championship in 1899. that's it for us at 5:00. tonight on "world news." they've done it. the floodgates have now been opened. families, entire towns in a race against the clock as the waters rush toward them. their homes sacrificed to save bigger cities. our teams along the surging mississippi measuring the water. as engineers work to spare baton rouge and new orleans. oil change. the president's new push for drilling here at home. this evening, a "world news" fact check. will that actually bring your gas prices down? secret stash, the pornography found in osama bin laden's hideout. tonight the fallout in pakistan. some pakistanis asking was it planted. endangered s.e.a.l.s in this country. the growing concern of the safety of the elite team that took out bin laden. what happened to our person of the week?

diane chose him last night, tonight what we just discovered about that brave boy banned from his prom. good evening. we begin here with dramatic pictures just coming in from the swollen mississippi river. in morganza, louisiana where one of the flood gatings has been opened, you can see the water rushing through. just look at the area of homes that will now be flooded to save the larger cities down river. a region with 25,000 people, nearly the size of connecticut. officials said it was necessary to save baton rouge and new orleans. we came across this stat. so much water surging down that river would fill the superdome in new orleans in just 50 seconds. yunji de nies is in morganza where that gate was open. >> reporter: good evening, david. the spillway is made up of 125 floodgates. the army corps of engineers

opened up just one today. you can see it gushing right there. when they first opened it, that entire area was dry farmland. it is now turning into a lake. the floodgates are opened. the mississippi river purposefully unleashed. this spillway is designed to move water fast. fully opened, it can move 600,000 cubic feet per second. that's three times the rate of niagara falls at its peak. but they are taking it slow. opening just one gate today, two to three more tomorrow. trying to balance the need to relieve pressure on the levees while giving people enough time to get to higher ground. >> we want to make sure folks have the understanding that water's coming their way and they need to evacuate. >> reporter: the water will move gradually. at this rate, it will take an estimated 12 hours to reach the town of krotz springs. 30 hours to hit henderson. more than three days before it floods morgan city before making its way to the gulf. for the folks down river, can

they expect any kind of federal compensation if they lose their property because of this? >> you know, i think the thing to remember is public safety is our number one priority and we are flood fighting this shoulder to shoulder with all the local officials and the state officials. >> reporter: in other words, no. that's because these residents chose to live here, despite the risk. the reality is tough to take. >> makes me sick. it actually makes me sick. >> reporter: the water could reach 15 feet in some areas, moving trucks line the streets in morgan city. this family is packing up everything they can in a hurry. >> there wasn't enough to go around. we had to pool our resources from cities and even states away. >> reporter: so many here sacrificed so that many more will be protected. >> it's a pretty bad feeling knowing if you don't take it with you, you probably will never see it again. >> reporter: the army corps of engineers plans to leave these gates open for several weeks. that's because the river is still rising.

they don't expect it to crest for another ten days. they need to alleviate pressure on those levees. >> yunji de nies, thanks. evacuations are taking place while we're on the air. cynthia is with us from louisiana in the path of these new flood waters. good evening. >> reporter: nowhere have we seen the struggle so desperate of man versus nature than right here. this neighbor building his own levee system around his house. the surrounding neighbors have chosen to already move out. many of them trying to get out of town today. this neighbor though, doing all he can, the best he can to save his belongings. it's part of a desperate struggle. his neighbors out here tried to save as much as they can ahead of the flood waters that are supposed to be here within the next two days. >> a race against time. authorities have also said opening those floodgates is supposed to save refineries from

flooding that can send gas prices even higher. just today, news on that front too. president obama now ordering measures to speed up production of oil in this country. drilling, but will it bring gas prices down and quickly. clayton sandell on that very question. >> reporter: as gas prices crept frustratingly up. >> $4.09 is ridiculous. >> president obama wants to drill down. >> we should increase safe and responsible oil production here at home. >> reporter: today in a partial concession to oil companies and efforts by house republicans, the president directed his administration to offer new oil and gas leases in the gulf of mexico and alaska's national petroleum reserve and streamline approvals for offshore drilling. >> these are investments worth making. investments that will save us money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect the health and safety of our planet. >> reporter: it's the planet that environmental groups are worried about. major disasters in the gulf last year or even worse, in the

arctic where conditions are tough and there are few resources in place to contain a spill. >> we need to understand what the impact of the oil drilling can be, especially if something goes wrong, not only on the environment but on the economy. >> reporter: the president's compromise comes just days after the oil companies complained that government restrictions are stifling domestic oil production. >> you got shackles on us. give us access to the lands. let us start drilling. put our people back to work. >> reporter: what about the high prices at the pump? even president obama acknowledged new drilling won't have any short term effect. saying there are no quick fixes. the president again today called for the elimination of government subsidies for oil companies, that $4 billion in subsidies we heard about this week. there's supposed to be a vote in the senate on cutting those subsidies, but at this point it's not expected to pass. >> we'll be watching for it. the president's announcement today is also surely a reaction to republicans who have been blaming him for high gas prices.

one of those republicans, former arkansas governor mike huckabee is about to make an announcement about the 2012 campaign. is he in or is he out? who else is running? tonight, the field is worried that it's not deep enough. >> reporter: mike huckabee is the alfred hitchcock of politics. a master of suspense. >> i plan to make a little news with some announcements at the end of the show. >> reporter: the arkansas governor has dragged out his flirtation for months. >> not even my executive producer knows what i'm expected to say. >> reporter: tonight he's expected to announce on his own fox news show if he's in it to win it in 2012. many republicans could use a new face. the more they know the candidates, the less they like them. an associated press poll finds 45% of republicans now say they are dissatisfied with the gop field. that's up from 33% two months ago. >> republicans believe that there is a candidate out there that is going to be the perfect candidate. they just haven't found that candidate yet.

>> it's the 2012 republican presidential undeclared candidates debate. >> it's a point not lost in the late night comics on "saturday night live." >> the debate included ron paul, tim pawlenty, rick santorum, and i'm going to stop there before i fall asleep. >> reporter: gop insiders are so unhappy, some are urging chris christie to reconsider his emphatic statement to diane sawyer. >> i'm not running for president. >> reporter: former first lady laura bush called mitch daniels' wife urging her to help push her husband into the race. for now, the field includes newt gingrich, a family values conservative who has had three wives, mitt romney, still unannounced who signed a universal health care plan in massachusetts that won him an endorsement that will not help. >> i agree with mitt romney. >> reporter: congressman ron paul, michele bachmann and the donald. >> you're fired. >> reporter: the candidate from reality tv. >> i spoke today to huckabee's

top advisor, he says he's guessing that huckabee will announce that he's not running. but even he doesn't know. huckabee hasn't told him either. >> john, thanks to you. the feds are following an arrest in south florida, an imam of a miami mosque and two of his sons, one of them also an imam, accused of providing $50,000 to the pakistani taliban which of course the u.s. considers a terrorist organization. in pakistan, the rift with the u.s. is growing deeper over the raid on osama bin laden's compound. the anger and mistrust was clear today after headlines of pornography found in bin laden's compound. another deadly 24 hours in that country. nick schifrin is there. >> reporter: once again today, pakistan buried its dead and is in no mood to trust the u.s. 80 paramilitary recruits were supposed to be home today. instead they were killed by two suicide bombers. in the war against terrorism, pakistan has lost more than any other country.

5,000 troops, 2,000 police. it's no wonder so many people get angry when the u.s. accuses them of not doing enough. >> pakistan have been sacrificing a lot. we should be trusted. >> reporter: today that feeling extended to another discovery of osama bin laden's lair. u.s. officials say they found a stash of pornography in his bedroom. the u.s. said it was hesitant to reveal the information, fearing nobody would believe it. no one we spoke to today did, even among the most educated. >> the u.s. is saying they found pornography inside the house. >> honestly, you don't trust us, i don't trust president obama. >> nobody is foolish here. nobody believes it. you can ask everyone. >> on their part, they do need to show some kind of evidence. >> because people won't believe it? >> that doesn't help. it breeds into anti-americanism. >> in a closed door session, the pakistan powerful spy chief played on that public sentiment. he laid into the u.s. for the

unilateral raid that killed bin laden. we have to decide whether to stand up to america now or have subsequent generations come to deride us, he said, according to lawmakers. if the u.s. is going to convince pakistan's army to continue to fight, it will have to win over a skeptical public. right now, that public sees its sacrifices and has no desire to help. nick schifrin, abc news islamabad. our thanks to nick. let's turn to christiane amanpour who is in washington tonight preparing for tomorrow morning's program. christiane, we knew this would cause headlines, the discovery of pornography, when you hear the most educated suggesting it was stashed and planted, what does this say about the larger issue, the relationship between the two countries right now? >> we know it's as bad as it's ever been but also it's beset by conspiracy theories, to that point, key opinion makers are starting to take issue with

that. a key anchor says it's time to stop buying into conspiracy theories. those who have been killed in pakistan recently, people who have been killed by terrorist plots abroad have had pakistanis as perpetrators. so he said it's time for pakistan to quit looking at conspiracy theories and to recognize that pakistan is an epicenter of terror. >> that anchor taking heat for taking a stand on that. what does the white house do next about mending that relationship? >> senior pakistani official tells me that they are trying to patch it up right now. senator john kerry, the powerful chairman of the senate foreign relations committee is in pakistan, headed to islamabad. some officials telling me they need the white house to send a key top level administration official to pakistan to talk face to face with the government there. >> christiane, thanks so much. tomorrow morning she'll have much more on this. she'll have an exclusive interview with the rising republican star, south carolina

governor, nikki haley. who will size up that 2012 presidential field. from iran tonight, a case of revenge put on hold. we followed the story of ameneh bahrami who was blinded and disfigured in an acid attack by a man whose affections she spurned. his sentence, to be blinded in both eyes according to islamic law. the woman wants to deliver it herself. today hours before she was to administer the acid eye drops, the sentence was postponed indefinitely. haiti has a new president. michael martelli. a pop star known as sweet mickey was sworn in just today. taking charge of the western hemisphere's poorest country. an example of that need during the ceremony, the power went out. former president bill clinton was on hand. back in this country, a commencement speech that caught our eye by house speaker john boehner at catholic university. boehner and his trademark tears as he recalled the days he was elected house republican leader and an old coach who called him.

>> it was an old coach calling to wish me luck. >> boehner reports is known as a little more emotional speakers in washington. he also teared up as he accepted his honorary degree. still ahead as we continue on "world news," saturday night, navy s.e.a.l.s in danger. can the identity of those commandos who took down bin laden be protected from the people who are hunting for them? the bus driver caught on camera tonight with a phone in each hand. how was he driving the bus and what happened to him next? last night, diane's choice for person of the week, the brave boy banned from his prom. i just got off the phone with him and what we learned about that tonight. [ male announcer ] those with frequent heartburn imagine a day free of worry, a day when we can eat what we want, drink what we want, and sleep soundly through the night.

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>> reporter: the department of defense is looking into ways to pump up security for the commandos. for years, bin laden was the world's most wanted man. some fear his death has shifted the crosshairs directly on to team 6. in virginia beach, where the s.e.a.l.s are based, there's a dangerous pastime called s.e.a.l. spotting where reporters are looking for s.e.a.l.s to try to get interviews. they're trying to find them to try to get a story. i wish that would stop, because we're only doing harm to the s.e.a.l. community. >> reporter: don has been a former member of s.e.a.l. team 6. he's been approached by 20 reporters asking him to identify the men involved. >> the aftermath on this is dangerous as well. >> reporter: some are calling this an unprecedented breach of confidentiality to identify any information about any member of team 6. the defense secretary was surprised about the amount of information that has been disclosed.

>> frankly, a week ago sunday, in the situation room, we all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin laden. that all fell apart on monday. the next day. >> reporter: the u.s. government is discussing plans not only to make sure the s.e.a.l.s and their families are safe but they're also considering legal action to stop any publication that might identify any of the s.e.a.l.s involved. david, as you know, very dangerous business here. >> don't mess with the s.e.a.l.s. when we come back at the broadcast, look at this driver tonight caught with phones in both hands there. we ask what was he thinking? curtis: welcome back to geico radio, it's savings, on the radio. gecko: and the next caller is doug from chico. doug: oh...hey there hey...! gecko: you sound like a appy man. doug: yeah yeah! i saved so much by insuring my motorcycle #and rv with geico, i wrote a song about it. gecko: alright, let's hear it! curtis: yeah jam session! doug: one, two... ♪ (singing) i got my motorcycle ♪ ♪ and my rv now i got

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smart move. ♪ we have an update to our story about companies promising to help you deal with the irs if you owe back taxes. we reported on lawyer ronni deutch sued by california's attorney general for $34 million accused of making exaggerated claims. deutch called the charges election year politics. we have now learned this week, she announced she's closing her firm and giving up her law license. the state department is apologizing to 20,000 people selected from all over the world who thought they had won the right to live and work in the u.s. the department cancelled the results of its green card lottery after it found a computer glitch.

all 50,000 people will have to compete in a do-over. now to a video we couldn't believe we saw today. this bus driver taking passengers to the airport in rome, italy, using two phones. leaving only his elbows for the steering wheel. the driver couldn't get his smartphone to work, so he used his other phone to call a friend for advice. that driver has been suspended. there are calls to prosecute tonight. still can't believe that. when we come back on "world news," our person of the week, the boy banned from his prom. boy, do we have an update. chevy event is here. your ticket to a cruze eco. 42 mpg and over 500 highway miles a tank. one of our 9 models over 30 mpg highway. fuel up, rock on. very well qualified lessees can get a low mileage lease on a chevy cruze eco for around $159 a month. fuel economy based on epa estimates. and there's a great selection of inventory available now at your chevy dealer.

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for a body in motion. finally tonight here, score one for all of the brave young men and women who drum up the courage to ask their love to the prom. last night, you might have seen diane's choice for person of the week, the boy banned from the prom. diane, i hope you're watching. it was 24 hours ago. >> finally tonight, our persons of the week, all those kids mustering the nerve to ask will you be my prom date?

>> reporter: it was one student in particular whose courage seemed to backfire. james tate from connecticut put out cardboard letters and taped them to the side of the school trying to get the girl, just like the boy who showed up in class with his guitar. ♪ >> reporter: the student who made a splash with the roses. she said yes too. james thought he was in great company. asking her would you go to the prom with me. she said yes, but this week, his school said no, charging he had trespassed after hours. his punishment, no prom. >> he was waiting for a special way to ask her. i did that. this is what happened. >> reporter: within days, 10,000 twitter defenders. 175,000 hits on facebook. a state representative drafting an appeal, and jimmy kimmel too. >> i guess they're worried cardboard would flutter down to the ground and injure some lady bugs or something. i don't know. >> reporter: last night, it was

diane taking up the case. >> so we choose james tate who says even if he can't go to the prom, he wants sunali to go without him, dance for both of them, and he'll wait for her outside in his tux. we're rooting for you. >> reporter: late today, the school announced a change of heart for the boy who showed all the world his, he'll go to the prom with sunali telling me he already has his tux. he tells me he has a message for diane. he says tell her thanks a million. >> that is "world news" for this saturday night. as we leave you this evening, a note about somebody at abc news, a loss far too early. clem lane was an editorial force behind the scenes. our boss put it best today, saying we are all remembering clem's singular wit. our thoughts are with his family and his beloved daughter tonight. good night.

>> alan: good evening. thousands will fill the streets tomorrow for the running of the bay-to-breakers race, and the city is preparing for the crowds and the rain. tomas roman is live at the start of the race which has just been closed. >> reporter: you can see behind me the street has now been closed between howard and full so many. -- fullsome. it's over first of many street closures. we we are over at the exposition center where you could feel the excitement over of the runners gathering there. the area was packed this afternoon by people who have