christiane amanpour. >> reporter: as bashar assad tries to crush the popular uprising against him, any doubts about his regime's brutal response have been erased. at least 12 people, including five children, were reportedly killed when the syrian army attacked a peaceful protest in rastan, a mostly rebel-held town. the assault on rastan comes after what looks like a victory for assad in homs. ground zero for the rebellion. paul conroy, a news photographer, was seriously injured last week trying to document the horror of homs. conroy has only just managed to escape. and several activists gave their lives trying to save his. >> the intensity of the shelling. we were taking direct hits after direct hits on the building we were in. the time for talking is over. somebody must act bah because we're not going to see the next phase. the next phase will not be televised. the activists won't be there because they're all going to die in the next few days. there will not be any witnesses. >> reporter: the view from the white house is one of mounting concern as the past 24 hours show that assad is racing to rout the rebellion across the country. the carnage continues. and yet there is still no diplomatic solution, no humanitarian help. and increasingly loud calls by the rebels for america to help. christiane amanpour, abc news, washington. >> and that help christiane's talking about is just not coming yet. senator mccain has proposed arming these rebels, dropping in supplies, but they haven't acted on that just yet. wondering if that is the best route to take. but something has to be done. those chilling comments from that reporter, who said there won't be any witnesses to this. the activists are being killed. >> there will be no account. which just means he's going to do whatever he wants and know there won't be any potential ramifications because we will not have witnesses or seen it. just frightening. well, gas prices continue their upward trend, and you can blame it on the tensions in the middle east. aaa says the national average for a gallon of unleaded jumped eight cents just over the past week. it's now $3.76. compare that to a year ago, when americans were paying $3.49. the energy department expects the drastic increases will continue for months. and the settlement bp is working out with victims of the gulf oil spill now includes a health monitoring system. it's set up to address health concerns and compensation for people with illnesses linked to that disaster. even if health issues surface years from now. >> that trial was supposed to start today after being in backed it up because obviously they reached that settlement. billions of dollars now being pumped back into the gulf coast and the residents who are impacted by that spill. so some progress, you know -- >> 7.6 bill and then there's the government that will get involved. and that number could swell. >> yes. big news for that part of the country for sure. just ahead of the super tuesday, a new poll finds mitt romney surging ahead of the republican pack. the poll finds romney six points now ahead of rick santorum. >> abc's rick klein looks at the race and which state is most important on super tuesday. good morning, rick. >> reporter: rob and paula, ohio is the ball game tuesday. it is a huge opportunity for rick santorum to show he can win a big battleground state, what he failed to do last week in michigan. and it may even be bigger for mitt romney. he can all but end the nomination fight by winning ohio. meanwhile, barbara bush, the former first lady, has recorded a call for mitt romney in ohio. >> hi. this is barbara bush. we have known the romneys for years and believe mitt is the best man to lead the country for the next four years and anne will make a great first lady. >> reporter: that means the republican establishment is falling in line behind mitt romney. this is a statement, a strong signal to the gop rank and file, it's time to coalesce behind the man who is almost certain to be their nominee. and all the candidates have to deal with these controversial comments that rush limbaugh made last week. and this is exactly the kind of conversation the candidates don't want to be having right now. the single biggest day of voting of the primary season just two days away. the presidential contenders are responding to something outrageous that a talk radio host said. rob and paula? >> and rush did apologize. said it wasn't enough and only acted because he was losing a lot of sponsors and a lot of money for his show. so lots of fallout for that. moving on now, people in the town of sweet home, oregon are probably still trying to wash off this morning. >> because a lot of them took part in the annual mud fast. it's a praed simple concept. you drive through the mud in your truck and you don't get stuck. that's all there is. that looks really fun, actually. >> although hundreds turned out this year, some say it was a little more subdued actually this time around. the likely culprit, those high gas prices. >> it looks like a whole lot of brownie mix or chocolate pudding. >> brownie mix? really? glad you see that. we'll be back with more right after this. ♪ i'll take the dirt road ♪ it's all i know ♪ i've been walking it for years ♪ ♪ it's got where i need to go ♪ ♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ ♪ pop goes the world ♪ pop goes the world [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. pop in. stand out. and it's surprising what it goes through in the course of a day. but what's even more surprising is that brushing alone isn't enough to keep it clean. fortunately, you've got listerine. unlike brushing which misses 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so what are you waiting for? it's time to take your mouth to a whole new level of health. listerine... power to your mouth. ♪ bad girl ♪ talking about the sad girl bad girl. >> bad, bad girl. >> you were probably a good girl in school, weren't you? >> yeah. >> i see a little knowing smile. >> you see my halo, right? now to the double life of a self-described dork. she actually was the student body president and an academic star on top of that. >> but police believe she led a secret life of crime. dun, dun, dun. her classmates and professors are shocked after her bank robbery arrest. here's abc's chris bury. >> my name is meghan -- >> reporter: this is the image meghan melnyk presented. star student. president of her student council. a self-described music-loving dork. >> i play the saxophone. i sing at really random times. >> reporter: now this is what the world sees. a disheveled meghan captured in the back seat of a cop car. the 27-year-old accused of robbing this credit union in calgary, canada. wearing dark glasses and a disguise, grabbing cash from a teller she threatened with a knife. now her fellow students shocked by her secret double life. but meghan had even more secrets. past arrests for fraud, forgery, and violating probation after driving a stolen suv. she had abruptly quit her student presidency after financial anomalies were uncovered. so what caused her to snap? >> people who will revert to crime to solve their problems probably have a history of that. >> reporter: this is not the first time a prominent student has turned to serious crime. in 2006 a former lehigh university class president robbed a pennsylvania bank to support his online gambling habit. greg hogan, a minister's son, served 22 months in prison, where he talked to abc's chris cuomo. >> the addiction told me to do it. without the addiction i definitely never would have ever thought of an idea like this. >> reporter: but meghan's motive remains a mystery. police say she refuses to cooperate. her college tells us, "we do not know what drove meghan to this. we hope she receives the help she needs." a promising student caught on the dark side of a double life. chris bury, abc news, chicago. >> outstanding warrants she had for fraud, uttering forged documents, and breach of probation for possession of a stolen suv three years ago. >> she was a bad, bad girl. >> she had a little rap sheet. mm-hmm. wow. well, coming up, oprah winfrey has not lost her touch in getting the big interviews. >> oh, yeah. plus demi moore and her road to recovery. coming up next in "the skinny." ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny welcome back, everybody. let's start dishing the dirt on monday morning. >> dish. >> and a source in the fallout from whitney houston said someone had to get the first big interview post-funeral. and of course that is now going to go to oprah winfrey. we learned over the weekend -- >> of course. >> -- that an upcoming "oprah's next chapter" episode which will air march 11th, this coming sunday, will feature oprah's interview with 18-year-old bobbi kristina. whitney and bobby brown's daughter. as well as patricia houston, who was whitney's sister-in-law. you saw the funeral, you saw her speak. and also whitney's brother gary. it will air march 11th on oprah's network own. she needs the help in the ratings. i assume this will help. and bobbi kristina actually turns 19 this sunday, the same day it airs. tune in for that. it should be very interesting. especially the daughter. a lot of concerns about her since whitney's death. she'll sit down -- they'll sit down with the queen to see what's going on. >> you know demi moore, she checked herself into therapy after that 911 call about a month ago. well, she has been released from therapy. she is now vacationing at an undisclosed location. the caribbean. "people" magazine is reporting, know, that ashton kutcher, her ex, visited her while she was undergoing therapy. there is no chance, though, for a reconciliation. he basically did it because he knew it was important to her daughters and important to maintain that sort of relationship. he, by the way, has been spotted recently in italy with his new flame, a screenwriter by the name of laraine scafaria. >> and they say she kind of looks like demi a little bit. some comparisons. >> but i think a downgrade from demi. >> it's hard to go up from demi. it's a good sign she's getting better and she's out of rehab. speaking of rehab, lindsay lohan back in the news from alcohol and drug rehab to a little bit of image rehab. for the fourth time she was the guest host on "saturday night live" over the weekend. but some mixed reviews here. they said she wasn't featured as prominently as other hosts. she was kind of in the backdrop of some of the sketches as opposed to the main character here. they said some skits you could see her eyes reading the cue cards. there were some funny moments, particularly from a sketch or two. check out one. >> you're going to be playing ping-pong. they'll be playing ping-pong with your ding-dong. and they'll be eating at the bubble gum schlong company. >> sclong ka babz. >> mexican schlong. and schlong surprise. >> lindsay trying to rehab her image. >> she has aged. >> she looks a little different. she lived that hard party life it's taken it's toll but she's trying to come back. we'll see how it goes. >> okay. this fallout between gabriel aubrey and halle berry not going well. the latest demands he wants halle berry to pay 15,000 tods $20,000 a month for a proper home so their 3-year-old daughter can have similar living conditions to what she's accustomed to. a large amount of money for clothing. of course halle's having nothing of this. there's going to be a trial, a hearing on april 9th. >> i love that phrase. what people become accustomed to. always interesting. ♪ uhh! 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[ both laugh ] [ female announcer ] new head & shoulders green apple. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me ♪ ♪ i have no privacy ♪ i always feel like old school michael, man. always good. get your hands up. favorite story of the day. thanks to google earth there are cars taking snapshots all around the world one corner at a time to be posted for all of us to view. >> but here's the big problem. what happens when the camera catches things that you would rather not have people see? the man you're about to see got caught with his pants down. what are you doing? your tail's hanging out, by the way. >> sorry. >> reporter: it happened in a tiny idyllic french village. a frenchman tending to his garden decided to do some, ahem, wee-weeing outdoors. just then a google street car went by and now his version of the watering the plants has gone viral and his lawyer says he is now an object of ridicule in his small village. gaggle street view's combination of random snapshots and the bizarre has made for many instant internet sensations. a recent unwitting star is this miami woman caught in the buff. but in the original nothing was blurred out. using these nifty car-mounted cameras google's street view captures not just people's neighborhoods but all parts of thfr lives. their entire internet sites devoted to finding nudes, snoozing sun bathers and even flashers. other sites dedicated to the bizarre. more folks using public bathrooms where there aren't any or sword fighting. and a buffet of alleged crime, deals, and crack. way too much crack. and not everyone's happy about what they see. bob muse told the "daily mail" that he lost 100 pounds after stumbling on this photo of himself. some really not happy? like this land-based scuba duo lying in weight then giving chase with pitchforks. but there is good news for those who get a giggle from this. >> google will never be able to stop the images being there because there are so many of them. >> reporter: but for that frenchman it's no laughing matter. he's suing google for infringement of privacy and demanding that photo be taken down lest his gardening secret become even more famous. have you ever seen like what's posted of you or in your area? >> no, i never have. i've never -- i must be the only person in new york who has not seen one of those google trucks roaming the streets. i've never even seen one. >> i've never seen one of the trucks. but i've seen plenty of the photos. >> and that guy will be in court march 15th. there should be a verdict. we'll see what action they take. >> a lesson for all of us. keep your clothes on when you're outside. >> sometimes. >> announcer: this is abc's this morning on "world news now," fuel feud. supply, demand, and tensions in the middle east are not the only factors forcing up gasoline prices these days. >> in a special report we're going to see how wall street may be involved and hear from a lawmaker demanding action today. it's monday march 5th. happy monday, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. you're about to see how wall street's speculators may be fueling the price increases every time you fill up your gas tank. some new reports underscore what's happening as a capitol hill lawmaker demands action. and this is pretty much an exclusive to abc news. and it's interesting to see how when our correspondent mark greenblatt did the story last week this is kind of what came out of it. some new legislation. >> essentially people gambling on gas prices. that's why we're we're all paying more. definitely stay tuned for that story coming up in just a second. also, snow is now falling on some areas, those same areas that were hard hit by those powerful and extremely deadly tornadoes over the weekend. it is a one-two punch for mother nature as storm survivors are exposed to both summer and winter storms in just a matter of days. no rest for the weary in the midwest and south. and later this half hour, what could be a big moneymaker for hollywood? forget about those vampire movies and the "harry potter" series. see why fans, a whole lot of young female fans are lining up to see stars from "the hunger games." but first, we begin with a "world news now" special report on wall street's influence on the prices that all of us pay at the pump. >> and those prices just went up, of course. aaa's national average for a gallon of gas is now $3.76. and that's up eight cents over the past week and 27 cents higher than it was a year ago. as abc's mark greenblatt reports, today at least one lawmaker will demand action. >> reporter: call it the wall street gas pump premium. >> it's not good at all. >> reporter: food delivery man michael longo just learned at all. >> it's a terrible situation. and nobody's going to do anything about it. >> reporter: the question, do wall street banks really push the prices you pay at the pump higher while they cash in on bets that they make on future prices of gas? well, now the st. louis federal reserve weighs in with a 56-page newly updated report. it says two main factors drive gasñr prices up. first, global demand shocks like tensions in the middle east. but next the fed concludes "speculation played a significant role in the oil price increase between 2004 and 2008 and its subsequent collapse." adding as much as 15% to prices. and says that that can explain part of the recent increase in oil prices. >> all over this country people are really being hurt financially. >> reporter: senator bernie sanders of vermont is fighting back. >> this is money coming right out of their paycheck. >> reporter: today sanders will send out a letter to the commodity futures trading commission that says, "as the cost for american people to fill their gas tanks continues to skyrocket, the cftc continues to drag its feet on imposing strict speculation limits to eliminate, prevent, or diminish excessive oil speculation." and calling for immediate action. sanders says so far he has pledges from 67 other members of congress to co-sign the letter by the end of the day. >> what we want to do is limit the amount of oil that any individual corporation can control on any given day. >> reporter: it's a call for action on the heels of an abc news report from a week and a half ago where one of the cftc's sitting commissioners spoke out. >> yeah, i'm fired up. >> reporter: bart chilton is one of five presidential appointees who regulates oil futures traders. and he showed us this other wall street research report which spells out just how much extra the price of oil goes up because wall street gambles on it. >> there aren't any markets without speculators. it's the excessive speculation we're concerned about. >> reporter: which is why senator sanders wants to limit those big bets. >> if we do that, there are varying estimates, but we think we can lower oil prices. >> reporter: mark greenblatt, abc news, new york. >> and you would hope that other lawmakers will jump on that bandwagon today, put their john hancock on that letter, and get something done since the data seems to be there that speculators play such a critical role in all of this. >> mark was explaining this to me earlier, yesterday. but good job on his part as well. and then you see members of congress just kind of jump on it. they see that report. so great job reporting from mark. goes to show you the power of journalism and what we can do. >> exactly. amen to that. nice work, mark. well, iran will be the main topic of discussion this morning as president obama welcomes israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to the white house. the president addressed a pro-israel group yesterday. he said he will take no options off the table when it comes to preventing iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. but as israel considers a pre-emptive strike, the president also asked for time to allow diplomacy to work. and vladimir putin is returning to the kremlin for another term as president of russia. putin could not hold back his tears, declaring election victory to a crowd of supporters. however, opposition forces insist there is no victory because they say the entire election was rigged. they plan a major demonstration near the kremlin today. >> in the meantime, six more years of power for mr. putin. now to the election here at home. rick santorum predicts the republican race might not be settled until the convention this summer. that's because at least in his words mitt romney has failed to "close the deal with american voters." however, the landscape could all change dramatically after tomorrow's super tuesday vote. with more on this here's abc's david kerley. >> get out and vote on tuesday. thank you so much! >> reporter: if it seems like the candidates are moving a little quicker, it's because they have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time left till super tuesday. yes, super tuesday. when voters in ten states go to the polls. more delegates delivered in one night than in the entire campaign. so what's a candidate to do with lots of talking -- >> i will never apologize for the greatness of this country. >> reporter: ohio. that is the big prize. it's a swing state where romney could quiet his critics. >> obviously, if i got the nod from the people of ohio, that would send a big statement. >> hi, everybody. how are you doing? >> reporter: and santorum has a problem in ohio. he didn't complete all the paperwork and is at risk of being ineligible for more than a quarter of the delegates. romney's campaign pounced. >> that basic organizational test that you're going to have to have to battle president obama is a test that rick santorum and his campaign have flunked. >> reporter: senator santorum, did you flunk? >> if that's the only thing they find as a problem with my candidacy we're in pretty good shape. >> reporter: it is the battleground state of ohio where romney and santorum will finish up this mad dash to super tuesday. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> now, the interesting state to watch, too, on tuesday, tennessee. they say mitt romney has a decent chance of winning there even though the sounds tends to be gingrich territory. if romney can pull out tennessee, it proves that he really is not just a regional candidate, he can be a national candidate because that will be his first big southern win, which could be critical. >> we know romney's going to get virginia because of the field paperwork by santorum and gingrich in that state as well. 66 delegates in ohio. 437 total. >> i think romney really made a good point. it's a paperwork issue. that is further proof that those campaigns were so slow to get off the ground, they didn't have the same money, they didn't have the same infrastructure or organization, and now it's going to cost them literally in delegates on tuesday just because you didn't get the paperwork done on it. so we'll see how it shakes out. >> got to cross those ts and dot those is. >> that's right. politics, folks. well, lava flowing from hawaii's kilauea volcano has destroyed the last remaining home in a neighborhood under siege. the red hot lava snaked down a hill, burning up everything along the way. it finally destroyed the house where the owner had lived for 30 years. lava had already destroyed other homes and roads. now the entire subdivision is virtually wiped out. and italy's mount etna let out a blast over the weekend, spewing columns of smoke and steam into the air for the third time in as many months. etna has been highly active. last year alone jegeologists recorded at least 18 separate outbursts. >> look at that. and speaking of weather, believe it or not, snow is now falling this morning on the tornado zone. >> it's hard to believe that harsh winter weather is hitting henryville, indiana after summer-like killer tornadoes tore through the area. abc's ginger zee is there. good morning, ginger. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. yesterday we flew over the tornadic annihilation. we've seen a lot of images like this on the ground. but to see it from above was something completely different. when you see all of the homes wiped from their foundation, you see the trees that have been snapped and plucked from that huge tornado, and really when you fly above it it gives you that width or that breadth that it covered, at times a half a mile, this ef 4 monster had winds of 175 miles per hour. and boy, could you see it from up there in that chopper. so we went over not only the town of pekan, where poor baby angel at this time we found was taken off life support. and that was that one family who now was altogether taken from that tornado. but in pekan the tornado then moves to henryville. from there to marysville, where one church stands alone. so many stories of lucky survival because this tornado was just a monster. ginger zee, abc news, henryville, indiana. >> and ginger, as you know, a buddy of yours, she's a storm chaser by trade. you hear people who follow storms and know storms say i've never seen it like this, that tells you how bad it is. >> but she's doing a great job, as well as our entire team of just bringing the stories really to the forefront, letting us know the human stories out there. >> those pictures speak for themselves. >> yeah. now to argentina and mother nature's amazing show at a famous glacier. for the first time in four years huge chunks of ice from the parido moreno glacier came crashing down into the lake. and it was quite a scene from the tourists despite, look at that, all of that falling ice. the glacier is said to remain relatively -- wait for it. >> boom. >> intact. >> there it is. here's your monday forecast now, everybody. up to two feet of snow in the cascades. idaho and montana. a few inches from southern indiana to north carolina. a dusting around richmond. lexington and cincinnati. also some flurries from michigan to maine. >> 43 here in new york. 56 in atlanta. 76 in miami. 30s across the midwest. 53 in k.c. phoenix hits 83. sacramento 68. and portland 50. 60s across most of the rockies. now to a medical headline this morning. for parents up at this crazy hour with kids who snore, a new study just published -- this is for you, then. just published this morning, a study it shows that babies who snore or breathe through their mouths could develop behavior problems later in childhood. >> great. >> there you go, paula. researchers say hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, and combativeness are more likely to show up in children who have sleep problems as baby. parents are told to be aware and point it out to their pediatrician. >> i took a nap with my son the other day, and i'm like elbowing him. i told my husband, he sounds exactly like you. >> he's a loud snorer already? he's 2 years old, right? >> 2 1/2. >> uh-oh. could be a rough high school experience. >> lordy help me. american bandstand legend dick clark has put one of his malibu residences on the market. >> i love this. maybe people think it's too old, not his style. this one-bedroom, two-bath home is named bedrock. it takes its inspiration, of course, from the flintstones. however, the amenities go well beyond anything that fred and wilma had. look at that. >> the home sits on 23 acres, features lots of glass to showcase the 360 degree mountain and beach views from every room. the asking price is 3.5 yabba dabba dollars. >> i think it's a beautiful house. kind of cool and different. dick clark. we'll be back with more "world news now" after this. ♪ yabba dabba doo ♪ flintstones ♪ meet the flintstones ♪ they're a modern stone age fleet ♪ welcome back, everyone. with super duper tuesday tomorrow and mitt romney fighting to keep his front-runner status there is new tension on the mormon church. >> a bizarre story here. the spotlight is on the church of latter day saints because of a controversial ritual involving the dead. with more on this here's abc's dan harris. >> reporter: in mormon temples throughout the world this sunday the faithful were read a reminder about one of the religion's most controversial rituals, baptisms for the dead. the ceremonies take place in pools like this one, where living mormons are baptized in the name of people who have passed away so that the dead can be given the option of converting to mormonism in the afterlife. >> we in a loving manner make that available to them, and then they determine whether they want to have it. >> reporter: they're supposed to be loving, but they can be divisive when performed for non-mormons. in the 1990s, after complaints from jewish groups, the church promised to stop performing proxy baptisms for holocaust victims. but in recent days news broke about baptisms for anne frank, the family of nazi hunter simon wiesenthal, and jewish reporter daniel pearl, who was murdered by al qaeda. so the reminder, do not baptize people from "unauthorized groups such as celebrities and jewish holocaust victims." but there may still be confusion. as recently as 2009 i interviewed one of the church's 12 apostles, who insisted he respected holocaust victims but -- >> we just see this very differently. >> reporter: nevertheless, the church insists mormons are only to perform baptisms for their own ancestors or else face disciplinary action. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> interesting. there's 14.7 million mormons worldwide and 57% of those live outside the united states. >> you have to wonder, too, in this election season if this will raise questions about -- or raise concerns or whatever about mitt romney, so many questions about that religion. >> marco rubio, right? the senator from florida. he has ties to mormonism as well. >> could be a candidate, yeah. coming up next, all the buzz surrounding a movie out later this month. >> it'll make you forget about those vampires and the "harry potter" magic. i know rob's screaming right now. with delight. >> oh, he's so dreamy. >> we'll be right back. set to hit the big screen later this month, it's called "hunger games." >> how's that again? >> "hunger games." >> the trilogy of books have sold millions of copies. so eager fans like rob can't wait to see the first film. abc's abbey boudreau brings us the buzz. >> we're going to see "the hunger games." >> reporter: crazed fans lining up outside the century city, california man just to get a glimpse of "the hunger games'" young stars. >> we've been here since 3:00 in the morning. >> 6:00 in the morning. >> reporter: last time we saw this kind of fanatical frenzy it was over vampires and werewol s werewolves."twilight" saga. or warlocks and witches in "harry potter." but now break out your bow and arrow for the post-apom liptic survival story that has groupies craving "the hunger games." the movie is based on suzanne collins' best-selling book trilogy. there are 23.5 million books in print in the u.s. and advance ticket sales have already broken records. this film is expected to bring in $100 million. by the time it opens later this month. that's $30 million more than the first "twilight" movie in its opening weekend. >> unlike "twilight," it isn't a pure young fantasy romance. it's a dark book. it has these terrible scenes of violence. >> reporter: and unlike bella in "twilight," the damsel in distress, catniss, the female lead in "the hunger games," doesn't need anyone's help to survive, certainly not boys. which has girls loving her. >> she's such a warrior. and it shows you girls don't have to be pretty or whatever. they have to be smart and fierce and have a goal and fight for it. >> reporter: obsessed fans counting down the days. and each passing minute. >> three. two. one. >> reporter: until the games begin. abbey boudreau, abc news, los angeles. >> and young girls have to be good at archery. >> i mean -- oh. look at that. see, that's the -- >> oh, yeah. >> that's the poster for the sequel already out. >> who is, that xena, warrior? >> you look very intimidating, paula. you look 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[♪...] "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." welcome back, everybody. never doubt the stupidity of some of the criminals in the world. this comes to us from the "courier post." this man from the pittsburgh area apparently robbed a girl and somehow after he robbed her was able to track down herr cell phone number and then apparently found his victim attractive because he called her up on the cell and asked her out on a date after robbing her. he's a 26-year-old guy. >> what an idiot. >> there's his mug shot. real casanova there. stole 60 bucks from a girl at the bus stop while she was waiting for her mother. and then called the victim on her cell asking for a date. i'm guessing she said no because she's probably a picky woman. and now he faces charges of robbery, simple assault, and resisting arrest. you know, i respect, you know, the confidence there. but move on, dog. move on. >> you thought that guy was dumb. now i think you're going to -- a story about robots. okay? >> that was a beautiful segue. call the emmy committee. >> so in nevada robots could apply for driver's licenses. >> oh, lord. >> yes. as of march 1 the state allows robot researchers to apply for a special license. it allows them to test robotic vehicles on open roads. and once they've passed they're going to get a green license plate. but anybody who wants a robot car license has to post a bond in excess of $1 million to ensure against damage -- [ crash sound ] >> this doesn't mean like r2 d-2's cruising down the vegas strip. this isn't full-fledged robots on the road, right? a little robot there trying to parallel park. something that can only amuse us in the middle of the night. >> only in vegas. >> all in nevada. i love you. oust "philadelphia inquirer," my personal favorite story of the day. first we heard this whole contraception debate that's gone on these days and rush limbaugh chiming in and the ultrasound issue in virginia. the wilmington city council, this came from the "philadelphia inquirer," they passed a resolution thursday night that basically says it confers the rights of personhood on each and every human sperm. >> what? >> they want to forbid men from destroying their semen. it was all passed tongue in cheek. but the woman who -- the councilwoman said i am standing up for women in this city, i am standing up for women in this state, and women in this country. she doesn't like the hypocrisy of men dictating health decisions affecting women's bodies so, now they have passed a tongue in cheek resolution that says no man can destroy his own sperm. >> so sperm rights. those are sprites. >> i guess kleenex is going out of business. >> oh. >> take care of your boys, this morning on "world news now," heartland heartache. in the widespread destruction and despair after tornadoes wiped even more towns right off the map. >> and the storms have taken yet another life. 15-month-old angel babcock, who was found in a field. she died over the weekend. it's monday march 5th. good monday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. those tornadoes and severe storms hit five states. and early this morning that little girl, angel babcock, is among the 39 fatalities. police are still going door to door looking for more victims. there's a good chance there are a lot more victims out there. but 440 tornado warnings in just the last week. the weather has just been incomprehensible. >> it really has. more tornadoes -- or more reported tornadoes on that day than usually the entire month of march. think about that statistic. just unbelievable scenes there. also this morning, today's all-important meeting at the white house. the president will discuss iran's nuclear ambitions with israeli leaders. the president wants to of course avoid another war, but is again taking no options off the table. increasing tension there. >> and a hard-hitting story later this half hour. outrageous claims in the nfl. so are some players paid to intentionally harm their opponents? find out who may have been targeted. and who's investigating. this has been going on for a long time. but it's just the level of wrath against these opponents. that's what's different in this case. >> this story broke my heart over the weekend. my new orleans saints right there smack dab, just most -- not the only example by any stretch but clearly the most recent and then the idea of paying folks to injury other star players, a lot of questions to be answered. and the penalties will be stiff for the black and gold. that's for sure. but before all of that, winter storm warnings are now up across a huge part of last week's tornado zone. >> snow and cold are moving in on a region already ravaged by nearly 100 twisters. the death toll stands at 39. and there are fears that it could go higher. here's abc's larry jacobs. >> reporter: from the air the scope of the devastation is heartbreaking. homes, businesses, communities, wiped out. and on the ground new video of that ef4 twister barreling down on henryville, indiana leaving a wasteland in its wake. school buses tossed like footballs. >> we were just trying to do our best to get every kid, you know, home before the thing hit. >> reporter: with the tornado upon them, grown acted quickly to get three children, including his daughter, off the bus and in a church basement. >> i could hear stuff. and then i could also see like the stuff spinning in the air outside of the windows. >> reporter: in west liberty, kentucky a woman prayed fervently that the approaching menace would go away. >> take this up away from our home. >> it was coming up over the hill and it began forming and you could see the fuknocked the. i watched it go. >> reporter: her house was spared. so much of the town was not. in pekin, indiana little angel babcock's mom, dad, and two siblings died in the storm not far from the field where she was found. sadly, doctors later took her off life support. >> i reached for her hand and was holding her hand. and i don't know what made me let go. but she went and picked her arms straight up. she was a daddy's girl. so daddy picked her up and took her. >> reporter: and amidst the rubble, heartache and tears. >> with broken hearts we join together. >> reporter: victims hold on to their faith and each other, knowing the road to recovery will be a long one. larry jacobs, abc news. >> angel's grandfather released a statement last night saying, "angel has been reunited with her parents. we want to thank god for all of you and for your thoughts and prayers. god will bring you and all of us out of this." she'd become an emblej blem of survival and clearly didn't make it. another heartbreaking tale out of this. >> in henryville where you saw the utter destruction of that high school there's been a midnight curfew imposed. you can see snow falling. i read an account in maryville, indiana, there's a mother who lost parts of both of her legs trying to save her children. her children survived. so did she. but massive injuries to her legs. just devastating. >> imagine that part of the country. no power. these deaths. the destruction of homes and businesses. cell phones are out. and now as you saw from that picture there winter weather on top of that. unbelievable. >> and now they're worried about looting as well. >> there are already reports. thoughts and prayers to all you folks. >> well, here's your monday forecast. that snow we just mentioned stretches from indiana all the way to north carolina with accumulations of one to three inches. flurries from maine to michigan up to two feet of snow in the cascades and the northern rockies. >> 60s from billings to albuquerque. a warm 83 in phoenix. near 40 in indianapolis. 51 in omaha. 35 in the twin cities. 70s from dallas to miami. 56 in atlanta. and 43 here in new york. and now to the white house, where president obama is hosting very critical talks with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu today over the tensions in iran. >> growing tensions still. that meeting follows the president's speech to a powerful pro-israel group in which he had some very strong words for iran. abc's david kerley is at the white house. >> it's a very big meeting here at the white house. later in the day the president welcoming the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. and the main topic of conversation will indeed be iran as you mentioned. on sunday in front of israel's biggest american supporters president obama preached patience in the effort to stop iran from building a nuclear bomb. >> iran's leaders should understand that i do not have a policy of containment, i have a policy to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. >> reporter: but israel believes that within months iran will be able to harden its nuclear program underground, out of reach of israel's attack jets. so it is seriously considering a pre-emptive strike. so the president will be sitting down with the israeli prime minister, as i mentioned. their last meeting was really chilly. netanyahu is likely to seek some specific assurances from the president before israel would ever take its finger off the trigger. in essence, mr. obama is asking for trust but using some very tough language, saying "i don't bluff," as he declared last week. >> i've said that when it comes to preventing iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon i will take no options off the table. and i mean what i say. >> reporter: president obama also quoted teddy roosevelt today saying it is time to speak softly and carry a big stick. unfortunately, israel says very soon its stick may not be big enough to stop iran. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> and the war of words in this getting even more heated. israeli president made this comment. he said, "iran is an evil, cruel, morally corrupt machine. it is based on destruction, is an affront to human dignity. iran is the center, the sponsor, the financier of world terror. iran is a danger to the entire world." this thing is just building. kind of crescendoing, leaving everyone to wonder what is the next signal, what that could mean for israel, iran and the world if this thing gets to military action. >> and that meeting tomorrow is very important. there's not a whole lot of trust between netanyahu and the obama administration at this point. i know he even said that he will not forewarn the united states of any strike. that just kind of underscores the mistrust there. so definitely they need to do a little patching on the relationship and earning the trust. >> art of diplomacy at the white house today. we'll see if it works. and today is the last full day of campaigning for the republican candidates ahead of super duper tuesday. 437 delegates are at stake in the largest single day of voting of the primary season. ten states are up for grabs in ohio. it could be the most important one in tomorrow's race. the winner there could get the nomination. >> and romney kind of tightening the gap with santorum in ohio, too. all eyes on that state. and front-runner mitt romney picked up endorsements over the weekend. two influential gop lawmakers threw their support behind romney. he picked up endorsements from house majority leader eric cantor of virginia, who promises romney will take that state tuesday, and on top of that one of the most conservative members of the u.s. senate, oklahoma's tom coburn is also now backing the former massachusetts governor. meanwhile, rick santorum says the nomination may not be decided until the party's convention this summer. campaigning in oklahoma ahead of tuesday's primary santorum says that romney has failed to "close the deal with voters" despite having a huge financial advantage. vladimir putin is celebrating his definitive victory in russia's presidential election. but opposition groups say they don't recognize the results, complaining of widespread fraud. and today they plan to rally near the kremlin. the bbc's daniel sanford reports from moscow. >> reporter: vladimir putin appeared in front of a huge crowd outside of the kremlin walls. he proclaimed an emphatic victory and one that had been inevitable, even at the height of the recent protests. >> translator: we have won in an open and honest struggle. >> reporter: vladimir putin has wielded almost absolute power. he has muscled all the credible opposition figures out of mainstream politics. and as he brought his rarely seen wife back into the spotlight, he could not avoid the concerns about the manner of his victory. even his visit to the polling station ended with three half-naked women being led away, shouting "putin is a thief." there have already been thousands of allegations of fraud, including this footage, apparently showing a man feeding ballot paper after ballot paper into an automatic voting machine. >> translator: these have not been fair elections. but we must not relent. honest elections should be our constant motto for years to come. people shouldn't be forced to go out into the streets. >> reporter: the kremlin was surrounded by thousands of troops and riot police, preparing for the mass protests expected in the days ahead. putin has won again, but his followers are less enthusiastic than they once were, and his critics increasingly confident. daniel sanford, bbc news, moscow. >> we thought florida was bad. a lot of stuff going on. >> just stuffing the ballot box over and over. >> they say he won 64% of the vote. independent watchdogs say no, closer to 50%. as you heard, thousands of allegations of fraud there. tough times in russia. a lot of questions. >> he's there to stay for a while. >> six more years. 2018. well, besides losing the game, there's one other sure way to clear fans and players from a baseball park. swarming bees. >> it was the second inning. the diamondbacks versus the giants. when a giant swarm appeared in right field. the bees moved toward the right-field line, then settled near the giants' dugout on the first base side. mass exodus there. >> time to go. two sections of fans were evacuated while the grounds crew used lemonade and cotton candy to lure those bees away. not a bad way to -- final stats here, delay of game 41 minutes, zero stings. giants win 11-1. bees win as well. we'll be right back. ♪ bumblebee ♪ i know what you want from me ♪ doo, doo, doo, doo, la larks ♪ [ female announcer ] with swiffer wetjet, cleaning better, doesn't have to take longer. i'm done. i'm going to... drink this... on the porch! ♪ give me just a little more time ♪ [ female announcer ] mops can be a hassle, but swiffer wetjet's spray cleaner and absorbent pads can clean better in half the time so you don't miss a thing. swiffer. better clean in half the time. or your money back. and for dry messes big and small try swiffer sweeper vac. welcome back, everybody. there are claims that nfl players and their long-time defensive coordinator greg williams were paid to hurt their opponents. >> yes. the league is investigating of course. and players say the claims are legitimate. here's abc's chris bury. >> reporter: the latest twists in the pay for pain scandal include this shot against indianapolis superstar peyton manning in a 2006 game with the washington redskins. his former coach blames it for the neck injury that could end manning's career. was it a paid hit? the nfl is accusing the new orleans saints of paying players to hurt opponents, including a $10,000 bounty on brett favre. former buffalo bills safety coy wire told abc news players were paid for knockout shots. >> did players and other coaches get carried away? absolutely. and i think now looking back that they knew it was wrong. >> reporter: the common denominator, greg williams, who coached for the redskins, saints, and bills. in a statement he now calls the cash bounties "a terrible mistake." the brutal bounties come to light just as the nfl faces more lawsuits like one from the family of dave duerson. he killed himself last year after blaming brain damage on hits he took in the nfl. >> violent hits are one thing. actually trying to take a player out of the game, trying to hurt a player, absolutely unacceptable. >> reporter: now more players are confirming what one calls an ugly tradition, a scandal that could get even uglier for the nfl. chris bury, abc news, chicago. >> and greg williams, the defensive coordinator, also reportedly did this with the titans. he's being summoned to new york to meet with the nfl. >> it's very possible he could face a lifetime ban from the league. they're going to make an example out of the saints. in this era right now the penalties are going to be stiff, far worse than spygate in '07 with the new england patriots. so i love my saints, but they're about to get punished severely. >> it is our facebook question of the day. should teams and coaches be held liable for deliberately encouraging bodily harm to try to hurt -- >> opposition players. yeah. i think most people will say yes. so chime in on facebook. and we'll be right back after this commercial break. many people call this next story disturbing. a 41-year-old teacher now dating and living with his 18-year-old former student. >> mm-hmm. the teacher, of course, has resigned from his job, but there are many other infamous cases of teachers falling for their students. here is abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: it's the story sending shock waves across the country. >> so a movie later, too? >> reporter: 41-year-old california high school teacher james hooker left his wife and kids to move in with his student, 18-year-old jordan powers. >> i love you. >> i love you. >> reporter: they met when she was a high school freshman. but both insist they waited until jordan turned 18 in september to become physical. >> i think that they're just digging for something that wasn't there. >> reporter: james hooker resigned from the school, and jordan no longer attends classes. but police are investigating when their relationship actually began and whether they broke the law. >> i'm just following my heart, and this is the direction i'm going now. >> reporter: they say it's forever. but what happens to these high-profile controversial romances? >> police found mary kay letourneau and the young man early yesterday morning. >> reporter: remember mary kay letourneau, the 34-year-old teacher went to jail for having sex with her 13-year-old student. she served seven years in prison. but when she got out, they married and they are still together. >> if men are hot-blooded, are women cold-blooded? >> reporter: the youngest actor on "home improvement," taryn noah smith, also married his much older tutor when he was 17 and she was 32. but they divorced six years later. >> most people have many relationships in their teen years and in their early 20s, and then they settle down. so it's very rare for any 18-year-old to stay with their partner. >> reporter: other high-profile teachers charged with sleeping with their students like debra lafave and pamela rogers have since steered clear of the boys they were involved with. experts say however in love these couples think they are, even with legal issues aside these relationships are often doomedstart. >> with these relationships it's really a mixture of a teen who's experimenting with their newfound sexuality and a teacher who doesn't know how to shut that down or doesn't want to shut that down. >> reporter: for this controversial couple the road ahead will undoubtedly be a rough one. >> where do you see yourself in five years? >> i hope to be able to start a new family and just be able to enjoy whatever the future holds. >> reporter: cecilia vega, abc news, modesto, california. >> i wonder if she'll wake up in five years and think, oh, good call. >> what did i do? re card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. 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[ male announcer ] for a better-looking tomorrow. vicks nyquil cold & flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. [ deep breath ] ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] vicks dayquil. defeats 5 cold & flu symptoms. ♪ ♪ got to play the saxophone. >> you play the flute, huh? >> sometimes the clarinet. >> finally this half hour, a little insomniac theater. as we just showed you on the big screen, the 3-d version of the dr. seuss story "the lorax" brought in 70 million bucks. >> cha-ching. but is it worth your time and your loot? we sent our digital news associate jace henderson to the theater. >> what did you think, chief? >> well, i'm so glad that this movie actually rocked the box office. $70 million this weekend. and i'm just -- i'm glad because i -- you know, i've read a lot of different critical reviews in the "los angeles times" and just a lot of adults who saw the film. and really this film is all about the kids versus whether they liked it. and they did. the kids liked it. and a lot of the adults didn't like it. this is not necessarily like "up," like the movie "up," which was brilliantly scripted. but this movie is definitely for the entire family. and this film is beautifully animated and it has a great message for kids, which is the importance of preserving life here on earth. a lot of the big name stars' voices in this film including danny devito who plays the lorax, zac efron as ted, betty white and ted smith as voices in this film. but i really think the reviews have to come from the kids themselves. so let's take a listen. >> i thought it was one of the cutest movies i've ever seen. >> what about you? >> it was a really good movie. definitely made me laugh. so it made me smile. >> what character was your most favorite? >> the lorax. >> so did you like the movie more or do you like the book more? >> i like the both of them. >> it's funny because when -- like when the tree falls down and the lorax is like, uh. >> i thought request the lorax" was enjoyable. what i learned is that you can't chop down so many trees because the world won't be pretty. and -- >> chop so many trees sought roads would be pretty. >> the kids should do reviews every week. >> that's jessica and cindy. those are daughters of two of our staff members here on the show. >> proud moms as they should be. >> but i totally agree with these little girls. this movie was awesome. i gave it 4 out of 5 stars. >> oh, wow. >> so go see it. and i know dr. seuss will be happy that you saw it too. >> we heard some criticism that there were some political undercurrents of the movie, environmental stuff. did you pick up on that vibe? >> well, i actually write a very interesting note just about the fact that the film was sort of supporting some sponsors who are not -- they don't have products that are ecofriendly. this morning on "world news now" -- spirit to survive. the amazing stories told by tornado survivors as a nightmarish storm barreled toward their front doors. >> including a kentucky woman who believes the power of her prayers kept a deadly twister away from her home. it's monday march 5th. good monday morning, everyone. i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. we'll hear from that kentucky woman who is literally thanking her lucky stars that she survived that tornado. nearly 40 people were killed in this outbreak of summer-like storms that are so hard to imagine this time of year. unbelievable footage of destruction from all parts of the midwest, particularly hard-hit parts of indiana and kentucky. >> yeah. the forecasters and meteorologists are saying what we just saw is going to go down in history. also this morning, tomorrow is super tuesday, or super duper tuesday, like rob and i like to call it, with ten states going to the polls to pick their favorite gop candidate for president. we're going to explain why ohio is crucial and a big name in politics who is now supporting mitt romney. >> and maybe by this time wednesday we'll have a clear idea of who the inevitable candidate's going to be, or nominee's going to be. but it seems like these guys, newt and rick santorum, want to fight until the end. some think it's going to go all the way to the convention this summer. but super tuesday should make things a lot clearer with ten states on the line. also later this half hour, she made a name for herself in school as a dork, self-described dork and the head of her student council, but now she's made a name for herself with the cops. the popos. this young woman living a double life. overachiever by day. >> very intrigued by this. >> kind of a criminal by night. so we'll get to that in just a second. >> alter ego there. but first, winter is making a comeback in many areas hard hit by last week's storms. >> survivors are doing their best to cope with the challenges including the loose -- the power outages that you can imagine are pretty widespread. abc's matt gutman reports now from a hard-hit area, west liberty, kentucky. >> reporter: with prayer as fervent as the tornado was ferocious, we heard the woman in this video trying to pray it away. >> in your son's name. take this up away from our home. >> reporter: it decimated block after block. we set out to track her down. but with no phones and no electricity it wasn't easy. finally, we found her, going house to house. >> it went right over the hill, and it began forming and you could see the funnel. >> reporter: it knocked the porch right off? >> it knocked the porch right off. i watched it go. >> reporter: the twister skipped over her house, her family. others not so lucky. >> with broken hearts we join together. >> reporter: they prayed at grace baptist, heads bowed and tears streaming. ♪ hallelujah for the dead and the homeless. at main street almost every building condemned. the town hall, bank, courthouse, police station. the dozens staying at this shelter could be here for weeks, both young and old. these elderly men with stickers on their backs reminding caretakers not to let them out. because they keep trying to go home. >> reporter: there's so much debris, so much wreckage here that officials tell us they haven't yet begun to compile the statistics on the number of homes destroyed. they also don't know if there are any others here missing. matt gutman, abc news, west liberty, kentucky. and now a sad follow-up note to all that tornado damage. a toddler from southern indiana who was found in a field after a tornado destroyed her family's mobile home has died. angel babcock was taken off life support just hours ago. in fact, her father, mother, and two siblings were killed in that storm as well. angel's grandmother describes her final moments. >> i reached for her hand. i was holding her hand. and i don't know what made me let go. but she went and picked her arms straight up. >> the little girl's death brings the overall toll from friday's storms to 39 across five states. it was just unbelievable watching this unfold. i had the news on for hours watching. you could see these line of storms moving and all these warnings. more than 400 warnings. that's more than they had in the entire month of march. they had it in one day. >> so 39 deaths so far and counting in this storm. 21 of those from kentucky. but overall the severe storms this year alone, 52 deaths. >> it's unbelievable, too. and they're worried about what kind of tornado season we could face this spring and summer. those are typically the hot months. 550 people died in the u.s. because of tornadoes last year. and obviously, this, you know, sets us off to break that record or come close again. so all eyes on the sky the next couple months. it's scary. it really is. >> here's a look at your weather. snow in parts of that tornado zone. up to three inches from southern indiana to kentucky, west virginia, and north carolina. a dusting from the great lakes to northern new england. rainy in seattle and portland. heavy mountain snow in the cascades and the northern rockies. >> 45 in seattle. 60s in boise and colorado springs. 30s from fargo to detroit. 38 in boston. 47 in baltimore. 72 in new orleans. well, president obama and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu are focusing on iran's nuclear ambitions as they meet at the white house this morning. the president told a pro-israel lobbying group that he would not hesitate to use force against iran to protect the u.s. and its interests. but he also urged israel to let those sanctions against iran sink in. well, that may not sit well with netanyahu, who is already considering a pre-emptive strike. in syria this morning the red cross says it is not giving up on getting aid to the hard-hit city of homs. activists insist the government is trying to prevent the red cross from seeing what they call massacres by syrian forces against defenseless civilians. with more on this here's abc's christiane amanpour. >> reporter: as bashar assad tries to crush the popular uprising against him, any doubts about his regime's brutal response have been erased. at least 12 people, including five children, were reportedly killed when the syrian army attacked a peaceful protest in rastan, a mostly rebel-held town. the assault on rastan comes after what looks like a victory for assad in homs. ground zero for the rebellion. paul conroy, a news photographer, was seriously injured last week trying to document the horror of homs. conroy has only just managed to escape. and several activists gave their lives trying to save his. >> the intensity of the shelling. we were taking direct hits after direct hits on the building we were in. the time for talking is over. somebody must act because we're not going to see the next phase. the next phase will not be televised. the activists won't be there because they're all going to die in the next few days. there will not be any witnesses. >> reporter: the view from the white house is one of mounting concern as the past 24 hours show that assad is racing to rout the rebellion across the country. the carnage continues. and yet there is still no diplomatic solution, no humanitarian help. and increasingly loud calls by the rebels for america to help. christiane amanpour, abc news, washington. >> and that help christiane's talking about is just not coming yet. senator mccain has proposed arming these rebels, dropping in supplies, but they haven't acted on that just yet. wondering if that is the best route to take. but something has to be done. those chilling comments from that reporter, who said there won't be any witnesses to this. the activists are being killed. >> there will be no account. which just means he's going to do whatever he wants and know that there won't be any potential ramifications because we will not have witnesses or seen it. just frightening. well, gas prices continue their upward trend, and you can blame it on the tensions in the middle east. aaa says the national average for a gallon of unleaded jumped eight cents just over the past week. it's now $3.76. compare that to a year ago, when americans were paying $3.49. the energy department expects the drastic increases will continue for months. and the settlement bp is working out with victims of the gulf oil spill now includes a health monitoring system. it's set up to address health concerns and compensation for people with illnesses linked to that disaster. even if health issues surface years from now. >> that trial was supposed to start today after being initially delayed, but they backed it up because obviously they reached that settlement. billions of dollars now being pumped back into the gulf coast and the residents who were impacted by that spill. so some progress, you know -- >> 7.6 bill and then there's the government that will get involved. and that number could swell. >> yes. big news for that part of the country for sure. just ahead of the super tuesday, a new poll finds mitt romney surging ahead of the republican pack. the poll finds romney six points now ahead of rick santorum. >> abc's rick klein looks at the race and which state is most important on super tuesday. good morning, rick. >> reporter: rob and paula, ohio is the ball game tuesday. it is a huge opportunity for rick santorum to show he can win a big battleground state, what he failed to do last week in michigan. and it may even be bigger for mitt romney. he can all but end the nomination fight by winning ohio. meanwhile, barbara bush, the former first lady, has recorded a call for mitt romney in ohio. >> hi.a bush. we have known the romneys for years and believe mitt is the best man to lead the country for the next four years and ann will make a great first lady. >> reporter: that means the republican establishment is falling in line behind mitt romney. this is a statement, a strong signal to the gop rank and file, it's time to coalesce behind the man who is almost certain to be their nominee. and all the candidates have to deal with these controversial comments that rush limbaugh made last week. and this is exactly the kind of conversation the candidates don't want to be having right now. the single biggest day of voting of the primary season just two days away. the presidential contenders are responding to something outrageous that a talk radio host said. rob and paula? >> and rush did apologize. some said it wasn't enough and only acted because he was losing a lot of sponsors and a lot of money for his show. so lots of fallout for that. moving on now, people in the town of sweet home, oregon are probably still trying to wash off this morning. >> because a lot of them took part in the annual mudfest. it's a pretty simple concept. you drive through the mud in your truck and you don't get stuck. that's all there is. that looks really fun, actually. >> although hundreds turned out this year, some say it was a little more subdued actually this time around. the likely culprit, those high gas prices. >> it looks like a whole lot of like brownie mix. >> glad you see that. we'll be back with more right after this. ♪ it goes where i need to go ♪ it ain't easy ♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ ♪ pop goes the world ♪ pop goes the world [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. pop in. stand out. and it's surprising what it goes through in the course of a day. but what's even more surprising is that brushing alone isn't enough to keep it clean. fortunately, you've got listerine. unlike brushing which misses 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so what are you waiting for? it's time to take your mouth to a whole new level of health. listerine... power to your mouth. ♪ bad girl ♪ talking about the sad girl bad girl. >> she was a bad, bad girl. >> you were probably a good girl in school, weren't you? >> yeah. >> i see a little knowing smile. >> you see my halo, right? now to the double life of a self-described dork. she actually was the student body president and an academic star on top of that. >> but police believe she led a secret life of crime. ♪ dun, dun, dun yes, her classmates and professors are shocked after her bank robbery arrest. here's abc's chris bury. >> my name is meghan -- >> reporter: this is the image meghan melnyk presented. star student. president of her student council. a self-described music-loving dork. >> i play the saxophone. i sing at really random times. >> reporter: now this is what the world sees. a disheveled meghan captured in the back seat of a cop car. the 27-year-old accused of robbing this credit union in calgary, canada. wearing dark glasses and a disguise, grabbing cash from a teller she threatened with a knife. now her fellow students shocked by her secret double life. but meghan had even more secrets. past arrests for fraud, forgery, and violating probation after driving a stolen suv. she had abruptly quit her student presidency after financial anomalies were uncovered. so what caused her to snap? >> people who will revert to crime to solve their problems probably have a history of that. >> reporter: this is not the first time a prominent student has turned to serious crime. in 2006 a former lehigh university class president robbed a pennsylvania bank to support his online gambling habit. greg hogan, a minister's son, served 22 months in prison, where he talked to abc's chris cuomo. >> the addiction told me to do it. without the addiction i definitely never would have ever thought of an idea like this. >> reporter: but meghan's motive remains a mystery. police say she refuses to cooperate. her college tells us, "we do not know what drove meghan to this. we hope she receives the help she needs." a promising student caught on the dark side of a double life. chris bury, abc news, chicago. >> outstanding warrants she had for fraud, uttering forged documents, and breach of probation for possession of a stolen suv three years ago. >> she was a bad, bad girl. >> she had a little rap sheet. mm-hmm. wow. well, coming up, oprah winfrey has not lost her touch in getting the big interviews. >> oh, yeah. plus demi moore and her road to recovery. coming up next in "the skinny." ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny welcome back, everybody. let's start dishing the dirt on monday morning. >> dish. >> and a source in the fallout from whitney houston said someone had to get the first big interview post-funeral. and of course that is now going to go to oprah winfrey. we learned over the weekend -- >> of course. >> -- that an upcoming "oprah's next chapter" episode which will air march 11th, this coming sunday, will feature oprah's interview with 18-year-old bobbi kristina, whitney and bobby brown's daughter, as well as patricia houston, who was whitney's sister-in-law. if you saw the funeral, you saw her speak. and also whitney's brother gary will sut down with oprah. it will air march 11th on oprah's network own. she needs the help in the ratings. i assume this will help. and bobbi kristina actually turns 19 this coming sunday, the same day it airs. tune in for that. it should be very interesting. especially the daughter. a lot of concerns about her since whitney's death. she'll sit down -- they'll sit down with the queen to see what's going on. >> you know demi moore, she had checked herself into therapy after that 911 call about a month ago. well, she has been released from therapy. she is now vacationing at an undisclosed location. the caribbean. "people" magazine is reporting, though, that ashton kutcher, her ex, visited her while she was undergoing therapy. there is no chance, though, for a reconciliation. he basically did it because he knew it was important to her daughters and important to maintain that sort of relationship. he, by the way, has been spotted recently in italy with his new flame, a screenwriter by the name of lorene scafaria. >> and they say she kind of looks like demi a little bit. some comparisons. >> but i think a downgrade from demi. >> it's hard to go up from demi. we hope this is a turning point and she's getting better and that's a good sign, she's getting better. speaking of rehab, lindsay lohan back in the news from alcohol and drug rehab to a little bit of image rehab. for the fourth time she was the guest host on "saturday night live" over the weekend. but some mixed reviews here. they said she wasn't featured as prominently as other hosts. she was kind of in the backdrop of some of the sketches as opposed to the main character here. they said some skits you could see her eyes reading the cue cards. there were some funny moments, particularly from a sketch or two. check out one. >> you're going to be playing ping-pong. they'll be playing ping-pong with your ding-dong. and they'll be eating at the bubble gum schlong company. >> yeah. >> got that? >> the schlong cocktails. schlong kebabs. popcorn schlong. >> mexican schlong, russian schlong, and schlong surprise. >> yes. >> lindsay again trying to rehab her image. she was back. very mixed reviews on this one. the funniest part -- >> she has aged. >> she looks a little different. she lived that hard party life so it's going to take its toll. but she's trying to come back. we'll see how it goes. >> okay. this fallout between gabriel aubry and halle berry not going well. the latest demands he wants halle berry to pay $15,000 to $20,000 a month for a proper home so their 3-year-old daughter can have similar living conditions to what she's accustomed to. a large amount of money for clothing. of course halle's having nothing of this. there's going to be a trial, a hearing on april 9th. >> i love that phrase. what people become accustomed to. always interesting. interesting. ♪ uhh! [ alyson ] just keep walking... ♪ oh, come on! ♪ ugh, again! [ sniffs ] that's what i'm talkin' about. [ female announcer ] new head & shoulders green apple, with an enticing scent. works on the scalp for up to 100% flake-free hair that's irresistibly fragrant. [ both laugh ] [ female announcer ] new head & shoulders green apple. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me ♪ ♪ i have no privacy that's michael. ♪ i always feel like >> old school michael, man. always good. now time for our -- get your hands up. favorite story of the day. thanks to google earth there are cars taking snapshots all around the world one corner at a time to be posted for all of us to view. >> but here's the big problem. what happens when the camera catches things that you would rather not have people see? the man you're about to see got caught with his pants down. what are you doing? your tail's hanging out, by the way. >> sorry. >> reporter: it happened in a tiny idyllic french village. a frenchman tending to his garden decided to do some, ahem, wee-weeing outdoors. just then a google street view car rolled through and now his version of watering the plants has gone viral. and his lawyer says he is now the object of ridicule in his small village. google street view's combination of random snapshots and the bizarre has made for many instant internet sensations. a recent unwitting star is this miami woman caught in the buff. but in the original nothing was blurred out. using these nifty car-mounted cameras google's street view captures not just people's neighborhoods but all parts of thfr lives. there are entire internet sites devoted to finding nudes, snoozing sunbathers and even flashers. other sites dedicated to the bizarre -- more folks using public bathrooms where there aren't any or sword fighting. and a buffet of alleged crime, burglary, bike theft, drug deals, and crack. way too much crack. and not everyone's happy about what they see. bob muse told the "daily mail" that he lost 100 pounds after stumbling on this photo of himself. some really not happy? like this land-based scuba duo lying in weight then giving chase with pitchforks. but there is good news for those who get a giggle from this. >> google will never be able to stop the images being there because there are so many of them. >> reporter: but for that frenchman it's no laughing matter. he's suing google for infringement of privacy and demanding that photo be taken down lest his gardening secret become even more famous. >> have you ever seen like what's posted of you or in your area? >> no, i never have. i've never -- i actually must be the only person in new york who has not seen one of those google trucks roaming the streets. i've never even seen one. >> i've never seen one of the trucks. but i've seen plenty of the photos. yeah. >> and that guy's case will be in court march 15th. there should be a verdict. we'll see what action they take. >> a lesson for all of us. keep your clothes on when you're outside. >> sometimes. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now." informing insomniacs for two decades.