03/09/2014 ABC World News with Diane Sawyer

thrown by the locals. Time now for a look at the news as

seen across the United States a couple of hours ago in ABC World

News with David Muir. The horrific images, the second

American hostage apparently killed by the ruthless terror group, ISIS.

Tonight, more information coming in. Tornado warnings. Twisters already

doing damage. Lightning strikes and massive hailstorms. The stolen

childhood. Returning from the Syrian border. The children running from

Terra forced to work at the age of seven. `` terrorism. And we are

learning how the celebrity photographs were hacked. And how

safe are your photographs? We have the one thing that you should do

right now. Good evening. We begin with the

horrific news, the gruesome video appearing to show a second American

hostage executed by terrorists from ISIS. American journalist Stephen

Sotloff, just 31 years old. It comes just two weeks after another

American, James Foley, lost his life. Tonight, and urgent

international manhunt for the man with what sounds like a British

accent, appearing now with a message for President Obama.

US officials said today that Stephen Sotloff never had a chance. Once the

American journalist was in the hands of the ISIS group... The emotional

plea for his life from his mother clearly had no impact on her son's

killers. I ask you to please release my child. As a mother, I ask for

your justice to be merciful and for you to not punish my son over

matters he has no control of. ISIS said it had killed Stephen Sotloff

because of President Obama's decision to continue airstrikes in

Iraq. Today, the only comment came from the President's press

secretary. Our thoughts and prayers are with Stephen Sotloff and his

family. The graphic video today was titled, A Second Message To

America. It was posted online and then distributed on social media.

The executioner appeared to be the same British accented speaker who

killed James Foley two weeks ago. Investigators are already comparing

the voices of the two videos along with an analysis of the desert

setting, the Speaker's use of his left hand to hold the knife.

Earlier, facial recognition experts created this likeness from the

video, both clean`shaven and with a moustache, trying to figure out who

is responsible. There is obviously tremendous interest in identifying

who and where ISIS continues to hold foreigners. A spokesman from Stephen

Sotloff's parents said they were privately grieving the loss of their

son. Of continued concern to US officials is their belief that the

group is also holding two young American aid workers, who went to

Syria to do nothing more but help civilians who were caught in the

middle of the conflict. Thank you. And that hooded terrorists from ISIS

was speaking directly to President Obama today. The President is

meeting with global leaders in Europe tonight. At the top of their

agenda is what to do about ISIS. White House officials say the

intelligence community is still working to confirm the authenticity

of this recording. But officials say they have no doubt that it is real.

The president sought to downplay the threat posed by ISIS but now with

the second execution of an American and fears that the group holds two

more people, it is a threat that is becoming increasingly difficult to

downplay. As the president meets with European leaders this week, the

need to come up with a comprehensive strategy to deal with ISIS is at the

top of the agenda. Thank you. And we want to remind everyone at home of

one important number tonight. More than 120 US airstrikes on ISIS

positions this week. Will this strange `` change the strategy,

going forward? This was certainly a wake`up call and this apparent

execution will reinforce the resolve but will not change the overall

strategy. There is disgust and anger at this horrific murder but the

military and the President must emotionally distanced themselves

when making decisions. The airstrikes in northern Iraq have

been relentless, the majority of them aimed at preventing ISIS from

overtaking towns. As for Syria, the White House press secretary said

today that the president had been working closely with his team to

review the military option is there. Surveillance flights over the

area have been looking at ISIS movements and targets and there are

plenty of them. It is now up to the president to decide if that is the

route he wants to take. And the Pentagon has confirmed tonight that

US airstrikes in Somalia did target of the head of Al`Shabab, the

terrorist groups with links `` group with links to Al`Qaeda.

Tonight, the other developing headline at home. The severe storms

and the weather this evening. Millions of Americans are on alert

this evening. In the Midwest tonight, families are cleaning up

after this tornado in Kansas. Just listen to this. Powerful lightning.

Storm chasers were filming so close by that they were injured. They all

recovered tonight. Lightning is always a concern. Tonight, we have

severe storms. There have already been more than three dozen severe

storm reports, the majority with damaging winds. Central

Pennsylvania, Western New York and Northern Maryland, Kentucky and into

Tennessee. Tomorrow, our attention turns to a brand`new storm, coming

out of Canada. South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. And, of

course, looking at the tropics, we have another tropical storm heading

into Mexico. Thank you. Now to the breaking headlines late today over

those famous faces and their private photographs. Jennifer Lawrence and

Kate Upton had their personal photographs posted online by

somebody else. How safe are your photographs?

that you can do right now. Tonight, a major break in the

hacking scandal, Apple saying there was no breach in any of their

systems, including... Instead, they said they had discovered a targeted

attack on certain celebrity accounts. Usernames, passwords and

security questions. Your mother's maiden name, their first pet. You

can probably get this information from their Wikipedia page. There is

a deep underground network of hackers all over the internet

profiting from the trade and sale of celebrity photos. They have contests

to see who can outdo each other. Tonight, the FBI are investigating

the alleged hacking and who is behind it but the privacy breaches

also exposing just how vulnerable our personal information and

pictures are on the internet. The solution lies in the passwords. They

are the gatekeepers to our privacy. Security experts say we much make

them unique `` must make them unique and change them often because a

photograph in the wrong hand can cause something much worse than

embarrassment. It can put you in danger. You can tell the latitude,

longitude and altitude of where she was when they took that photo. And

the single most effective thing you can do to protect your information

online is not just to protect your information online is not just a

user password. Many websites offer 2`step verifications. That will give

an added layer of protection. We're going to the story about the

nine`year`old girl who shocked her instructor with the Uzi. How young

is too young? Tonight it is the chaotic aftermath of a split second

accident. The moment the ninth `year`old girl having fun with her

family at the popular shooting range outside Las Vegas lost control of

the Uzi machine`gun, shooting her 89th `year`old instructor. According

to a police report, the girl dropped the gun, wrapping her shoulder is

injured, telling her mother the gun was too much. The girl's father said

that no one immediately realised the instructor was injured. It is

renewing debate about how Lee`Kyung is too young for kids on the firing

line. Rangers set their own limits, some are as young as six. They

desperately try to save his life. The family are devastated about the

death. With semi` American children going back to school, an urgent

crisis halfway around the world, with children who are not waiting

for the bus but going to work. There are children who are supporting

families from Syria. In Lebanon, there could be up to 300,000

children working. Only the children get hired to work because they can

be paid less. It is 6pm and we are three miles from the Syrian border.

We go to see what has replaced the school day for this girl. She wakes

up and there is no school bus. We bought the truck with the children.

They are going to the fields. She points out the way. The children

with tiny hands holding on, once a middle`class family in Syria. Now

they support their families. 20 minutes on the truck and then we

spot them, the farmers waiting for their workers. The only higher

children here because they know they can pay them less. The little boys

are likely making more than the little girls. In some cases. They

say that the boys are stronger. This boy is in the field and a tractor

comes by dangerously close. This is the new normal just over the border

from Syria in Lebanon. Instead of going to school, they go to the

fields. This is a tractor unearthing potatoes. The children gather to

fill their bags with potatoes. In many cases, we are now the sole

breadwinners. It is backbreaking work, but they have not forgotten

what their like with like. They spend seven hours a day feeding the

facts. `` filling the sacks. The farmer is telling her she needs to

put more into her bag. We are talking about 8,9, ten. From seven.

It is not just the factories, but also for the repair shops. We meet

the Syrian refugee trying to sell us tissues through the window. She told

us she lost her mother in Syria. We discovered the sliver of hope. Some

of the children after hours of hard labour and they still had the skip

in their step. We could share their voices round the corner. UNICEF is

trying to give them the school be missed. We asked how many came after

work. Their tiny hands came fresh from the fields, proud of their hard

work. 50 potatoes. It hurts your back? A little bit. How many want to

go home? It does not take them long to answer. We return to the tents.

The farmers weeks of them again tomorrow. We want you to know you

can help. UNICEF says $15 can buy an entire classroom worth of supplies.

All the information is on our website. This Tuesday, our reporter

was behind the wheel under water. Do you open the door or not? What is

behind the change. Joan Rivers and the latest from her family. Also, we

have all lost priced family photos. An American family but the crease