ours is an agonizing wait. we are strengthened by your presence here. >> get up! >> i just remember my legs just flying all over the place. >> this kid stayed more calm and more brave than a lot of the veterans i've seen. the first time in history two former spouses have competed head-to-head in the same category. >> those are just some of the stories that we're working on for you today. thanks for watching hln "news an views." >> the american-born spokesman for al qaeda is reportedly under arrest in pakistan. a senior pakistani government official confirms he was captured in the city of karachi but several u.s. officials tell cnn they don't have confirmation of his arrest. a statement by gadahn praising the army major accused of killing 13 soldiers at ft. hood, texas, was posted on the internet earlier today. he has released several statements in recent years, calling for the destruction of the united states. gadahn has been wanted by the fbi for nearly six years. in 2006 he was charged with treason. there's a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. deadly violence has disrupted today's parliamentary elections in iraq. despite tight security, insurgents trying to intimidate voters launched several attacks with bombs, rockets, grenades and mortars. more than three dozen people were killed. prime mister nuri al maliki said the attacks boewon't indune the will of the iraqi people. the insurgents apparently see the elections as validating the shiite-led government and u.s. occupation. this is iraq's fifth nationwide vote since 2003, but only the second for a full four-year term parliament. as many a three million iraqis were expected to vote in other countries, including the u.s. nashville is one of nine u.s. cities where iraqis were able to vo early. >> but it's really nice to see the young ones also have love for the country because most of them were raised here. and to see them still have pride in their country and come out here to vote, that's really big for us. >> iraqis also voted in 15 other countries. it has been three months since susan powell, a mother of two, disappeared. last night friends and family gathered in her hometown in washington state to commemorate the sad occasion. a separate vigil was also held in utah, where she lived. susan was last seen on december 7th. her husband, who's been called a person of interest in the case, did not attend either vigil, but a spokesperson for susan powell's family says they're grateful for all the support. >> we gather to let susan's small boys, charlie and braden know that we have not forgotten their mother or how much they love her, need her and miss her. while ours is an agonizing wait, we are strengthened by your presence here. >> powell's father also said that he is keeping hope alive that his daughter will be found. a new hampshire teacher is accused of sending nude photos of herself to a 15-year-old male student. police say 41-year-old melinda dennahe turned herself in and was released on a $10,000 bond. the school's superintendent said he can't talk about the case but thinks it's crucial for parents to talk with their kids about the situation. >> many times when i talk to ople about this i use the mom and dad rule, which is what if -- what you are doing, is it acceptable if your parents saw it? would you be embarrassed if your patients saw it? >> the teacher is on administrative leave. they found out about the pictures when they starred circulating around the school. the head of a tennessee tourism trade group is apologizing for sending out an e-mail that compared first lady michelle obama to a chimpanzee. walt baker, head of the tennessee hospitaty association, didn't write the e-mail, he forwarded it to several friends, colleagues and reporters. the president of the convention and visitors bureau for the city of nashville was on that list and immediately issued an apology on behalf of his organization and cancelled the bureau's contract with baker's pr firm. >> a picture of a monkey and michelle obama, i don't like it. >> that's not right. >> wish things were a lot better, but obviously it seems like it's not. >> so baker initially dismissed criticism of the e-mail calling it good fun. he has since reversed course and issued his own apology for sending it out. >> it was stupid. and i am alone the responsible party in this. pln and simple. >> the tennessee hospitality association will meetomorrow to discuss whether baker can continue as its chief operating officer. one couple spent so much time playing internet games that they reportedly let tir baby starve to death. police in south korea say the couple spent hours and hours playing a game about raising a virtual baby, but they fed their real newborn only once a day. they found the baby dead five months ago when they returned home from an internet cafe. the couple had been hiding until their arrest this week. the president of iran claims the september 11th attacks on the united states were a big lie. mahmoud ahmadinejad claimed the terrorist attacks were a pretext for launching the invasion of afghanistan in 2001. the iranian leader is scheduled to visit afghanistan tomorrow. he calls the 9/11 attacks a sophisticated intelligence measure to lay the groundwork for the afghan war. he has also declared that the holocaust, which claimed the lives of six million jews, was a hoax. three days of mourning begin in chile today for the people killed in that msive earthquake that hit a week ago. the magnitude 8.8 quake triggered a tsunami. hundreds of peop were killed. the country was rattled again yesterday by at least eight aftershocks. help from around the world meanwhile is pouring in. this is aid arriving from the u.s. which has pledged mobile water treatment units, a field hospital and two c-130 aircraft to help move supplies. some joyful reunions at an airport in tennessee as 19 missionaries who lived through the quake in chile finally returned home yesterday. they were there to work on a girls home. >> it was frightening, but i never had fear. i never had any fear. >> we we seeing more than obviously they saw. from what we can gather through our texts and facebook updates and things from other people, they had no idea how bad the devastation was. >> the journey back home was also anordeal. their original flight was cancelled. to get another flight they had to drive ten hours to santiago dodging earthquake damage all along the way. an 11-year-old boy is being called a hero for helping paramedics after a deadly bus crash. the bus was on its way from mexico to l.a. when it rear-ended a pickup in arizona friday. oscar rodrigueznoticed that paramedics were having trouble helping victims who mostly spoke spanish. even though he was hurt, oscar started translating. emergency workers say he made a big difference. >> i just remembered my legs were flying all over the place. >> that's when my little brother got to fly out the window. a good thing that he survived. >> with no formal training at 11 years old, this kid stayed re calm and more brave than a lot of the veterans i've seen. >> emergency workers gave oscar a certificate that reads "hero of the day." thcrash killed six people and injured 16 others. a man accused of public drunkenness was arrested in dallas. the entire episode caught on tape, but it's not the suspect's behavior that's raising eyebrows. also a college group said they just wanted to raise awareness with a literary exchange. the theme, give us a bible, get something in return. but guess what they were handing out? get up! you walk out of this [ bleep ] or i'll beat your [ bleep ]. you understand? >> police don't always keep their cool dring arrests but some activists say this you know 81 pacific police agent went too far while arresting a man accused of public intoxication. the unidentified railroad agent was caught on tape. he can be seen here resting his foot on the suspect who's on the ground and he's heard swearing and threatening to beat the man or even kill him if he doesn't cooperate. the suspect is 18-year-old enrique franko. one activist says the agent's behavior crossed the line. >> this is an inappropriate way to arrest somebody. to humiliate them, to demean them, to drag them through water, to threaten to kill him, to swear at him, it's unacceptable. >> the agent has been placed on administrative leave while already authorities investigate. they say if they find he violated policy, he will be punished. a kentucky police officer is also in big trouble. he was arreste for dui while driving his police cruiser. authorities say he went to a training meeting and afterward stoppeat a restaurant. witnesses say simmons ate dinner and drank at the restaurant's bar. they also say when he left he got his police cruiser stuck on a curb. someone called 911 and simmons was pulled over a short time later. he refused to take a breathalyzer and was charged with dui. the police chief said simmons apologized to him and has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing. turn in a bible, get a pornographic magazine. a college atheist group at the university of texas san annio offered to exchange religious material for porn in what they called a smut for smut campaign. members of the group called atheist agenda said porn is no worse than what is written in some religious texts, but some students complained that the group went too far. >> it is just not something that you should offer for something that i think is good. i think the bible, it directs your life and it helps you. it shouldn't be traded in for porn. >> we've been able to have many different discussions regarding religion in gem and it's been able to bring a pretty good reaction. >> in total they handed out about 40 adult magazines. a florida convenien store owner is thankful that his son is still alive after a run-in with a robber. the owner's son was working at the store when a masked gunman stormed in demanding cash. the 25-year-old clerk didn' waste any time fighting back. he hit the panic button, grabbed a gun near the cash register and shot the suspect. police say the suspect is a repeat offender. he's in the hospital, but is expected to survive. we've heard it time and time again, a college degree will pay off in the future, but does it matter which school you get that degree from? online salary database payscale.com took a look at what grads earn ten years after they left school. check out the top five schools that apparently pay you back the most. dartmouth college, massachusetts institute of technology, harvard university, harvey mudd college and stanford university. the report also finds the degree you get is a bigger influencer on what you make. seven of the top ten jobs with the best salaries are in engineering. then economics, physics and computers. the majors where you're likely to earn the least, spanish, music, theology, elementary education and social work. would you give up your job so a co-worke could keep hers? that's what a california woman did recently. lathrop, california, is one of hundreds of cities across the country hurting for money. it had to layoff 11 people because of budget problems and that's when patricia stemmed up and gave up her job in the finance department so a 60-year-old accountant could keep hers. >> i felt that i could cope with the loss of aob perhaps better than some of my co-workers. >> when this came up, she -- a very selfless act on her part. she felt that it was something that her and her family could take on rather than another fellow employee. >>overy has four kids and is looking for a new job. her husband works for another city government. will form president ronald reagan bump ulysses s. grant from the 0 bill? north carolina representative patrick mchenry is proposing reagan replace the 18th president and legendary union general. the republican is hoping the measure will pass in time for reagan's 100th birthday next february. he said it's time to honor the last great president of the 20th century, but grant supporters can rest easy for now. house democrats are unlikely to support the legislation. for decades the movie industry has honored actors and actresses for a job well done by giving one man and one woman the top acting oscars. is it time for them to compete head-to-head? we'll hear your views. you know that history could be made tonight at the oscars. if katheriryn bigelow wins for "hurt locker" she will be the first woman to take home that honor. she has tough competition with the best picture lineup expanded to ten films instead of the usual five. and she's going head-to-head with her ex-husband, james cameron. he directed the science fiction hit "avatar." the two say despite their divorce they have remained friends over the years. >> it's very simple. we've always respected each other as an artist. >> they were really good friends, so this is so exciting. >> the acting prizes may be a bit re predictable. oscars are expected to go to sandra bullock for "the blind side." jeff bridges for "crazy heart," monique for "precious" and christoph waltz for "inglourious basterds." so what would the oscars be like if bullock and bridges were going head-to-head? in a "new york times" editorial, a research scholar says it's time to stop segregating oscar categories by sex. she said there's no biological reason for men not to compete against women when it comes to acting. she told cnn that separating the competition along the lines of sex is insulting to women. we'd like to hear your views on this subject so today we've been asking should the academy awards lose gender-specific categories like best actor and best actress. here's what some of our facebook friends are saying. women need to be paid the same as men in equal roles. casting roles for men and women are segregated so the categories need to be segregated. stanley says the oscars are simply self indulgent high society blah that helps perpetuate the class system. the bias seems to lean more to -- >> let it be and worry about things that need being worried about. cory tells us it should be fair but not based on sex, you know, male-female. when i see female actors, i think of themas actors, not actresses. actors alec baldwin and steve martin are co-hosting tonight. as brooke anderson found out with these to feny men, you never know what to expect. >> reporter: they have battled on television. >> give me the brush. >> you stay back. i swear i will paint you. >> reporter: tangled in theaters. >> oh, why s intense, big fella? >> reporter: now their fracas moves to hollywood's biggest stage. >> who's gonna win? >> reporter: the academy awards. alec baldwin and steve martin, co-hosts and comedic rivals. >> you're so strong. >> reporter: and hollyod's elite is eager to catch the confrontation. >> i'm really excited that this show will be hosted by jack donaghy and the jerk. it's going to be awesome. >> do you see that? be somebody! >> reporter: martin's two previo hosting stints give him the upper hand, and he's putting the rookie in his place. >> co-host is real i a miss norm. host and this person. >> associate host. >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. alec, would you get me some coffee. >> reporter: kidding aside, the pair will take the job seriously. >> as i said to steve, i'd rather it be more -- to err on the side of it being more dignified than funny because you realize this evening is very important to the people who are there. >> reporter: but they're still expected to provide a few laughs. >> thank you, academy. for nothing. >> this evening we have special "showbiz tonight" coverage both before and after the academy awards. first at 7:00 p.m. eastern on our sister networkcnn and then at 11:00 p.m. eastern, our coverage continues with reaction to the winners right here on hln so please join us for that. while ours is an agonizing wait, we are strengthened by your presence here. >> get up! >> i just remember my legs go flying all over the place. >> this kid stayed more calm and seen.brave than a lot of the >> the first time in histo two former spouses have competed head-to-head in the same category. >> and those are just some of the stories that we're working on for you. thanks for watching hln "news and views." the american-born spokesman for al qaeda is reportedly under arrest in pakistan. a senior pakistani government official confirms adam gadahn was captured today in the city of karachi but several u.s. officials tell cnn they don't ha confirmation of his arrest. a statement praising the army major accused of killing 13 soldiers at ft. hood, texas, was posted on the internet earlier today. he has released several statements in recent years calling for the destruction of the united states. gadahn has been wanted by the fbi for nearly six years. in 2006 he was charged with treason. there's a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. deadly violence has disrupted today's parliamentary elections in iraq. despite tight security insurgents trying to intimidate voters launched several attacks with bombs, rockets, grenades and mortars. more than three dozen people were killed. prime minister nuri al maliki says the attacks won't undermine the will of the iraqi people. many hope the election will put them on a path toward national reconciliation as the u.s. prepares to withdraw combat forces this summer. the insurgents apparently see the election as validating the shiite-led government and u.s. occupation. this is iraq's fifth nationwide vote since 2003, but only the second for a ll four-year term parliament. as many as three milli iraqis were expected to vote in other countries including the u.s. nashville is one of nine u.s. cities where iraqis were able to vote early. >> but it's really nice to see the young ones also have love for the country because most of them were raised here. and to see them still have pride in their country and come out here to vote, it's really big for us. >> iraqis also voted in 15 other countries. it has been three months since susan powell, a mother of two, disappeared. last night friends and family gathered in her hometown in washington state to commemorate the sad occasion. a separate vigil was also held in utah where she lived. susan was last seen on december 7th. her husband, who's been called a person of interest in the case, did not attend either vigil, but a spokesperson for susan powell's family says they're grateful for all the support. >> we gather to let susan's small boys, charlie and braden, know that we have not forgotten their mother or how much they love her, need her and miss her. while ours is an agonizing wait, we are strengthened by your presence here. >> powell's father ao said that he is keeping hope alive that his daughter will be found. a new hampshire teacher is accused of sending nude photos of herself to a 15-year-old male student. police say 41-year-old melinda dennahe turned herself in on friday and was released on a $10,000 bond. the school district's superintendent says he can't talk about the case but he thinks it's crucial for parents to talk with their kids about the situation. >> many times when i talk to people about this, i use the mom and dad rule, which is -- if what you are doing, is it acceptable if your parents saw it. would you be embarrassed if your parents saw it. >> and i hope that she's gone and she's not able to teach again. >> the teacher is on paid administrative leave. school officials and police found out about the pictures when they started circulating around the school. the head of a tennessee tourism trade group is apologizing for sending out an e-mail that compared first lady michelle obama to a chimpanzee. walt baker, head of the tennessee hospitality association, didn't write the e-mail, he forwarded it to several friends, colleagues and reporters. the president of the convention and visitors bureau for the city of nashville was on that list. he immediately issued an apology on behalf of his organization and cancelled the bureau's contract with baker's pr firm. >> has a picture of a monkey and michelle obama, i don't like it. >> that's not right. >> wish things were a lot better, but obviously it seems like it's not. >> so baker initially dismissed criticism of the e-mail, calling it good fun. he has since reversed course and issued his own apology for sending it out. >> it was stupid. and i am alone the responsible party in this, plain and simple. >> the tennessee hospitality association will meet tomorrow to discuss whether baker can continue as its chief operating officer. one couple spent so much time playing internet games that they reportedly let their baby starve to death. police in south korea say the couple spent hours and hours playing a game about raising a virtual baby. but they fed their real newborn only once a day. they found the baby dead five months ago when they returned home fromn internet cafe. the couple had been hiding until their arrest this week. the president of iranlaims the september 11th attacks on the united states were a big lie. mahmoud ahmadinejad claimed the terrorist attacks were a pretext for launching the invasion of afghanistan in 2001. the iranian leader is scheduled to visit afghanistan tomorrow. he calls the 9/11 attacks a sophisticated intelligence measure to lay the groundwork for the afghan war. he has also declared that the holocaust, which claimed the lives of six million jews, was a hoax. three days of mourning begin in chile today for the people killed in that massive earthquake that hit a week ago. the magnitude 8.8 quake triggered a tsunami. hundreds of people were killed. the country was rattled again yesterday by at least eight aftershocks. help from around the world meanwhile is pouring in. this is aid arriving from the u.s., which has pledged mobile water treatment units, a field hospital and two c-130 aircraft to help move supplies. some joyful reunions at an airport in tennessee as 19 missionaries who lived through the quake in chile finally returned home yesterday. they were there to work on a girls home. >> it was frightening, but i never had fear. i never had any fear. >> we were seeing more than obviously they saw. from what we can gather through our texts and facebook updates and things from other people, they had no idea how bad the devastation was. >> the journey back home was also an ordeal. their original flight was cancelled. to get another flight they had to drive ten hours to santiago dodging earthquake damage all along the way. an 11-year-old boy is being called a hero for helping paramedics after a deadly bus crush. the bus was on its way from mexico to l.a. when it rear-ended a pickup in arizona friday. oscar rodriguez noticed paramedics were having trouble helping victims who mostly spoke spanish. even though he was hurt, oscar started translating. emergency workers say he made a big difference. >> i just remembered my legs go flying all over the place. >> that's when my little brother got to fly out the window. the good thing that he survived. >> with no formal training at 11 years old, this kid stayed more calm and more brave than a lot of the veterans i've seen. >> emergency workers gave oscar a certificate that reads "hero of the day." the crash killed six people and injured 16 others. a man accuse of public drunkenness was arrested in dallas. the entire episode caught on tape, but it's not the suspect's behavior that's raising eyebrows. also, a college group said they just wanted to raise awareness with a literary exchange. the theme, give us a bible, get something in return. but guess what they were handing out? get up! you walk out of this [ bleep ] or ill beat your [ bleep ], you understand? >> police don't always keep their cool during arrests but some activists say this union pacific police agent went too far while arresting a dallas man accused of public intoxication. the unidentified railroad agt was caught on tape. he can be seen here resting his foot on the suspect who's on the ground and he's heard swearing and threatening to beat the man or even kill him if he doesn't cooperate. the suspect is identified as 18-year-old enrique franko. one activist says the agent's bevior crossed the line. >> this is an inappropriate way to arrest somebody, to humiliate them, to demean them, to drag them through water,o threaten to kill them, to swear at him. it's unacceptable. >> the agent has been placed on administrati leave while railroad authorities investigate. they say if they find that he violated policy, he will be punished. turn in a bible, get a pornographic magazine. a college atheist group at the university of texas san antonio offered to exchange religious material for porn in what they called a smut for smut campaign. members of the group called atheist agenda said porn is no worse than what is written in some religious texts but some students complain that the group went too far. >> it is just not something that you should offer for something that i think is good. i think the bible, it directs your life and it helps you. it shouldn't be traded in for porn. >> we've been able to have many different discussions regarding religion in general and it's been able to bring a pretty good reaction for the most part. >> in total, they handed out about 40 adult magazines. we've heard it time and time again, a college degree will pay off in the future. but does it matr which school you get that fwree from? online salary database payscale.com took aook at what grads earn ten years after they left school. check out the top five schools that apparently pay you back the most. dartmouth college, massachusetts institute of technology, harvard university, harvey mudd college and stanford university. the report also finds the degree you get is a bigger influencer on what you make. seven of the top ten jobs with the best salaries are in engineering. then economics, physics and computers. the majors where you're likely to earn the least, spanish, music, theology, elementary education and social work. would you give up your job so a co-worker could keep hers? that's what a california woman did recently. lathrop, california, is one of hundreds of cities across the country hurting for money. it had to layoff 11 people because of budget problems and that's when patricia o very stepped up at a city council meeting and gave up her job in the finance department so a 60-year-old accountant could keep hers. >> i felt like that i could cope with the loss of a job perhaps better than some of my coworkers. >> when this came up, she -- a very selfless act on her part. she felt it was something that her and her family could take on rather than another fellow employee. >> overy has 4 kids and is looking for a new job. her husband works for another city government. will former president ronald reagan bump ulysses s. grant from the $50 bill? north carolina representative patrick mchenry is proposing that reagan replace the 18th presidt and legendary union general. the republican is hoping the measure will pass in time for reagan's 100th birthday next february. mchenry says it's time to honor the last great president of the 20th century. grant supporters can rest easy for now. house democrats are unlikely to support the legislation. for the first time you can see the document that changed everything about our understanding of the universe just as alber einstein wrote it. the entire manuscript of the paper outlining einstein's general theory of relativity is now on display at the israel academy of sciences and humanities in jerusalem. the 46 handwritten pages include graphs drawn by the renowned physicist and his own corrections to the text. einstein donated it to the university, which he helped found. the university is lending the manuscript to the exhibit which is part of the academy's 50th anniversary celebration. for decades the movie industry has honored actors and actresses for a job we done, but giving one man and one woman the top acting oscars but is it time for the men and women in the movies to compete head-to-head? we'll hear your views. you know that history could be made tonight at the oscars if kathryn bigelow wins for best director for her iraq war drama "hurt locker." she will be the first woman to take home that honor. she has tough competition, though, with the best picture lineup expanded to ten films instead of the usual five. and she's going head-to-head with her ex-husband, james cameron. he directed "avatar." the two say despite their divorce, they have remained friends over the years. >> it's very simple. we've always respected each other as an artist. >> they were really good friends, so this is so exciting. >> the acting prizes may be a bit more predictable. oscars are expected to go to sandra bullock for "the blind side," jeff bridges for "crazy heart" mo'nique for "prious" and christoph waltz for "inglourious basterds." so what would the oscars be like if bullic and bridges were going head to head? in a "new york times" editorial, a research scholar says it's time to stop segregating oscar categories by se she said there's no biological reason for men not to compete against women when it comes to acting. she told cnn that separating the competition along the lines of sex is insulting to women. hey, are you okay with doing away with the best actress at gore and having both men and women compete for best actor? let's look at some of your facebook comments. ar writes people need to stop taking the feminist movement so far. seriously it's like that because it's worked so long and the roles are somewhat different. katie says there's still a lot of sexism in the united states today and if we were to combine the categories, we'd find that a lot more men wouldeceive awards than women who also deserve them. eric writes men and women should have equal rights, but when it comes to art, they bring different things to the table. to start merging categories, i think that's a disservice to the art form. the fantasy film "avatar" with its spectacular 3-d effects is up upon big picture tonight. "avatar" may be a hit at the box office but some critics say it doesn't have enough substance to win best picture. our joe carter hit the streets to see what you're saying about the film. >> reporter: i'm joe carter and we're on the streets. we want to talk to you. have you guys seen the movie "avatar"? >> i have. i thought it was awesome. >> engrossing, james cameron, 3-d movie. >> visually a very beautiful movie. i didn't find the story to be all that unique. i thought the animation was neat, but i just thought it was too farfetched. >>eporr: how did you feel when you left the movie? >> just that i wished i could go live there. the landscape was fantastic. >> reporter: there was controversy that's surrounding the movie. they're calling it avatar blues. when people go to see this movie,it, it's euphor, a great escape. people loved it so much and leaving the theater they feel depressed like a gray world. your thoughts? okay. i can see that as a possibility. you suspend your reality. >> how out of touch with reality do you havto be to be that e pressed? earthquake in haiti, that's okay. "avatar," that's really depressing. >> it is just a movie. >> they must have had some problems before they went in. >> i guess it is a little depressing with our economy right now. i could see that but, you know, it's entertainment. they did their job. >> it's kind of amusing in a sad way, i guess. >> it wouldn't do anything for me. it is a movie. >> yeah. i didn't feel like i needed to end it all or anything. >> reporter: i'm joe carter and i'll see you on the street. >> this evening, we have special "shoiz tonight" coverage both before and after the academy awards. first, at 7:00 p.m. eastern, on cnn, and then at 11:00 p.m. eastern our coverage continues with reaction to the winners right here on hln so please join us for that.