Fiscal crisis. Our Jonathan Karl has been on the phone today to find out what happened. Reporter it wasnt the way mitt romney wanted to arrive at the white house. Over the gaze of the oval Office Portrait of abraham lincoln, known for his team of rivals, romney and obama met alone for an hour. By all accounts, much more cordial than their last encounter. No, i had a question, and the question was you want me to answer a question. Reporter on the menu, white turkey chili and southwestern grilled chicken salad. And some fence mending. But down the street, on capitol hill, was where the real fireworks were. Partisan sniping and a clear sign that talks on averting the socalled fiscal cliff and preventing a big tax hike for everybody are going backwards fast. Just listen to the Democratic Senate leader talking about the speaker of the house today. I dont understand his brain, so, you should ask him. Reporter president obama and Speaker Boehner spoke by phone last night in a call sources tell abc news was blunt and unproductive. Both men refusing to give ground on the issue of tax rates for the wealthy. Obama insisting they go up, boehner insisting they dont. Listen, this is not a game. Jobs are on the line. The American Economy is on the line. This is a moment for adult leadership. Reporter and taxes arent the only sticking point. Republicans are demanding the president come forward with a plan to limit spending on medicare and Social Security, something Many Democrats say is just not acceptable. I didnt have my own card with me. Jill wouldnt let me have one. Reporter Vice President biden got into the act today, too, taking a break from Christmas Shopping and snacking at costco to urge congress to extend middle class tax cuts. I think its Important Congress acts now. I mean, right now. Reporter can mitt romney, with all his business experience, play a role on brokering a deal . Well, dont count on it, diane. The president did not ask for his help today and the two simply agreed to keep in touch. And for now, nothing more. All right, thank you, Jonathan Karl. And now, we move onto two towns that had reason to rejoice today. Two tickets won that half a billion dollar lottery. One ticket sold in arizona, another in a tiny town in missouri, where, tonight, winners have come forward, but will not be announced until tomorrow. In the meantime, the 496 neighbors of that town are eyeing each other and asking, is it you . We have two reports tonight, starting with abcs alex perez from the tiny, lucky town of dearborn, missouri. Alex . Reporter well, diane, this is a teeny tiny town. In fact, this is the only cafe in the small downtown area here, and all day, theres been just one question that everyone is asking. Who won the jackpot . Welcome to dearborn, missouri, a small farming community, population, just 496. And possibly home to one of americas newest multimillionaires. We want to know who won. Thats about it. Reporter at cooks corner cafe, a place where Everybody Knows your name, everyone seems to be staring at each other a little closer today. This is the biggest thing thats ever happened in dearborn. Reporter in a town this small, word travels quickly. One man even claiming on his facebook that hes the winner, but until an official announcement is made, the mystery is growing. Could be anybody, so, were just waiting to find out. Its so exciting. Reporter the winning Powerball Ticket sold here at trex mart, the only gas station in town. It would be neat if its somebody here in town that we know. Reporter there are already dreams of that very lucky person helping to make dearborn better. I hope its somebody local that will do something good in this town. Reporter the possibility of one neighbors extremely good fortune, enough to raise good spirits here and fill them with hope. Alex perez, abc news, dearborn, missouri. Reporter im david wright at the 4 sons market in fountain hills, arizona. An ordinary gas and go market, today, the focus of a national obsession. Ive never seen anything like this in my entire life. So, hats off to the winner. This is crazy. Hats off is right. Im jealous. Reporter the arizona winner bought the ticket yesterday, but lottery officials wont pinpoint the time just yet. Otherwise, we might be able to spot them on the stores timestamped surveillance tapes. I wonder if youll recognize the winner. Im hoping i do because a lot of people tell us that if we sell them the winner, theyre going to, you know, send some money our way. Well its time to step up. Reporter there are plenty of consolation prizes, including 66 new millionaires today. Folks who got five out of six numbers. Among them, 34yearold larry chandler. I kept looking at the ticket, looking at the newspaper, looking at the ticket, looking at the newspaper. Pretty cool, man. Reporter tonight, hes taking his girlfriend to celebrate at red lobster. Todays winners have 180 days to claim their prizes or lose them. Nationwide, about 800 million went unclaimed last year. That money goes to education or other programs at the discretion of the state. You know, some states allow winners to remain anonymous. Not arizona. Here, youre not required to accept your winnings in the form of a fivefoot check, but your name and your hometown are made public and as soon as that happens, diane, these winners will find that they have a lot of new friends. Im sure youre right. Thanks so much, david. And now, we move onto a health alert about a popular drug and particles of glass found in the pills. 4 million americans rely on this generic version of the drug lipitor to control their cholesterol. And tonight, the manufacturer of that drug has stopped production. Abcs david kerley tells us more. Reporter the company that produces more than 1 in 3 generic lipitor pills taken in this country has shut down all production. The problem . Ranbaxy cant figure out how small glass particles, the size of a grain of sand, have gotten into its generic pills. The contamination has not led to any patient problems. But consumers are being told to return the ranbaxy pills and get another brand. Generics are popular because of their price. Name brand lipitor costs 4. 72 a pill. The ranbaxy pill, just 3. 85. But this is just the latest manufacturing problem for ranbaxy. Earlier this year, the u. S. Government forbid the company from importing 30 drugs from some of its facilities in india, because of bad recordkeeping. Ranbaxy wont say where these pills are made. The fda says it cant comment on whether ranbaxy violated the rules. The company has real difficulties with quality control, not just in one of a or a couple of its facility, but in many facilities. Reporter even though this is the largest maker of generic lipitor, there are enough other manufacturers to make up for any shortages. David kerley, abc news, washington. And now, we want to show a picture at the heart of a new and growing controversy in american schools. This is a padded room, a photo spreading from Washington State to parents around the country. They are called isolation rooms and theyre used to restrain some children, including autistic ones. Abcs chief investigative correspondent brian ross brings us videotape, and we warn you, its not always easy to watch. Reporter this Surveillance Video shows High School Student andre mccollins, in the lower right of the screen, about to go through what his school calls skin Shock Therapy for misbehavior. About 60 volts of therapy. There are no National Standards for the punishments or restraints used on school children, including those like andre with behavior disabilities. Later tied spread eagle to a restraint board. No, no, no. Reporter and what happened at this school outside boston, an extreme example, but entirely legal. Some day, were all i think were all going to look back, and were going to say, can you believe what we did here . Reporter an abc news investigation has found that only 17 states have specific laws protecting students from harsh treatments and restraints. Theres thousands and thousands of children that have been traumatized, they have been injured. Reporter in arizona and Washington State, parents are up in arms over padded isolation boxes or cells, where students have been left for long stretches. In kentucky, a mother found her autistic 8yearold son had been stuffed into a duffel bag like this one, specially made to restrain children. They held me, like reporter in pennsylvania, a group of students with behavioral issues described to abc news how they had been tied up or manhandled at previous schools. Did it hurt . Yeah, it really did hurt. Reporter 11yearold jordan described being locked up in one of those isolation boxes. Its scary. Really scary. Even for the bravest person in the world, its still really scary. Reporter and even worse, there have been dozens of deaths of students being restrained by teachers or staff, often untrained or unaware of safe procedures. And tonight on nightline, diane, well show the dramatic video of one of those tragic deaths taking place. We will be watching. Thank you, brian. And now, we turn overseas to syria, the nation ravaged by fierce rebellion against the dictator, because tonight, the internet in syria has gone dark. One Network Service provider says syria completely vanished off the internet radar today. You can see the drastic drop, just before 12 30 p. M. In damascus. And rebel forces say the Syrian Government is behind the blackout and they fear it could mean a new round of fierce attacks are coming. Cell phone service has also been interrupted. And a big celebration among palestinians today. A little girl with the flag painted on her face. Cheering in gaza and the west bank. They are celebrating the vote at the united nations, including palestine as an observer state. Palestine will not be a full Voting Member of the u. N. , but could be allowed to join some u. N. Groups and the International Criminal court. The United States and israel had strongly opposed the move, saying it could complicate peace efforts. But the vote passed by a wide margin. And, still ahead here on world news, our yearlong investigation, the leader of a polygamist sect behind bars. So, how is he still controlling thousands of followers . We use this board to compare Car Insurance rates side by side so you get the same coverage, often for less. Thats one smart board. What else does it do, reverse gravity . [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ whooshing ] strongly opposed the move, tell me about it. Why am i not going anywhere . You dont believe hard enough. A smarter way to shop around. Now thats progressive. Call or click today. [ grunting ] who have used androgel 1 , theres big news. Presenting androgel 1. 62 . Both are used to treat men with low testosterone. Androgel 1. 62 is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. It raises your testosterone levels, and. Is concentrated, so you could use less gel. And with androgel 1. 62 , you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. Discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. Men with Breast Cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are Breast Feeding should not use androgel. Serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. Tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. Talk to your doctor today about androgel 1. 62 so you can use less gel. Log on now to androgeloffer. Com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1. 62 . What are you waiting for . This is big news. For a medicare plan . You only have 8 days left. Open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. So give unitedhealthcare a call today. Consider a Medicare Advantage plan. It can combine doctor and hospital coverage with Prescription Drug coverage for as low as a zero dollar monthly premium. You only have until december 7th to enroll. Call unitedhealthcare today. Tonight, a wellknown polygamist sect is back in the news. Authorities in texas are fighting to seize a compound in texas belonging to the group led by warren jeffs. You may remember jeffs was suspected of taking dozens of underaged brides, but he was convicted last year of sexually assaulting two young women. And another of the towns where jeffs followers live is in the spotlight, as well, and this one is on the border between utah and arizona. Abc news spent a year investigating the education of children there and the control jeffs still exerts from his prison cell. Amy robach made the trip to a secret world. Reporter deep in the desert, on the border between utah and arizona, a polygamous sect of 8,000 people are still living a secret live, obeying the commands of their leader, warren jeffs. He was sentenced to life in prison for the Sexual Assault of girls as young as 14. We miss our prophet. We know he is innocent. Reporter a yearlong investigation by 20 20 reveals that jeffs, from behind prison bars, still controls every aspect of his followers lives. Obey the prophet when he speaks, and youll be blessed. Disobey him it is death. Reporter in this community, where a man needs three wives to gain salvation, warren jeffs married over 80 women. Every week, he issues bizarre orders that seem random to outsiders. Now it is down that you cannot eat corn. No sex between husband and wife. At home you couldnt have any toys. You couldnt ride bikes either. Reporter this community has often taken young boys out of school to work in construction. Willie steed told us he helped build this multimillion dollar house for jeffs, even though his sentence was life. They said if we build it then it would melt the bars or whatever in his jail and he would be released. Reporter is warren jeffs in charge . We asked people all over town about warren jeffs, but no one would answer our questions. Excuse me . Excuse me . Hello . But the most destructive form of control is jeffs banishment of hundreds of people from the town. This midwife has birthed hundreds of babies. Shes worked here for almost 40 years. On a busy day, i could see as many as 20 to 25 patients. Reporter but just a few months ago, she too was banished. Willie steeds family was torn apart, too. What happens to your loved ones is hell. Reporter a kind of underground railroad for those escaping from polygamy is now helping willies family slowly adjust to modern life. Like many young boys here, he could barely read. Dodge . Close. Reporter as for his sisters, a milestone. They were never allowed to cut their hair before. That was quite a time for us. Reporter you get emotional, though, when you talk about it. We have to move on in life and leave things behind. Reporter one family now beyond jeffs reach. Thousands more still isolated in the desert, obeying his word. And amy robach is here now. Amy, no one can do anything about this . What about the board of education and the schools . Reporter and we spoke with them and they say the flds is protected by a home schooling law that is separate in utah. Basically school officials, the board of education, have no rights to go in and make any assessment of whats going on inside these homes. They cannot tell the parents what type of curriculum to use or not to use. They say their hands are tied. What about the prison system . And jeffs sending out messages . Reporter we contacted the Texas Department of criminal justice who told us that most defenders like warren jeffs have basic rights. They have rights to send and receive mail. They have rights to use the telephone. They have rights to have visitors on preapproved guest lists. And those rights apply to warren jeffs. Tell me the name of the group that is helping them get out. Reporter holding out help. They are so desperate for money and help because they priovide o much for these families who have nothing when they leave. Not even a drivers license sometimes. All right, amy robach. As we said, going into a very secret world. Thank you. And, coming up next here, the father and daughter fishing trip that turned into a real life moby dick. Oh, my god, dad. Is he going to hit us . Dad . Is he going to hit us . Oh, my god. Two ye the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf. Bp has paid over twentythree billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. Today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. And bps also committed to america. We support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. Were working to fuel america for generations to come. Our commitment has never been stronger. Gives you a low 18. 50 monthly plan premium. And select generic hypertension drugs available for only a penny. So you can focus on what really matters. Call humana at 18008084003. Campbells has 24 new soups that will make it drop over, and over again. From jammin jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. See whats new from campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. But when i was in an accident. See whats new from campbells. I was worried the Health Care System spoke a language all its own with unitedhealthcare, i got help that fit my life. Living with moderate to semeans living with pain. Is it could also mean living with joint damage. Help relieve the pain and stop the damage with humira, adalimumab. For many adults with moderate to severe ra, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. So you can treat more than just the pain. Humira can lower