschoolers in this country are on anti-psychotic medications. and the number has doubled in the last decade. but most of these drugs in question have not been tested on children. and doctors have no idea what their affect may be on the developing brain. tonight, we meet a family faced with a profoundly difficult choice. and here is my co-anchor, cynthia mcfadden. >> reporter: for this little boy, what you're seeing is not just a mow men tear tantrum, but the stuff of every day life. >> that hurt. >> reporter: day in and day out, cole eva vold's parents, jennifer and chris, have had to cope with his thrashing, banging and screaming. it's certainly not what they thought life would be like when they adopted him as a newborn seven years ago. >> i guess he really was fussy. he cried and needed to be held a lot and he never slept. i thought, he's a baby and maybe he's a little colicky. >> reporter: he wasn't. by two months, there were problems

in new york city, this is "nightline," december 16th, 2011. >> good friday evening, i'm bill weir. shyness is hardly uncommon. just about every kid experiences a paralyzing moment during show and tell or meeting someone new. but imagine a child so stricken with fear, she goes without speaking for an entire school year. you're about to meet two such children, their parents, desperate for help and one man who says he can cure them with a technique that just might work for anyone with a severe phobia. here's abc's juju chang. >> reporter: jake has trapped himself inside a world of silence. so, what's your favorite tv show? he won't talk. his parents were baffled. >> i heard himself at camp this summer and he didn't tell anybody. i said, did you cry? he said no. i said, did you tell the counselors? he was like, no. >> reporter: maya is the same way. watch. she doesn't move a muscle during her school pageant. maya's extreme social phobia made it impossible for her to blow out her own birthday candles. >> not talking to your peers, not talking to your teachers. just being -- even for rec

in new york city, this is "nightline," december 6th, 2011. >> good evening, all, i'm bill weir. well, there are 60 billion reasons to get into the weight loss business. that's mow many dollars we the people spend each year in the struggle for a smaller silhouette. but all the fad berries, roots and hormones lead to a staggering number of americans getting ripped off, sick or both. today, the fda pulled one wildly popular group from the shelves. don't, we survey what other diets are popular and how they perform. here's abc's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: it is a holiday tradition. big meals, batches of cook keeps, endless cocktails and then -- scale shock. tis the season for weight gain. and then almost immediately, a desperate attempt to lose it. cue up the diet du jour. fad diets sprout as fast as weeds and wither away just as quickly. yet, they all offer the promise of the same thing. a quick fix to fat. but do these diets work? and more importantly, are they safe? for gam pl, today, the fda announced the first step in bank the sale in the ingredient used in the so-called hcg d

in new york city, this is "nightline," december 30th, 2011. >>> good evening, all, i'm bill weir. for american troops serving in afghanistan, one killer has surpassed all others. the improvised explosive device. they have either taken the lives or shattered the bolds of more than 8,000 u.s. service members of that war. and they are such a relens lent scourge because they are so easy to make, with a couple of ingredients that end up being disturbingly easy to buy. here's nick schifrin with our series, "nightline investigates." >> reporter: down every rutted road in afghanistan, nothing scares u.s. troops more than this. an ied, just blew up beneath this truck. >> is everyone okay? >> reporter: ieds are the u.s.'s enemy number one in afghanistan. >> oh, my ears. >> reporter: they killed or wounded more than 8,000 american troops. and the numbers are getting worse. >> [ bleep ]. this is close as we get to the source of all our problems. ieds. >> reporter: meet this sar jet. he's an explosives technician, better known as a member of the bomb squad. >> it's like playing a game. who get

in new york city, the this is "nightline," december 22nd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. it is the first night of winter. we have two more nights before christmas. and so the travel forecast looms large for so many of us out there. ma nature has been tough on denver, bringing two and a half feet of snow. another major storm down south brought wind damage across five states with a confirmed tornado touching down in alabama. reports of another one in rome, georgia, just a few hours ago. and tomorrow, that system will bring rain and possibly snow to the northeast. and travelers are not the only ones affected by all of this. anyone with a package flying around out there en route to a special someone should know that the biggest shipping companies are dealing with both weather and record demand. americans spent 32 billion bucks shopping online this holiday. that's up 15% from last year. and they're not done. because it wouldn't be christmas without a little old fashioned procrastinati procrastination. it's the time of year that proves there are two kinds of people. those who c

in new york city, this is "nightline," december 13th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. as the only rock we eat, salt has been a treasured commodity going back to the earliest civilizations and while we don't trade it anymore, most of us have enough affection for it to be dangerous. and now the fda has signaled that it is looking for new ways to bring salt consumption in line. a shift that could change eating as we know it. here's abc's linsey davis. >> crispy and cooks the inside afterwards. >> reporter: taste is what makes chef andrew's roasted chicken the hottest selling item on the menu. >> flip it over. >> reporter: like this? to get that taste that has people flocking to his trendy downtown manhattan restaurant, he uses olive oil, a bit of lemon and a very generous helping of salt. >> if you don't have salt on there, it's going to be bland. and i don't want to go through life with bland food. >> reporter: he brians the chicken in salt and water for 45 minutes before roasting. >> what the salt water does is penetrate the cells of the meat and makes it softer and jui

in new york city, this is "nightline," december 21st , 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. it's a move many perfect this time of year. the old credit card swipe. turning over a mountain of financial details with a flick of a wrist. and to keep you swiping, and their bottom line growing, credit card companies have to maintain your trust. trust that they are smarter than any hacker, fisher or sketchy clerk. and to that end, visa gave us an unprecedented glimpse into their fortress of security. and a few tips to stay one step away of the crooks. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: tis the season for credit card fraud. for all kinds of people, to find all kinds of ways to steal your credit and spend it. last year, about 8 million americans were victims. almost half of those due to stolen credit information. and it doesn't end there. you might not realize it, but one of the cards most vulnerable to credit threat are those gift cards everyone loves to give and get. thieves find them easy to steal and it is entirely possible that when the recipient goes to use the gift card yo

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, and terry moran in washington, this is "nightline," december 9th, 2011. >> good evening. we don't hear very often about the acts of citizen heroism that

here's my co-anchor bill weir. >> oh this is nice you guys. nice, nice. >> reporter: it's a shot guys like bob -- national geographic. but fee will ever fully appreciate the series of minor mir kms this moment represents. first, we have to find bob. deep in mozambique. by trusting a bush pilot who frankly looks like he should be behind the stick of a video game. how old are you? >> i'm 21. >> reporter: you're 21? okay. i trust you. we eventually dip into the 115-degree heat and half making sure there are no bab boons on the runway, touchdown in the national park. bob is there. good to meet you, bob. anxious to get us into the bush before sunset. and eager to tell of this place that's become one of the most audacious experiments in africa. >> here is a nice scene. these -- >> reporter: oh. >> the babies are everywhere. i mean, look, everything has a baby now. it's just -- it's nuts. >> reporter: he's spent most of his life like this. one hand on the wheel or camera, eyes peeled for movement. but this place has really honed his game-spotting ski

in new york city, this is "nightline," december 7th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. and tonight, we bring you a special edition of "nightline." in a major network exclusive, abc's barbara wealters is just back from another arab country seemingly on the brink of overtloug another dictator. syria. barbara is the first allowed access to the country since a nine-month-old revolution began. she was invited there to conduct an extraordinary interview with the embattled syrian president, bashar al assad, accused of a brutal crackdown that's taken at least 4,000 lives. barbara, welcome home. >> thank you. >> reporter: you sat with saddam hussein, mubarak, gadhafi. how does this man compare? >> very different. he's not a wild, crazy person, at least that's the way gadhafi seemed to us. he is kaup. he is soft spoken. he is articulate. he speaks very good english. there were no ground rules. he answered every question. but there is this disconnect, bill, between what we hear about this country, the reports that we have seen, and what he says and it's hard to put the two things

here's my co-anchor, bill weir. >> reporter: a storm is building over the plains of botswana. and beneath it, a single mother frets. her name is ma di tau, and it's been weeks since an saiding pride mortally wounded her mate. after ending his long reign, they'll try to wipe out his blood line by hunting ma di t tau's cubs. she now has the most primal of decisions. fight or flight? a decision complicated by the crock-infested water that surrounding them. cubs are too young to travel fast and this family is being stalked by the big invading males and that same rival lioness from the battle that gave her a signature wound and the name silvereye. the last lions include some of the most incredible wild life footage filmed but equally face nafting a love story the audience never sees. the one behind the camera. they are dereck and beverly joubert. filmmakers, big cat protectors and partners in every conceivable way. sometimes dereck jumps into the. >> salted water, straight from the delta. >> reporter: occasionally, beverly will cook for guests. but almost every day for 30 years, th

and then late other nightline -- >> i'm bill weir, coming up next on "nightline" an extreme phobia scared speechless. a doctor who said who can cure them and other fears. and predators after dark. a new camera reveals what lions, hyenas and crocodiles are up to in the dead of nigh ok, you guys wanted a space for entertainingng your frien, so, open your eyes and check out your new living room! [ gasps ] honey, the tv's over there! yep, we got you the new at&t u-verse wireless receiver so you can put your tv pretty much anywhere you want. and that stand... anywhere? like, we can put it over there? and that coffee... or we could t it on the patio for watching the game with the guys. or in the kitchen? but, these curtains are... i can't believe you moved the tv. it's like a whole new living room. it actually is a whole new living room. [ male announcer ] the new wireless receiver, only from at&t. now get u-verse with dvr at the lowest price ever. critical condition after being hit by an suv while running from police. investigators say the man was acting suspiciously, and when officers tried t

as we head outside right now, weir looking at some in emeryville.are not in the fog, nice night although been cool with temperatures dropping quickly in napa right to the 30s. we're talking about numbers on the cool side. north bay valleys, delt delta is 40. 41 in novato. we're holding to some of that warmth, oakland and san francisco, 48 degrees. 50 at our coast and 39 in livermore valley. we will be looking at visibility to drop through the overnight hours. four miles in livermore but look at napa with cold temperature, one mile visibility. pretty good at our coast. eight miles or so in hayward. overnight tonight, we will see areas of fog locally dense in spots. with that, we get the tradeoff. onshore flow bringing milder nights. we'll see the numbers drop into the upper 20s but still frost out there. we are looking at a slight chance of rain not only for couple days in the north bay, but it looks right through the holiday weekend. at least it's something. i don't think it's going go south of golden gate. overnight lows dropping down to the 30s in

and then late other nightline -- >> i'm bill weir, coming up next on "nightline" an extreme phobia scared speechless. a doctor who said who can cure them and other fears. and predators after dark. a new camera reveals what lions, hyenas and crocodiles are up to in the dead of night. that's on0p8ts@s@k!k!k!iñiñlñlñç >> closed captioning brought to >> closed captioning brought to >>> a santa rosa man is in critical condition after being hit by an suv while running from police. investigators say the man was acting suspiciously, and when officers tried to question him, he took off. police tried to tase the man, but he darted into traffic on santa rosa avenue. that's where he was struck. >> what lead to a fatal shooting by a san jose police officer last night is being disputed. it began when a man identified as manual fuetas was spotted. please chased him into a home. officers say he pulled a gun from his waistband and tossed it into a bedroom. and then another man picked it up and refused orders to drop it. >> the suspect then picked up the weapon and the officer gave him command to drop the

. >> from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." december 26th, 2011. >>> good evening, i'm terry moran. we're going to start in iraq tonight. many military families around the nation got a holiday gift they could hardly have imagined a few years ago, their loved ones finally home from the battlefield in iraq but amidst all the celebrations there is tension. that's because iraq is still facing widespread strife, a spate of sectarian violence tearing the country apart including another suicide bombing in baghdad today and an increasingly fragile government there. our martha raddatz was there when the last troops left iraq and she brings us the very latest. >> reporter: they could be scenes from the height of the u.s. war in iraq. at least a dozen explosions tearing across baghdad in the last few days, car bombs and improvised explosive devices targeting schools, markets and today the interior ministry leaving more than 60 dead and hundreds wounded. and in the halls of power, a different kind of crisis, the

i'm bill weir. if a journey in good company makes the way seem shorter, what about the company of other people's children? chances are you're going to find out in that masochistic exercise known as hollywood travel. u.s. airlines imposed about a dozen fare increases in 2011 and of course they charge full fare for kids, but families will pay, meltdowns will ensue and blood pressure will rise so tonight's abc's david wright bravely asends to cruising altitude in search of survival tips for all. >> reporter: the midair meltdown is now practically a special category on youtube. most of the videos filmed not by parents but by people who got stuck sitting next to them. i used to be the guy that would roll his eyes when the baby walked on board, please. and now i'm the guy stuck with three kids. i guess it's karma. >> people don't like listening to other kids cry. we can all sympathize. >> reporter: families traveling with small kids make up 30% of the traveling public and during the holiday rush it can of

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 1st, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. we're going to begin tonight with an abc news exclusive. it's the first interview with an american businessman, immediately after his release from four months in jail on the caribbean island of aruba, wra he but suspected of, though never charged with, the murder of his traveling companion. she was robyn gardner. a 35-year-old maryland woman, not presumed yesterday. he is gary giordano, answering some questions and raising others. abc's matt gutman has been covering the story from the start and here he is now. >> reporter: after 116 days in an aruba prison, gary giordano, arrested for the suspected murder of robyn gardner, back on u.s. soil. did you ever think this would come, all those nights in prison? >> no. no. i'd accepted the fact that they were going to -- keep me from my kids forever. >> reporter: in new york, an onslaught of reporters. and soon, this emotional reunion with his three t

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 27th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. and tonight, we begin at the check-in counter and end up at a surprise destination. maybe you're among the billimil of americans flying this holiday season and you encountered the fees airlines now charge at every turn. but you may not know that $30 checked bag fee is just one way airlines can get money out of your luggage. they can also sell it. here's abc's ryan owens. >> reporter: whoever coined the phrase half the fun is getting there clearly hasn't flown in awhile. and certainly not during the holidays. nearly 44 million americans are expected to crisscross the country by air, in the weeks leading up to christmas and new year's. the price tag for that holiday trip home? an average of more than $400 round trip. industry experts say airlines have increased fares nine times this year alone. and that doesn't include those dreaded fees. last year, americans shelled out an eye-popping $5.7 bil

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 2nd, 2011. >> good evening. it's friday, let's talk about sex. never has our culture been so sex saturated, so explicitly carnal in the age of the internet, sex really is everywhere. so much so that adults who do not have sex, who remain virgins into their 30s and beyond, they not only seem exceptional, they seem in a way, revolutionary. and, in fact, their numbers are growing. so, tonight, we meet these sex dissenters, you may call them. here's abc's stephanie sy for our series, "modern sex in america." >> you may kiss your bride. >> reporter: it may be one of the most cringe worthy kisses in american history. two virgins hitting first base on their wedding day. easy fodder for "the ellen degeneres show." >> dear diary. today, i had my first kiss. not worth the wait. >> reporter: ryan and shanna are part of tlc's new show, "virgin diaries," kron kming the lives of virgins in their 30s. >> i'm 35 years old and i'm a virgin. >> we're both

. >> 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 23rd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm juju chang. for all of us, the holidays are a time to reflect. even more so, if you're the commander in chief. this year, president obama scored some victories, including the elimination of osama bin laden. but many feel he's failed to fix the economy. nearly three out of every four americans say the country is on the wrong track. in this exclusive joint interview, the president and the first lady talk with our barbara walters and answer some surprising questions from inquisitive children. >> reporter: this season, some 85,000 people will visit the white house. with american troops finally coming home from iraq, this year's theme honors military families. >> and this is where many of our holiday guests come when we have receptions. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama took me on a tour. >> this would be me, mrs. obama. this one is a cute one, this is the president. you see, by th

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, and terry moran in washington, this is "nightline," december 9th, 2011. >> good evening. we don't hear very often about the acts of citizen heroism that lift the american reality closer to the american ideal. but 11 years ago, hollywood brought us the extraordinary story of one exceptional hero, erin brockovich, who stood up for a community who she says was being poisoning. she's out there again raising the alarm, and the community she's trying to protect might just be yourses. here's my co-anchor cynthia mcfadden. >> so, ball up and make it right. >> reporter: meet the real erin brockovich. bold, brassy, with more than enough fast to play herself in the movie named for her. >> you want me to trust you? do me a favor, ed, don't use big words you don't understand. >> reporter: instead, julia roberts got the part and the oscar. >> once the chromium hits the pound -- >> reporter: we met the real erin brockovich 15 years ago, reporting on the discontent in inkley and another small t

here's bill weir for our series "seriously funny." >> reporter: a guy walks into a bar. >> louis c.k.reporter: and everybody loves him. everybody. the comedians who consider him the best in their game. the crowd who hired sitters on a weeknight just hoping he might drop by. after all this is the club he enters at the beginning of his critically acclaimed hit show. ♪ louis louis louis louis this guy has to feel amazing, right? yeah, not so much. >> prepare to be very disappointed with what's going to follow. >> reporter: as the hottest comedian of the moment told me a few hours before, he has no ek jokes. louis c.k. just tore up his act and is starting from scratch with a few scribbled notes and a gut full of self-doubt. do you ever worry that there are a fine night number of jokes that are going to come out? >> yes, it's a constant worry. >> reporter: one day you're going to wake up -- >> every joke i come up with, i have the fear it's the last one. >> reporter: it's a hell of an admission from the guy with the greatest sitcom deal in the history of television. >> keep it down out the

>> we have two senior managers from memphis barbecue in crystal city, virginia to my right is alan weir, senior manager. to my left is redrick rayborne. you tell me what you're going to do. >> yes, ma'am, we're going to do a pulled pork egg rolls. best of both worlds. you have a fresh pulled pork we smoke for up to 18 hours in a smoker. we take that, fresh cole slaw, put it here in the roll. >> ok. >> our version of like an egg roll. we put a spin on it with barbecue. we want to take that and roll it. >> ok. >> put a nice little roll on it. >> uh-huh. >> all right. >> something real simple. >> you put it in a deep friar? >> yes, max. >> what are you doing? >> through the magic of television, we've taken the egg roll, put it in the fryer and that's the finished product right there. >> that looks good. >> absolutely. that time of season after christmas, and what not after the holidays, you can do this for super bowl, company coming over. great little asian twist. >> now, this is how i think -- is that a pulled pork sandwich right there? >> yes. >> that's how i usually have pulled pork on

. >> 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 15th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm juju chang. are you being watched? it's a disturbing thought, but a recent rash of voyeurism cases suggests it's not just a paranoid suggest. criminals are using tiny hidden cameras in public and seemingly private places. worse still, in many states, these crimes are only misdemeanor, meaning even peeping toms that are caught aren't seriously punished. here's abc's dan harris. >> reporter: these are boom times for peeping toms who are watching you by hiding cameras in places you would never expect. you're looking at jonathan willing. police say this video shows him putting a tiny camera in a tanning booth where he recorded four naked women. and this here is james allen reesy, shown on video apparently placing his cell phone camera under an unsuspecting woman's dress. and police say he did the same thing as a nearby thrift store, achling the lens underneath the door of a dressing ro

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 30th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. we're going to begin tonight in the heartland, where cops are working around the clock to keep an every day cold medicine out of the hands of drug dealers. the key ingredient to making meth can be found in any drugstore and dealers are paying big bucks to get their hands on what has now become a closely regulated supply of it. chris bury catches up with the cops trying to catch those dealers for our series "nightline investigates." >> reporter: if you're a fan of amc's hit series "breaking bad," then you know the mantra of walter white. making methamphetamine is just basic chemistry. turns out, fiction foul lopes fact. meth abuse is exploding across rural america. in kentucky, where labs have nearly tripled since 2008, it's become an all-consuming battle for dan smoot. >> there's six undercoverers. >> reporter: he leads operation unite. >> nobody run to the car and we'll meet you at walgreens

. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 14th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm terry moran. and we're going to begin tonight with a bright spot in a bleak economy. the women of mary kay cosmetics. 165,000 people started mary kay businesses in the united states last april alone. it's a second job for many of them, but they work for themselves and they chalked up 2$2.5 billion in 2010 worldwide. here's abc's ryan owens in our network series, "bringing america back." >> reporter: it has all the glitz and glamour of the academy awards. >> perfect. >> reporter: but this red carpet is in dallas. and it probably should be pink. >> are you ready for the most exciting night of your life? ♪ baby you're a firework >> reporter: it's awards night at mary kay cosmetics, and for the next few hours, hundreds of women will receive a lot more than little golden statues. >> featuring almost two krar rats of diamonds. >> reporter: they're being recognized and rewarded for growing their business when so