:00:00. > :00:00.Stay with us. More on that to come. We will of course bring you the
:00:00. > :00:00.latest on the situation. Mike Embley will be here in under 20 minutes.
:00:07. > :00:09.Now for ABC News, as seen in the US a couple of hours ago, with Diane
:00:10. > :00:14.Sawyer. Tonight, demanding answers. Families
:00:15. > :00:17.of crash victims hold photos of loved ones who died as they
:00:18. > :00:24.questioned the head of General Motors. We will do the right thing.
:00:25. > :00:28.The new CEO tries to defend her company to Congress. The apology,
:00:29. > :00:32.American bishops under fire for lavish spending. Will the Pope
:00:33. > :00:37.crackdown? Thousands of firefighters stream into Boston as a football
:00:38. > :00:43.star helps on the courage he witnessed first hand.
:00:44. > :00:47.And neighbourhood secrets. Please go in search of orders in the
:00:48. > :00:48.neighbourhood. A new way to turn homes like this into this.
:00:49. > :01:00.`` horders. Good evening. We begin with a
:01:01. > :01:04.powerful drama unfolding today. American families demanding answers
:01:05. > :01:09.from the biggest car company in the nation. They are families who lost
:01:10. > :01:13.loved ones in crashes linked to faulty ignitions. Congress have put
:01:14. > :01:21.the new head of the company in the hot seat.
:01:22. > :01:28.With photos of their lost loved ones in hand, family members of General
:01:29. > :01:36.Motors crash victims made their way to Capitol Hill seeking answers. We
:01:37. > :01:39.are the voice of our daughter. Jane came here because her 18`year`old
:01:40. > :01:44.daughter Natasha was killed along with a 15`year`old with this car's
:01:45. > :01:50.ignition failed on a Wisconsin Road in 2006. The power shutdown, the
:01:51. > :01:55.steering wheel locked. There were no brakes. At least 13 deaths have been
:01:56. > :01:59.linked to the faulty ignitions which is, which can turn off power
:02:00. > :02:03.unexpectedly. Any of the crash victims were young people driving
:02:04. > :02:08.their first car. Mary is a GM veteran who recently took over as
:02:09. > :02:12.CEO. Today she faced Congress. Today's GM will do the right thing.
:02:13. > :02:16.That begins with my sincere apologies, especially the families
:02:17. > :02:22.and friends who lost their lives or were injured. But she was pressed on
:02:23. > :02:27.why the company decided for nearly one decade that fixing the ignition
:02:28. > :02:31.was too expensive. Documents provided by GM showed that this
:02:32. > :02:37.unacceptable cost increase was only 57 cents. Is the company
:02:38. > :02:40.responsible? Does GM accept responsibility for the accidents
:02:41. > :02:46.caused by the company's defective vehicles? We apologise for what has
:02:47. > :02:49.happened and we are doing an investigation. It has recalled
:02:50. > :02:55.around 2.6 million cars with faulty ignitions. You claim this has never
:02:56. > :03:01.crossed your desk in the past decade. How do you explain this to
:03:02. > :03:06.the families? Is a specific group that goes through and looks at it
:03:07. > :03:15.when it is an incident `` when there is an incident and I was never part
:03:16. > :03:23.of that. There is no amount of money that can replace my daughter but I
:03:24. > :03:29.want justice. We saw a familiar face announced today, someone to help on
:03:30. > :03:36.the story. GM has hired a well`known disaster response person, who helped
:03:37. > :03:39.set up the victim response after 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing
:03:40. > :03:44.and he is a very well`known name in that space. Thank you Rebecca for
:03:45. > :03:52.reporting in. Also today, President Obama took a victory lap, a deadline
:03:53. > :03:56.to sign up for Obamakm/h. 7 million Americans in role and be the goal
:03:57. > :04:01.the White House set. The president declared this healthcare law is here
:04:02. > :04:09.today. Our correspondent was in the Rose Garden and he tells us what
:04:10. > :04:16.happened next. 7.1 million Americans have signed up
:04:17. > :04:22.for private insurance plans. It looks like a victory celebration and
:04:23. > :04:25.the beginning of a new campaign. The debate over repealing this law is
:04:26. > :04:30.over and the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. A surge of signups
:04:31. > :04:35.around the country and online help the White House exceed even its own
:04:36. > :04:40.expectations. While 7.1 million and counting have signed up, there are
:04:41. > :04:45.still big unanswered questions. How many of those signing up were
:04:46. > :04:51.previously uninsured? And, how many signed up after loans were cancelled
:04:52. > :04:56.because of Obamacare? How many are young and healthy? The White House a
:04:57. > :05:03.big pitch to get young people must because if not enough of them in
:05:04. > :05:07.role, premiums will go up. Republicans have not backed off and
:05:08. > :05:13.argued again today that Obamacare is killing jobs and costing the public.
:05:14. > :05:17.In the four years since the act was passed, when it comes to healthcare,
:05:18. > :05:23.this is the best day the Democrats have had.
:05:24. > :05:27.Thank you. Now we had to Washington State with the epic mudslide.
:05:28. > :05:33.Satellite images tonight. The devastation from space. Forests and
:05:34. > :05:36.homes wiped off the map and lives have been shattered. Our
:05:37. > :05:42.correspondent takes us inside the pictures to show us what the rescue
:05:43. > :05:46.teams are fighting. Driving into this zone is like
:05:47. > :05:51.entering a wasteland. Chaos as far as you can see. We are taken to the
:05:52. > :05:54.last shred of this highway still standing, along where one of the
:05:55. > :06:03.worst landslide in history in the US came through. We have been trying to
:06:04. > :06:09.identify anything recognisable. It is all bunched up together. We are
:06:10. > :06:12.warned not to step into the debris and not to touch anything or we will
:06:13. > :06:17.have to be decontaminated. The mud is 80 feet deep in some places. They
:06:18. > :06:21.have made their own sidewalks with wood to get through here to be able
:06:22. > :06:26.to walk through without sinking into the mud. Before we leave, up on a
:06:27. > :06:30.ridge line there is the reminder that all this used to be a
:06:31. > :06:36.neighbourhood. I looked down and I noticed this, even in the distance,
:06:37. > :06:45.a muddied family photo. 27 have died and the painstaking work to find the
:06:46. > :06:49.rest goes on. We want to tell you about new
:06:50. > :06:52.frustrations tonight in the search for the missing passenger plane. The
:06:53. > :06:57.International search team co`ordinator admitted they had no
:06:58. > :07:01.idea if they were looking in the right place. They aren't sure of the
:07:02. > :07:07.final altitude, speed or direction. The last words from the COP it
:07:08. > :07:13.changed today also. `` cockpit. It said the co`pilot never said these
:07:14. > :07:20.words: he actually said, good night Malaysian 370. We want to say we
:07:21. > :07:23.heard from so many of you about our report on the hidden heroes caring
:07:24. > :07:31.for wounded warriors as they come home from the long wars. 1 million
:07:32. > :07:35.caregivers who need a. Elizabeth Dole is heading a mission to help
:07:36. > :07:40.them and she stood with some of the caregivers, including Jessica Klein
:07:41. > :07:46.who unit last night. Her husband bravely injured leading in
:07:47. > :07:49.Afghanistan. Action from Senator Patty Murray who said she will
:07:50. > :07:55.introduce a Bill to expand support for caregivers. They don't want to
:07:56. > :07:58.talk about themselves. They are the hidden person behind a hero. They
:07:59. > :08:03.are the heroes. Tonight, the pressure is on. Pope Francis told
:08:04. > :08:09.his clergy to live simply a year ago. The night, two bishops are
:08:10. > :08:12.trying to apologise for big homes and a pool paid for with money
:08:13. > :08:18.intended to help the work of the parish. Our correspondent tells us
:08:19. > :08:24.more. Holy expensive. This $2.2 million
:08:25. > :08:28.home is the new residence for the Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta and
:08:29. > :08:33.across the church they are furious. I think it is inappropriate. It is a
:08:34. > :08:38.far cry from the simple life reached by the Pope and among other things
:08:39. > :08:42.it has two dining rooms, an elevator and an eight Burma gas stove. One of
:08:43. > :08:52.the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the country, and today there is response
:08:53. > :08:54.to the flood of complaints calling it a personal failure and offering
:08:55. > :09:12.to move out and sell the home. Pope Francis removed a German Bishop
:09:13. > :09:18.who spent $43 million on a new residence. No word if the Vatican
:09:19. > :09:23.plans to send suggestions to Atlanta. They should give it to
:09:24. > :09:27.charity before they built a beautiful house. Parishioners are
:09:28. > :09:32.withholding donations in New Jersey after harsh Bishop John Myers spent
:09:33. > :09:42.half $1 million on his home. `` Archbishop. He feels the criticism
:09:43. > :09:47.is grossly unfair. Next, we want to tell you about a seismic change
:09:48. > :09:50.under way in ordinary American life. Something that was a staple in
:09:51. > :09:54.American refrigerators is disappearing, soda. The number of
:09:55. > :10:01.Americans drinking it has plummeted, down 3%. It might not be much, but
:10:02. > :10:06.it is hundreds of millions of bottles fewer. It is not only the
:10:07. > :10:14.sugar, what is happening? Our correspondent reports.
:10:15. > :10:19.And American icon is losing its grip on the nation's consumers. More
:10:20. > :10:25.mothers bypassing this aisle. I look in your basket and I don't see soda.
:10:26. > :10:30.We do not drink soda. The average American drank a 51 gallon bathtubs
:10:31. > :10:36.filtered soda in 1998 and today we drink nearly 20% less, only 44
:10:37. > :10:43.gallons a year. I grew up with soda in our house and I would drink 2`3
:10:44. > :10:50.cans each day. This mother of three, who we met at a yoga class, says the
:10:51. > :10:53.rules have changed for her kids. We won't have soda in the house. It
:10:54. > :10:59.gets worse, diet soda is losing market share even faster, down 6% in
:11:00. > :11:03.2013. Despite government assurances, diet soda are safe to drink. I
:11:04. > :11:08.thought about diet soda but I recently heard studies that indicate
:11:09. > :11:15.that artificial sweeteners aren't healthy. The industry admits it was
:11:16. > :11:17.a bad year both Coca`Cola and Pepsi made clear their businesses are
:11:18. > :11:22.diverse and they are major players in the bottled water, sports drink,
:11:23. > :11:29.tea and coffee lines. All of these are growing.
:11:30. > :11:34.Tonight, a pilgrimage under way as thousands had to a great American
:11:35. > :11:39.city who is still the result has been tested yet again, Boston, and
:11:40. > :11:44.firefighters killed in the line of duty. Their brothers are coming
:11:45. > :11:52.together to let that city knows a not alone. Our correspondent is that
:11:53. > :11:56.with the outpouring. `` they are not alone. Thousands
:11:57. > :12:02.from around the country and the world are pouring into Boston,
:12:03. > :12:10.lining up to pay their respect. Remember, two of their own. This
:12:11. > :12:15.captain travelled from Los Angeles. The fire service has been a
:12:16. > :12:20.brotherhood and a sisterhood and we come out to keep that going and show
:12:21. > :12:22.our respect. The city of Boston watching the valiant fight on
:12:23. > :12:25.Wednesday. Inside the inferno, 33`year`old Michael Kennedy and
:12:26. > :12:30.former Marine, and 43`year`old Lieutenant Colonel Wood Walsh Juno,
:12:31. > :12:33.married and a father of three. Their actions would save everyone in that
:12:34. > :12:37.4`storey building but they became trapped in the basement. It is tough
:12:38. > :12:46.to talk about it most times. When you ask how you doing, both men
:12:47. > :12:48.break down. One witness, Tom Brady, who lives doors away, says he saw
:12:49. > :13:04.true courage. Today, a mountain of flowers. At the
:13:05. > :13:10.church, the line of firefighters goes on for miles. They are here to
:13:11. > :13:12.pay their respects and to support a city that is still healing from the
:13:13. > :13:19.Maritime bombings. A city in mourning. And often strong.
:13:20. > :13:27.Both men will be awarded the medal of power from the firefighters of
:13:28. > :13:32.the city, posse must flee. At next, secrets in the neighbourhood as
:13:33. > :13:38.police target hoarders hiding behind the door and a new kind of hope,
:13:39. > :13:40.turning homes from this into this `` posse