health care. we've got to finish the job on financial regulatory reform. we've got to finish the job -- >> the president also recommended they should expose anything the republicans do to hinder their efforts. well, in an attempt to be bipartisan, "cosmopolitan" magazine is offering a democrat the same nude layout it published in 1962 for newly elected senator scott brown. >> indiana senator bayh. he's opted to keep his pants on saying, i'm all for fill disclosure but not the full monty. >> they're trying to be fair, you've got to give them that. here's your thursday forecast. keep him covered up. light snow from new mexico and colorado into the middle of the country today. blanketing omaha, kansas city, and des moines. heavy downpours and flooding from east texas to alama. drenching rain and 6 to 12 inches of mountain snow from northern california to seattle. >> 50s along the pacific coast. 46 in albuquerque. and 43 in dallas. 30s from omaha to detroit. 30s in the northeast. and miami is just shy of 80. this is one of those stories that makes you scratch your head. when new york city says its schools are gun-free zones they really mean it and a 9-year-old boy knows that all too well. >> fourth grader patrick was written up after getting caught with that. a two-inch plastic gun that came with his lego set. his principal confiscated the tiny toy weapon, reported patrick to the board of ed, and threatened to suspend him. >> the incident was resolved without sa pension but patrick's mother is outraged. she calls the school's response a serious overreaction. >> i'd say. >> i'd say so too. we'll be right 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 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. that keep you cool and dry have now inspired stayfree® to create a whole new level of comfort when it comes to your period. only stayfree® ultra thins have thermocontrol™. designed with the comfort of athletic fabrics in mind, stayfree® with thermocontrol™ quickly wicks moisture away for exceptional dryness. so you stay incredibly comfortable no matter where your day takes you. stay dry. stay cool. with thermocontrol™ only from stayfree®. welcome back to "world news now." in april 2001 an american missionary and her infant daughter were killed during a flight across peru. they were shot by the peruvian air force, who mistook them for drug smugglers. >> it took the cia nine years to finish its investigation and acknowledge its crucial role in their deaths. here's brian ross. >> this is gator, go ahead. >> reporter: as part of a u.s. effort to stop drug smuggling from south america, the cia aircraft sneaked up behind the plane and mistakenly identified it as likely belging to a drug smuggler. >> we're trying to remain covert at this point. >> reporter: the cia could not have been more wrong about who was on the plane. ♪ >> reporter: they were american missionaries from michigan, jim and veronica bowers. also on board the plane with the bowers, then 6-year-old son corey and their infant daughter charity. over the course of one hour and 49 minutes the cia personnel involved would never correct their mistake. and in fact would vie lviolate again and again strict rules of engagement, including a check of the plane's tail number. that did not happen. >> you know, we can go up and attempt the tail number. but the problem with that, if he is dirty and he detects us, he makes a right turn immediately and we can't chase him. >> reporter: had they read the tail number, the cia could have learned the plane was registered to a church group. soon the peruvian air force gunship arrives on the scene. they contact the bowers' plane with a warning in spanish. we will shoot you down. the bowers' pilot was on a different frequency. and never heard the warning. >> a bit left, tony, i can see them. >> reporter: the plane was not flying low to evade radar. now the cia pilots are beginning to have their doubts >> this guy doesn't fit the profile. okay, i understand this is not our call but this guy is at 4,500 feet, he's not taking any evasive action. >> reporter: but the cia pilots did nothing to stop the peruvians as they pushed ahead to phase three. >> you're sure it's banditos? are you sure? >> yes. >> okay. >> okay. >> if you're sure. >> reporter: then more serious doubts, quietly whispered. >> i think we're making a mistake. >> i agree with you. >> the cia should have radioed to the peruvian intercepter and said, abort the mission, stand down. pilots did not have the d its authority to stop the operation. a minute and a half later, the gunship opened fire. bowerspilot screams in spanish for them to stop. >> tell them to terminate. >> don't, don't shoot. >> tell him to terminate. >> reporter: the damage was done. the plane caught on fire, trailing black smoke. it headed for the river to land. veronica bowers was already dead from a bullet through her chest. infant charity died from a bullet in the head. >> right there. >> yea yeah. >> reporter: not long after the plane was floating upside down in the river. the cia director in washington s telling white house officials it was just an unavoidable error. in congress, the cia was accused by a top republican of running a nine-year-long effort to stonewall and mislead congress. failing to reveal how and why all of the program's strict rules were ignored by the cia. >> if the rules as outlined had been followed, the bowers' plane would not, would not have been shot down. >> i want somebody to have to stand back and say, i was responsible. i want him to know what a mother's heart is like. you can feel the last touch, the last kiss she gave you when you said good-bye. not knowing it was going to be the last one. and i want somebody to tell me why they killed my girl. why they killed my child. >> reporter: the cia says its nine-year-long investigation has determined the was no cover-up. but that 16 cia employees should be disciplined, including, we learned, the woman then in charge of counter narcotics. many of the 16 are no longer with the cia and one of them told us his discipline was no more than letter of reprimand placed in his file, which he was told would be removed in one year. that's the punishment for his role in the wrongful deaths of two innocent americans. brian ross, abc news, new york. >> adding insult to injury, as jim bowers was trying to recover the bodies of his wife and his baby girl from the wreckage, the plane was fired upon again by the peruvians to clean it up. and so it just is heartbrag. >> you heard those pilots' misgigs. certainly somebody should have stepped in and said, let's abort this mission. as if toyota is not having enough trouble the popular prius hybrid is now in the crosshairs. a major toyota outlet in tokyo says the automaker has informed dealers prius brakes can fail to work for less than a second. >> so far owners have not been notified and there's no recall yet. japan's transport minister says one should be considered. >> of course toyota's current problems bring to mind another car scandal. ford faced only side charges after 27 deaths were linked to the pintos' allegedly faulty fuel design. >> prosecutors said ford knew of the danger but chose to deal with the lawsuits instead of fixing the problem. now from the abc news vault, our report from january and february 1980. >> from abc, this is "world news tonight." >> a new witness testified today in the trial of the ford motor company, the first corporation ever charged with a homicide. james walker was in the indiana courtroom. >> reporter: this man, 21-year-old robert duggar, trove the van that plowed into the back of the 1973 ford pinto. a collision in which two teenage sisters and their 18-year-old cousin burned to death. the pinto's gas tank burst into flames upon impact. the prosecutor for the state of indiana contends this tank exploded because it was dangerously designed. the ford motor company has been charged with negligent homicide. defense lawyers in the case say duggar was driving so fast that no gas tank could have withstood a similar crash. finally this afternoon, duggar took the stand, described how his van struck the pinto from behind, and what happened next. the whole car was on fire, the whole car was 1ing. i wanted to help but everything was burning. i just fell to my knees, i froze. defense attorney james neil then began his efforts to undermine duggar's credibility. despite vigorous objections by the prosecutor, judge harold stafffelt allowed neil to cross examine duggar about his driving record before the accident. are you the same rubber duggar device convicted of speeding? yes,ir. of running a stop sign? yes, sir. of failing to yield? yes, sir. who has twice had his license suspended? yes, sir. with the testimony over duggar ran from the courthouse accompanied by state troopers. the trial will continue tomorrow with more eyewitnesses scheduled to testify. james welker, abc news, indiana. >> from abc, this is "world news tonight." >> yesterday the prosecution wrapped up its side of the case in the ford pinto homicide trial in indiana. today lawyers for ford began presenting their side of the story. mike von fremd was there. >> reporter: the ford motor company began its defense with this surprise witness, levi woodward, 28-year-old hospital orderly who says he talked with judy allrich, the driver of the' city pinto, just before she died. on the witness stand he testified that in a hospital emergency room, she told him how the accident happened. that after buying gas she noticed the gas cap roll across the street, made a u-turn, and stopped the car. it was then, she said, she saw the van in her rear-view mirror. if the pinto was stopped, that is a key point in ford's defense. the prosecution has presented witnesses that say the pinto was traveling anywhere from 10 to 25 miles per hour when hit from behind by a van going up to 50. if the pinto was stopped when the van hit, that would almost double what is called closing speed and ford claims that almost no car could survive that kind of impact. prosecutor michael cosentino complained he'd never heard of the witness before today and said the testimony doesn't match. ford later took off the doors to the courthouse and brought in the rear half of four 1973 sub compact cars to try and prove the pinto's gas tank is as safe as other comparable cars. lawyers for the prosecution say cars made by any other manufacturer have nothing to do with the criminal charges being brought against ford. mike von fremd, abc news, indiana. >> as for the outcome of the case the jury eventually found ford not guilty. they said it wasn't clear that ford's negligence caused the deaths. >> however, the ford pinto landed on the top 50 wst cars in "time" magazine ever. >> it sort of became notorious for bad design, bad all-around car. went out of production with good reason. whoo! awake again? x is what i need to control my diabetes, to stay healthy - and get on with my life. it comes from liberty medical. testing supplies - but it's where i get my prescription drugs as well. see if you're on medicare, the cost of your diabetes testing supplies as well as your prescription drugs may be covered. liberty takes care of all the paperwork with medicare and sends the prescription forms directly to your doctor for approval. and liberty assures you have everything you need to manage your diabetes, including most brand name meters. call now and we'll send you a free meter. plus, a free cookbook when you join. call liberty. they can help you live a better life. "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> it's "morning paper" time. >> it and is i've got a good one. a woman on long island, new york, was driving along the expressway, get this jeremy, with a mannequin so that she could drive in the car pool lane. we have the picture. she's a lot like jaichb birken. the police figured it out because she was wearing shades and it was not sunny out and the driver, a 61-year-old driver, got a $135 fine. >> the funny tng is the cop who pulled her over, about a year and a half ago, pulled over a person doing the same thing. so apparently this person was not the first to do. i actually have a friend, her grandma, swear to god, i've seen it, it's hilarious, she puts a mannequin in the passenger seat for security. >> for safety. i've heard that, that's a legitimate reason to use a mannequin. >> the thing's goofy. we'd put cigarettes in its mouth and play with it. >> i'm sure you did, that's so mature. >> ha ha, very good! >> she catches on early, doesn't she, willis. so there's this cat that you do not want to befriend, believe me. i'm an animal lover but you want nothing to do with oscar the cat. oscar has become very adept at predicting people's deaths. lives in a u.s. nursing home. dr. david doses has written a book "making the rounds with oscar: the extraordinary gift of an extraordinary cat." basically this cat has accurately predicted 50 deaths. when he was 6 months old the staff noticed he would curl up to sleep with patients who were about to die. 50 times he got it right. they were so convinced of one patient's death that they figured oscar would curl up next to the person. no, oscar went down the hall, curled up to somebody else, and that person died. >> it's apparentlyaybe a scent or something that they get that we can't detect, a fpheromone o something oscar has. he was trained to be a rehabilitative cat. >> i think he was trained by funeral directors or something. >> he's cute. >> yes, he is. >> this is my favorite, one of the best, not oscar but this other picture we're going to show you, one of the most fantastic wildlife photographs i have ever seen. it kind of reminds me of the john stewart o'reilly confrontation from last night. it a leopard takinon a porcupine. for 25 minutes he tries to eat this thing. i don't know why you would do that. clearly it's way more evolved than you are. and the porcupine held its own just like jon stewart did. >> yes. >> and he never gets to eat the rodent. i didn't know porcupines were rodents, did you? they are. >> that's why those quills come in handy, i guess. >> tha guru charged. the leader of a multimillion dollar sell-help empire is arrested in the deaths of three people. this morning his lawyer is vows to show evidence that proves james ray is innocent. prius problem. the car that once symbolized its success becomes part of toyota's deepening crisis. this morning, millions of car owners face more confusion. and, twoaced. does each of us have a double, someone out there who looks just like us? we do a double-take at the latest facebook craze with the weird name. it's thursday, february 4th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> we're just talking about doppelgangers and whether we have them or not. we'll delve into that later this half hour. >> he has one, just so you know, i don't. >> we might be able to find you one. >> i can't wait to see that piece. >> we'll look. >> good morning, everyone. i'm stephanie sy sitting in for vinita nair. >> i'm jeremy hubbard. california motivational speaker james ray is behind bars this morning, charged in connection with the deaths of three people during a sweat lodge ceremony. >> ray is being held on $5 million bond and is expected to make a first cot ap brad wheelis has more. >> there's at least one area of your lif >> reporter: james ray has made millions from motivational speechesseminars and retreats now northern arizona authorities say he's responsible for the deaths of three people who participated in a sweat lodge ceremony designed to push their >> one isn't breathing and one person is burned. >> reporter: of the 60 or so people who took part in the ceremony, three died and 18 were hospitalized. authorities investigating the deaths began questioning r's behavior. several participants s intimidated them to stay inside ray yelled whenhe >> we just y i started tearing the sweat lodge apart to pull blankets off, to cover the people in. >> reporter: one of ray's former employees told abc news ray refused to stop the ceremony, even though people were being dragged out in front of him. >> how can you walk out of there when all of these people are down, and they look near death, and you guys can walk out there looking like you just spent the day in a spa. >> reporter: investigators also wondered why so many dietary supplements, steroids and human growth hormones were found in ray's bungalow at the retreat. the county sheriff says, with the arrest of james ray the families of the three victims will now have some measure of closure to this tragedy. ray is fighting back. his attorneys in a statement called the charges unjust adding, this was a terrible accident but it was an accident, not a criminal act. they say ray will be exonerated. ray's bail has been set at $5 million. brad wheelis, abc news. we are learning more about why top intelligence officials say they are certain al qaeda will soon strike, try a terror strike, on the u.s. islamic radicals have been heard boasting about what's to come, including one intercept which said "we'll get them this time." informants have suggested an attack is coming and evidence has been found in yemen, confirming the training of suicide bombers. this is in addition to the information being provided by alleged underwear bomber umar farouk abdmutallab. >> it's taken nearly nine years but the cia is finally admitting its role in the deaths of two innocent americans who were shot in the sky over peru in april of 2001. american missionaries jim and veronica bowers and their two children were returning to their home in peru aboard a small plane. a cia spotter plane mistook them for drug smugglers and while it watched and videotaped the peruvian air force shot them down. veronica bowers and her baby daughter were killed. the ciadmits it did not follow procedure to correctly identify the plane and that it has been misleading congress ever since. new figures from government number crunchers show by next year, taxpayers will be picking up the tab for more than half of all health care in the u.s. in 2009 the public shelled out $2.5 trillion for health care. mostly for medicare and medicaid. that is up more than 5.5% from the previous year. the result, health care represents 17.3% of the economy, the largest annual hike from the year before since 1960. health experts say the best way to mark today's world cancer day is to adopt simple lifestyle changes that can dramatically reduce the deadly and costly disease. those changes aren't anything we haven't heard before. stop smoking, limit alcohol, avoid too much sun, and maintain a healthy weight. new research shows taking those steps could cut cases of cancer by 40%. toyota says most of its recalled cars are safe to drive as long as there aren't problems with their accelerators. the clarification comes after transportation secretary ray lahood created a big stir with something he said. clayton sandell has details. >> reporter: there was new confusion when transportation secretary ray lahood gave lawmakers his advice for owners of recalled toyotas. >> my advice is, if anybody owns one of these vehicles, stop driving it, take it to the toyota dealer, because they believe they have the fix for it. >> reporter: as toyota stock plummeted, lahood attempted damage control. >> what i said in there wa obviously a misstatement. what i meant to say, what i thought i said was, if you own one of these cars or if you're in doubt, take it to the dealer and they're going to fix it. >> reporter: dealers are starting to receive the new parts. even with extended hours, repairing millions of vehicles will be a daunting task. >> take the predetermined shim, based upon our measurement, and it is directional. slides in from the back side. >> reporter: for owners, the repairs can't happen fast enough. >> very worried, yes. yes. >> and now? >> it's -- now i'm happy that it's getting done. >> reporter: now japanese officials have ordered the company to investigate complaints about malfunctioning brakes on the prius hybrid. toyota says it has already investigated electronic systems and found nothing wrong. the company with a reputation of building safe and durable cars is now taking a financial beating. toyota sales have dropped in the last month by nearly 16%. clayton sandell, abc news. the $100 million bonuses for aig employees are outrageous but perfectly legal, says the administration's pay czar. kenneth fineberg says the retention bonuses were part of a valid contract. according to fineberg, aig is expected to make the last of those payments next month. the company still owes the government $120 billion in bailout money. the senate's newest member is expected to be sworn in this morning. massachusetts republican scott brown had been scheduled to be sworn in next week but asked that the ceremony be moved up because some key votes are coming up. brown takes the seat of the late ted kennedy. >> we know that he's not going to be driving the truck. he's going to take a plane. >> he's not? >> yeah. they thought maybe he'd take the truck but he's going to take a shuttle. >> he's going to drive it once he gets to washington. >> he'll need it to move, probably. load stuff in the back. here is your thursday forecast. stormy from the rockies into the plains in the midwest. 2 to 5 inches of snow in omaha, kansas city and des moines. heavy rain from east texas to montgomery, alabama. drenching rain and up to 1 foot of mountain snow from san francisco to seattle. >> 50s in the pacific northwest. 45 in boise. 29 in billings. highs in the 30s across much of the midwest and northeast. 78 in miami. and a wet 61 in new orleans. the tiger woods scandal has inspired a new line of novelty sporting goods. >> it's a set of 12 golf balls, each featuring the face of a woman romantically linked to the world's number one golfer. that must be a big set. the canadian company that designed the tail of the tiger mistress collection claims women love it but at least one of tiger's alleged mistresses is offended. >> yes, porn star jocelyn jas has hired attorney gloria allred. they say the balls promote domestic violence and they're threatening to sue. i have a feeling tiger will not be playing with those any time soon. >> his wife may. we'll be right 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 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. americans have contributed $800 million to haiti relief since the earthquake three weeks ago but hundredsf others have donated their time and skill. >> david wright has been embedded with one group working around the clock. american doctors on the front lines in the quake zone. >> 7-year-old boy, yesterday his father was trying to dig someone out of the rubble and when he did that, the pick accidentally punctured him in the right parietal area. >> you're looking at a big hole right here. >> reporter: it's a tough job, even for those with all the right background and training. >> i'm an e.r. physician by training. so i think we're kind of used to chaos. but i don't think anything really prepares for you for this. >> i was scared when i landed, a little bit. weren't you? >> reporter: they're doctors from around the united states. >> here's a little area for lounging so we don't get psychotic. >> reporter: who have volunteered to join the university of miami's "project medishare." >> we're going to have an second isolation tent tomorrow for different things like meningitis. >> it's my first time in a disaster area like this. >> this is probably the closest, hopefully the closest that i will ever get in my lifetime to a war zone. >> reporter: same goes for many of these doctors. >> i didn't sleep so well last night. but i'm not quite sure if that has something to do with the malaria prophylaxis or what else is going on. >> reporter: sleep or no sleep, by sunrise the o.r. is full. three simultaneous operations under one makeshift roof. and a woman in labor. o.r. one, a converted picnic table. this is where they treat the youngest victims. first patient, a girl with a leg wound down to the bone. >> we have no blood and no labs. >> just like a real hospital. where we took muscle, rotated around to cover the bone and her leg, is true plastic surgery. >> you know this is a tent. sitting on the dirt. on an air field. >> reporter: with 11 surgeries in one day, these doctors barely break to eat. but they do manage to step outside the o.r. to witness the birth of a newborn named david. >> oh my god. >> nice, yeah. that's something to smile about right there. >> reporter: then it's back in for five more hours of surgery. >> it's either this or nothing. and so we just do the best with what we have. >> this is my home. >> i like what you've done with it. >> reporter: it's a long way from the coconut grove. >> got my bug spray. my suitcase that has extra food. it's got some water, drinks in there. i've got a flashlight. that's pretty much all i brought. a couple of pairs of scrubs and that's it. >> reporter: the doctors grab sleep when they can. in a big tent just like the patients. no running water, few creature comforts at all. military rations. mres are gourmet meals. at night the patients keep coming. in triage, a 6-month-old baby named jude. >> we found this baby. we're up at a clinic in the epicenter up in the mountains. you can feel it right here. his brain is right under here. >> busy day. as you can tell, it's time to get some rest and get ready for the next onslaught. >> reporter: the next morning -- >> a lot of vomiting, a lot of diarrhea, a lot of gastrointestinal illness. they need oral rehydration solutions. that's the message we've got to get out there. >> reporter: there is simply no room for them. and there are others like the boy with the ax wound who needs to get out. >> he's doing excellent now. but five, six days from now when he starts developing infection. >> reporter: medevacs back to the states have been stalled for two days. >> and it's ballooning into a mushroom cloud. and it's becoming a crisis for all of us. >> reporter: patients with infectious diseases are moved into isolation tents. the conditions could be better. in the o.r., another amputation is repaired. by nightfall -- >> no, no! >> reporter: the patient has died. not from the surgery but from tetanus. it's not true, says the sister. on sunday, medevacs to the states have thankfully resumed. julien, the boy with the ax wound, finally made it to a hospital in tampa. along with a girl with the enlarged heart. others, like this boy who needs a skin graft, are still waiting. >> you look at the people down here. a lot of them have nothing. the kids you see, their mom has died, their dad has died, their sister's died. they're asking to go home with you. just got to make sure you count your blessings. >> reporter: here, as hard as it is, it's easy to count your blessings. many of these doctors say they plan to come back. i'm david wright in port-au-prince. changing gears, coming up, fess up. which famous person do you think you look like? >> you know you think you have one out there. if you don't know you can find out on facebook where your friends have already posted a picture of their body double. so each of us has probably heard at some point in our lives that we look like someone famous. jeremy here is mistaken for brad pitt all the time. >> i can't go anywhere, it's awful. the latest facebook fad has users swapping out real pictures and replacing them with famous faces. now this craze is telling us something about who we are. it all started last week when an i.t. specialist encouraged fellow facebookers to update their profile picture with the star they most closely resemble. the idea spread like wildfire and now thousands of facebook faces are being updated by the minute. it even caused the crash of a website that helps to match your mug with that of someone famous. >> we've really seen millions of people in the last couple of days coming to our site. it's about a tenfold increase what we usually see. >> reporter: myheritage.com uses special technology to scan a photo locating similar features in a huge database of celebrities, stars and even b-listers. >> there's obviously a lot of fun involved. some of the celebrities are really striking. >> reporter: why all this interest in find our double? it's a fascination that dates back centuries. the germans gave it a name. doppelganger, which means double-goer. in more superstitious times it was bad luck. run into your doppelganger and you were doomed. when president lincoln witnessed his in the mirror he's said to have worried it meant he wouldn't live through his second term. more recently, scientists have looked at what happens when you see yourself in someone else. one study at stanford university found people were more likely to vote for a political candidate when that candidate's face was morphed to look more like them. >> social psychology or indeed psychology for hundreds of years is people love themselves. if you and i look ike, subconsciously there's a strong affiliation formed without us even knowing it. >> reporter: those online video games where you get to pretend you're someone else? studies have shown players begin to act more like their virtual self long after the game ends. something to think about the next time your friends tell you you look just like sarah jessica parker. or that you're the spitting image of j. lo. or that you bear a striking resemblance to snooki from "jersey shore." >> that was mean. she does not look like snooki. >> we can make fun of her, she's not here. right? >> she's probably watching and she is so beautiful, she could be like that miss universe woman. >> you're right. we have our own doppelgangers. i've been told i look like andrew firestone, the guy that used to be on "the bachelor," i think that's a bit of a stretch. we have yours too. >> oh, no. michelle kwan. welcome back. two giant pandas that were born here in the united states will leave for china today. tai shan from the national zoo in ward ward and mei lan from the atlanta zoo are being taken back to china where they'll both live at special chinese preserves. >> their parents were from china and under agreement between the u.s. and china all cubs must eventually be returned. both pandas will fly on a fed ex plane dubbed the fed ex panda express. >> not to be confused with the restaurant panda express. that's my frame of reference. finally this half hour, the art market that seems to be booming. it took eight minutes of bidding to set a world record for the most expensive piece of artwork ever sold. >> it took place in london so they were dealing in pounds but we've done the math for you. here's david sillito of the bbc. >> reporter: this is one work of art worth a really close look. these rarely appear in sale rooms. a takeover by a german bank had seen this fall into their hands and they thought they might be able to make 18 million pounds from it. >> the figure of the walking man is one of his most iconic sculptures. and one of his most famous sculptures ever to be made. and this cast was executed during his lifetime in 1961 and it's the first time ever that a lifetime cast in bronze by this artist comes to auction. >> reporter: a bid of 43 million pounds. the expert predictions have been utterly confounded. and it didn't stop. within six minutes they'd reached 53 million. even before there were signs of renewed life in the market from impressionists and modern masters. but this was in a different league. >> 58 million pounds. i'm going to sell it. 58 million pounds. are you out or are you in? i'm going to sell it. sold, 58 million pounds. >> reporter: add in the sotheby's commission and that's 65 million pounds. a record at auction. beating a sale of a picasso in 2004. david sillito, bbc news. >> impressive. what recession? >> none in london, i guess. not for that guy. >> they're not feeling it. that is the news for this half hour. you can tell us what's on your mind by logging on to our facebook page. nine years after a small plane is shot out of the sky. the cia comes clean about its role in the incident that left a mother and child dead. fallen from grace. for the self-help guru at the center of those sweat lodge deaths. this morning james arthur ray is behind bars. and, a special sailboat. it's built with lots of recycled parts. >> i think the very simple message is it's time that we beat waste and we start to look at it as a resource. >> it's ready to set off on a long journey. it's thursday, february 4th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it's pretty impressive. they made the whole catamaran out of plastic bottles. en the sail, normally made out of cloth, is made out of plastic. >> and it actually didn't sink. >> it works. to further the cause of environmentalists. it's good for our reporter, that's for sure. >> good morning, everyone. i'm stephanie sy in for vinita nair. >> i'm jeremy hubbard. since 2001 the loved ones of american missionary veronica bowers and her baby daughter have been asking why they were shot to death in the sky over peru and why there's been no justice. >> finally the cia is stepping up admitting its role in their deaths and the nine-year cover-up. brian ross begins with the horrifying shooting caught on the cia's own videotape. >> reporter: this videotape was made by the cia. as one of its jets sneaked up behind what was mistakenly thought to be a drug plane flying along the border of peru and brazil. they were preparing to have it shot down. >> we're trying to remain covert at this point. >> reporter: the cia could not have been more wrong about who was on the plane. they were american missionaries from michigan, jim and veronica bowers. also on board the plane was the bowers' then 6-year-old son corey, and their infant daughter charity. over the course of one hour and 49 minutes the cia personnel would never correct their mistake, and in fact, would violate again and again what was thought by the white house to be strict rules of engagement, including verifying the tail number of the plane. that did not happen. >> you know, we can go up and attempt the tail number. but if he is dirty and he detects us, he makes a right turn immediately and we can't chase him. >> reporter: when the peruvian air force arrived and issued a warning in spanish, we will shoot you down, it was on the wrong radio frequency. so the missionary plane never heard it. and even when the cia pilots began to have doubts -- >> this guy doesn't fit the profile. >> reporter: they did not wave off the peruvian gunship. later saying they did not have the authority to do so. >> i think we're making a mistake. >> i agree with you. >> reporter: a men and a half later the gunship opened fire. and the bowers' pilot screamed in spanish for them to stop. >> tell them to terminate. >> stop, don't shoot. >> tell them to terminate. >> reporter: trailing black smoke, the missionaries' plane headed for a river to land. veronica bowers and her daughter charity already dead from bullet wounds. and within days the director of the cia told officials at the white house all procedures were followed. >> the problem was that the cia was apparently lying to its own director. >> reporter: to the outrage of the dead woman's parents. >> i want somebody to tell me why they killed my girl. >> reporter: the cia says its nine-year-long investigation has determined there was no cover-up but that 16 cia employees should be disciplined. including, we learned, the woman then in charge of counter-narcotics. many of the 16 are no longer with the cia. and one of them told us his discipline was no more than a letter of reprimand placed in his file, which he was told would be removed in one year. that's the punishment for his role in the wrongful deaths of two innocent americans. brian ross, abc news, new york. manslaughter charges have been filed against a new age guru in connection with the deaths of three people during a sweat lodge ceremony. james arthur ray, who led the ceremony, is in an arizona jail on $5 million bond. we'll have much more on this story coming up later this half hour. more than seven months after michael jackson's death, his doctor is set to face charges. dr. conrad murray will be arraigned tomorrow in los angeles in connection with the pop star's death. prosecutors aren't saying what the charges will be but sources say they will include involuntary manslaughter. murray's lead lawyer says murray will be ready to surrender. top intelligence officials say they are certain al qaeda will soon try an attack on the u.s. they cite information provided by the alleged underwear bomber. and abc news has learned there is other intelligence as well. t.j. winick reports from washington. >> reporter: when asked if u.s. officials mishandled the interrogation and arrest of the alleged christmas day bomber, the white house said just the opposite was true. >> what we know is that because of what we did, we were successful. and so the president is pleased with the results. >> reporter: intelligence officials ha explained that, yes, umar farouk abdulmutallab was told he had the right to remain silent, but only after he asked for a lawyer. the suspect provided intelligence described as useful and actionable, persuaded to talk by his mother and uncle whom the fbi secretly flew to the u.s. from nigeria. abc news has learned other intelligence beyond mutallab's statements have heightened concerns. including intercepts of islamic radicals boasting about what's to come. one allegedly said, we will get them this time. informants suggesting a coming attack. evidence found in yemen confirming the training of other suicide bombers. >> al qaeda's radical ideology seems to appeal strongly to a group of disaffected young muslims, and this is a pool of potential suicide bombers, and this pool unfortunately includes americans. >> reporter: national intelligence director dennis blair testified before a house committee wednesday, a day after he, along with the heads of the cia and fbi, declared an attempted terror attack on the u.s. homeland in the next six months is certain. >> they knew what they were doing and they were delivering a message to all of us. >> reporter: the fbi has been looking at travel records from africa to determine if other operatives like mutallab have already made their way into the u.s. t.j. winick, abc news, washington. it looks like black pepper may be to blame for a recent salmonella outbreak connected to salami. more than 1 million pounds of meat have been recalled after many who got sick reported they ate it. the pepper is used as a coating for the salami. federal officials are looking into whether contaminated pepper was sold directly to consumers or used in other foods. asf toyota is isn't having enough trouble the prius hybrid is in the crosshairs. a major toyota outlet in tokyo says the automaker has informed dealers prius brakes can sometimes fail to work for less than a second. but so far owners have not been notified and there's no recall yet. japan's transport minister says one should be considered. and now here is a look at your weather. several inches of snow from the rockies to the midwest. a wintry mix in st. louis, kansas city, and tulsa. heavy rain and flooding in new orans, memphis, and montgomery. heavy rain and mountain snow in northern california, oregon, and washington. >> 55 today in seattle. 40 in salt lake city. 68 in phoenix. fargo only climbs to 22. much of the nation's midsection hovers in the 30s today. also 30s from boston to baltimore. and 49 down in atlanta. well, a bittersweet farewell today for two pandas that captured the hearts of american zoo visitors. >> panda fans out in force at the national zoo getting their last look at 4-year-old tai shan who's been a star attraction since his birth four years ago. they're even interrupting his meal staring at him. he's now heading to china on the same fedex flight as 3-year-old mei lan of the atlanta zoo. >> maybe.they'll hit it off. >> caretakers in china are hoping to breed both pandas. they're asking panda fans to help choose a boyfriend at least for mei lan. >> they're spending a lot of money hoping their hit it off, that's for sure. going to great lengths. we'll be right back with more "world news now." diabetics on medicare! rtant news for i'm a diabetic and i want you to know over 230,000 u.s. doctors have authorized their patients to receive their diabetic supplies through liberty medical. and that begins with the one touch®ltra02 meter. easy to use, fast results... at no additional cost! liberty helps keep you on track by delivering diabetic supplies to your door... and filing your claims. i never feel i'm going to run out of anything. with liberty i always have someone to talk to and now they refill all my prescriptions. call now to receive a diabetic cookbook free. call to receive the one touch®ultra meter at no, additional cost and find out why 230,000 u.s. doctors and over a million people with diabetes trust liberty medical. liberty, we deliver better health. call now. call liberty medical at the number on your screen. a star of the self help movement could use some help of his own right about now. james arthur ray has been charged with manslaughter in the deaths of three people. >> ray will be in court today. nearly half a ye after a sweat lodge ceremony he organized went terribly wrong. here's dan harris. >> reporter: it is a stunning fall from grace for a man who was once one of the fastest-rising stars in the $11 billion a year self-help industry. one of the featured teachers in the mega best-selling book and dvd "the secret." >> most people look at their current state of affairs and they say, th is who i am. that's not who you are. >> reporter: which argued you can get whatever you want through the power of your thoughts. a guru who tonight is in jail facing three charges of manslaughter. the arrest of james arthur ray is the culmination of a nearly four-month investigation into what happened inside of this makeshift structure known as a sweat lodge. traditionally used as part of a native american ceremony. >> is this a result of a shooting or something? >> no, it was a sweat lodge. >> a sweat lodge? >> yes. >> okay. >> reporter: ray was guiding one of those ceremonies here in sedona, arizona, when three people died and 18 others were rushed to the hospital. one of the victims was liz newman, a long-time devotee of ray. we spoke a short while ago with her daughter, andrea puckett. >> i think this needed to happen because i believe that we needed to make an example out of this situation and that you can't be so careless with people's lives. >> reporter: liz newman and the other victims had passed out inside of this sweat lodge, which was filled with steam as ray poured water over burning-hot rocks in the cter of the tent. participant beverly bunn says despite the warning signs ray urged people to stay inside. >> there was a lot of people spitting, there was a lot of people throwing up. he encouraged -- he said it's normal if you have any pain or anxiety or anything going on in your body, your mind is stronger than thaand you can overcome that. >> reporter: ray's lawyers say he never physically stopped anyone from leaving. melinda martin, a former james ray employee, was on the scene as well. she says as the ceremony went on, the injuries got worse and the scene became more frightening. >> one guy, he had fallen into the pit in the middle. fallen into the pit of molten rocks. and he had burned his entire arm. and all the white of his skin was gone. and the skin was just basically hanging off of his elbow. down his leg, down both sides of his arm. and he was sitting there staring. not reacti to the burned arm. and i was trying to take care of him. and his entire mind -- his mindset was getting back into there he says, i'm not done, i've got to go back in. >> reporter: he went back in? >> he went back in. >> reporter: he went back in, she sa, because of the enormous power ray had over his followers. this is a man who prided himself to pushing people, to show them they're bigger and better than their preconceived limits. during this crisis as his followers lay sick and dying his former employee, melinda martin, who was performing cpr on one of the victims, says ray simply stared. >> and i look up and he's standing right over my head watching. he's watching from standup position. he didn't offer to help, he didn't say anything, nothing at all. and he was like kind of just like looking around. i'm sure he was shocked. but so was i. t that didn't stop me from getting down on the ground and, you know, working and trying to get people back to life. >> reporter: did you see him do anything to help anybody? >> no. >> reporter: nothing? >> nothing. >> reporter: ray's attorneys say he did everything possible to help out at the scene. but according to local police, ray did not give them a statement that night and then he returned to california the following day. when we first met andrea puckett, liz newman's daughter, back in november, she told us that no one from ray's organization called her to tell her that her mother was in the hospital. and that when she arrived at the hospital several days later she found her mother in a coma. >> it was very difficult to see her for the first time. it didn't look like my mom. knowing that, you know, a week and a half earlier i had dropped my mom off at the airport and she was in perfect health. you know, watching her gasp for breath was the hardest thing i've ever done. >> reporter: who do you blame for this? >> i definitely think that a lot of fault falls on james ray. like i said, they knew each other for seven years. she trusted him to keep her safe. when she needed him most, he left. he didn't contact our family and just left her there to die. >> reporter: ray's bond has been set at $5 million. abc news has learned that ray, who once had a best-selling book called "harmonic wealth," may not have the money to post bond. i'm dan harris in new york. >> and it seems to be the main complaint among the victims' families is he was cavalier after this happened. didn't give enough information. sort of distanced himself from it. literature for this event said participants would be pushed beyond their perceived limits. >> where does the liability fall? i think that's what's going to be interesting in this case. >> yeah, absolutely. we'll see that unfold in the next few weeks. in a moment the fake news i sure can, now it's time for "the skinny." stephanie wanted me to introduce it. i set her up. i set it up, you knock it out. >> all right, thank you. you gave me an easy one. the bigs about in the media world is jon stewart's appearance on "the'reilly factor" on fox news yesterday. two guys seemingly on opposite sides of the political spectrum with a lot of rapport. here's some of the interview. >> are you shocked, shocked that a democratic poll operation shows that fox news is the most trusted news operation? >> no. >> in the country? >> no. >> 49% of americans trust -- >> no, i'm not shocked. >> are you shocked when an internet poll said i was the most trusted newscaster in america? >> yeah, but that was like blinky did it. this is big, big. the statement you have become an important cultural arbiter. >> there's a lot to unpack in that as well. >> that is frightening. do you understand the implications of you being important in any context? >> well, i think my family loves me. if that's what you're suggesting. >> they have a great rapport. i love watching is. the great part is jon stewart actually calls o'reilly the voice of sanity on fox. but that's like being the famous kid at fat camp. that was the quote of the night. >> he's like glenn beck is now the extreme, you're normal. >> amazing how good-natured they are towards each other. >> a lot of people watched it. they're going to spread the interview out over the next couple of ghts. you can see more. another bombshell from the "national enquirer." again as we said in the past, you used to not be inclined to believe what you read in "the national enquirer." when it comes to the john edwards story definitely. they're saying the last straw for elizabeth edwards is that john edwards struck her during a fight. this is according to friends of elizabeth. the paper, "the enquirer," is saying she'd drawn up the divorce papers according to this friend but s can amend them to charge john with domestic violence. supposedly she's holding that over his head right now and he's scared about that. this friend says there's been a history of moderate violence in the past. elizabeth got violent with john in the past. over fights over his extramarital affair with rielle hunter supposedly, according to this friend. this is in "the enquirer" again. their bombshell is the last straw was some domestic violence between the two. >> on radaronline.com, which has en farhead on the tiger woods reporting, they are reporting tiger is getting out of rehab. he's been in rehab apparently for six weeks for i think they were originally reporting for sex addiction. they're kind of stepping away from that now. apparently his wife is halting the divorce proceedings at this point and they're going to try to reconcile. so he's getting out of rehab and they're going to try to work things out, although she's still not wearing her ring in public. >> he's got some damage control to do still. it will probably be awhile before she puts that rock back on. >> funny how we have a picture of him crying. i'm sure he's be of ryin i'm sure he's be of ryin they may be getting back together. another celebrity couple is going their s jesus lose and madonna. >> no way. >> say it isn't so. >> i don't believe it. >> apparently the age difference is to blame, she's too old for him. >> no! >> he's 23, she's 51, a 28-year age gap. apparently the deal breaker is jesus' mother, herself 14 years younger than madonna, did not approve of the relationship. >> i can't imagine why. >> they were supposedly on the doorstep of marriage, i think he was thinking of converting to kabbalah and what it doesn't cover can cost you some money. that's why you should consider an aarp... medicare supplement .insurance plan... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. some of what medicare doesn't, so you could save... thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses. call now for this " free information kit and medicare guide. if you're turning 65 or you're already on medicare... you should know about this card -- see if it's right for you. all medicare supplement plans let you keep your own doctor, or hospital that accepts medicare. there are no networks r and no referrals needed. help protect yourself from some of what mecare doesn't pay... and save up to thousands of dollars in potential... medicare supplement .insurance plan... insured by unitedhealthcare # insurance company. call this toll-free number on your screen now... medicare guide and customized rate quote. here's some stories to watch today onbc news. president obama and the first lady attend the annual national prayer breakfast this morning. later the president meets with top congressional democrats about their party's legislative priorities. those priorities were rearranged when massachusetts republican scott brown was elected to the senate. brown is expected to be sworn in today. his swearing-in was set for next week but he sought to have it moved up. the first tea party national convention gets under way in nashville. hundreds of activists are expected and sarah palin will address the gathering come saturday. finally this half hour, one word, plastics. a group of environmentalists is recycling in a big way. >> they have built an extraordinary sailboat almost entirely out of plastic and they're about to set out across the pacific. laura marquez went down to the docks to check it out. >> reporter: it's a work of modern art. an engineering marvel. a 60-foot catamaran kept afloat by recycled plastic bottles. 12,000 of them in all. the bottles are filled with carbon dioxide, making them so rigid a truck could drive over one and it wouldn't break. the sail, plastic rather than cloth. the mast, an iigation pipe. christened "the plastique," the boat is the dream of david de rothschild, heir to the banking fortune. >> a very simple message, it is time that we beat waste and start to look at it as a resource. >> reporter: the crew will shove off aboard their plastic bottle boat from san francisco on a three-month voyage to sidney, australia. it's an 11,000-mile trek across treacherous seas. they don't know if the boat will make it. >> the pacific is a large ocean and there are big swells. we've prepared as much as we can. >> reporter: one of their goals is to pass by and bring attention to vast swaths of garbage, mostly plastic debris, carried by currents from across the globe. one of them is twice the size of texas. a vivid picture of how much we waste. we're testing the seaworthiness of the boat on the san francisco bay. so far, so good. crew members hope to begin their ambitious journey within weeks, sending their message to the world in a plastic bottle. laura marquez, abc news, on the san francisco bay. >> message in a bunch of bottles. it's pretty cool because drawing attention to that big trashy mess out in the ocean, "good morning america" did a story about that yesterday, they fear those plastic particles are getting into fish tissue and getting on our dinner plates. >> i can't believe how huge that area is. how do you even begin to clean up a mess like that? >> it's massiv