this was someone's home. this was a bathroom. you see cement walls. you can see the force with which the waves came through here. we toured the south side of samoa and saw llage after village decimated. we've seen teams of volunteers looking for the missing. not hopeful but continuing to look. while they're looking, nearby we've seen people digging graves for the dead. those who have been found often floating in the ocean. at the same time, aid and relief is now beginning to flow in. but slowly and in small amounts. we've seen trucks of bananas to water to some clothing. families we've spoken to say they need much more. we spoke to one large family, several groups gathered together. they told us they've only received a bag of rice. they need more food, clothing. they have nothing left, they don't know where to go from here. for others it is worse, much worse. many have lost loved ones and in many cases their children. still, there is a certain spirit about the people here, an optimism that they will put their lives back together.

right now, they just don't know how. neil karlinksy, abc news, samoa. a constructive beginning is how president obama is describing nuclear talks with iran. in geneva iran promised to allow international inspectors into a newly discovered uranium enrichment facility. iranians agreed to shift uranium to russia. there will be more talks before the end of the approximate. >> here's the forecast for get-away friday. your last day with us for a couple of weeks while you run off and get married. rain in the upper midwest, ohio and the southwest remains dry with a high risk of wildfires. >> cooler than usual in the midwest and dakotas. minneapolis 52 instead of the normal 66. seattle in the mid 50s. l.a. about 5 degrees warmer than usual at 86. >> and we have a special forecast today for vinita, oklahoma. we talked about that town many times on this show. the forecast there today in the

70s. lovely temperatures, and throughout the weekend it's going to be gorgeous in oklahoma. perfect honeymoon weather if one was to choose there. >> i've been there and i liked it quite a bit. >> quite a nice town. when a virginia dog named bentley gets tired of walking he takes to his wheels. bentley's owners say he has no special training. >> they found him playing with a skateboard and he's been riding ever since. we don't think bentley will be on any competition for tony hawk but he sure is cute. (announcer) time brings new wisdom

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welcome back to "world news now." former kidnapping victim elizabeth smart revealed a secret she has been keeping for years about what happened during her nine months of captivity. >> the salt lake city girl who was abducted from her home says she was raped daily by her accused kidnapper. >> reporter: elizabeth smart marched into court, ready to finally confront the man accused of holding her captive six years after brian david mitchell's

arrest. the homeless, self-proclaimed prophet refused to submit to psychiatric tests. her words could prove he's mentally fit to finally stand trial. >> those witnesses that spent time with him and observed him are the most important and none more important than elizabeth. >> reporter: before smart could enter the room, a judge ordered mitchell out. the shackled and shaggy defendant refused to stop singing church hymns. that was just one drama on this day of many. in a soft but strong tone, smart described the horror she endured at the hands of the man who held her captive, saying there wasn't an actual 24-hour period that he wasn't able to rape me. elizabeth's nightmare began in 2002 in what she believed was the safety of her bedroom. around 2:00 a.m., brian mitchell broke in. she says, he placed his hand on my chest. he put the knife up to my neck. he told me to get up quietly and if i didn't, he would kill me

and my family. her 9-year-old sister mary katherine shared a bedroom and witnessed the abduction. >> i was so scared. i just like ran back in my bed and like hopped underneath my covers. >> reporter: elizabeth says she was marched three miles to a canyon where mitchell and accomplice wanda barzee made her his wife, staging an impromptu wedding. he learned more details today. he had a big cable bolted onto my leg which was strung between two trees with a lock, he had the key around hit neck. she was given alcohol and drugs and traipsed around the country begging for money and food. today it was revealed mitchell raped the teen at will. she testified in court, anything i showed resistance or hesitation to he would turn to me and say, the lord commanded you to do this, you have to experience the lowest form of humanity to experience the highest. there was a massive nation-wide

search as smart never gave up hope. >> i feel confident that we're going to find her and i'm hoping today. 're going to find her >> reporter: to conceal her identity, oftentimes she was shrouded in a veil. someone recognized her and called police. >> i don't know what she's gone through and i'm sure she's been through hell. >> reporter: years later, things have come into clearer focus. smart cast mitchell as a moved her from state to state and tried to kidnap another young girl. there were run-ins with police after mitchell broke into a california church. >> where are you going to be ving after you get out of custody? >> we're staying with friends in the lord jesus krooits. i'm a minister for the lord. >> reporter: mitchell's lawyer says his client suffers from delusions. >> do we imagine the mentally >> reporter: the teen has become a poised young woman intent on putting mitchell and barzee in prison. both so far have been found mentally unfit to stand trial.

>> i don't want them ever out. because i really believe that they wouldn't stop. >> reporter: her description of mitchell today in court, evil, wicked, manipulative, sneaky, slimy, selfish, greedy, not spiritual, not religious, not close to god. only a third of children abducted by strangers ever ma it home alive. that is only part of what is so astonishing about this case. >> we're very proud of her, the way she was able to be so forthright and basically paint the picture of brian mitchell, of what he is. since day one of her return, i have been amazed at her strength. >> reporter: in fact, after this difficult day in court, izabeth smart plans to head overseas on a church mission trip. i'm barbara pinto for ""nightline"" in salt lake city. >> this is such a deep secret. she never even told her parents. throughout numerous national interviews, including oprah, she

did not get into the depth of exactly what happened that we heard today, horrifying details. >> we're just now finding out some of that stuff. barbara mentioned this mission trip she's going on, this competency hearing was supposed to hpen in november but it was moved up because elizabeth smart's a devout mormon and she had this trip planned for paris so they coaccomm

♪ >> wait a minute, it's not supposed to invoke laughter. this is an emotional moment. as far as we know you are the first anchor of the show to ever get married while actually anchoring the news. not like tiny tim like during the show. there have been divorces. anchors of split up with their spouses. this is the fires time we've ever had a marriage.

allow us to be self-indulgent while you sit on the couch in your underpants. this is vinita's last day with us before she goes off to be married. let's travel back to june of last year when this all started. >> it's not even in the paper. right here at abc, right on this anchor desk, right on your left hand. >> i had a very exciting weekend. not to be found in any newspaper. >> you got engaged. >> i did. >> hold it out so we can see this rock. the rock blinded us. >> go to a close-up, leave well enough alone. >> congratulations. who's the lucky man? >> we've been dating for two years. i don't know if he'd want me to say his name on-air so i will not. he lives in denver, so he surprised me and came up this weekend. >> you waited for us to notice. then you sort of subtly like shuffled paper in front of me face. >> i was like, aahh! >> i'm slow.

>> pete noticed in an instant. >> he's quick, i'm not. congratulations. >> thank you very pickup. >> very cool. >> times have changed and our appearance has changed a little bit in that time. >> yeah, really. >> we want to say congratulations. not only do we want to say congratulations, there's somebody joining us on the phone who would like to say congratulations too. right, oz? >> that's right. >> oh my gosh! >> joining us on the phone is osmond, vinita's fiance. >> hi, sweetheart. >> we've had this planned for a long time. it's been difficult to keep this mum. there he is right there. as you probably heard from some of the fan mail we get, you are one lucky man. >> i know this, i know this. >> well, this is really -- thank you. honey, thank you for staying up late. i know you probably have to work tomorrow as well. we have a week to plan and then we get married. >> is there any secret about her we don't know that you care to share? >> no, there's nothing that i care to share right now. >> he's smart, he knows.

>> what a beautiful picture. >> he's smart enough to know not to say anything right now. >> oz, hang on the line. we may have time to get back to it. we have another special presentation. >> my heart is beating so fast right now. >> we have talked at length, time and again b. the fine city of vinita, oklahoma. turns out charlie, the city administrator and his wife, are fans of the show and they watch the show. they sent us a nice basket of all kinds of good stuff. here is the map of vinita, oklahoma. it's in the northeast corner of the state near the kansas/missouri/arkansas portion -- >> home of the world's largest mcdonald's. i know that about vinita, oklahoma. >> they sent a bass bet of knick-knacks and goodies and this medallion. two of them. we have a close-up shot. look at that glimmer and shimmer. >> that's so nice of them. >> also nice knick-knacks from the famous convenient store in town. we'll have to check that out when we go to vinita.

also we have an official proclamation -- >> my first plaque for my office. >> let me read it to you, this is from the mayor of the city of vinita, oklahoma. whereas the city of vinita has a long history of recognizing distinguished individuals with strong midwestern roots and whereas the city of vinita shares its rare and beautiful name with vinita myer, co-anchor of world news now, whereas vinita has frequently promoted our city to a national television audience, whereas vinita has on several occasions informed and educated the people of the city of vinita about the weather forecast in their town, whereas the city of vin neat that, often referred to is a the crossroads of america, wishes to honor vina on the day she reaches her own crossroads by marrying is on hond in dallas, texas. therefore, be it resolved that i, joe johnson, mayor of the city of vinita, oz, declare october 10th, 2009, as vinita nyer day in vinita, oklahoma.

>> did you hear that if. >> you can have that. >> i am important! >> not only that, you and i have been invited, next year action to be guest judges at the vinita fry festival. we are going to travel to vinita, oklahoma, and help them judge rocky mountain oysters. >> i have to say i did want our spire family here, we ar family on this show, to be in the wedding. i did bring in a bunch of indian sweets. i want you all to taste them. i don't know where they are. thanks so much for staying up late with us. >> yeah, no problem. >> hi, honey, i'll see you soon. >> it's not over yet. we have a very special polka coming up right after the break. stick around. congratulations. assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you. stay tuned for this important medicare benefit information and free scooter guarantee. imagine...

one scooter or power chair that could improve your may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. why should you call the scooter store today? because their mobility experts are also medicare experts. and that means the scooter store is your best shot at qualifying for a scooter that costs you little to nothing. hi i'm doug harrison. pay little to nothing out of pocket. how do we do it? we know what it takes to get you your power chair it's our strength. it's our mission. and we back it up with the scooter store guarantee. if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a new powerchair or scooter, i'll give it to you absolutely free. i paid into medicare all my life, and when i needed it the benefit was there for me. the scooter store made it so easy.

i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. the scooter store got me back out in the world again. talk to. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you.

vinita's getting married. in case you hadn't heard, we even have a special cake from a

delightful bakery who did not give us the cake for free so i'm not going to mention their names but it's going to be good. >> is it red velvet? >> it's red velvet. we have a special treat. a rare live polka from barry mitchell. right here in studio. >> hi. >> good to finally see you in the studio. >> barry, thank you. >> this is for you, vinita. i took time off from barryfunny.com to come down here and do what we do every friday night at this time, friday morning. that is to say, let's polka! ♪ something old and something new, blushing bride hey that's you ♪ ♪ that's the weddi inding polka♪ ♪ you've got heart and brains because you're marrying a wonderful man named oz ♪ ♪ that's the wedding polka

♪ save it all so jeremy can eat it and gain weight ♪ ♪ you have tried i'll make that clear, he turned side ways and disappeared ♪ ♪ that's the wedding polka ♪ everyone, come on ♪ that's the wedding polka ♪ ♪ that's the wedding polka ♪ marriage is a three-ring circus that's a well-known thing ♪ ♪ first engagement and then wedding then the suffering ♪ ♪ with your schedule you work late, when did you find time to date ♪ ♪ that's the wedding polka ♪ and when the wedding's over all the noise and all the hype ♪ ♪ will settle back and we'll all watch your honeymoon on skype ♪ ♪ you're our late-night even correspond queen, hurry back by halloween ♪ ♪ for "the world news" polka

>> let's have a big, big hand for convenient nita. the very best, best of all to you. everyone! ♪ ♪ that's the wedding polka to all my facebook friends ♪ that's "the world news 86 polka ♪ turn on abc and everyone are everybody dance ♪ ♪ have some fun every anchor guy and gal ♪ ♪ do the world news, do the world news, do the world news polka ♪

late-night scandal. comedian david letterman admits to having sexual trysts with

staffers. disaster zone. more earthquakes in the south pacific as survivors search for victims. history lesson. scientists discover what could be the oldest link to humans. >> all our theories are being knocked out by new discoveries. >> all our theories are being knocked out by new discoveries. >> it's friday, october 2nd. captions paid for by abc, inc. it's on big day for us, our little girl's growing up, the last day before she goes off and gets married. >> i've been planning this wedding for five years. >> yeah, so. >> everybody's tired of hearing it for five years. >> congratulations to you. >> thank you very much. >> you're going to be away for a little while, then coming right back. >> yes. >> don't worry. >> yes. the big news this morning, aside from my story. david letterman stunned his audience saying someone tried to extort $2 million in hush money from him over his sexual relationships with late-night staffers. >> letterman cooperated with

authorities and cut a phoney check to reel in the suspect. cbs now says an employee of its show "48 hours" has been arrested for grand larceny. "the late show with david letterman" audience got more than they expected. once the host got through his monologue. letterman told them he had been the target of a $2 million blackmail attempt. >> there seems to be quite a lot of terrible stuff he knows about. and he's going to put it into a movie unless i give him some money. >> reporter: pay the money, he was told, or his sexual relationships with female employees would be made public. letterman says he admitted the affairs to a grand jury. >> that i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. and would it be embarrassing if it were made public? perhaps it would. perhaps it would. especially for the women. >> reporter: it is not the first time letterman has tried to

defuse a painful night on set with humor. in 2005 he dealt with a kidnapping attempt with his son at the family ranch in montana this way. >> last week my family and i were involved in a little legal activity. >> reporter: in june he apologized for a joke he made about then alaska governor sarah palin's daughter after a public outcry this way. >> you know what, there are thousands of jokes i regret telling on this program. >> reporter: this time it wasn't a laughing matter. >> i feel like i need to protect these people. i need to certainly protect my family. i need to protect myself. hope to protect my job. >> radaronline reports the suspect lived with one of the women who was involved with letterman and the affair happened long before letterman's marriage or the birth of his child. in other news, yet another earthquake has rocked the south pacific. it hit last night between tonga and the samoan islands with a magnitude of 6.3. it follows tuesday's massive tsunami that swamped samoa and two deadly quakes that have devastated much of indonesia.

we begin in indonesia where the death toll stands at at least 1,100. >> reporter: the united nations puts the death toll on sumatra at more than 1,000 and fears are it will climb much higher. wednesday's 7.6 earthquake struck with no warning. over 500 buildings were flattened and heavily damaged including one hospital. all the buildings on this side collapsed, says elizabeth marsali, then the other side collapsed, then the fires began. thousands are still unaccounted for. makeshift morgues have been set up for the dead. dozens of children's bodies were pulled from a collapsed four-story school. even as indonesia's president looked at the wreckage of a hotel where 80 are missing. "keep looking for survivors with all available tools," he told the searchers. for many those tools are nothing more than hands and shovels. officials say the search will take weeks. >> my administration's been in touch with the government of indonesia to make it clear that the united states stands ready to help in this time of need.

>> reporter: the first relief supplies have arrived in samoa. a single-engine, long-range coast guard plane out of honolulu. more on the way from u.s., nearby australia, and new zealand. it's desperately needed. >> only one bag of rice and we share. but 15 families or 18 families. >> reporter: the cleanup of tef stated villages, beach resorts and harbors continues. the death toll slowly climbs. >> we only had two kids. we lost both kids. >> reporter: in samoa and indonesia survivors are making do, waiting for help. the fate of chicago's bid to host the 2016 summer olympics will be decided today. president obama has landed in copenhagen, denmark, where he'll be part of chicago's final presentation to the international olympic committee. the president will be back at the white house shortly after the olympic choice is announced. the details now from washington. go morning. >> good morning, jeremy and

vinita. for the president, it's not so much about the quantity but the quality of the presentation to the international olympic committee. it's destination copenhagen for the president. joining the first lady, mr. obama hopes his presentation will help clinch the summer 2016 olympic games for chicago. the competition with madrid, rio, and tokyo is stiff. what are the odds the windy city wins? >> there's only one city in town at the moment, that's chicago to win the olympics. >> reporter: betmakers in written britain had chicago ahead by a hair, 5-6. when president obama announced he would make the case in person the odds skyrocketed 8-15. in vegas, chicago is still the favorite but rio de janeiro is close behind. why? >> south american country's never had it before. >> reporter: in brazil where a carnival celebration is being planned if rio wins, people are bettg that the international olympic committee will give their country the chance to host

the games. this rio resident says, "this is my home so i'm betting on rio. it's a huge event which could bring a lot of benefits for our country." each city has a chance to convince the ioc why they should be chosen. for the president, arriving the day of the vote when his rivals have been in copenhagen for days, carries political risk. so does increasing another city's chance of winning if mr. obama didn't make the trip. ioc members will eliminate the finalists one by one, voting by secret ballot. the winner will be announced just before noon central time. jeremy and vinita? president obama has called nuclear talks with iran a constructive beginning. in geneva yesterday iran promised to allow international inspectors into a newly discovered uranium enrichment facility within two weeks. iranians agreed to ship some enriched uranium to russia. there will be more talks before the end of the month. the senate has voted down a call for an in-person briefing by general stanley mcchrystal,

the top u.s. commander in afghanistan. mcchrystal is pushing for up to 40,000 additional troops. the head of central command, general david petraeus, says president obama should be allowed to settle on a new war strategy first. >> i think it is always appropriate to go back to, what's the mission? what is it that we want to accomplish? and that is what is being discussed right now. we're not yet at the point of talking about resources or numbers or what have you. in fact, i have not yet endorsed the resources. >> general petraeus will be part of the national security team meeting with president obama twice next week to consider the best strategy for afghanistan. kidnap survivor elizabeth smart minced no words, testifying in court about her horrifying ordeal seven years ago. the now 21-year-old smart accused her captor, brian david mitchell, of raping her three or four times a day for nine months, keeping her tied up and threatening to kill her if she tried to escape. smart described mitchell as "evil, wicked, selfish, not spiritual, not religious, and not close to god."

here's your friday forecast. a large storm brings rain to the midwest, the ohio valley and the gulf coast. stormy across south florida. the southwest remains dry with a high fire danger. >> the midwest and dakotas are in a pocket of unusually cold air. omaha, minneapolis, chicago in the mid 50s. cooler in the pacific northwest as well as seattle at 56 instead of the usual 65. phoenix has cooled off to 91. you know how we love to talk about animals, show animals, cute little baby animals and so on. this friday we have more of that for you. look at these cute siberian tiger cubs making their public debut at the milwaukee zoo. that is cute. you have to admit it. they were born in summer, they weigh 25 pounds but they're going to top the scale eventually at about 300. >> of course, this is a rare sight. there are dwindling number of siberian tigers, only 500 in the wild, another 500 in captivity. so the cubs are an important

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dizziness, and headache. in patients with depression, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide may occur. if you experience any of these behaviors or reactions contact your doctor immediately. wake up ready for your day- ask your healthcare provider for 2-layer ambien cr. members of michael jackson's family are due in court as the legal fight over his children continues. >> yesterday a los angeles medical examiner released jackson's autopsy reports showing the pop icon was actually in relatively good health. marian hernandez of kabc has the details. >> reporter: the report debunks any notion michael jackson was frail, sickly or popping pain pills at the time of his death. he had no pre-existing reason for cardiac arrest. >> there were no organ issues, chronic orgaproblems, his cardiovascular -- heart and blood vessels -- the

cardiovascular status was fine. >> reporter: jackson died of acute propofol intoxication, the sedative given by dr. conrad murray who is not trained to administer it. dr. jason heinz is a certified anesthesiologist and sees what the coroner saw. >> this situation is a homicide because something that could be done approprtely and safely was not done appropriately and turned out not to be safe and bad things occurred. >> reporter: among the coroner's findings, at the time of death jackson was 5'9", 136 pounds. he was balding and had a skin condition that left white patches. he suffered osteoarthritis in his lower spine and some fingers. he had surgical scars behind his ears, on his shoulder, and at the base of his neck and near his navel. his eyebrows and eyelids had dark tattoos. also tattooed, part of his skull to cover a bald spot. a pink tattoo around his lips. his lungs showed signs of inflammation but heinz says

that's not uncommon. >> you can get it this time of year from pollen and things like that. >> reporter: most serious for dr. conrad murray are possible signs he didn't know what to do. after resorting ing tto propof treat insomnia, he gave him several types of nearly identical sedatives. >> it doesn't make a lot of sense to give two drugs that are related to one another. you pick one. >> reporter: pepperdine law professor steven kron says dr. murray will have to rely on another defense. >> he was doing what he thought was appropriate, he was following appropriate medical regimens and it was a bad result, but it's not dr. murray's fault. >> there was so much talk about michael jackson's weight at the time of his death, one report said he weighed 111 pounds. that's not true. actually they say he weighed 136 pounds, 5'9", they're saying he was healthy, a healthy weight. >> it will be interesting to see

what happens with dr. conrad murray. they're saying investigators have spoken with him twice. it's up to the d.a.'s office to decide how to investigation continues. but certainly heard a lot about him. >> we'll be hearing from him soon, i'm sure. the new york man who rescued a little boy from a burning apartment building is full of surprises. >> maybe you saw thisramatic scene dnday as he pulled the youngster from a smoke-filled apartment and down a fire escape. it was very dramatic. we showed it to you yesterday. the boy is expected to be okay. >> yesterday, he appeared on "good morning america" to talk about his heroic acts. he started with a marriage proposal. desiree guzman said yes. >> she better say yes. >> i know, on national tv. >> after the week he's had. he's on top of the world, isn't he. >> that's great. >> touching, good for him. >> a hero and now a man getting married. >> you know a thing or two about it. something regrettable inked into your skin. >> tattoos. discover doctors who are overloaded with patients anxious to get rid of their tattoos. shall i get rid of mine? >> no, it's the driving force of

the show. >> we'll talk about why people are getting rid of them coming up. why people are getting rid of them coming up.

welcome back. 40% of generation x has at least one tattoo. a permanent statement inked into the skin. if you watch often you know someone has one. >> that's for sure, i do indeed. many of those tattoos come with regrets. i found out, a growing number of people are going through great expense to erase the past. the remnants of regrettable ink are all over the internet. that tribal arm band seemed like such a good idea at the time. so did the ankle-adorning tweety bird. and the -- wait. is that really a tattoo of clay aiken? why is her back covered in scar? and how do you somehow end the night with kelsey grammer carved on your calf? if only you had another set of eyes to tell y this isn't going to look so good in the morning. when it's time to revamp the tramp stamp, they call dr.

robert nosa. >> the removal process is going well. >> reporter: business is booming for this dermatologist. seems lately there is a surge of tattoo regret. >> tattooing is my life. and business is booming. >> reporter: hard to believe. since it seems tats have taken over your tv. from "l.a. ink" to "miami ink" to "tattoo highway." for a growing number of us, the appeal, like a bad ink job, is starting to fade. even some notoriously inked celebrities are reportedly saying ta-ta to the tattoo. >> the point where you are in time when you get your tattoo is not necessarily the same place mentally where you're going to be a year from then, five years from then, ten years from then. here's laser that can target the black very well. >> reporter: some are coming because of the economy, worried a prospective employer won't hire them if they're covered in ink. crissy laird is here for a

change of heart. this heart on her ankle. hard to see but it bears the name of her ex-fiance john. >> engaged to my high school boyfriend. he was going into the marines. i found myself in a tattoo parlor. it was pretty popular back then. i wanted a tattoo. i picked it off the wall and that was it. >>eporter: 15 years later, john is gone. and the tattoo will be soon. today she's having it lightened. eventually she'll cover it entirely with another one. wouldn't it have been easier just to find a new boyfriend in my opinion named john? >> well, it is a common name. >> didn't work out? >> no, didn't work out that way. >> somebody with a shorter name in the future if that's possible? >> no more names. not even children. >> reporter: then there's karen. her arms are covered in black bats and goth symbols, relics her rebel past. now she's studying to be a social worker and had an

epiphany while staring at her ink-covered arms. >> iooked over, i was like, oh my god, i don't want to live the rest of my life with these marks. i didn't feel like it was a part of me anymore. i actually started crying. i was like all broken down. i thought, oh my god, this isn't me anymore, i have to get rid of these tattoos. >> reporter: $4,000 and eight sessions later, they're almost erased. for this treatment, dr. nosa even lets me in on the act. is my official title smoke sucker? >> you are the smoke sucker. yes. >> reporter: i'm vacuuming away her scorched flesh while the ink goes snap, crackle and pop under the laser. >> a battery of small explosions underneath your skin leading to that popping noise. >> reporter: sounds dreadful. but don't worry, her skin has been numbed. she feels nothing. >> ow. >> reporter: well, almost nothing. >> pain or no pain, it's no wonder the tattoo removal business is bustling, when you consider how many of us are tatted up. one poll showed that

nearly 30% of people in their 30s now have a tattoo. then the regret kicks in within five years. about half of those people want their tattoo erased. sure, we all just want to spread our wings, to get that weird or, in this case, that weird al tattoo. but there will come a time you'll rethink it. believe me. on this subject, i can speak with authority. i really do have a tattoo on my leg. honestly, it did seem cool at the time. >> what does the tattoo mean on your leg? >> they say it means peace. >> who's they? >> the person who gave it to me. >> you didn't look it up? >> no, i wasn't in a conscious state entirely. >> right. >> here's one more look. because you haven't seen it enough. (announcer) still tired of morning coming in the middle of the night?

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finally from us this half hour, scientists discover what may be a new chapter in the history of the human race. >> the remains of an ancient female skeleton have been unearthed in the ethiopian desert. here's ned potter. >> reporter: this 4 million-year-old find, says scientists, changes our picture of evolution. they call it ardipithicus, "ardi" for short, and assembled the fossilized bone fragments into this female skeleton. they think she may have looked like this. >> if you were to ask someone on the street today, "what did an early ancestor of humans look like," they would probably say that it would look like a chimpanzee. those conclusions are very incorrect. >> reporter: many of ardi's features are very different from chimps. so scientists say there may have been an animal 2 million years before ardi, from which both apes and humans descend.

they don't know what it looked like, but it did not look like a chimp. >> not only has the human line been evolving dramatically over the last six million years, for the same 6 million to 7 million years the chimpanzees have been evolving. >> reporter: charles darwin said humans and apes most likely had common ancestors, but he couldn't prove it because there weren't enough fossils. the researchers publishing their work in the journal "science" say ardi fills a critical gap. >> this was like discovering a time capsule from a period and a place that we knew nothing about. >> reporter: they believe ardi walked upright and had teeth more like humans than apes. but her feet were like a chimp's. she could easily climb trees. >> old theories are being knocked out by new discoveries. >> reporter: in this remote african valley, says one scientist, we have found our roots and they are different from what we thought.

ned potter, abc news, new york. >> always eye-opening when the picture you had of history changes a little bit with a discoveries like this. >> fascinating. things like this come along every once in a while, still no less interesting. >> who kno what else is ried in the ethiopian desert. >> that is the news for this half hour. you can tell us what you think by logging on to our facebook fan page. >> search for world news now, sign up to become a fan, friend us, we'd love to have you. >> there's lots of stuff we've put on the facebook page that happens up here that's not suitable for air. >> not appropriate for television. >> but we think it will make you laugh. >> hope so. check it out.

presidtial pitchman. high stakes in copenhagen today

as team usa pulls out all the stops to win the 2016 summer olympic games. comic concessions. david letterman forced to admit to sleeping around with staffers. >> i have had sex with women who worked on this show. >> this morning we get a hollywood insider's take on the extortion attempt. and up, up and away. captain sully sullenberger's emotional return to the cockpit. captain sully sullenberger's emotional return to the cockpit. it's friday, october 2nd. captions paid for by abc, inc. >> we have a special edition of "the skinny." going bicoastal to los angeles to get a hollywood insider's take on the entertainment stuff going on, the michael jackson stuff and this david letterman bombshell. >> bombshell to say the least. really is surprising. a very weird show last night as well. >> strange, strange story. >> you'll hear from him in his own words. stick around for that. good morning and thanks for being wi us. the race to host the 2016 summer games is one of the closest in olympic history.

among the top contenders, chicago, rio de janeiro, madrid, tokyo. >> the question is, will president obama's personal pitch be a game-changer for chicago? in coalen hagan with the latest. what can you tell us about this presentation? >> well, good morning. we have been waiting, finally game day is here. the president just landed a few minutes ago. he has arrived here at the convention center. he'll make his pitch in just a few hours, along of course with the first lady who's already been on the ground for several days meeting one on one with those ioc members. white house senior adviser valerie jarret told us yesterday the first lady was still working on her presentation. yesterday she was making last-minute changes. and the president would be rehearsing his portion of the presentation on air force one as he flew over here. of course the president will be on the ground for just a few hours then he flies back to washington for that critical health care negotiation and all the other domestic business he has to attend to. but right now it really is all about selling chicago.

of course, the biggest competitor right now, rio. there is a lot of -- there are a lot of people putting their money on brazil. that's because there's never been an olympics in south america, it would open a huge portion of the world, many world markets to the olympic games. that's a big, big selling point for brazil. they of course have the largest bid, they have the most money on the table for their games. that's another selling point. but chicago, of course, has the president, they have the first lady, and they have their secret weapon, and that of course is oprah winfrey. she's been doing a lot of one on one meetings as well. so much of the vote really comes down to relationships. the ioc members have to feel comfortable and they have to feel like that they are really being sold. so that's why the 15-minute session that mrs. obama held yesterday one on one giving the hard sell, that's why those were so important. we're told the president will focus on big picture, mrs. obama will speak from the heart. she's a chicago native.

she's going to rely on that in her sell to the ioc. back to you. >> the closer for many reasons. reporting from denmark, thank you. heavy search and rescue equipment as well as additional relief supplies are arriving in devastating areas of the south pacific. the death toll from two major quakes in indonesia is up to 1,100 and counting now. clarisa ward has details on the scramble to find survivors. >> reporter: scenes of agony and despair. as rescuers struggle to pull survivors from hundreds of collapsed buildings where many have been trapped for 24 hours. with limited machinery, they are using improvised tools to try to dig people out. the brunt of the destruction has been borne by padang, the city of 900,000. police say a handful of children have been found alive. but small bodies have been pulled from collapsed classrooms. more are missing.

hospitals are struggling, treating the injured in damaged buildings, the dead lie in makeshift morgues. when the first quake hit there was panic as desperate residents scrambled to safety. all the buildings on this side collapsed, this woman said. then those buildings on the other side. then fire started. the earthquakes in indonesia and samoa took place along the so-called pacific ring of fire, a zone of intense seismic activity stretching 25,000 miles from the south pacific all the way around to south america. >> the pacific ocean is basically one huge tectonic plate. and it's moving relative to the plates around . and so every place where the plates are rubbing against each earthquakes and volcanos. >> reporter: the ring of fire is home to 90% of all the world's earthquakes. 75% of all volcanos. survivors are sleeping under tarps and in their cars. many of them homeless, others

simply too afraid to ghome. clarisa ward, abc news, beijing. meanwhile in the samoan islands the scope of the cleanup operation can hardly be comprehended. the death toll from tuesday's tsunami has climbed to nearly 170, and many people remain missing. power isn't expected to be restored in some parts of pago pago, the capital of american samoa, for at least a month. supplies from the u.s. and other countries are arriving and being brought to hard-hit areas. a mass funeral and burial for victims will take place tuesday. president obama is calling on iran to live up to promises made during nuclear talks in geneva, switzerland. the discussions yesterday showed some signs of progress. now it's time to put words into action. senior foreign correspondent jim sciutto has details from geneva. >> reporter: these are the highest level talks perhaps since the 1979 revolution. we're told they met for 45 minutes face to face, just the

top negotiators and their translators in a small conference room. in a marked change from last week when the u.s. was threatening harsh sanctions, sanctions were not mentioned in today's talks. what was agreed? first of all they agreed to meet again before the end of the month. crucially, iran has agreed to allow international inspectors inside this new nuclear facility. also interestingly, iran has agreed in principle to send most of its low enriched uranium out of the country to russia for enrichment. u.s. officials are calling this a potentially significant confidence-building measure. european officials saying it may indicate iran is willing to limit its enrichment capability. it is far from the core demand of the world powers, which is a complete freeze on uranium enrichment. when that subject came up today diplomats described the answer as "incomplete." a rough start to the fourth quarter. the dow plunged 203 points

yesterday. that is more than 2%. trading day will be driven by the release of the monthly jobs report. it's expected to say 188,000 jobs were lost last month and the nation's unemployment rate has climbed to 9.8%. president obama's plan for sweeping health care overhaul has edged closer to a major victory in the senate finance committee. approval would clear the way for majority leader harry reid to merge it with another bill approved by the senate health panel which includes the public option provision. the combined measure should hit the senate floor in about two weeks. time to take a look at your friday weather. stormy in minneapolis, chicago, detroit, nashville. houston and new orleans will see showers. rain across south florida. it will be hot and dry in southern califora. >> sweater weather in the midwest with some temperatures more than 10 degrees cooler than usual. chicago 56. miami, new orleans, dallas all in the 80s. l.a. is warmer than usual at about 86. now there is a whole museum

dedicated to the man behind the house. walt disney's family cut the ribbon on the $110 million museum yesterday in san francisco. the exhibits follow disney from his tough life growing up to his eventual mega success. >> items on display include the evolution of mickey mouse and a host of other animated characters. visitors even get a chance to experiment with the mechanics of animation. mickey was originally mortimer and his wife thought "mickey" sounded better than "mortimer mouse." >> we owe it all to a lady. >> that's right. >> we'll be back with more "world news now." assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you. stay tuned for this impot information and free scooter guarantee.

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broad shareholders. virch neat vinita and i both lived in chicago at one point. we know about the city's community. >> it's evident before today's decision about which city will host the 2016 summer olympics. in "american landscape," last night's coverage from abc 7 chicago. >> this is abc 7 news at 10:00. chicago's number one news. >> president barack obama is on his way to copenhagen to try to land the 2016 olympic games. back here, chicago's all lit up for what supporters hope will be a huge celebration. the host city winner ceremony begins in 13 1/2 hours. >> you can see a countdown clock in the corner of your screen and anticipation is building throughout the chicago area and denmark as well. abc 7's ben bradley is following the excitement live from copenhagen. >> reporter: we're just about two hours away from the president touching down here in copenhagen. he's only going to be on the ground for about four hours and 45 minutes. that's all the official schedule allows.

within the last few minutes the white house has added a short reception for the president with ioc members as chicago tries to use the world's most powerful political leader to help seal the deal. it had to be tough to concentrate. michelle obama, oprah, mayor daley, all joining the king of spain, president of brazil, and tokyo's team for a night of ballet. when all they really care about is who's left standing when the music stops tomorrow. >> there's not another thing we can do. know that you've sent out the best people possible and the best presentation possible. that's all you can do. >> reporter: chicago's bid backers lined copenhagen's most famous canal to show their support as ioc members arrived by barge for the opening ceremony. earlier in the day, reps from all the cities made last-minute pitches to the people who tomorrow will pick the 2016 host city. >> what brazil is offering is something new. new country, new continent, new

people. >> in the final 24 hours we want to present chicago as a partner for the ioc. >> it may be a restless night for people who can't wait to hear if chicago wins the 2016 games. big crowds are expected at viewing parties around the chicago area. among the party locations, daley plaza. if there's a party abc 7's robby is not far away. >> reporter: chicago 2016 organizers are expecting some 15,000 to 20,000 people to pack this traditional gathering place in chicago. they're going to be greeted by refreshments and for the lucky few, souvenir t-shirts to hopefully get this crowd in the mood to witness history. olympic orange in the fountains of daley plaza as the stage is set for the announcement. organizers promise there will be a place even for those who may be ambivalent about chicago hosting the world. >> this is a seven-year period. hopefully we'll win the games tomorrow and that's when the

real work begins and all of us need to participate. >> reporter: in washington park, proposed site of a host of olympic venues, its a sensibility organizers hope invades the big top at the universal circus which will top production tomorrow morning so 2,200 kids and seniors can take in the word from copenhagen. >> it is a great day, a huge day for e country. chicago representing the united states of america is huge. >> reporter: winning will bring an olympic stadium to a spot about 200 yards south of where the elephant treads. the aquatic center would go 400 yards to the east. for cochran, the copenhagen decision is a pivot point. >> this gives us an opportunity to build human capital. to develop our schools. develop our parks. >> reporter: while many schools will likely have their tvs tuned to the announcement, some like reavis will teach olympic-themed lessons. as the city beams its hopes across tonight's misty skies, notice the "1" for one day to go to decision.

there is excitement in the region. neighborville plans a street party for the announcement. >> all the different cities will benefit from the fact of services they can provide to people coming from around the worlwhen they come to visit chicago. let them know a little bit more about us. >> keeping our fingers crossed for our old home of chicago. they're planning to close streets in the loop. a big policemen for commuters. they're hoping to have celebrations later today. >> great to have them in the u.s. as well. in a moment, yesterday's huge story, david letterman's bombshell. who's accused of trying to extort millions from him? >> his announcement and insight live from hollywood. this is a special extended version of "the skinny." live from hollywood. this is a special extended version of "the skinny."

breaking entertainment news in the late hours of thursday we're going to talk about at

length here on this morning's "skinny." it's a special edition of "the skinny." we have jean wolf joining us, west coast editor of "parade" magazine. we'll talk about david letterman, an extortion attempt against him. he addressed the issue on-air last night. let's listen. >> i had to go downtown to testify before the grand jury. yeah. and i had to tell them how i was disturbed by this, i was worried for myself, i was worried for my family, i felt menaced by this, and i had to tell them all of the creepy things that i have done. >> jean wolf joining us from los angeles, fill us in on some of the sordid details. this involves extortion, alleged extortion, co-workers, sex, all kinds of things. >> this is one story where unless you hear it in david letterman's words with his presentation it's hard to understand. apparently someone left an envelope in his car. he found out he was the subject of blackmail because he's been

doing very creepy things. the grand jury asked him if he'd ever had sex with any of the people that he worked -- that worked for him. and he said he did. now, my telling of the story just doesn't even begin to match david letterman's delivery. on one hand you're in shock that he's doing this on his own show. on another hand you expect someone to jump out of the curtain and go "just kidding!" when it's very, very serious. when he speaks about protecting his family, when he speaks about protecting his job, you have to give him some sympathy. but the audience in that theater wasn't expecting this. so what you got was nervous laughter, real laughter, applause, confusion. it is one time where, you know that old expression, you've got to see it for yourself? i think that applies. >> good point. >> you mentioned a presentation. let's hear from him the moment he sort of admits to having sex with a staffer.

>> the creepy stuff was that i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. now, my response to that is, yes, i have. i have had sex with women who worked on this show. and would it be embarrassing if it were made public? perhaps it would. perhaps it would. especially for the women. >> well, peculiar approach, that's for sure. >> see what i mean? >> yes. >> did you see what i mean? prolonged applause. serious rhetoric. at the same time, he's doing this. yoknow, you expect him to say, "hey, hang around, i'll be here all week, try the veal." >> wrapping up the letterman part of the story, is he in trouble here? is there some -- could he lose his job, any legal ramifications?

>> well, you know that this statement was very carefully prepared by cbs people. he did -- he went to his employers. he went to the authorities. he didn't hide anything. and he tried to come clean with the public. but he couldn't help being the unique david letterman that he is. >> that's for sure. >> that's why he presented the story the way he did. >> let's talk about the other big story out where you are right now on the west coast. that is michael jackson. we're hearing about the custody battle. we're also hearing the results of this autopsy. one of the most shocking things i think to a lot of people, he was in relatively good health. there were puncture wounds and other things that were interesting about the autopsy. >> it's interesting. the autopsy wasn't officially handed out. it was so-called leaked to the associated press. the notion is that you can't boil someone's health down to a bit of statistics. michael was in good enough health that some people guessed he could have lived if he wasn't being administered this drug that shouldn't have been

administered at home. is it any surprise to anybody who's followed this story that he had puncture wounds, marks on his legs and hands? it might have been a surprise to some that his eyebrows and lips were tattooed. all of michael's secrets are coming out. but what the most important report, we haven't had a mplete report of yet. and that's the toxicology report. >> wow. >> so does this prove that healthy people taking drugs can live? yes. does it prove also that healthy people who are overmedicated -- >> we're running out of time, thank you so much for the update. two big bombshells.

here are stories to watch today on abc news. leaders from chicago along with the president and first lady will find out today if the windy city will host the 2016 olympic games.

chicago is ready for celebrations after the announcement in copenhagen. members of michael jackson's family are due in court today for child custody hearings. jackson's ther is asking for more control over his estate. unemployment figures for september are being released today. the nation's jobless rate could hit close to 10%. finally this half hour us airways captain chesley "sully" sullenberger and his copilot were reunited in the cockpit for the first time since their splash landing. >> the same route they were on when they made that historic landing in new york's hudson river. john berman went along for the unforgettable ride. >> reporter: final preparations for a flight eight and a half months in the making. >> it feels normal, it feels natural. it's like being home again. >> reporter: the last time captain chesley sullenberger and co-pilot jeff skiles tried this, well, that ended in a miracle. this time they were aiming for the mundane. >> i think it's important for closure, to complete the trip we never completed.

>> reporter: this was a carefully staged media event. >> it's good to be back in new york. it's good to be back at work. >> reporter: sullenberger won't be flying much in the future, as he takes on a more managerial role. he does have a book coming out. still, the passengers were thrilled to be a part of it. >> this should be the safest flight in the country today. >> reporter: some said they woulpay extra just to hear these words -- >> this is captain sullenberger speaking. [ applause ] >> i've learned to wait now, thank you. >> reporter: it was a smooth takeoff, the engines completely bird-free. we're now more than 10 minutes into this flight, well past the time that us air flight 1549 landed in the dson. this flight seems to be going more smoothly. but there were some for whom this flight had special meaning. barry leonard was on board 1549. >> i was on their last flight and now i'm on their first flight again. it's really a healing process for me personally. >> reporter: a regular flight,

with a regular landing. but no matter what he does, captain sullenberger is still a regular hero. john berman, abc news, charlotte, north carolina. >> that's the kind of reception he should get. >> absolutely. i would love to be on that flight. it was so cool to have so many media on the flight. the regular passengers applauded him when he said his name over the intercom. >> such a distinct voice, too. a calming, great voice for a pilot. >> that guy could run for president. he could run for president and he would win, he's that big a deal. >> that is the news for this half hour. of course we have much more news coming up. >> stick a>> s

making news in america this morning. late-night confession. on his show, david letterman comes clean ab