good evening. i m lester holt, sitting in for brian tonight. what would you do, buy a private jet, mansions, pay off all your dent tz, or give lavishly to charities. with the jackpot well north of half a billion dollars, a lot of us have been spending the unheard of winnings in our heads, living the fantasy. by noon eastern, the jackpot had climbed to $640 million. mega millions is played in 42 states, the district of columbia, and the virgin islands. and the tickets have been selling at the blistering pace of 14 million per hour. we know the odds of winning are ridiculously slim, yet a lot of folks tonight still can t help picturing themselves holding the big cardboard check come monday morning. stephanie gosk is with some of them tonight in new jersey. good evening. good evening, lester. a lot of people coming into shop said they have never played mega millions before, but to the today, they just had to. not because the odds are better, but because the prize is record bre
christiane amanpour slips out to find the real havana. good evening. i m cynthia mcfadden. we begin with the lottery that seems to have everybody talking. the single biggest jackpot ever. and just about 48 hours from now, someone, somewhere, could be a half billion dollars richer. millions of people in 42 states have purchased what they hope to be winning tickets. we fake a hard look tonight at winners and losers. be the lucky one. reporter: they are buying in los angeles, on manhattan island, in philly, cleveland, in tulsa, oklahoma. some on a whim and some with a plan. all with the hope and the dream, and maybe deep down the need to win. $10. reporter: and whoever does win, it will be in a way that s never happened before. last night, when the balls popped out for the midweek drawing and known had the numbers for the jackpot, it changed the game sizewise. not only was the jackpot still out there, but it grew, hugely. it grew from this to this. wow that is a record
prank call. justin bieber s big backfire. the star tweets out her number. now her phone is ringing off the hook. justin, oh, my god, call me back. i love you. how this tough-talking grandma is taking on the biebs right now. hellhello, everyone. that grandmother giving a finger wag. a lot to get to this morning. including what could be a dramatic piece of evidence. a new video of george zimmerman at the police station just about 40 minutes or so after the incident, it s raising real questions about his side of the story right now. people watching that video closely. another video, as well, that is causing a parenting storm. alicia silverstone posting footage of how she s feeding her baby boy. it s causing a dust-up right now. let s begin with the lottery fever. so much of america catching it right now. tickets for the mega millions lottery going strong on sale. reporter: people have been coming out here all morning for a chance at the biggest prize in american hist
christiane amanpour slips out to find the real havana. good evening. i m cynthia mcfadden. we begin with the lottery that seems to have everybody talking. the single biggest jackpot ever. and just about 48 hours from now, someone, somewhere, could be a half billion dollars richer. millions of people in 42 states have purchased what they hope to be winning tickets. we fake a hard look tonight at winners and losers. be the lucky one. reporter: they are buying in los angeles, on manhattan island, in philly, cleveland, in tulsa, oklahoma. some on a whim and some with a plan. all with the hope and the dream, and maybe deep down the need to win. $10. reporter: and whoever does win, it will be in a way that s never happened before. last night, when the balls popped out for the midweek drawing and known had the numbers for the jackpot, it changed the game sizewise. not only was the jackpot still out there, but it grew, hugely. it grew from this to this. wow that is a record
captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i m betty nguyen. the tables officially turn in washington today. the 112th congress convenes at noon with republicans in control of the house. high republican republican, the new speaker, john boehner, promises quick action to undo president obama s agenda. randall pinkston, what are the republicans planning to do first? good morning, betty. a lot of changes afoot here with a new team in charge. there will be new rules for its members and the new speaker, john boehner s first order of business will be to impose the new rules, which will affect the way legislation and budget matters are handled, then he and the gop will go after what they call obamacare. the new republican majority in the house plans to hit the ground running. i wish them success. i look forward to working with them. reporter: democratic leader nancy pelosi will officially return the gavel to incoming speaker john boehner later