ad prosecutor, breaking down in tears while delivering his closing argument. reminding jurors of the final moments before yeardley love died. "she couldn't scream. was it his hand over her mouth? was it her face being smashed into the floor?" throughout their case the prosecution insisted defendant george huguely killed his ex-girlfriend in a drunken rage. "this is the case of a woman who went to bed in what should be one of the safest and secure places, her home," they said. "and then he began to assault her. he left her for dead." the defense made their own dramatic closing argument. in a surprise twist, calling their own client a stupid drunk and boy athlete. but they reiterated he is no cold-blooded killer. "george played a role, but it's overwhelmingly a tragedy," they argued. "he left her there alive and that's not up for dispute." the defense says his intent was to go and talk with her. prosecution says uh-uh, his intent was to do serious bodily harm, an intent to kill yeardley, an intent to rob yeardley. >> reporter: the prosecution again brought up an e-mail that huguely wrote to love the week before her dead. claiming it shows premeditation. when he discovered love had been with another man, he wrote, "i should have killed you." >> i saw some jurors that i think are going to want to convict him of first-degree murder. i see other jurors that i think are going to want to give him a chance. >> reporter: in the meantime, friends and family of the 22-year-old who died so shockingly nearly two years ago wait anxiously for what they hope is justice for yeardley. >> tragedy is an understatement. it's like there aren't really -- there's nothing to say that can convey how terrible it is. >> reporter: in washington rena ninan, abc news. >> it's hard to believe the jury will not pay attention to that message, that e-mail, "i should have killed you." and the fact the lawyers admit he did contribute to the death but didn't cause it. certainly a verdict that at the very minimal was a negligent homicide seems highly unlikely. >> yeah, i don't understand -- you contributed to the death but didn't -- >> but didn't cause it? >> if you contributed, then that was premeditated. >> it's legal minutia. but clearly he played a role. so i can't imagine the jury would not consider many things going into that deliberation room for sure. in other news this morning a dust storm is now being blamed for a big crash out in west texas. gusty winds kicked up so much dust it brought visibility down to zero. an 18-wheeler overturned first. then about a dozen other trucks, cars, and suvs piled up after that. two people were injured and the highway had to be closed for hours. and temperatures are hovering near the 60 degree mark from nashville to raleigh today, but crews are still working to restore power after a southern storm left several states under a blanket of wet snow. abc's steve osunsami takes a look at the treacherous results. >> reporter: across virginia, west virginia, and tennessee driving felt more like demolition derby. with police in virginia alone responding to nearly 100 crashes that backed up roads for miles. all caused by nearly five inches of wet icy sloshy snow. >> i was wearing shorts not too long ago. so it's like a really weird winter. >> reporter: outside raleigh in north carolina heavy rain washed away the salt on the roads. then came the snow, which melted and then froze again. all of a sudden cars were driving on icicles. several people were hospitalized. >> somehow he got airborne and upside down. when he hit the car, when he hit my car he was sideways and upside down. >> reporter: this crash led to a fire. >> it just happened so fast. the roads had been fine till right there. and it was ice. >> reporter: this same storm system brought flooding rain to parts of louisiana, then triggered three tornadoes and sent quarter-sized hail raining down on four states over the weekend. but the worst of the storm may be the wet heavy snow, which brought down power lines in the tennessee valley and has left more than 50,000 families in the dark. the utilities have been working nonstop to clear the branches that brought down the lines. >> i've been up since about 4:00 and haven't been back to bed yet. >> reporter: for many in the south the first real winter zpornlgs storm, and it came with a punch. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. here's a look now at the rest offer weather from around the country. avalanche warnings in the cascades. please heed those warnings in light of this week's news. also some flooding rain around seattle. some morning fog for san francisco to san diego. heavy snow in the northern rockies. several inches of snow in michigan. showers from northwest indiana to pittsburgh. >> 50 here in new york. 49 in baltimore. 71 in nawlins for mardi gras. 43 in chicago. 53 in k.c. 50s in the pacific northwest. phoenix 72. and sacramento 68. >> nothing like that kind of weather on fat tuesday morning. enjoy, it new orleans. all right. well, the youngster from connecticut you're about to meet is truly a life saver, and this is why this is our boom, favorite story of the day. >> ouch. >> don't hurt yourself. >> yeah, an injury on the job. 15-year-old noah drayton knew something was wrong with his bus driver when he climbed on board earlier this month. he asked steve kimble if he was okay and kimble insisted that he was just fine. >> reporter: noah got off the bus at the next stop and called his parents who then called the bus company. a replacement driver was sent out and it's a good thing because kimble was actually having a heart attack. >> reporter: zbl he wound up having emergency surgery. and now he calls noah god's miracle. but wow. for that kid to have that kind of insight. >> talk about your good samaritans. >> and for a young kid to be able to detect that. >> you the man, noah. well done. we'll be right back on "world news now" right after this. ♪ and then a hero comes along ♪ with the strength to carry on ♪ ♪ and you cast your fears aside ♪ we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. woohoo! why put up with drips? 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[ female announcer ] from the color experts at clairol. ♪ okay. root canals and trying to convince my kids to go to the pediatrician. every parent knows that trying to get their kids through a visit to the doctor can be challenging to say the least. >> i believe it. in the latest "reader's digest" editors, though, reveal what pediatricians wish they could say to all parents to make doctor' visits go a little more smoothly. dr. richard besser from here at abc shares that advice. ♪ >> reporter: what's the worst thing about going to the doctor? >> getting shots. >> medicine tastes disgusting. >> disgusting? >> yeah. when i have a cough. >> i hate getting stitches. >> reporter: yeah, the doctor's office isn't always fun. either kids are there because they feel sick or it's time for a vaccine. but parents, you can make it better. for example, don't say out loud, "he doesn't like it when you look in his ears." you remind him of the last time, setting this up for failure. and don't tell them if they're bad they'll get a shot. that's mean. >> you want to set up this whole experience as a positive experience. you don't want medicine to be perceived as bad. you don't want the doctor or the nurse to be perceived as the punisher. >> reporter: then there's avoiding the wait. >> you have to wait and wait and wait? >> yeah. >> reporter: and wait? >> yeah. >> reporter: and wait? >> yeah. >> reporter: that isn't so bad. >> it's boring. >> reporter: to shorten your wait times schedule your appointment for the middle of the week and ask for the first time slot of the morning or right after lunch. >> have you ever had an ear infection? >> no. my friend jack does. >> reporter: and believe me when it comes to ear infections and antibiotics. >> have you ever had to take an antibiotic, a medicine for your ears? yeah? how'd that taste? >> not good. >> reporter: your doctor is doing you a favor by sending you home without a prescription. studies show that antibiotics for most ear infections are rarely better than just watching and waiting. and pediatricians like me won't give them to you if it's not necessary. overprescribing antibiotics makes them less effective. >> let me listen to your heart. >> no. >> reporter: no? and finally no appointments available. if the front desk tells you the doctor is too busy to see you, ask for a nurse. if your child's sick, they can work you in, even if the schedule is tight. >> my favorite part of the doctor is when you're all done with the doctor i get a lollipop. >> reporter: and one other secret to my success as a pediatrician. not lollipops but stickers. >> which one would you like? >> that one. >> the gold one right here. because you know what? you are a star. >> you're a star. >> do your kids like to get the shot? >> no. but you know what? i try to set it up -- >> oh! >> that looks like a horse shot. i try to set it up. like we're going to go get ice cream. whatever it takes. we'll go to mcdonald's. and that's how they perceive. >> with a needle that big i'm assuming it doesn't matter. >> comparatively to their little thighs the shots their putting in -- >> it's big. coming up next, hamburger that comes from a lab, not a farm. >> mystery meat scientists are raving about. you're watching "world news now." ♪ so eat it ♪ don't you tell me you're full ♪ ♪ just eat it ♪ eat it weird al. got to love him. here's a question for you now. would you eat a burger that was grown in a test tube? the world's first test tube meat made from a cow's stem cells will actually be produced this fall. >> but the dutch scientist who made the announcement left many people scratching their heads. here's the bbc's pala ghosh. >> reporter: this is a strip of muscle grown from stem cells taken from a cow. it will be used to make the world's first synthetic burger. the strip is one of thousands grown in a lab in the netherlands. researchers mix them with layers of fat also created in the lab to make a burger. >> my eventual dream is to produce meat that tastes and looks exactly like this so that you won't be able to distinguish it from the livestock meat. but you know now that it's produced in an environmentally friendly, animal-friendly, and resource-friendly way. >> reporter: professor post grows stem cells in a dish, which then clump together and grow into muscle. it's real meat. so it should look and taste like the real thing. researchers say it's more efficient than farming. just one animal could make a billion burgers. a possibility that's been welcomed by animal welfare groups. but locals at a nearby hot dog restaurant are wary. >> there's nothing better than natural meat. and you you know, this is how we've been raised our whole lives here. so we know where the farming comes from. we know who's processing it for us. we know how good it is. >> reporter: buying meat in supermarkets is something we take for granted nowadays. but not for very much longer, according to some economists. they believe that because of rising demand from india and china meat prices are set to soar. >> we have about a billion people that are undernourished on the planet. and as we push toward 9 billion by 2050 we're going to need to produce a lot more food. >> reporter: professor post hopes that the technology he's developing will one day help feed an ever-growing and increasingly hungry world. palab ghosh, bbc news, vancouver. >> this is our facebook question of the day. so chime in. would you eat meat from a test tube? >> i'm going to say no. especially right now it costs $310,000 for one burger. and i think a million if you want the cheese on it. who knows? >> that's a little pricier than a happy meal. but you know, if you saw things out of a slaughterhouse, you may not think the real thing's that much better. >> something to be said for au natural. >> morning papers next. we're featuring the one and only mardi gras. bored with your one trick lipstick? then lead a double life! with new blast flipstick from covergirl. creamy color on one end, shimmery color on the other. so you can flip your look from demure, to daring. new blast flipstick from covergirl. have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. >> announcer: "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." well, in case you couldn't tell, it is a special version of "morning papers" right now. it is fat tuesday. it is mardi gras in new orleans. and in places around the world who celebrate. my favorite holiday of the year. and we have so much good stuff. new orleans food. we have the beads on. you have some of my favorite beads on. i have my king hat. the -- i've worn this the last five or six years. but i want to show pictures to get a real taste for what mardi gras is all about. the parades, the people, the parties. so much going on in new orleans and around the world. the bands, the music. families hitting the streets. everyone staying out all morning, all night having a great time. i want to thank the folks on facebook who are sending the pictures of the great mardi gras times they have had. and all that great stuff here. because it's such a celebration, such a part of the cultural fabric of new orleans and around the world. the city's just been going nuts for the last two weeks. today's the last day. look at that little fella there decked out. his beads. you've got to love that. cute little kid. it really is a family event despite all the stuff you may see on bourbon street and so forth. it is quintessentially a new orleans event. there i am from mardi gras way back when. there's the king hats in the courtyard of pat o'brien's, one of the coolest spots in new orleans. of course it's not mardi gras unless there's king cake. we've got the staff here. they've got their beads on. they're ready for some king cake here. huge event. >> you lived there for quite a while. that's why you're such an expert. >> absolutely. >> drop some knowledge on us about mardi gras. >> mardi gras's always 47 days before easter. tomorrow starts ash wednesday, the season of lent when people are supposed to give up something, catholics. it is not official holiday in louisiana. so government's closed, schools are closed today for mardi gras. it's a very big deal. if you get hit in the face in one of the parades with one of these coconuts or the beads and get scratched or lose a tooth as people have, you cannot sue in the state because it is an assumed liability. when you hear the parade and get knocked out, you're on your own. you do what? >> they come flying, too. >> people hurl that stuff. it's so true. and also despite what you see on bourbon street it's not all about the women showing their whatever and that kind of stuff. >> what's the whatever? >> a lot of it is the family events. they're doing the fancy balls, the house parties, the cookouts, the parades. so much going on besides the people going nuts on bourbon street. and mardi gras is actually carnival season and the last day of carnival season is mardi gras. so actual carnival starts january 6th. there's weeks and weeks. the last two weeks is the big party time here. and one tidbit too, the first mardi gras was not in new orleans. it was in mobile, alabama back in 1703. those are your tidbits. but the bottom line is eat, drink, and be merry and happy mardi gras. happy this morning on "world news now" -- pumped up. the rapidly increasing gas prices across the country could put the brakes on an economic turnaround. >> the ripple effect higher fuel prices will have on you, your family, and your budget. it's tuesday february 21st. ah, good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. we already made a mistake. it's not just a tuesday morning. it is a fat tuesday morning. so happy mardi gras, everybody. got your beads here, too. >> not p-h-a-t. >> yeah. fat with an f. we'll save it for later. we'll get to the news. >> you've got a lot of surprises. >> a lot of good stuff on this fat tuesday. it's a good day around the world. >> and i missed you, by the way. >> welcome back from "gma" duty. >> it's always fun to be on "gma." i'm paula faris. over the long holiday weekend the increasing gas prices went into hyperdrive in some cities. while your commute costs you more, even florists need into crease their prices because it costs more to deliver those flowers. just a ripple effect. one thing after another, after another, next thing you know you're going to be paying $10 for a gallon of milk. >> knock on plexiglas. everything's going up. it's scary. but also, the newly elevated roman catholic cardinal from right here in new york, he's already making an impression at the vatican. some of the faithful even wondering if the outgoing and outspoken cardinal timothy dolan could be the first ever american pope. we haven't had an american pope in all these years of popedom, but maybe he could be the first. >> i printed out an interesting little bookmaker. there's like an oddsmaker for the people. >> betters have everything to bet on. i love it. >> we've got those numbers, too. and later this half hour, whenever duchess kate middleton wears'll something stylish her fans like rob go searching to find. the fashion industry is seeing dollar signs all thanks to kate. >> she's one of those fashion icons everyone's watching. but before we get to all of that, those tensions of course far away from home are squeezing us right here in our very own driveways. gas prices are on the way up yet again. >> and it comes just as the economy looks to be picking up again. but we could soon be pumping all our profit right back into our gas tanks. abc's diana alvear reports from los