>> my favorite memory? it's got to be the favorite things. i excited. like, you imagine, stormed the bastille and the the ladies that were gonna get because if you leave television, television. we don't want to do here on "the oprah show" was like, we were just trying to--we

after school ate a full jiffy your show every day. thank you thank you for being a force for touching and emotional every young chap christian is dying of something that touches your something on that makes you stamp your feet or raise your

probably give her the country of down here, so come back whenever >> thank you. oprah: "finding sarah"--mark 12, "from royalty to the real this sunday for a brand-new >> how long is the clip? let me find out. it's great. >> i'm gonna go look at it right

>> can i look at it with us to find this tape of when she to cut it to time and get it show. am so thrilled to introduce my say, "this is my first time. months," ok? pull this tape. she wanted to exactly what part she wanted to use, and we have minutes to >> is that too long? >> you're sure she won't >> yeah. you know what? no. it's oprah: we loved that show.

[captioning made possible by --www.ncicap.org--] can i eat heart healthy without giving up taste? a man can only try... and try...and try. [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and cahelp lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healy. ♪ to cinnamon. td introducg cinnamon burst cheerios. 20% day value of fiber bursting with the delicious taste of cinnamon. new cinnamon burst cheerios. prepare your taste buds. to invite her. >> do the right thing and burn that hat, please. .ore of "world news now."

"world news now." [ male announcer ] if you think "heroes" are only in movies,

consider this: over 70% of firefighters are local volunteers... these are our neighbors putting their lives on the line. and when they rely on a battery, there are firefighters everywhere who trust duracell. and now you can join with duracell to help. just buy specially-marked packs & duracell will make a battery donation to local volunteers. these days don't we all need someone to trust...? duracell. trusted everywhere.

it is that time of the year to talk about a little bit of baseball. talking about minor league baseball. the salt lake city bees are in the big easy right now for a series against the new orleans zephyrs. >> the bees do not usually make national tv, but this morning they are because of the unique pitcher on the team. danny green of ktax has his story. >> reporter: the sounds of the game, the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, well ryan ketchner hears none of it. >> a lot of people think anybody who is deaf place baseball --

i'll show them. >> i think it's great. it shows that anybody can play the game. it doesn't matter what your disability is, deaf, whatever, it does not matter. >> for him to do what he's done at such a high level, definitely, like you said it's a role model. >> reporter: so what made ketchner believe he could play baseball at this level? well, when he was in high school he met curtis pride, the only deaf major leaguer in the modern era, who ironically also played for the bees. >> my dad brought me to the game. i watched him play. it was amazing. i thought, i can play. >> reporter: while baseball is a game of signs, ketchner doesn't use sign language with his teammates since he's an expert lip reader. >> you come out and talk to him. i have to make sure that i take my mask off the, so that he can see my lips, things like that but it's been easy. just a great guy. >> reporter: sometimes his teammates use ketchner's lip-reading talent as a weapon. >> i say, hey when i'm hitting,

if they have a visit to the mound, read that pitching coach's lips. tell me what they're saying about me. >> reporter: another advantage is to be able to block out all distractions. >> it's helped me a lot. just focus on the strike zone and almost all of the pitching coaches say, he's lucky. he doesn't hear anything. just focus. >> very good self-evaluator. when things don't go his way, he is not looking for excuses whether it be the umpires, the situation, whatever, he looks at himself first. and probably how he lives his life as well. >> reporter: there hasn't been a deaf pitcher in the major leagues since 1908, so if ketchner can get to the big leagues, he would truly be making history. >> when i grew up, i don't know what baseball offered because i can't hear anything. but my dreams came true. >> oh, wow. >> very cool. i like that story and a lot people go to the minor league games because you can afford them. >> yeah, really. >> the major league tickets are pretty expensive. and neat to see how well they're doing.

got some statistics here. >> yes, some stats here, he started six games so far this year, currently has a record of 1-1. and he's fourth on the team in strikeouts but leads the team in walks but you know what, he's out there doing his thing and that makes him a winner. >> his dreams coming true, we love that. coming up the a-list movie star who backed out of replacing charlie sheen on "two and a half men." the saga continues. >> really. and the report about martha stewart's love life. >> what! >> just might have everyone talking. we didn't see this one coming at all! "the skinny's" next, don't go far. far. abababababababababababababab

♪ skinny ♪ so skinny a good one today. >> let's just dive right into this because half of the people in our newsroom said there is no way this is true. the other half said it could be true. we're talking about martha stewart and a very hot story about her life life. apparently rumors say, she has a new boyfriend. >> all right, martha. >> he's hot. seth myers, head writer for "saturday night live." a 32-year age difference. saying they've been together on each other's show many times and

there is a very intense fondness. take a listen. >> so do you have a girlfriend? >> i do. >> yes? >> yeah. >> oh, good. >> are you going to get married? >> one day. >> okay. >> did she come with you today? >> she didn't. >> oh. why didn't you bring her? >> i feel like it is weird when i'm around you and another lady. >> oh. >> and you have to admit, isn't there like sort of a super secret kind of chemistry going on there? i don't know what they're making but it seems spicy. >> do you really believe? do you believe this? really? >> she's got her own thing going. she's very attractive. she's a very powerful woman. maybe that's attractive to seth myers. >> and you think he's hot? >> who doesn't think he's not hot? he's completely hot. and i think it is also good to see an older woman dating a younger man. because it's usually the other way around. it's about time that we saw more demi moore/ashton kutcher, martha/seth sort of thing. >> it's good to know after her domestic career that martha has a little freak in her. >> seth, if it's not true, call me.

>> oh, lord. moving on, bethany frankel of "real housewives" we said that she's worth $120 million. now she's being sued putting that money at risk. all of this money coming from her skinny girl cocktails. and now she's being sued by doug wald and his company called raw talent. basically he claims that she fired him november 2008 just days before she actually launched that line. they had a verbal contract for her -- had a verbal contract with her to be her manager and help her launch the thing. so now he's suing her for $100 million. we'll see how that plays out in court. >> bethenny looks good in a hair net and that's hard to pull off. >> yeah. now moving on here to the next person who could be replacing charlie sheen from "two and a half men." many names tossed around. the rob lowe thing going on for a while but it turns out hugh grant. has been in final negotiations to replace charlie sheen on "two and a half men" but pulled out because of creative differences.

although we're hearing rumors that he could step back into the mix. >> more than a million an episode. >> sheen was earning $2 million >> a year. said really made him mad. only way to come back is to up it to $3 million. so the saga continues. >> good luck, hugh. at least we both know that they like prostitutes. >> do you remember devine brown? >> i will never understand that. put this picture up because this says it all. levi johnston. a new book out. called "deer in the headlights." my life in sarah palin cross hairs. preorder this thing on amazon.com if you have nothing better to do with your life. spilling the dirt again on the palins. i'm sure that will go over well with the fam. >> is the 15 minutes over yet? because he's really trying to stretch this out and it's not sort of pathetic, it is pathetic. >> it has become a little much. >> we wouldn't have bothered you with it but we saw the picture on the book and had to show crow. "deer in the headlights" sums it up. >> i really don't get it at all with levi. do your thing. the playboy thing. a book out. it's enough. >> we will take a quick break. take a quick break.

spending too many nights alone at the spacebar. will love ever find me? ♪ oh yes! ♪ what about love?! [ female announcer ] swiffer attracts dust. swiffer 360 dusters gets in hard to reach places. it picks up two times more dust than a feather duster using thousands of fluffy fibers to lock dust away.

you're just my type! [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning.

here's some stories to watch today on abc news. gas prices will be a hot topic on capitol hill. fuel company executives will testify in senate hearings. some lawmakers say it's time to end oil and gas company tax incentives and profits and pump prices are so high. >> we'll get more details about last year's air france's crash in the atlantic ocean. investigators will brief reporters today after the jet's flight's recorder was found in the ocean. and the shuttle "endeavour" crew returns to the kennedy space center today. the launch was rescheduled for monday. and finally this half hour, another stealth military operation, this one, though, much closer to home and a lot safer. >> that's right, it's the story of a military mom and her surprise mission. diana alvear is in los angeles

with the details. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning. for three very lucky san diego siblings mother's day fell on tuesday when a special delivery arrived at their schools. out of all of the missions lieutenant tanya has taken on, this one is by part most important. >> this is the homecoming i've been dreaming of all year, being able to surprise them at school. >> reporter: that would be her kids who have no idea she's home early from afghanistan. with the help of tonya's parents and school administrators they're about to find out. >> i've got butterflies, big time. >> ah. >> reporter: first on the list, 12-year-old son travis, a visit to the principal's office leads him straight into his mother's arms. him straight into his mother's arms. >> i mis you. hey, baby. >> hey. >> i didn't know. >> i know you didn't. >> reporter: their reunion is greeted with hearty applause by james' classmates.

>> don't be embarrassed. it's okay. let's go get your sister. >> reporter: her two boys in tow, tonya heads to the high school for her last stop. >> hopefully it's a good surprise. >> reporter: and it was. the tears flow as a visibly stunned daughter katrina hugs and hugs her mother. outside, more hugs follow. >> group hug. ah. >> reporter: it's been tough having mom away, even tougher keeping this secret. >> i took all -- away all of the electronics. they weren't able to check anything. so i think we managed to keep it a surprise. >> reporter: mission accomplished. >> it's perfect. exactly what i wanted. >> reporter: and we hear the whole family went home and mom and the kids played a game of catch and i'm thinking the homework can wait. right, rob and peggy? >> absolutely. last thing you should do. good reminder of the sacrifices our troops make.

>> you hear cccccccccccccccccccc

this morning on "world news now," disaster plans in mississippi and louisiana. floodwaters are racing into that region after swamping the city of memphis. >> engineers are busy inspecting levees hoping and praying they will hold back a raging mississippi river. it's thursday, may 12th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everyone. i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm rob nelson. the flood fears in the delta region are so grave that inmates at louisiana prisons have been put to work. they're providing sandbags for property owners who want to protect what they can before those high waters get to that part of the country. >> incredible pictures that we're seeing from there. also coming up the fatal back-to-back earthquakes in spain where this type of

disaster is rare. also in italy, frightened people were expecting an earthquake, forcing businesses to close down. very interesting story. >> yeah. no kidding. and later, my interview with a music legend with so many hits over the years. i'll find out what's motivating the empress of soul, gladys knight these days. ♪ midnight train to georgia >> everyone loves that song. she was cool. >> going all day long. love that. first we do want to update you on the overflowing mississippi river, sending hundreds of millions of dollars down the drain. >> the historic floodwaters are seeping into poor, low-lying communities in the mississippi delta and then zeroing in on louisiana and it could stick around for weeks. jim ryan is now in vicksburg, mississippi. >> reporter: the swollen mississippi river rolled into the mississippi delta. in tunica, mississippi, the river swallowed up homes along with people's livelihoods. >> it's just a question of waiting to crest and seeing when

it comes down. >> reporter: 15 of mississippi's 19 riverside casinos, employing thousands of people, are now flooded. farther south, engineers have been anxiously checking and reinforcing the levees. near vicksburg, mississippi, contractors lined one side of the levee there with sheets of plastic. >> this helps with erosion to keep it from damaging the levee if the water should go over. >> reporter: downstream in louisiana, inmates have been filling sandbags for residents to use to protect their homes. over the past week, the overflowing mississippi had its backed up tributaries have already washed away crops. in arkansas, nathan reid watched hopelessly as the waters drowned his fields. >> millions of dollars economic loss, just back here. i've got a neighbor that's got $2.5 million worth of wheat flooded right now and it's gone. >> reid is not alone. overall farmers in arkansas, the top rice-producing state expected to lose $500 million. on monday, the corps began opening up the bonnet carre spillway near new orleans.

another spillway, morganza, is up river from baton rouge and it could be open this weekend to release the rising waters. remembers when it happened for the first time in 1973. >> it's a tsunami that moves through the spillway and it just takes everything with it. >> reporter: while the people of memphis might soon exhale, those living and working here downstream are still holding their breath. jim ryan, abc news, vicksburg, mississippi. meanwhile, lawmakers in washington have begun to review the top-secret photos of osama bin laden's body. they say the gruesome images leave no doubt that bin laden is dead. also new information taken from his personal journal show that bin laden urged his followers to attack smaller u.s. cities. and if possible, strike on significant dates such as the fourth of july or the tenth anniversary of 9/11. the nation's nuclear watch dog agency is now demanding that nuclear plant operators submit detailed plans for how they

would respond to a terrorist attack. that agency will use the information to review safety regulations following of course the nuclear crisis in japan. the nuclear regulatory commission ordered a similar safety review, and an update on that report is due today. turning overseas. nato air strikes have been targeting the capital of libya overnight. wailing ambulances were heard minutes after that last missile exploded. intense nato firepower has helped the rebels advance toward victory. libya leader moammar gadhafi appeared briefly on tv for the very first time since his son was killed in a nato air strike last month. in an especially emotional hearing on capitol hill peace corps volunteers recounted terrifying stories of sexual abuse while serving overseas. >> and they testified that equally horrifying was the insensitive response by peace corps officials. john hendren is in washington with the details on that. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and peggy. one victim after another came forward with chilling stories. as one victim put it, i never thought it would be the peace

corps' staffers from whom i would need the most protection. >> reporter: the stories are beyond horrifying. carol clark said she endured a 15-hour ordeal. her attacker, she said, was her peace corps supervisor. >> for a long time i prayed to live and after that i prayed to die. >> reporter: time after time volunteers say after they were sexually assaulted, they were attacked again. this time verbally by peace corps supervisors. harvard professor now specializes in helping victims. >> i was then sent to speak with a peace corps staff investigator who said, i am so sick of you girls going over there drinking, dancing and flirting and then if a guy comes on to you, you say you've been rape. >> a peace corps also required me to meet with a counselor for me to write down everything that i had done wrong. >> reporter: she says after her daughter blew the whistle on one rapist he was alerted to her complaint and murdered her. >> the way that kate's e-mail was handled ultimately led to her death. >> reporter: the peace corps

says it's not its policy to blame volunteers but agency's current training video seems to do just that, with victims appearing on camera to describe what they had supposedly had done wrong to bring on their attackers. >> looking back there are certainly other ways that i could have -- other choices that i could have made. >> reporter: many say they thought the problem had been solved decades ago but came forward after seeing it highlighted on abc's "20/20." >> it is not our intent to victimize our volunteers a second time. we want to do everything we can to help them heal. >> reporter: peace corps director aaron williams says he is committed to revamping the peace corps' response to sexual assault but he says the agency does not put volunteers in unsafe environments. rob and peggy. senate gop leaders will meet with the president today to go over their plans to reduce the national deficit. and that's after republicans in the house came up with their own plan. this calls for cutting $30 billion from cabinet agencies. if approved, domestic programs and foreign aid would be hard hit. house republicans are in favor of diverting an extra $17

billion to the pentagon. it's taken two months but boat that was lifted by japan's tsunami and then plunked on top of a two-story building has finally come down. there was some talk of leaving that catamaran on the building's rooftop as a memorial of sorts and reminder of the devastating quake and tsunami but with the continuing threat of aftershocks that was simply considered too risky. >> unbelievable when you see that. spain is recovering this morning from deadly back-to-back earthquakes. >> the two quakes struck yesterday coming close to fulfilling a reported prophecy but the geography was just a little off. diana alvear is here to explain. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning. what happened in spain wasn't just tragic, it was bizarre. considering most people in rome thought they were the ones that were going to have to deal with the big one. >> reporter: two earthquakes minutes apart rocked southern spain on wednesday, toppling a church tower, killing at least ten people and injuring dozens

more. it fulfilled an eerie prediction that a large earthquake would strike on may 11th, 2011. the thing is, the quake was supposed to strike italy, not spain. that prediction has long troubled romans, so much so that many shops were closed and school attendance was low. this woman slept in her car until it got too cold. according to internet rumor, it was raffaele bendandi back in 1915 who predicted the big one would hit rome. in fact he never said any such thing but the mere rumor was enough to panic rome, despite government efforts to keep calm. while italians stayed on high alert, their neighboring spaniards had no idea they'd be hit by not one but two quakes. the second, a 5.4 magnitude monster. the nation's worst earthquake in 50 years. and it turns out while that particular rumor may have been false bendandi did accurately predict a few other quakes. so hit or miss there.

rob and peggy. >> very interesting. well, take a listen to this. a bizarre twist on a case of mistaken identity that got an indianapolis man thrown off facebook. the reason, his name is mark zuckerberg. the same as facebook's founder. zuckerberg, there he is, he's an attorney, he said that he submitted every single piece of i.d. that he had. he was still rejected by facebook and the battle went on for nearly four months until zuckerberg got an apology letter and also a promise from facebook that his account will be reactivated. would be nice to mix up his bank account. >> yeah, no kidding. happy then, wouldn't he? >> that would be tough. >> just a few million. taking a look at your thursday forecast now. more storms move in from texas to the midwest hitting des moines, st. louis, little rock and houston. showers and thunderstorms from minneapolis to memphis. snow in the northern rockies and rain in the pacific northwest. >> 57 in seattle. 73 in albuquerque. 91 in phoenix. omaha 79. indianapolis 86. 63 in boston. 90 in atlanta and 87 in the big easy.

the most endangered mammals in the world. but this morning the city of chattanooga says it is helping the cause with the birth of two new female pups. >> offspring of a 7-year-old female and 6-year-old male at the chattanooga nature center and now part of a population of only about 300 red wolves on earth. >> look at how shaky he is. so cute. >> wow. >> come on, rob. >> you're trying to win me over. an endless battle with you, i know. >> do you feel anything like a little warmness in your heart, at all? >> i admit, they're cute. don't want one but i admit they're cute. >> oh, boy. start you out with the goldfish. >> something. >> i like catfish. >> more "world news now." want one of a kind eyes?

individualize with the covergirl exact eyelights collection. green eyes -- heres the look for you. blues, hazels, and browns ave their look too. individualeyes! with exact eyelights from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl.

here's an amazing stat and kind of sad as well. 17% of u.s. youngsters are obese. that is three times more than just a generation ago. >> huge, huge problem here in our country, so several schools are taking another step to battle obesity with cameras in the cafeteria. >> but as dan harris reports, it has some asking if big brother is going too far. >> reporter: it's a regular lunchtime at w.w. white elementary school in san antonio, texas, but today there's a tiny camera snapping shots of the student's trays on the food line and then again when they throw their leftovers away. the pictures are immediately analyzed with technology so advanced they can even recognize the half-eaten apple, the calories the kids are consuming are calculated on the spot. >> see if it is healthy or not. >> they try to get you healthy and have a good shape of your body and stuff.

>> reporter: it is part of a $2 million federally funded pilot program to see which antiobesity initiatives are working and to open the eyes of parents. >> this feedback is going to be proactive for parents so they can help us raise healthier children. >> reporter: if you're into counting your own calories there is of course an app for that, it is called meal snap. we decided to test drive here at one of my favorite burger joints in the universe. i've got the calorie information right here. we'll see if the app calculates it correctly. can i have a cheeseburger? so it's actually reasonably impressive. the app correctly recognized each of the food items. it estimated, however, that the total calories were between 900 and 1,300. the real number, 1,500. but is all of this calorie-counting going a bit too far, especially in our schools? sarah palin, for one, thinks yes. >> i brought dozens and dozens of cookies to these students. i had to shake it up for you guys. >> reporter: she brought cookies to a school in pennsylvania,

saying all of these antiobesity campaigns are nanny state overreach. those behind these calorie cams agree what kids eat is up to parents but they say a little visual nudge can't hurt. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> that's amazing. >> i wonder if parents, if that's a little intrusive. >> maybe in the battle against obesity, of course a lot of talk about the sodas and even the chocolate milk in schools. >> trying to revamp all of that. yeah and also wanted to show this video. when dan was out there shooting this story, apparently this squirrel wanted one of his french fries. was very aggressive. dan, who was clearly scared. threw the french fry. >> i like that guy. >> take a bite. and let's have a burger. how about the whole thing? >> he went for the burg are too. >> dan is so generous. he's like, oh, take it. i would be like, hands off. >> squirrels are vicious. you have to be careful. that squirrel could have jacked him. >> saving that burger for winter. coming up a musical superstar who still has it. gladys knight. my interview with the music legend coming up next. gladys knight. my interview with the music

legend coming up next.

♪ he's leaving ♪ leaving ♪ on that midnight train to georgia ♪ >> sing it, rob. >> whoo-hoo. >> that was sad. >> you were supposed to cue me. >> sorry, sorry i was feeling it. sorry. >> we did make the mention of this last week, rob's latest brush with the famous, it was right up the street at new york's beacon theater. we've been singing "the midnight train to georgia" for a week now. >> i had a chance to sit down with a true musical legend. the one and only gladys knight. check it out. ♪ he's leaving ♪ leaving

♪ on that midnight train to georgia ♪ >> reporter: after more than 50 years in show business and nearly 40 albums under her belt, r&b legend gladys knight still has it. ♪ the seven-time grammy winner into new york city last week. rode her famous "midnight train" into new york city last week. headlining a concert for amtrak's national train day to benefit the boys and girls club of america. >> it's national train day. and the train has been so intertwined in my life, all my life. i've been singing since i was 4. and that was our mode of travel in the early days. >> reporter: the empress of soul is now nearly 70 years old but that train has not slowed down. her latest album "fusion" is due out in a few weeks and since march she's had a standing gig in vegas. >> i'm at the tropicana. and guess what? >> reporter: having fun? >> i have a theater named after me. history! >> reporter: yes, indeed. in this age of youtube and reality tv, fame has become a low-hanging fruit. so gladys, who's also an author,

businesswoman and actress, offered some advice for those looking for her kind of staying power. after all, she's been touring since the age of 10. >> you've got to be willing to put in the work and the time and to be willing to do the things that gives you longevity. if you plan to do this, you've got to learn how to perform, you know? you've got to learn how to take that record and make it work for you. >> reporter: knight applauds today's artist like jennifer hudson and mary j. blige and says her new album will have something that even the younger folks can appreciate. >> i've got a dance mix on there i'm even scared of. i said, whoa! >> reporter: at the new york concert, knight sang the song "dream" for the first time. a soulful dose of inspiration for today's youth. >> they need us. they need something. they need guidance. they need a place to go to be safe and have fun. you know they need to get off

the streets. they don't need to be exposed to a whole lot of that stuff. they're children. and they see too much. they hear too much. and they experience too much to be so young. >> reporter: words of wisdom from a musical legend who still commands the stage. what's the secret to performing live? how do you get that audience to feel you? >> to touch them. i need to touch. i'm a touchy-feely person. i need to see you. you know? i want to see you smile and if you're not happy, i'm going to know it. so while i'm there, you know i'm going to get to you. i need to sing something for you or to you. and that's how i connect because once we get in that room, it's us. and no i and me and we no more. it's us. >> that is cool. >> she was very cool. very down to earth. and here interesting bit of trivia right here, that song "midnight train to georgia" biggest hit came now the 1973. the original name of that song

was "midnight plane to houston." >> what. >> and gladys and the pips got together and said, wait a minute. she's from atlanta and changed that title of that song and became her biggest hit. >> i don't think that people know that. that is incredible. >> the rhythm of the nation. do you like my pants? ♪ what about love?! [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. the 2 in 1 swiffer sweeper uses electrostatic dry cloths to trap and lock more dirt than a broom and uses dirt dissolving wet cloths to clean better than a mop. you're quite the pickup artist! [ male announcer ] 2 in 1 swiffer sweeper gives cleaning a whole new meaning.

>> announcer: "world news now" delivers your morning papers. welcome back, everybody. well, of course in this day in age, we're all connected somehow, wirelessly, through our tablets and our text messages and we can communicate in all kinds of ways. >> even if you don't want to. >> even if you don't want to, right. all of these electronic leashes that dominate our lives now. well, apparently for you smokers out there, you've seen these e-cigarettes, right. well, they have these -- supposed to cut down the nicotine. like this vapor instead of the smoke inhaling into your lungs. there new protect called blu is out. and basically it's kind of like social smoking for the social networking era with these e-cigarettes they have sensors

that will let you know when other e-smokers are nearby. so if you're outside puffing on your little e-cigarette it will somehow alert you oh another e-cigarette smoker two blocks away because smokers tend to commiserate and there you go. >> you can't smoke in front the building anymore. go 20 feet. you can't smoke in front park. a homing device. to hang out together. >> it's weird. maybe some of you are getting up for work. out to work and sort of thinking, take this job and you know that song. these boots are made for walking, that sort of thing. maybe walk over to orange county. in orange county, lifeguards -- california, sunny beachy orange county, the lifeguards make over $200,000 a year. >> that makes me furious. >> these are city municipal paid people. maybe if they all look like this, that's why. like pam anderson. that could explain why. >> if only. >> in fact one of the lifeguards earns $211,000. another one earns $203,000. so 13 full-time lifeguards.

spend the entire day on the beach making sure you don't drown. which i guess that is saying something. what if you are drowns, you don't want the 15-year-old boys and girls club to rescue. >> is that their base salary, overtime? >> no they've been there for a long, long time and now earning over $200 grand for a full-time lifeguard job. >> it's time that we renegotiate our contract. >> i can swim. >> we'll take it. a funny story, too. this comes from the "flint" journal. a school board election out there and two seats were open. one incumbent running who got the majority of the the 300 votes cast, and one other woman, lisa osborne, who was running for the other seat and she was a write-in candidate. all she needed was one vote to get that second seat. >> to get the job. >> she didn't go and vote that day because she was at her kid's baseball team, she and her husband and got zero votes. and couldn't get a seat on the board. and all she needed to vote for herself in this small town. >> you sort of need to vote just on principle. >> you would think she would but she did not make time. >> everyone knows, made national news about the bronx zoo. all of the animals are trying to

escape. the peacock who had escaped aba@

this morning on "world news now," the disturbing diaries of osama bin laden. what his personal journals reveal about al qaeda, also strategies of terrorism. >> what federal agents discovered and translated after bin laden's dramatic takedown. it's thursday, may 12th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm peggy bunker. investigators discovered bin laden's writings on a computer flash drive seized from his compound. he also kept a handwritten journal. and we're going to look into those diaries and find out exactly who now is reading them, but some shocking revelations of his plans, he also kept sort a tally on people that he killed. very disturbing.

>> he was still very much in charge, although all those years in hiding, he wanted to be the football coach still running terrorism around the world. incredible. also ahead in this half hour, one scare in the air after another involving passengers who were out of control during flights. who's reacting to this jittery situation in the skies after bin who's reacting to this jittery situation in the skies after bin laden's death? u maybe we need to back off a little bit, so we've got that story coming up. >> it's peggy bunker piece. lessons that you're learning firsthand with the new twins. goo-goo-goo. is that the talk? >> tune in. we're getting new insight into the mindset of the mind of osama bin laden. intelligence analysts. >> in those handwritten notes bin laden urges his followers to strike new targets on american soil. abc's brian ross investigates. >> reporter: the officials say bin laden remained obsessed with outdoing the attacks of september 11th. and he believed only a body count in the thousands would have any affect on u.s. policy overseas.

>> the fact that bin laden wanted to kill thousands of americans does not surprise me at all. >> reporter: from his compound in pakistan, officials say bin laden urged al qaeda to consider attacks on los angeles as well as smaller american cities, spread out the attack, he advised. >> it makes it more difficult for us to track because we're looking at more symbolic locations. >> reporter: u.s. officials say bin laden was not satisfied of what had been smaller planned attacks presumably like the failed times square bombing last year, the shooting at ft. hood and the aborted christmas day bombing of a flight headed to detroit. >> there's a number of ways you can have a high body count in areas that have lower security. there's softer targets. there's less security in the midwest and other places. and you can coordinate an attack, i think, much easier than you could in one of the

major cities that have such high levels of security. >> reporter: the studying of new information comes from computer flash drives discovered at bin laden's compound in pakistan now being decoded and translated. u.s. officials say bin laden was sending the computer files by courier here to followers around the world, although it is not clear whether his advice was being strictly heeded. in addition to the computer-generated messages, u.s. officials say bin laden also kept a handwritten journal with daily entries. his son omar said in a recently published book, his father religiously recorded his thoughts. "he would thunder over past grievances or pose new ideas that he believed would alter the course of the world." u.s. authorities say they have no information at this point that any of bin laden's musings became active plots but it's clear from his writings that he continued to be actively involved in plotting what he hoped would be the next wave of attacks on the u.s. and that

until his death, he had not relinquished his role as america's greatest enemy. brian ross, abc news, new york. >> chilling details there. in other news this morning, there are some major concerns right now at japan's fukushima nuclear plant, reports just out from the utility company say the water levels in one of the reactors has dropped dramatically, possibly due to a leak. the fuel rods may be exposed and there's also a chance they've melted. the workers have been dumping 150 tons of water a day on the reactor to keep it cool. the utility company, meanwhile, insists that this situation is not out of control. it's been a frightening week in skies over america. a string of scares disrupting four different commercial flights. is this just a fluke or perhaps a sign of a nation on edge after osama bin laden's death? lisa stark has the story. >> reporter: the rash of incidents occurred around the country. the latest, delta flight 1102, orlando to boston, a passenger apparently drunk, tries to open an emergency exit in flight. american airlines, chicago to san francisco, a passenger shouts "allah akbar," god is

great, in arabic. tries to barge into the cockpit. this past weekend continental airlines houston to chicago. again a passenger tries to pop open an exit. and a flight from detroit to san diego diverts to new mexico after a flight attendant finds the word "bomb" written on a napkin in the bathroom. what is going on? >> we're more attuned because we are entering a legitimate threat period. >> reporter: is there is an actual increase since the osama bin laden death or are jittery passengers and police acting more forcefully? so many problems passengers all at once. >> we are clearly paying closer attention, but you also have individuals who are trying to exploit this situation. >> reporter: in the recent sky-high mishaps passengers and flight attendants jumped into action. on boston flight off-duty policeman john riley helped contain the man who tried to open the door. >> they showed me the seat, pointed the gentleman out to me, and said whatever i do could i make sure that he wouldn't leave

his seat for anything. >> reporter: matt graham is a former air marshal with some advice for those who suddenly find themselves on a plane with an unruly passenger. >> let somebody know what's going on. say, help. draw attention to the situation and try to get people involved. >> if you have to physically do something yourself, the best thing you can do? >> get them away from whatever is causing the problem, okay? isolate them -- >> reporter: bear hug them? >> bear hug them. >> reporter: while these are scary incidents they're just a minute amount of the flights in the air every day, and we should stress that when a plane is at altitude, pressurized, it is impossible to open those emergency exits. lisa stark, abc news, dulles airport. >> that's reassuring. good to know. >> doors can't open. >> i think that people are wondering can you get them open midflight, you cannot. former house speaker newt gingrich is embarking on a media blitz after formally entering race for the white house. >> the 67-year-old republican made it official on an online video saying he is the man to

get the country on the right track. john hendren is in washington with more. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and peggy. the last time he was in office, "seinfeld" was the big hit tv show, michael jackson was on tour, and now newt gingrich wants back in. this time he's gunning for the top job. >> reporter: newt gingrich has arguably been president obama's most famous backseat driver. >> the obama administration is wrong. we need to return power from washington to states. >> reporter: now he wants to replace the president behind the wheel. the first major candidate ever to announce his run for president on twitter. he's one the most influential americans in a generation as house speaker in the 1990s manning the helm of the last social revolution. >> we're offering the boldest, most decisive, clearest contract in the history of the united states. >> reporter: he's also one of the the most controversial

figures in recent history. who's had three wives and famously shut down the government in a standoff with president clinton. gingrich makes his announcement at an inopportune time as president obama rides a new wave of popularity. >> thank you for getting bin laden! >> well, there you go. case in point. >> reporter: the new poll shows the president with his highest approval rating in two years. 60% of americans, according to the ap, think that the president is doing a good job. a majority, 53%, say he deserves re-election. top democrats tell abc news they are far less worried about gingrich than more centrist candidates. the republicans they would least like to face, huntsman, and other formidable candidates include indiana governor mitch daniels and former massachusetts governor mitt romney. rob and peggy. floodwaters are spilling across the mississippi delta pa week m today.e thn a t abtheo threat. the mississippi river is expected to crest in vicksburg, a week from today. more than a foot above the 1927 record. more than a dozen casinos have been shut down, impacting thousands of workers. downstream another spillway could be opened to relieve pressure on levees. >> will be watching that for

another two weeks. not expected to crest in new orleans until may 24th, at least right now. so days more to continue to watch that. >> the casinos, all of those jobs. >> some lost revenue. here's your thursday forecast now. thunderstorms from minneapolis, down to memphis. another stormy day from texas to iowa with hail, gusty winds and heavy rain. mountain snow in western colorado and the northern rockies. >> 57 degrees in seattle. 75 in boise. 91 in phoenix. mostly 80s from dallas up to detroit. 90 in atlanta. 71 here in new york and 63 in boston. she has set broadcasting records, amassed a fortune and won countless awards and now oprah winfrey has her very own street. >> just a street. she deserves more than that. chicago mayor daley has renamed the block in front of harpo studios, oprah winfrey way, saying she's been a great ambassador to her adopted hometown. >> she said this is better than an oscar or an emmy. and asked what is next, oprah winfrey tells "the chicago tribune" that she's got a stack of plays in her bag.

the queen of daytime talk's next goal is to hit broadway. >> all right. nothing she can't do. >> that's right. >> that's for sure. we'll be right back, everyone with more of "world news now." let me tell you about a very important phone call i made. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying .up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans...

exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp p medicare supplement insuranc. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral o see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare r supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits r your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually p no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep that accepts medicare. p your own doctor and hospital and best of all, these plans are... when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up.

and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts # medicare, call this toll-free number now.

take a look at that. pretty incredible footage there as we look at this footage of an earthquake. plenty people in southeastern spain slept outside overnight after a deadly pair of earthquakes. the first quake was a magnitude 4.5. this was followed by a stronger earthquake measuring 5.3. at least ten people were killed. dozens injured. that's the highest death toll from an earthquake in spain since 1956. now ironically or perhaps not, those quakes actually came on the same day that many italians believed they were going to be hit by an earthquake. >> we talked about this

yesterday, whether it was an urban myth or not, it sure seemed that plenty of romans took it it very seriously. nick watt reports. >> reporter: in a city famed for hustle bustle, closed for vacation for family reasons, for personal reasons, many romans had fled to the beach. this woman slept in her car last night. until it got too cold. all of this because of an internet rumor that raffaele bendandi, a wacky seismologist, predicted back in 1915 that this city of piazzas and pizzas would be hit by the big one. actually he never said that, ever. >> i think that it was something that went on the internet and got rebounded around and people are superstitious. need something to believe in. >> reporter: this roman panic, a social media wildfire and a viral lie. authorities forced to fight back online and off. "there are no geodynamic conditions for this to happen in rome," this level-headed egghead told local tv, and as the day wore on, nothing.

romans claimed they were never scared anyway. >> how can you believe a thing like that? >> reporter: now the eternal city is, um, still here. still, eh, eternal. nick watt, abc news, better safe than sorry, in london. >> well, of course out interviewing a lot of people out in rome and one bar owner was getting interviewed. take a look at this. the pittsburgh steelers. >> a little slice of americana over there. steeler nation. the steeler nation's everywhere. some the most rabid fans on the planet and even overseas. >> find that logo in a lot of random spots, there you go, bar in spain. >> all right. when we come back, parents, their babies and the way they communicate. >> what i discovered about the ways that babies can actually give you the brush-off. this could surprise a lot of unicate. >> what i discovered about the ways that babies can actually give you the brush-off. this could surprise a lot of oms. mo

to a story that is obviously near and dear on your heart. peggy being the mother of 6-month-old twins. >> that's right. a pretty easy story to take on because i was obviously interested, but we wanted to know more about communicating with little ones, specifically babies. does all of that baby talk actually mean anything to them? and are your babies talking back? well, we want to let you know what we found out. it's pretty interesting. take a look. >> reporter: everyone loves to coo over a brand-new baby, some more enthusiastically than others. >> honey bun. >> but what if all of that baby talk is stressing out your baby? would you know the signs? >> it's my shocked face. >> reporter: clinical psychologist beatrice beady and phyllis cohen have studied mother/infant communication for over 20 years. they say it's a delicate dance many moms overstep. because many times mothers come

in with their own agenda and they want to sing a song, play a game and they continue the game even when the baby is showing signs the baby doesn't want to play anymore. >> reporter: in fact, many moms are often more interested in getting what they from the their babies and not the other way around. jill is a mother to three, her youngest being 4-month-old emma. >> seeing her smile makes me smile so i guess seeing her unhappy would then have the same reaction. like, oh, what's wrong? >> reporter: so, are moms paying attention to their baby's cues? not always, says dr. beeby, whose documentary discovered that even babies say, back off. >> babies protect their face, even from two weeks old, they put their hands up, they put their heads down, they turn away because it's threatening to have something coming into your face. see him put his hands up. from here to here, you see him turn away and put his hands up even more. >> reporter: dr. beebe says moms should look out for the chase and dodge, a behavior that's your baby's way of asking you to give them some space. >> she moves towards him, he moves away.

she pulls his arm and he comes over here and he doesn't look at her. on and on. that's the chase and dodge. that might develop into a situation where the mom feels she can't make contact with the baby and the baby's always moving away from her. >> reporter: the challenge for moms, let your baby lead you. >> many times when mothers see this baby -- their babies look away, they think, my baby doesn't love me. my baby doesn't want to be with me. and they get very upset about that. and when we let them see if they just slow down and wait and give the baby a chance, babies come back. >> as a new mom i can absolutely understand that. i'm pretty sure i've done the chase and dodge a couple of times but it is an emotional thing. another eye-opening piece of research, watch as dr. beebe tries to calm a frantic child with a puppet. she notices he's not interested in the puppet, he's focused on a button instead. something frazzled moms wouldn't

always pick up on. >> with a baby, you're kind of like oh, here is the puppet, here is the puppet, look at it. but i wouldn't have thought to focus on what a baby is focused on. that's an eye-opener for me, follow their cue instead of trying to get them to follow your cue. >> reporter: so let your baby guide you. and back up just a bit to give your baby a breather. >> and he will come back to you. >> yeah. trust your baby. >> ah-ha! >> that baby is adorable. >> isn't she sweet, sweet little emma. it was interesting because you think that your baby is automatically interested in what you're interested in, but actually that's not the case and sometimes they can be saying that you're stressing me out by being so close with adults right in the baby's face. >> because you see that all of the time, goo-goo-goo. >> i say that to you like every commercial break. >> rob, get out of my face. did you learn anything? >> i really did. i've been doing some of the same behavior so it's very, very interested. she's been doing this for over 40 years she's very knowledgeable. >> a very good story. more of "world news now" coming

she's very break. knowledgeable. >> a very good story. more of "world news now" coming up after the break. eable. >> a very good story. more of "world news now" coming up after the break. [ female announcer ] have you met your skin twin?

covergirl trublend has skin twin technology. other makeup can sit on your skin, so it looks like...makeup. but trublend has skin twin technology to actually merge with yur skin. how easy breezy beautiful is tha? trublend...from covergirl.

♪ ♪ i'm watching american television ♪ ♪ i'm watching i'm watching ♪ i'm watching american television ♪ ♪ "dancing with the stars" number one. >> all right. everyone's watching that show. go, kirstie. finally, we want to get a bunch of new yorkers really mad, one of hollywood's heavy hitters found a way to do it. >> actor will smith is in town. filming his next blockbuster, "men in black 12" i think, and that's all well and good of course but his huge trailers are causing some big problems here in the city. from our station here in the new york wabc has the story. >> this has just taken over the

whole neighborhood. >> reporter: but he didn't seem to have a care in the world. will smith flashed his million-dollar smile but refused to talk with me -- moving your trailer out? come on, one question. about this, his double-decker luxury trailer that was supposed to be parked here on broome street until friday. but now must move. the city gave the actor his marching orders. is it excess? >> this is what will needs to be comfortable to make his movie. to make the movie that he's been making throughout years. >> reporter: it's top the line, stretches some 53 feet across. can expand up, this second trailer is smith's gym. it's where he ducks in and out between takes. he's filming "men in black 3" but cathey dillian is seeing red. i found her on green street. >> i think it's a threat to the neighborhood's air quality. peace of mind. i think it's over the top. >> we cannot get the truck. we cannot get any access to our shop.

>> reporter: despite its size, this multimillion dollar motorhome does not violate any ordinances. still, complaints poured into the film's production company who then reached out to the city who decided it was in everybody's best interest to relocate. but some say they welcomed the trailers, extras and crew. >> we always want to see that kind of activity because we know that it means dollars for our city. >> reporter: disrupt your life at all? >> no, it makes lunchtime interesting. >> reporter: this time the trailer will drop anchor in a nearby private lot for the next three days, as smith keeps on his game face. >> well, you can see from those crowds there, he does need a place to go in between takes but a lot of the residents there say the exhaust from the trailers was over the top and broome street is such a busy street to the park that trailer on. >> i wonder in his mind he thought in this crowded, cramped city how that thing was going to -- >> that is good living right there. >> that's our outhouse.ababababb

this morning on "world news now," osama bin laden's obsession discovered in his secret journals. >> his writings about the u.s., and also his disturbing directives for al qaeda. it's thursday, may 12th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm peggy bunker. when the navy s.e.a.l.s stormed bin laden's compound they seized his computer equipment. also found his handwritten journals. investigators have started translating those writings and they do reveal astonishing new information about al qaeda. well, what he was up to for all of those years in hiding.

also in this half hour, the latest republican to enter the presidential race. why newt gingrich believes he has the political power to beat president obama. and this story that kept our newsroom buzzing this morning. coming up later in "the skinny," a very revealing side of martha stewart. it has nothing to do with better homemaking or her business savvy. this is about her love life. a major bombshell that we're wondering, could this be true? because we're all sort of upset about it. >> there's some doubt here. but if it's true, no one would have seen that coming. all right, martha. but before all of that, we're learning that osama bin laden continued to plot against the u.s. during those years that he was in deep hiding. new details about the plot are now emerging as the cia pores over his personal journals. >> they are shocking. those writings show bin laden actively involved in every recent al qaeda threat. stephen portman joining us from washington with the details. >> reporter: good morning. though, osama bin laden stayed out of public his private journals reveal that he was actively involved in al qaeda's operations and appeared to be calling the shots trying to mastermind plots against the

u.s. >> reporter: u.s. officials say osama bin laden was obsessed with inflicting more damage on america than the nation suffered on 9/11. >> the fact that bin laden wanted to kill thousands of americans does not surprise me at all. >> reporter: the al qaeda leader urged his followers to find targets outside of new york, such as los angeles or small cities where as many americans as possible would be killed in a single strike. >> it makes it more difficult for us to track. because we're looking at more symbolic locations. >> reporter: but officials say bin laden was dissatisfied with small-scale attacks. presumably like the failed times scare bombing last may, the 2009 ft. hood shootings and the aborted christmas day bombing of a flight arriving in detroit. this new information comes from computer flash drives, navy s.e.a.l.s seized when they stormed bin laden's compound in pakistan more than a week ago. u.s. officials say bin laden was sending the computer files by courier around the world.

u.s. intelligence experts have also been poring through bin laden's handwritten journal. in a recently published book, his son, omar, said his father religiously recorded his thoughts. "he would thunder over past grievances or pose new ideas that he believed would alter the course of the world." though investigators say bin laden was interested in attacking passenger trains here in the u.s., authorities have revealed no new details about plots or targets found in bin laden's writings or his files. reverend billy graham is in a north carolina hospital this morning undergoing treatment for pneumonia. doctors say that the 92-year-old evangelist's condition is not life threatening. in fact, they say that he is fully alert, also in good spirits and he also signed his own admission papers. in political news this morning, newt gingrich did not waste any time taking shots at president obama just hours after announcing that he will run for the white house. the former house speaker told fox news the president will say whatever he needs to to win. jonathan karl takes a look at gingrich and the likely gop field. >> reporter: and now tossing his

tweet in the ring, newt gingrich. >> i'm announcing my candidacy for the president of the united states. >> reporter: gingrich joins a republican field that seems tailor-made for "saturday night live." >> this is a great time for this nation's greatest man, me. >> reporter: potential candidates include a billionaire developer with a reality show and hair that seems to defy gravity, the guy who ran godfather's pizza, two candidates who support decriminalizing drugs and prostitution, obama's former ambassador to china, and the former governor, the president credits for inspiring his health care plan and a tea party heroine. at the first presidential debate, half of them stayed away missing this -- >> how many people here would use heroin if it were illegal? i bet nobody. oh yeah i need the government to take care of me. i don't want to use heroin so i need these laws. [ applause ] >> i never thought heroin would get applause here in south carolina. >> no wonder speaker of the

house john boehner told us he's still hoping for more candidates. >> i'm not sure that we've seen all of the candidates we're going to see. going to see. i'm as anxious as anybody else. have to see all of our candidates come out so we can get an idea, what's the field look like. >> reporter: as for gingrich on paper he looks like a top contender. a former speaker of the house who actually produced balanced budgets, a conservative known to virtually all republicans, but gingrich starts low in the polls. weighed down by political and personal baggage. he's admitted mistakes, including having an affair with one of his congressional aides who he went on to marry. for all of the republican problems, if gas stays near $4 a gallon, unemployment anywhere near 9% they still believe that barack obama is eminently beatable. in fact, in the latest abc news poll, 45% said that they would

definitely not vote for obama. jonathan karl, abc news, washington. a former wall street wheeler and dealer has been convicted in what prosecutors are calling the largest insider trading case ever involving hedge funds. raj rajaratnam faces more than 19 years in prison for using insider tips to make blockbuster trades using technology and other stocks. those illegal trades netted him more than $60 million in profits. president obama has declared the state of mississippi a disaster zone. as record floodwaters barrel downstream, thousands of people are expected to evacuate in vicksburg. meanwhile, back in tennessee there are growing fears there about toxins. steve osunsami tested those waters. >> it's very nasty. >> it is. >> it's very nasty. >> reporter: families across memphis told us they're afraid of the sludge-filled floodwaters that have poured into their homes and were curdling into the

90-degree heat. >> i'm not scared of the snakes out here, i'm scared of the water. >> filthy, i mean scary filthy. >> reporter: we hired researchers to take two samples. >> smells awful. >> reporter: one next to a school in an expensive neighborhood that's been struggling with visible trash in the water. the second from a low-income neighborhood in south memphis where the water looked clean but smelled dirty. the lab results confirm their fears. the levels of the deadly e. coli bacteria, coliform and fecal matter in the water were 2,000 times higher than any acceptable limit in both places. >> there would be a need for complete decontamination of the structure. >> how.

>> washing it all down. >> every house? >> that's experienced this water. >> reporter: outside of the school they were not pleased. >> why is it so high? what can we do to change that? >> reporter: on the south side of town where the water actually had less fecal matter than the water near the school, it was still off the charts. >> i didn't know it was that toxic. i really didn't. >> reporter: scientists told us we know that there's sewage, diesel and high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous from washed out farmland, rushing down the flooded mississippi. this is a problem, they say, if you're exposed to it especially if you have abrasions or cuts, they're telling us, it could make you very sick. steve osunsami, abc news, memphis. rough weather battering the nation's heartland has triggered as many as 13 twisters in iowa and nebraska. huge hailstones slammed southern wisconsin, hail ranging in size from marbles to softballs accompanied by severe thunderstorms and winds that topped 60 miles an hour. and with that, here is a look at your weather today. severe storms from des moines, down to dallas. showers and thunderstorms in the twin cities. chicago, cincinnati and memphis. afternoon showers from the carolinas to miami. up to a half foot of snow in the northern rockies and cascades. and rain from seattle to portland. >> and near 70 in salt lake city. 66 in billings. 76 in sacramento. chicago 86 and kansas city 80. 70s in new york and baltimore. and upper 80s from miami to dallas. it was the royal wedding

hats that became so famous, or infamous really. it had its own facebook page, this hat. you can own it, this fascinator, for the right price. >> the right price being a nickel. we're talking about that pretzel-shaped thingy worn by princess beatrice. the princess's mother sarah ferguson told oprah winfrey that the hat is actually up for auction on ebay with the proceeds going to unicef and children in crisis. >> that's good on the cause. but will anybody pay much? the estimates of what it could bring in, not as well known but creations were made by the same hatmaker and could go as many as the other royal wedding hats, it could go for $3,300. >> $3,300. there are actually rumors that fergie was upset because she was not invited to the wedding of course, she told oprah and having her daughter wear that ridiculous hat was kind of her way of kind of sticking it to the wedding a little bit. >> do you think? >> could be rumor, people just joking around, but that was the little thing out there. >> but i liked how andrew said he carried a picture of fergie in his pocket so in some way she actually did attend the royal wedding. i thought that it was mean not to invite her. >> do the right thing and burn that hat, please.

more of "world news now." [ male announcer ] if you think "heroes" are only in movies,

consider this: over 70% of firefighters are local volunteers... these are our neighbors putting their lives on the line. and when they rely on a battery, there are firefighters everywhere who trust duracell. and now you can join with duracell to help. just buy specially-marked packs & duracell will make a battery donation to local volunteers. these days don't we all need someone to trust...? duracell. trusted everywhere.

it is that time of the year to talk about a little bit of baseball. talking about minor league baseball. the salt lake city bees are in the big easy right now for a series against the new orleans zephyrs. >> the bees do not usually make national tv, but this morning they are because of the unique pitcher on the team. danny green of ktax has his story. >> reporter: the sounds of the game, the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, well ryan ketchner hears none of it. >> a lot of people think anybody

who is deaf plays baseball -- i'll show them. >> i think it's great. it shows that anybody can play the game. it doesn't matter what your disability is, deaf, whatever, it does not matter. >> for him to do what he's done at such a high level, definitely, like you said it's a role model. >> reporter: so what made ketchner believe he could play baseball at this level? well, when he was in high school he met curtis pride, the only deaf major leaguer in the modern era, who ironically also played for the bees. >> my dad brought me to the game. i watched him play. it was amazing. i thought, i can play. >> reporter: while baseball is a game of signs, ketchner doesn't use sign language with his teammates since he's an expert lip reader. >> you come out and talk to him. i have to make sure that i take my mask off the, so that he can see my lips, things like that

but it's been easy. just a great guy. >> reporter: sometimes his teammates use ketchner's lip-reading talent as a weapon. >> i say, hey when i'm hitting, if they have a visit to the mound, read that pitching coach's lips. tell me what they're saying about me. >> reporter: another advantage is to be able to block out all distractions. >> it's helped me a lot. just focus on the strike zone and almost all of the pitching coaches say, he's lucky. he doesn't hear anything. just focus. >> very good self-evaluator. when things don't go his way, he is not looking for excuses whether it be the umpires, the situation, whatever, he looks at himself first. and probably how he lives his life as well. >> reporter: there hasn't been a deaf pitcher in the major leagues since 1908, so if ketchner can get to the big leagues, he would truly be making history. >> when i grew up, i don't know what baseball offered because i can't hear anything. but my dreams came true. >> oh, wow. >> very cool. i like that story and a lot

people go to the minor league games because you can afford them. >> yeah, really. >> the major league tickets are pretty expensive. and neat to see how well they're doing. got some statistics here. >> yes, some stats here, he started six games so far this year, currently has a record of 1-1. and he's fourth on the team in strikeouts but leads the team in walks but you know what, he's out there doing his thing and that makes him a winner. >> his dreams coming true, we love that. coming up the a-list movie star who backed out of replacing coming up the a-list movie star who backed out of replacing charlie sheen on "two and a h@h@

♪ skinny ♪ so skinny a good one today. >> let's just dive right into this because half of the people in our newsroom said there is no way this is true. the other half said it could be true. we're talking about martha stewart and a very hot story about her life life. apparently rumors say, she has a new boyfriend. >> all right, martha. >> he's hot. seth myers, head writer for "saturday night live." a 32-year age difference. saying they've been together on

each other's show many times and there is a very intense fondness. take a listen. >> so do you have a girlfriend? >> i do. >> yes? >> yeah. >> oh, good. >> are you going to get married? >> one day. >> okay. >> did she come with you today? >> she didn't. >> oh. why didn't you bring her? >> i feel like it is weird when i'm around you and another lady. >> oh. >> and you have to admit, isn't there like sort of a super secret kind of chemistry going on there? i don't know what they're making but it seems spicy. >> do you really believe? do you believe this? really? >> she's got her own thing going. she's very attractive. she's a very powerful woman. maybe that's attractive to seth myers. >> and you think he's hot? >> who doesn't think he's not hot? he's completely hot. and i think it is also good to see an older woman dating a younger man. because it's usually the other way around. it's about time that we saw more demi moore/ashton kutcher, martha/seth sort of thing. >> it's good to know after her domestic career that martha has a little freak in her. >> seth, if it's not true, call me. >> oh, lord. moving on, bethany frankel of "real housewives" we said that she's worth $120 million. now she's being sued putting

that money at risk. all of this money coming from her skinny girl cocktails. and now she's being sued by doug wald and his company called raw talent. basically he claims that she fired him november 2008 just days before she actually launched that line. they had a verbal contract for her -- had a verbal contract with her to be her manager and help her launch the thing. so now he's suing her for $100 million. we'll see how that plays out in court. >> bethenny looks good in a hair net and that's hard to pull off. >> yeah. now moving on here to the next person who could be replacing charlie sheen from "two and a half men." many names tossed around. the rob lowe thing going on for a while but it turns out hugh grant. has been in final negotiations to replace charlie sheen on "two and a half men" but pulled out because of creative differences. although we're hearing rumors that he could step back into the mix. >> more than a million an episode. >> sheen was earning $2 million >> a year. said really made him mad. only way to come back is to up

it to $3 million. so the saga continues. >> good luck, hugh. at least we both know that they like prostitutes. >> do you remember devine brown? >> i will never understand that. put this picture up because this says it all. levi johnston. a new3 with the fam. >> is the 15 minutes over yet? because he's really trying to stretch this out and it's not sort of pathetic, it is pathetic. >> it has become a little much. >> we wouldn't have bothered you with it but we saw the picture on the book and had to show crow. "deer in the headlights" sums it up. >> i really don't get it at all with levi. do your thing. the playboy thing. a book out. it's enough. >> we will take a quick break. here's some stories to watch today on abc news. its prices will be a hot topic up. >> i really don't get it at all with levi. do your thing. take a quick break.

spending too many nights alone at the spacebar. will love ever find me? ♪ oh yes! ♪ what about love?! [ female announcer ] swiffer attracts dust. swiffer 360 dusters gets in hard to reach places. it picks up two times more dust than a feather duster using thousands of fluffy fibers to lock dust away.

you're just my type! [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning.

here's some stories to watch today on abc news. gas prices will be a hot topic on capitol hill. fuel company executives will testify in senate hearings. some lawmakers say it's time to end oil and gas company tax incentives and profits and pump prices are so high. >> we'll get more details about last year's air france's crash in the atlantic ocean. investigators will brief reporters today after the jet's flight's recorder was found in the ocean. and the shuttle "endeavour" crew returns to the kennedy space center today. the launch was rescheduled for monday. and finally this half hour, another stealth military operation, this one, though, much closer to home and a lot safer. >> that's right, it's the story of a military mom and her

surprise mission. diana alvear is in los angeles with the details. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning. for three very lucky san diego siblings mother's day fell on tuesday when a special delivery arrived at their schools. out of all of the missions lieutenant tanya has taken on, this one is by part most important. >> this is the homecoming i've been dreaming of all year, being able to surprise them at school. >> reporter: that would be her kids who have no idea she's home early from afghanistan. with the help of tonya's parents and school administrators they're about to find out. >> i've got butterflies, big time. >> ah. >> reporter: first on the list, 12-year-old son travis, a visit to the principal's office leads him straight into his mother's arms. >> i missed you. >> i missed you, too. >> you okay? >> reporter: next, a surprise for 11-year-old james.

hey, baby. >> hey. >> i didn't know. >> i know you didn't. >> reporter: their reunion is greeted with hearty applause by james' classmates. >> don't be embarrassed. it's okay. let's go get your sister. >> reporter: her two boys in tow, tonya heads to the high school for her last stop. >> hopefully it's a good surprise. >> reporter: and it was. the tears flow as a visibly stunned daughter katrina hugs and hugs her mother. outside, more hugs follow. >> group hug. ah. >> reporter: it's been tough having mom away, even tougher keeping this secret. >> i took all -- away all of the electronics. they weren't l toeck anything. so i think we managed to keep it a surprise. >> reporter: mission accomplished. >> it's perfect. exactly what i wanted. >> reporter: and we hear the whole family went home and mom and the kids played a game of

catch and i'm thinking the homeabababababababababababababa@