because he didn't want to cut short a meeting with wounded troops. jeremy and vinita? united airlines has suspended a pilot after he was removed from the cockpit and arrested on alcohol charges. in london passengers were already on board that boeing 767 as it was ready to leave for chicago o'hare. that's when british authorities arrested the pilot edwin washington. united canceled the flight and rebooked the passengers. washington has been released on bail. in orlando, former astronaut lisa nowak has pled guilty in connection with a bizarre plot to attack a romantic rival. before enis tensing novak apologized to colleen shipman for the pain she caused. it's been nearly three years since nowak drove across the country and confronted shipman in a parking lot. nowak will serve one year of probation. a jury has delivered a stunning defeat to government in its first bid to prosecute corporate fraud related to the economic crisis. two former bear stearns hedge fund managers were found not guilty of lying to investors. their funds bet heavily in a subprime morage market at the heart of the economic collapse. prosecutors may now be less likely to bring cases like this to trial. that cbs producer accused of blackmailing david letterman made his first appearance in court. joe halderman's lawyers tried to convince the judge to throw out the case. they claimed it was all a big misunderstanding. abc's carla wohl has the details. >> reporter: a clean-shaven joe halderman appeared in court where his attorney asked the judge to dismiss the attempted first degree larceny charge saying there was no extortion, that the cbs news producer was simply trying to sell a script to david letterman. >> this was a commercial transaction. it was nothing more. it did not violate the penal law. >> reporter: holderman did not take any questions. he's accused of leaving a package in letterman's car, threatening to write a screenplay and comic about letterman's sexual affairs if letterman didn't pay him $2 million. police arrested him after he allegedly deposited a phoney check. >> it's blackmail. >> reporter: horowitz says letterman is prepared to testify in court. he's already told some of the details to his late-night audience. >> that i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. >> reporter: letterman admitted to horribly hurting his wife. if convicted, halderman could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. the scandal has not hurt david letterman's ratings. in fact his audience is up 13% cared to last year. carla wohl, abc news, los angeles. it was a terrifying morning at an elementary school in orlando, oregon. a three alarm fire broke out as hour than 400 students sat in classrooms. half the building eventually burned almost to the ground leaving a charred shell. all the students and most of the staff managed to get out unharmed. two employees went to the hospital with breathing problems. ida is no longer a tropical storm but it is still drenchin parts of the southeast this morning. ida made landfall in alabama early yesterday as winds slowed to about 45 miles an hour. up to 6 inches of rain fell on alabama, georgia and florida. there were some power outages but most of them were scattered. leaky roofs too it looks like. here's your wednesday weather. drenching rain from florida to maryland. thunderstorms and downpours left over from ida. rain in portland, seattle, and spokane today. up to 1 foot of mountain snow in the cascades and the rocky mountains. >> 54 in boise. colorado springs. 67 in albuquerque. 50s across the upper midwest. 61 in kansas city. the northeast cools dune with highs in the 50s. it will be 60 in atlanta. 85 in miami. 73 in new orleans. did you need to check your e-mail? did we bust you? >> i had to sneeze, i was trying to turn away. >> okay, sorry. do you still need to? >> i'm okay now. goes and it comes. >> we'll move on. he was born over a century ago but he can still cha cha with the best of them. >> center louis stein is the country's oldest living vent ran. the miami nursing home threw stein a surprise party as he celebrated his 106th birthday. dr. stein showed off his best dance moves with the help of his walker. he needed no assistance twirling around some of the golden gals who couldn't wait. >> he dumped the walker, i've got it, i'm under control here. dr. stein says women, brandy, and dancing are what keeps him going after 106 years. probably not necessarily in that order. >> he looks phenomenal for 106. >> he does. he can cha cha with the best of them. >> looking good. >> yes, he is. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now." 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[ sniffs ] [ male announcer ] for all the things that you can't wash, wash it with febreze. how many washes did it take cheer brightclean to get this from dingy to bright? ten. seven. it's six. why? why is... one... yeah! hundred. no. cheer brightclean. surprisingly brit in just one wash. the latest forecast on fuel prices could have most americans feeling the pinch. the energy department says winter oil prices should average about $7 a barre7 a barrel. 10% higher than an estimate issued last month. gas prizes to rise from $2.55 a gallon to $2.70 a gallon. expect prices averaging around $3 a gallon. we're also paying more when it comes to credit. >> banks are increasing interest rates and cutting credit lines now ahead of new consumer protection rules that take effect in two months. elisabeth leamy has details. >> repter: pad pitman of perry, oklahoma, is a one man sign of the times. one of his credit card companies lowered his limit from $5,000 to $900. at the same time, another one raised his rate 8%. >> i wasn't in default. i wasn't late. always paid early. >> reporter: in february, congress' card act goes into effect which will limit the credit card industry's ability to raise rates. but a pooh pew charitable trust study of 400 different credit cards found not one is complying with the terms of the new law. >> i think the banks have fundamentally made the decision, let's keep using these practices and getting as much revenue as we can, as long as we can, until the law makes us stop. >> reporter: the american bankers association says rates are rising because in this tough economy, many people can't pay their bills. >> so losses are up and those losses in part are paid for by other borrowers in the form of higher interest rates. >> reporter: so what's next? a federal reserve survey shows 45% of banks will raise the minimum credit score required to even get a credit card. possibly to about 740. 40% of banks plan to hike annual fees. 30% say they will increase the use of variable interest rates for credit cards. often that means your interest rate can go up over time with no ceiling but it can't go down below a certain floor. fortunately when a bank tries to raise your rate you have 45 days to opt out. though it usually means canceling your card. elisabeth leamy, abc news, washington. >> i just got a notice in the mail the other day saying one of my cards they were going to change the terms and you could opt out. if that's the case, see ya. >> i've caed in ask basically said, i will switch over and they've brought it back down. >> it seems to perpetuate the problem. people don't have a lot of money, now you're not going to give them credit cards so they won't be able to buy more. >> the percentage rate, 21%, painful to think of that. >> yikes. coming up, more and more home buyers surf the web looking at pictures of property for sale. >> i'll show you decorating disasters that are turning off it used to be when you were looking to buy a home the first thing you did was go look at it in person. but this is 2009 and that is often not the case. >> now many buyers hit the internet to see the listing, to see what's out there. wh they're seeing online, it's not that good. >> reporter: for sale. this charming fixer-upper with ample storage room. priced to move. this rustic cottage that needs tlc. an absolute must-see? how about this quaint home with outdoor living space. real estate listing photos. those full-color, first impressions. they're supposed to make a seller's home look picturesque and cozy. aren't they? really great realtor photos.ade and the bell curve also says you're going to have really horrible realtor photos. >> reporter: lovelylisting.com, a website for fun has ferreted out not so lovely listings on the internet. they are the worst of the worst. his personal favorite? >> it's a homeowner, the carpet, their floor, ceiling and walls. >> this is not mute carpet. >> i'm talking about psychedelic '60s colors. >> reporter: a lesson in how not to sell your house. >> we had a listing, three photos of a house, the fourth photo was alf. from the tv show "alf." >> interesting concept! >> reporter: at a time when the real estate market is at rock bottom you would think iger sellers would do anything to offload their home. maybe age it with new paint and furniture. perhaps just straighten up the place. me on, at the very least, remove that huge plastic pink pig at the top of the stairs. yes, ma'am, we're talking to you. do you want to get out of the way? we're trying to get a picture of your living room. you too, young man. not sure how this shot of you in the bedroom is going to hensel the house. >> i think people don't appreciate how important it is to impress the pybuyer. you have one shot to impress that buyer and it usually is the first two photos. >> reporter: if the owners of this home are praying for a sale they're in luck. it seems to come with nuns. if you're lonesome this one has an elvisook-alike. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: the homeowners who get creative with photo shop. this one tried to erase a car from the driveway. >> when people make the big mistakes like not taking their animals off the wall, spray it green, any kind of a cover-up scheme, what they really risk is that buyer is never going to trust the seller from the get-go. and so you're going to have problems closing the deal or even signing the contract. it's a stupid, short-sighted way to go. >> reporter: and by the way, not everyone shares your love of garfield the cat. you might want to take down the collection. also, the next owner, she might not be as into spaceships as you are. >> buyers can't see past your stuff. the more personal it is, worse it is. >> reporter: don't wig out. with a little realtor speak you might be able to move these homes. a creative broker would call this a partially rehabbed bathroom. no need to worry about cleaning moldy grout. here's the home of your dreams. picture yourself living here. with the help of this drawing of what your house might look like. lovely listing currently has more than 1,000 bad listing photos with more pouring in every day. >> just taking a photography class as a real estate agent should be required. like none of the my space photos. you know what i mean? way too high of an angle. like small corner in a bathroom. they really shouldn't be doing that. >> reporter: something else you shouldn't be doi if you're trying to sell your hidden treasure with curb appeal and nostalgic flair, you shouldn't be leaving what looks like a crime scene evidence marker on the floor. and is that rat poison right up there on the window ledge? it doesn't exactly scream make me an offer. there's some bad photos out there. >> i was taking notes. i'm trying to sell my condo in denver. i was told wall color can turn off a buyer. i need to change some of the colors in there. >> it's all about stage don't go. they can rearrange your furniture and make it look perfect. some of these people could take a lesson from a good realtor. >> you looked good in that suit. you should look into selling. >> buy this house clam! little to 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? 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"world news now" delivers your morning papers. >> this first paper is a good one. whatever you're doing, take a moment, just look up. because i rarely say this about our papers, you probably know that. take a look at this. it is the world's smallest mother, stacy harold, she is giving birth for the third time. >> oh, wow. >> she's unbelievably tiny, 2'4". she's married to a regular-sized guy 5'9" inches. she was told if she tried to have children the child would grow so large inside her tiny body it might crush her organs and she was devastated. she had the first child and she says she was bed ridden and the child did inherit her disability. which is called something. what is the name of what she has? i'll find it in a second. same disability she had will be the second child they don't mention. this third child, she's getting ready for the third bird. she says the moral of the story is that doctors told her, don't even attempt this, and she was able to not only have one, not two, but three. >> it's called osteogenesis imperfecta. brittle bones and undeveloped lungs. really unbelievable. >> her daughter's almost as tall as she is. we hope the next one is a success. i'm going to try to do this story without getting fired. >> suddenly my ears perked up, go on. >> a british couple has lost their sex appeal. and by that i mean, they lost their appeal about their sex in court. here's the story. neighbors had taken them to court saying that they make too much noise in their lovemaking sessions. basically, they've been accused of howling, sounding unnatural, sounding like they were in considerable pain. there was actually a ten-minute recording of one of these sessions that was played in court because the neighbors had gathered evidence about this. apparently neighbors weren't the only ones. passers-by noticed it too, the post man noticed it. >> oh, yeah! >> the woman had gone to court basically to ask for permission to be noisy again, i guess. >> you know what struck me most is that they said these sessions were three to four hours. >> wow. it's tantric. i guess. well, she has lost her sex appeal. oh, i've just gotten a note from our senior producer. >> you're fired? >> i'm fir. this is my last "morning papers." >> don't have time for a last one? >> 20 seconds. >> i don't think so. >> let's talk more about these marathon noisy sex sessions. >> three to four hours? she's probably cramping up, that's why she's yelling. >> suddenly i'm not death penalty. the beltway sniper who masterminded a deadly rampage is executed in a virginia prison. john allen muhammad's final moments. then, search for clues. looking for leads in the trash after the deadly shootings at ft. hood, as the president pays his respects. and, close to collapse. crumbling iconic farm buildings preserved forever. >> it's going to make a beautiful, beautiful home. >> from eyesore to american treasure. it's wednesday, november 11th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning on this veterans day, i'm vinita nair. >> i'm jeremy hubbard. the man who terrorized the nation's capital region with a killing spree seven years ago has been put to death. john allen muhammad died of lethal injection at a virginia prison last night. muhammad and his teenage accomplice gunned down ordinary people as they performed ordinary tasks. pumping gas, cleaning the car. he was motivated by various personal grudges but he never showed remorse. in muhammad's final moments he inspired little compassion. >> i have anyone. i have none. absolutely none. because he had none for any of the victims of his spree. >> i feel some closure. i feel more peaceful. and know that the folks harmed by him are going to feel better for this action tonight. >> witnesses say john muhammad had nothing to say before his execution. his accomplice lee boyd malvo is now 24 and is serving a life sentence without parole. the blame game has broken out between federal agencies over ft. hood shooting suspect nidal hasan. of particular interest is a presentation written by hasan two years ago that provides insight about his views of muslims in the military. our chief investigative correspondent brian ross. >> reporter: just before the memorial service began, four fbi agents showed up at the killeen mosque where hasan had prayed and searched a trash bin outside. the mosque president was clearly upset as he was called back from the service to sign a document, apparently authorizing the fbi search. >> we're concerned any time a house of worship or a mosque is searched in th fashion. >> reporter: the fbi would not comment on what the agents were looking for at the mosque. a full five days after the shooting. but motivation remains the central focus. >> obviously the key is, did he act alone? then secondary is, what evidence might potentially be in the dumpsters or at the mosque? >> reporter: agents seized hasan's computer in a search of his apartment last thursday night. and all of his internet contacts and writings are under examination. "the washington post" reported hasan presented this power point presentation at walter reed hospital in 2007 saying, it's getting harder and harder for muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow muslims. under comments he wrote, we love death more than you love life. and his conclusion was that muslim soldiers be given the option of being released from the military as conscientious objectors to decrease what he called adverse events. >> it's clear that he had his own conflicts about this particular subject. it is clear that he internalized it, that he did not know how to relve it, and he resolved it in a way that is wrong and against islamic law. >> reporter: questions also continue to surround hasan's contact th this radical cleric in yemen who authorities consider a recruiter for al qaeda. u.s. officials now confirm hasan sent as many as 20 e-mails to the recruiter which authorities intercepted but later deemed innocent or protected by the first amendment. the fbi had said thaall the e-mail information was passed on to the army. but defense department officials have denied that. what happened, they say, is that one military investigator on a joint terror task force was given the e-mails. he deemed them innocent and about religion and he never passed them on to officials at brian ross, abc news, new york. president obama was among those paying last respects to shooting victims at ft. hood. mr. obama told stories about the 13 who were killed including aaron nemelka, a 19-year-old soldier, and 62-year-old michael cahill, the only civilian killed. the president also mentioned the suspect and spared no judgment. >> no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts. no just and loving god looks upon them with favor. for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice. in this world and the next. >> the president stopped at memorials paying tribute to each of the 13 victims. he left behind a presidentia coin at each place. family members at ft. hood and nationwide watched the emotional memorial. bob woodruff reports on the victims and their loved ones. >> reporter: on this day of solemn remembrance it was clear. the wounds from the senseless tragedy cut deep and wide. dan krueger lost his niece. sergeant amy krueger. >> she was the bravest of the brave as far as we're concerned. >> reporter: it was a day when all of america could share in the heartache of the army's family. laila willingham lost her brother, specialist jason hunt. >> oh, i heard "taps" last night at 10:00 and i broke down. pretty -- pretty badly. >> reporter: the grief extends far beyond the walls of this military post. in st. paul, minnesota, more than a dozen relatives of private kham xiong gathered to watch and mourn, overcome with emotion as his name echoed in the hall. in homewood, illinois the family of 21-year-old najee hull is clinging to hope. hull remains in critical condition in a texas hospital. >> he'll never be the same. he has wounds that will probably life.th him for the rest of his >> reporter: the memorial at ft. hood got under way, a potent reminder of the tragic toll rolled down the main street of keogh, wisconsin. a procession carrying the remains of sergeant amy krueger. as the president said, no words can fill the void. >> neither this country nor the values upon which we were foded could exist without men and women like these 13 americans. and that is why we must pay tribute to their stories. >> reporter: bob woodruff, abc news, ft. hood, texas. united airlines has suspended a pilot that was pulled from the cockpit on suspicion he was drunk. flight 949 was about to take off from london to chicago when the pilot erwin washington was removed from the plane. british police gave him a breathalyzer test, said he was over the legal limit, and charged him. washington has been released on bail. parts of the southeast are still getting drenched from what's left of hurricane ida this morning. ida made landfall as a tropical storm in alabama as winds slowed yesterday to 45 miles an hour. sections of alabama, georgia and florida got more than 6 inches of rain and some homes and businesses lost power. time for a look at your wednesday weather. thunderstorms and heavy rain left over from i stretch from florida up to the washington, d.c. area. rain in portland today. also in seattle and spokane. up to 1 foot of mountain snow in the cascades and the northern rockies. >> 54 in boise. 64 in salt lake city. a near record 89 in phoenix. 50s across the upper midwest. 61 in kansas city. 71 in dallas. miami climbs to 85. the northeast cools down with 52 in boston and 56 here in new york. we have been talking all week about the 20th anniversary of the berlin wall coming down. and when the wall came down 20 years ago, many of its bits and pieces became souvenirs. >> that's right. the moment was recreated in paris this week in a much more savory fashion. a frenchman made a replica of the wall using nearly 2,000 pounds of chocolate. he even sprayed on edible graffiti. just like the real wall, you saw it there, it was shattered to smithereens. >> looks like this one shattered more easily than the real one. no chisels needed here. nothing was wasted. onlookers were given goodie bags to take home, sweet souvenirs they could sink their teeth into. a lomore fun. and a lot less troublesome to break that one apart. >> i had no idea there was edible graffiti. >> i didn't either but i love that idea. >> how did you and i not know that? we love tuesday and chocolate. >> it would make the subway ride much more pleasant. >> you get to lick those walls. >> hm, come to think of it, maybe not. we'll be right back. [ bottle #1 ] oh hey, hey... there's that mr. clean magic eraser thing again. clean freak. [ bottle #2 ] whoa... is he better than us? uh, i mean, i mean i feel like it took you like three times longer to do whatever he did... dude, dude, he's got...these -- like -- microscrubbers... yeah, i guess... magic man. he's a magic man. what? i just want to be squeezed. [ male announcer ] remove three times more grime per swipe with the mr. clean magic eraser. welcome back to "world news now." this next story might seem funny but it's anything but for a 12-year-old girl from virginia and her family. >> it is frustrating. sneezing a lot. >> poor lauren johnson has been sneezing for more than a week. and every specialist she has seen has been unable to help. last week a hypnotist tried to cure her and failed. apparently the only time she stops sneezing is when she's asleep. she has been out of school since it started and her mom is taking time off from work as they continue to search for some answers. >> that poor girl. it reminds me, we did that story on that person who had the hiccups for weeks or months on end. >> her abs must be in so much pain from that sneezing. >> you're right. back in june, abc news reported on a revolutionary way genetically screening tumors. >> it's proven to be life-changing and life-saving for cancer patients who pursued the treatment after seeing our report. >> john mckenzie has an update. >> reporter: he had tried chemotherapy. seven different kinds. but bill shute's lung cancer was still growing. >> my doctor looked at me, "bill, i have nothing else." >> reporter: one evening a few months later shute was at home outside dayton, ohio, watching television. he saw a report on this broadcast about a way of genetically screening lung tumors. >> that will allow to us match the tumor to effective drugs. >> reporter: the report showed how it helped a woman with similar end-stage lung cancer, who was also a nonsmoker, by finding a rare mutation in her tumor that was the exact target of a new drug in clinical trials. the result -- her cancer disappeared. >> it blew me away. >> why? >> there was never any hope before. now there was hope. >> reporter: within minutes shute was on the website of the hospital's cancer center. within weeks, doctors there discovered his lung cancer had that very same genetic mutation. so he too was started on that new experimental drug. three pills twice a day. now, after just seven weeks, you can see his tumor shrinking. from this to this. >> i looked at the doctors. and they were high-fiving each other, you know. and i thought, man, this is for real. >> do you ever get tired looking at those scans? >> no, no. >> reporter: it turns out shute is not alone. >> after this story aired in june we received hundreds of phone calls from patients around the country and there were several for whom genetic testing has had a tremendous benefit. >> reporter: do you ever wonder what would have happened had you not learned about this new technique? i would have died. there's no doubt in my mind. i was feeling bad. >> reporter: and now? >> difference now is i'm alive and i feel good. and i have something to look forward to. >> reporter: john mckenzie, abc news, boston. >> what a remarkable story. still ahead,e is the man that whips up excitement among boxing fans with that trademark phrase. >> the words "let's get ready to rumbleare so important to this guy they are trademarked. the rest of his story up next. >> mom just had a fall and it looks like it will be a slow recovery. i travel a lot and i can't always drive her to all her doctors appointments. >> if you have an aging parent or loved one there is help. the elder care locator can put you in touch with local resources to help older persons and their families access home and community based services. call the eldercare locator at 800-677-1116 or visit eldercare.gov today! the eldercare locator is a free public service of the u.s. administration on aging. the folks who figure out who's watching what on tv say we are watching more than ever. nielsen says tv viewing hit an all-time high in the 2008-2009 season. americans spent an average of 4:49 a day in front of the tube. that is up 4 minutes from the previous year and up 20% from a decade ago. >> why aren't they watching us? >> they are. some of them. >> that's what we tell ourselves. >> a small fraction of them are. during all that tv watching millions have heard a reference to a very familiar phrase. >> maybe you don't know anything about the guy who has made that phrase his trademark. that is where john berman comes in. >> ladies and gentlemen -- >> reporter: what you're about to hear is the five words that can add the frenzy to any fight. the clamor to any game. the bedlam to any -- bar mitzvah. we'll get to that in a bit. >> let's get ready to rumble! >> you are the introducer of the world. >> i'm the introducer guy, yeah, i like that. >> reporter: 65-year-old sports announcer michael buffer looks like he was born in a tuxedo. really, he only started announcing at age 40 after a career as a model. he knew he needed some hook, some phrase to ignite the crowd. >> i tried, man your battle stations. fasten your seat belts. it was like crickets out there, nothing was happening. i came up with mohammad ali, i'll do my mohammad ali impersonation, i'm so pretty i'm ready to rumble! he used to have this line, rumble, young man, rumble. >> reporter: the phrase became so iconic buffer did the american thing -- he trademarked it. i'm saying it right now, let's get ready to rumble. do i owe you money? >> not necessarily. it's editorial use, you're speaking about it. if you were to make a commercial or do a magazine ad that says "let's get ready to rumble" to draw attention to your product, you've stolen my property. >> reporter: then what happens? >> then we have a great lawyer that's on retainer that knows exactly what to do. >> reporter: do you make more money off the trademark or more money in the ring? >> more money off the trademark. >> reporter: so you make money when you're not even saying it? >> yeah, i'm making money right now. >> reporter: the trademark has generated er $400 million in revenue. everything from video games -- >> get ready to rumble! >> reporter: music, and more. seriously. >> there are people that are willing to, you know, pay the airfare and bring me in to do, and i have done, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, birthday parties. >> reporter: buffer is a must for any hollywood boxing scene. from "rocky" -- >> 95-94, balboa! >> reporter: to "south park." >> let's get ready to rumble! >> reporter: but one year ago it nearly came crashing down. throat cancer. the worst thing imaginable for an announcer. >> i actually thought it was over. i was convinced it was over. >> reporter: when he woke from surgery he didn't know if he'd even be able to speak. >> first thing i did was i wanted to speak. the only thing i could think of to say, true story, was "ladies and gentlemen." i heard my own voice. it was the same voice. >> reporter: now, once again, he's traveling the world with his good looks, great voice -- >> are you ready! >> reporter: and gamebuster trademark. does it ever get old for you? >> no, because i -- i'm still a fan. and i really love that energy that comes from the crowd when they hear it. >> reporter: yes, he's always ready to rumble. john berman -- >> john, john. john berman! abc news, los angeles! how was that? >> reporter: it's good, thanks. >> he's good. >> he has such a great, deep voice. apparently it runs in the family. his half-brother is also an announcer for usc championships. >> as yocan imagine, that voice really puts boxers in the mood. sugar ray leonard said when they hear michael buffer's voice a fighter is ready to fight. you hear that phrase and you're set to go. we need a phrase that will make us tens of thousands of dollars. >> how about, we'll be right back after this break. >> hm. >> didn't sell it? >> not really. >> i'm testing it out. >> a little more oomph. >> we'll be right back! after this commercial break! >> one more time. finally this half hour, an american icon that is slowly disappearing. we're talking about big red barns. >> you know what we're talking about. there are fewer and fewer of them dotting the heartland. now some are finding the best way to save a barn is to live in it. >> reporter: these century-old timbers have seen better days. old posts and beams once sturdy enough to support a thriving family farm are now close to collapse. this old barn in northern michigan and thousands like it across the country are slowly fading from the american landscape. but now a few of these victims of time and neglect are getting a second chance. >> my name's nancy cotting. and i preserve and reuse old barns. i walk into this and i always see what could be. i never see what was. >> reporter: that vision is helping turn old haylofts into homes. corn cribs into a different kind of crib. >> this is a very rustic conversion. there's no plumbing or electric in it. >> reporter: that is exactly what cotting says draws people to these old buildings. a bad economy has some yearning for the simple life. >> in dire economic times, people are driven back to efficiencies. and they're forced to become creative with what they have. each and every one of us have within our genetic memory, within two to three generations, a barn. grandfather, uncle, great grandfather, somebody in your blood worked in a barn. it's going to make a beautiful, beautiful home. >> reporter: this is cotting's latest challenge. moving out cobwebs and cow manure to make this place liveable. >> anything really is possible. barns were built with the intention to survive. we don't even know yet how long they will last. >> reporter: but time hasn't been so kind to this old barn. >> this one's at the edge. >> reporter: if cotting doesn't find a buyer soon, it will be lost. >> it's going to take a fair amount of money to bring it back. it has character. in that beam are hand-hewn marks. someone broke a sweat. >> reporter: a battle to save a vanishing symbol of rural life before it's too late. to call them rustic is to understate it a little bit. some of those were pretty drafty. hard to live in you would think. they do bring back a lot of memories for me. my grandpa was a cattle rancher in western colorado, he had one of those great old barns. it's now been torn down. so that brings back memories. >> i'm sure in the future we'll be seeing fancy on airport arrest. police say a united airlines pilot was drunk in the cockpit. the investigation and action from the airlines. then, execution. the mastermind of the deadly beltway sniper shootings is put to death. reaction from his victims' families. and, cash crunch. the recession's impact on pawn shops. >> i just need the money now and that's it. >> it's wednesday, november 11th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> the number of pawn shops has essentially tripled over the last couple of decades because as we know it's harder and harder to get a loan from a bank. so more and more people are going there. >> that makes sense. >> it does. we'll talk about that coming up this half hour. good morning on this veterans day. i'm jeremy hubbard. >> i'm vinita nair. there has been another troubling incident in which a pilot's behavior may have compromised passenger safety. >> the pilot was removed from the cockpit moments before takeoff because officials suspected he was drunk. sonia gallego is in london with the latest. good morning, sonia. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. british police and air authorities say a 51-year-old pilot was arrested by british police after he was pulled from united airlines flight 159. a co-worker alerted authorities after suspecting him to be drunk. there are reports the pilot was called from the plane and given a breathalyzer test out of the view of passengers before being arrested. flight 949 was scheduled to fly from london heathrow airport on a 12:05 flight. that flight was canceled and the 124 passengers were put on other flights. united airlines put out a statement on the incident saying that the company had "no tolerance for a violation of this well-established policy." this is not the first time this sort of incident has occurred. if you'll remember, earlier this year in may, american airlines pilot was on schedule to fly a plane from london heathrow to chicago, was arrested after he failed a breath test. airport security staff alerted airport police about the pilot. washington has now been released on bail. he's scheduled to appear in court in london next friday. jeremy, vinita? >> we will learn more then. sonya guy gallego in london, thank you. the investigation into ft. hood shooting suspect nidal hasan is focusing on a presentation hasan made two years ago. as part of the probe, fbi agents searched a trash bin outside a mosque hasan had attended in nearby killeen, texas. the mosque president was not happy with theearch as investigators continue to focus on hasan's possible motivation. >> obviously the key is, did he act alone? and then secondary is, what evidence might potentially be in the dumpsters or at the mosque? >> we're concerned any time a house of worship or a mosque is searched in this fashion. >> finger-pointing has started among the federal agencies looking into hasan's background over what, if any, clues may have been missed in the past. the man known as the d.c. sniper has been put to death. john allen muhammad was executed for a killing spree that cost ten lives and terrorized an entire region back in 2002. neither the supreme court nor virginia's governor could find a reason to stay the execution. wayne carter reports. >> reporter: dozens of people gathered outside greenville corrections facility as a light rain fell and as john allen muhammad prepared to die by lethal injection. inside, muhammad received three shots designed to knock him out, stop his breathing and stop his heart. >> he came in under his own power, escorted by the officers. he seemed quiet and relaxed. i never heard him utter a word or say anything in particular at all. >> reporter: outside, some protesters. derek lane brought his son to see what he called an injustice against muhammad. >> i believe that he is a very evil man. and only through the grace of god does he have a chance at redemption. >> reporter: but he shouldn't be put to death? >> i don't believe that he should be put to death. >> reporter: earlier, muhammad had final meetings with his family. his son drove away hours before the execution. >> john is his father. you cannot turn off love. i mean, i understand what happened. but you cannot turn off love. >> reporter: pain too for the people inside this van. the families of loved ones gunned down by muhammad while they did simple things like go to the grocery store or pump gas. >> that was wayne carter reporting. muhammad's teenage accomplice lee boyd malvo was also convicted inhe murders. he is serving six life sentences without possibility of parole. former president clinton is urging senate democrats to pass health care reform. clinton spoke to lawmakers at yesterday's weekly luncheon. calling the bill an economic imperative. he warned senators there will always be unintended consequences for whatever they do but the worst thing, he said, was to do nothing. the lights are back on in brazil after a widespread power outage. most of the country including rio and sao paolo were plunged into darkness after a huge hydroelectric dam went offline last night. a short circuit could be to blame. brazil plans to spend millions to upgrade its electrical system before rio's 2016 olympics. tropical storm ida has fizzled but the downgraded system is still dumping rain. the late-season storm had weakened when it blew ashore yesterday but it brought gusty winds, heavy rain and power outages to the gulf coast. with standing water and minimal debris. some people felt ida felt like a strong thunderstorm. certainly some folks were out there taking pictures and strolling around on the beach as if there was no storm at all. here's a look at your weather for today. the remnants of ida bring plenty of heavy rain and thunderstorms to atlanta, charlotte, raleigh, richmond, and washington, d.c. rain today in the pacific northwest and 6 to 12 inches of snow in the cascades and parts of the rocky mountains. >> 49 in seattle and portland and 63 in sacramento. 54 in fargo. 56 in minneapolis. 61 in omaha. 50s from boston to baltimore. 85 in miami. new orleans gets up to 73. dallas will be 71. we have not, as you know, even cleared the month of november yet but in germany, old st. nick is already spreading plenty of christmas cheer. >> santa's post office in a tiny village north berlin is now officially open for business. and kids lined up to collect gifts from father christmas himself. every year the post office responds to hundreds of thousands of letters from children all around the world. and they even send out little presents. >> they say some kids wish for peace and happiness. the lofty ones do. but most of them just ask for toys. >> that's so cute. too early though. >> they were handing in those lists too. looks like long, arduous lists. he's got his work cut out for him. >> every year he does. >> that's why he's starting this early, i suppose. >> getting ahead of the game. >> that's right. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now." swiffer wet jet cleans so deep, your old mop will just have to get over it... 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then secondary is, what evidence might potentially be in the dumpsters or at the mosque? >> reporter: u.s. officials confirm hasan sent as many as 20 e-mails to awlaki which authorities intercepted but later deemed innocent or protected by the first amendment. investigators have found that hasan had more unexplained connections to people being tracked by the fbi. as the memorial came to a close a poignant army ritual to honor the fallen. >> sergeant hine. >> here, sergeant major. >> staff sergeant krueger. >> once you heard those names and nobody call out "here," you realized even more so that they're not here anymore. >> specialist hunt. >> maybe i don't have peace about the five minutes that took him from us. but i'm not going to let five minutes of hate ruin everything that i know and love about my brother. >> reporter: laila willingham was on the phone with her mother last thursday when the casualty officers came to the door with the devastating news. >> i don't think i could imagine that moment for you. >> i'll never forget it. i'll never forget the sound of their voices echoing and they just kept talking and my mom just kept screaming and they just kept talking. it was like -- like a movie in slow motion. i'll never forget the sound of their voices and the sound of my mom bawling. >> reporter: for the ft. hood family, for the army, for the nation, it has been a week killed with sorrow and incalculable loss. >> they're all yours, go get them! >> reporter: that's maybe why this scene packed such power. shortly before 7:00 p.m. and after year in iraq soldiers of the 3rd brigade 1st cavalry came home. this is bob woodruff at ft. hood, texas. >> it certainly is foreign territory, honoring u.s. soldiers who are killed during a time of war on american soil. that doesn't happen very often. as for those who were killed overseas, vice president joe biden was paying tribute to them yesterday at the same time. these were some soldiers killed in afghanistan on october 27th. this service at ft. lewis in washington. >> he sort of was able to draw from his own experience. of course he lost his wife and his daughter in a 1972 car accident. he said something very emotional. he more or less said, i know from my own experience that a day will eventually come when thinking the memory of your son or your brother, your husband, will immediately bring a sle to your lips and not a tear to your eye. >> let's hope that day comes sooner than later. we'll be right back. we start today's "skinny" with a story about the lohan family. this one's really sad. because it really -- it tells a lot about lindsay lohan's state of mind as seen through her mother's eyes. the biggest bombshell out of this recorded conversation that's been released through radaronline is she was dating heath ledger at the time of his death in january 2008. take a listen to what the mother had to say. >> she is and which direction she's going. right now by starting to drink vodka and [ bleep ] again, not the right direction. because when she's drunk or takes adderall with it, she will do something like heath ledger did in a second without thinking. and she was dating heath when he died, i don't know if you know that but i know because i would drop her off and they were friends, very, very close. okay? so that [ bleep ]ed her up. and right after that is when samantha was around. >> a very candid dina lohan talking about her daughter's problems. in the conversation she apparently goes on to say something like, it's probably a good thing she can't drive right now from her second dui. she says she's grateful her daughter is not allowed to drive. >> she's talking to her ex-husband? >> her ex-husband claimed he had taped conversations between he and the wife talking about lindsay lohan. one can only imagine, given this is on the heels of that, this is her talking to michael. >> i don't know whether to believe this. >> you don't think so? >> i mean, yeah. because the mother says they were dating, i mean, you tell your parents any number of things. m not sure this is true. >> the mother is claiming she dropped her off at heath ledger's house. >> right. >> i don't know. it's -- the whole thing is just -- it makes my stomach turn. >> maybe they hung out, i don't know. i'm a naysayer. we'll see. we are hearing from sammy sosa for the first time si whole dust-up over his skin a few days ago. we touched on this before. he gave an interview to univision network and they asked him about the notion that he sort of is trying to look like michael jackson. >> translator: sammy sosa's not doing the same treatment as michael jackson? no. i respect that man. and that's got to keep him in glory. it's like what i tell you. i don't have anything, nothing. if i was doing the treatment, i would tell you. it's just a cream that i have. i put it on right before i go to bed to soften my skin. >> there he is putting to rest the rumors that he has vitiligo. you can see the difference on his skin tone on the left versuthe right. the right is a recent picture. again, he says this cream he puts on nightly to soften his skin, it ended up bleaching his skin. >> he's saying -- i guess someone from the cubs has said, as a result of playing baseball in the sun for all the yea he wanted to clean i in the sun for all the yea he wanted to clean i it is cont doesn't look as different though in that interview s ri there. there. e tewit that's alarming. well, let's talk about michael jackso. >> of course, you knew this going into it, the fun oinds onto it, the fun you probably didn't it was it bei some people ng ah as $850. another source isying $103,000. differing amounts. the gist of it, a lot of money was spent. $35,000 suit he was laid to rest in. about $4,000 for the framing of a photograph next to his casket. $11,000 for invitations and progr aothe0 fo >> wow. >> yeah. they're saying jada jackson paid $50,000 almost right up front to the funeral house too. >> that is a drop in the buct, though. wow, it is pricey. here's some stories to watch today on abc news. veterans day ceremonies begin later this morning at arlington national cemetery. the armed forces will welcome the president and first lady. sergeant kimberly munley, considered a hero for stopping the shooting rampage at ft. hood last week, appears on "oprah" today via satellite. she's in a texas hospital recovering from gunshot wounds. the 43rd annual country music awards are tonight featuring nashville's best sound. the excitement begins at 8:00 eastern right here on abc. finally this half hour, maybe you need some fast cash and you don't have a bank account. sounds like a real problem. >> it might not be as big a problem as you might think. as linsey davis reports, plenty of people are packing up belongings and heading to the pawn shop. >> reporter: angelo espada is a carpenter. >> i lost my job, unemployed for a little while. now i'm working my own business, a small business. i needed the money to fund the first contract. >> reporter: he couldn't get a loan from the bank so he came here and pawned his bracelet. >> the banks, always red tape and all kind of stuff. i just needed money now and that's it. >> it comes out pennies on the dollar, actually, versus borrow money on a credit card or a long-term bank loan. >> reporter: the number of pawn shops has nearly tripled in the last few decades. many economists will tell you it's largely because millions of americans don't have a bank account. an estimated 55 million americans, in fact. the traffic at this bronx pawn shop is telling. >> do you have your i.d.? >> reporter: the entire operation is one giant fast cash transaction. the credit freeze, economic downturn, and unemployment increase, all good for business. it doesn't hurt that gold is at record highs. >> just this past month i think we might have pawned in two weeks $80,000. >> reporter: this giant treasure chest is filled with jewelry waiting to be claimed by its owner. but there are other options for the cash-strapped. grameen america is a nonprofit micro finance organization. its purpose is to serve america's underserved by giving loans to entrepreneurs living below the poverty line. >> the financial crisis is not a new thing for our borrowers. people living below the poverty line have been suffering a financial crisis for many years. so our loan, which maximum size $1,500, allows them to start a micro enterprise that helps even out their income. >> reporter: the ultimate goal is to run the operation entirely on the 15% interest rate that they charge to borrowers. linsey davis, abc news. >> it really is surprising to hear how many americans don't have a bank account. >> i'm stunned by that. >> maybe there's a minimum amount to have to ho