>> all new. oprah on location in connecticut with dr. william petit. oprah: do you still think about why were you the lone survivor >> the exclusive first interview. oprah: will you ever be able to feel happiness again? >> tomorrow. oprah: today, wynonna and naomi are going to wrap their 20-year run on "the oprah show" with a signature song. [music begins] >> ♪ i'd gladly walk across the desert with no shoes upon my feet to share with you the last bite of bread i had to eat i would swim out to save you in your sea of broken dreams when all your hopes are sinking let me show you

what love means love can build a bridge between your heart and mine love can build a bridge don't you think it's time? don't you think it's time? mmm mmm and i would whisper love so loudly every heart can understand that love and only love can join the tribes of man i would give my heart's desire so that you might see the first step is to realize

it all begins with you and me love can build a bridge between your heart and mine love can build a bridge don't you think it's time? don't you think it's time? 'cause when we stand together it's our finest hour 'cause we can do anything anything, anything keep believing in the power love can build a bridge between your heart and mine

love can build a bridge don't you think it's time? don't you think yes yes, i do now love can build a bridge between your heart and mine between your heart and mine love can build a bridge don't you think it's time? don't you think it's time? ♪ [cheering and applause] oprah: wowie, wowie, wowie. all right, y'all, trying to break me down. trying to break

me down. thank you, wynonna and naomi, for sharing your lives with us for two decades. bye everybody. oh, thank you. [captioning made possible by king world] [captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--] nfra i came up with this mobile a gallery to bring art to the people. sharing aris the highest calling for me. if i want keep doing this i have to start taking care of my heart. so i'm starting with cheerios. [ male announcer ] got something you'll love to keep doing? take care of your heart. you can start with cheerios. the natul whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. this is what makes me happy, so i'll probably do this until the wheels fall off. [ male announcer ] it's time. love your heart so you can do what you love. cheerios.

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get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. he's single and i'm going to introduce you in two weeks so whiten your teeth. no coffee. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white toothpaste removes up to 80% of surface stains in just two weeks. hi. [ female announcer ] for a noticeably whiter smile. crest 3d white toothpaste. this next story is just sweet. it involves a senior at syracuse university who's making good on a promise he made years ago.

>> he bought the chocolate store where he once worked. a move up the ladder that would surely please his mom. >> our on-campus reporter marlei martinez has the sweet story. >> reporter: ryan novak is far from your average college student. he wakes up at 5:30 every morning to get ready for class and work. on top of studying, going to classes and spending time with his girlfriend, novak owns and operates his own business, the chocolate pizza company. >> when i was very little, my mom and i would go across the street to the chocolate pizza company which then was located right next to our house. we would go over there and my mom would talk with the owner bonnie, and while they were talking i would be there and eat all the samples off the sample tray. by the time they were talking all samples would have been gone. >> reporter: novak recently bought the company from the former owner and says his new ownership seems to have been an act of fate. a destiny that unfortunately came to fruition through the worst means possible. >> a man high on drugs ran a

stop sign, broad-sided his mom as she was driving home from work. >> i didn't know what to do. i just started running. i ran down the street. because -- what's a 9-year-old supposed to do? it's not supposed to happen to you, it doesn't happen to me. >> after i told him the news, he stopped me in the middle of the street and turned to me and he said, "dad, i'm going to make mom proud." >> reporter: and today it would seem that ryan kept his promise. his dedication fueled him to work his way from the bottom up. >> he washed dishes, he mopped floors, he did shipping, put pizza boxes together. he did anything. anything i asked him. and always with a smile. >> reporter: ryan used his own savings to buy the business and will continue making payments for the next three years. >> he's had to deal with things that most people don't ever have to deal with until they're far beyond their years. i think he aged a lot when he was younger and now it's just helping him. >> reporter: while sometimes it may be a struggle, novak manages to run the company smoothly

while maintaining his place on the dean's list. so what's his secret? >> i don't think he has a secret. >> you know, i'm not quite sure myself. i just -- a lot of early mornings. that's what i like to do. >> reporter: and even today, with his 7:00 to 11:00 schedule, he makes time to remember the woman who inspired him to do it all. >> miss you a lot. but i know you're watching me. i had a reason to live now. i knew -- i've seen what bad days can be and i don't want to -- didn't want to let that ruin my life. i knew that's not what my mom would want for me. >> reporter: for abc news on campus, marlei martinez, new york. >> i have to admire his motivation. he started working at that store at age 16, even at that young age told the owner then, i want to buy your company one day. five years later, 21, he did it. >> if the story's not enough to entice you to go to the website, i looked it up and they have something called a wing. what it is is a freshly, locally produced potato chip, they dip

it in peanut butter, then they dip it in chocolate, and it comes with the chocolate pizza. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> the kind of ingenuity we like. >> we should support that kid, have some on the set. >> marlei, send some back. when we come back it is "skinny" time. >> we have a health update for you on the queen of soul. you're watching "world news now." when we come back it is "skinny" time. >> we have a health update for you on the queen of soul. you're watching "world news now."d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d

d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d

welcome back, everybody. i hate to start off the "skinny" on a sad note but you kind of have to do this. major news out of the entertainment world this morning. apparently queen of soul aretha franklin is battling pancreatic cancer. "the national enquirer" kind of broke the story earlier this week, and a tv station in detroit kind of confirmed this, quoting a close family member. you may recall, i think we reported this a few weeks ago. she actually had surgery on december the 2nd, earlier this month. at the time didn't say exactly what it was for. it's since confirmed she is battling this very dangerous form of cancer. only a 5% to 10% survival rate, it's one of the lowest of all the cancers. very dangerous cancer. the same disease that claimed the life of patrick swayze. he had it for 20 months before he finally passed away.

this backs up the reason why several weeks ago she said she was canceling all appearances and all shows through may. the surgery she had on the 2nd was successful, she has friends around her now, including della reese, the reverend jesse jackson. they say she's doing well, the surgery earlier this month went well. obviously have to keep an eye on this. a very, very serious form of cancer. low survival rate. apparently she's doing well and has vowed to come out singing again. that's one of the greatest voices ever. we're praying for you, aretha. she's still the queen. >> from one queen to one who's acting like a queen. mtv is doing their yearly new year's bash. this year they have a very interesting idea. normally there's a ball and the ball drops. this year, what mtv has decided to do is put snooki in the ball. she's going to be lowered down -- >> drop it quickly. >> yes. what they're saying is that as part of mtv's new year's bash, she -- the other stars from "the jersey shore" will lead the crowd in a collective fist pump. that they want to do in the hopes of breaking the guinness

world record for fist-pumping which i didn't know there was one. in the midst of all of that snooki will be lowered down into a ball. i looked it up. because i was just curious. she's 4'9". i would imagine the ball doesn't have to be that big. with that bump on the top of her head they'll have to build it for 5'6". >> that's going to be a very interesting ball drop. >> it's interesting. one quick thing. we've got to embarrass one of our producers. he actually has met snooki and we had a picture of her. that's what she looks like at a party. last new year's. >> david meyers, recently engaged. before he met his lovely wife he had a little mishap. all right there, david. congratulations on that. you and snooki. big end of the year blowout issue. big hollywood issue. they take all these great photos, kind of take the hottest folks in the acting biz for the year. they're taking it up a level. raising the game a little bit. now they're doing this fancy video. they're calling it 14 actors acting. a video gallery of classic screen types. they've got some huge names. you can see michael douglas

right there. what they're doing is giving them 60 seconds, no words, they have to kind of act out this performance through movement, through expression. it is set to music. again, they cannot speak during this. they've got matt damon, michael douglas, anthony mackay, robert duvall, javier bardem, james franco, natalie portman. really hot stars of the year. cool video in addition to what is always a great issue in the magazine. >> they even got the guy from "the social network." i just saw him. eisenberg? is that his name? >> the real guy or the character? >> not zuckerberg. >> right. >> that's going to be really interesting. last but not least, quickly, president obama is making an appearance on "mythbusters." the show, we'll give you a sneak peek at what he says. he's basically trying to disprove one of the theories that a soldier's shields shined so much they reflected the sun's rays and set fire on something. take a listen to the quick tidbit from him. >> at the president's request -- >> i think we've got a big one that hasn't been thoroughly tested. >> which one is that? >> it is archimedes' solar ray. >> there it is.

they say aside from that quick cameo the show's pretty much normal. cameo the show's pretty much normal. the show is pretty much normal. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. 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. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com.

sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. n honking. a short time ago, this woman suffered from limited mobility. / a month ago thi man wasn't even able to get / around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me. call today and let the scooter store work for you. / if we qualify you and medicare denies

your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll give it to you absolutely free. that's the scooter store guarantee. you don't qualify for medicare? / no problem. / we'll wo with your insurance company, even help with financing. if there's a way we'll find it. when they delivered mom's power chair, i expected they'd show her how to use it once or twice. that man stayed for hours! you can just tell they care. / whatever it takes, as long as it takes. that's our guarantee. why do we go to < uch great lengths? because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today. find out what great lengthsthe scooter store / will go to fo you. / improve lçur m

éééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééé here are some stories to watch today on abc news. authorities in san diego will burn down a house that is packed with the largest number of homemade explosives ever found in the u.s. a 16-foot firewall has been built to protect nearby homes. a clemency board in florida is expected to pardon the doors' jim morrison. he was convicted for indecent exposure in miami back in 1969. and the president and first lady will light the national christmas tree at the white house. musical guests maroon 5 and b.b. king are set to perform. finally from us this half hour, a chance to meet an extraordinary young man who some of you may have seen us mention yesterday in our "morning papers" segment. >> he got another chance to pursue an nfl dream and said, no, thanks. john berman tells us why. >> reporter: for nearly every

kid who steps on a football field, this is his dream. to play in the nfl. keith fitzhugh was one of those kids. >> always wanted to play football. it's all i thought about. eat, sleep football. >> reporter: after college he did get a small taste of that dream, playing on the new york jets' practice squad. before being cut this fall. he landed a job as a train conductor for norfolk southern railroad outside atlanta. >> i love riding trains. that's always been the backup plan for me. >> reporter: but then something remarkable happened. the jets called and asked him to come back and join the team. his answer, even more remarkable. >> i had to turn them down because i had a great job. >> reporter: the conductor said no. no to pro football. no to a near-certain trip to the playoffs. >> people say, hey, you could have a chance to play in a super bowl. i sit back and think and i tell them, hey, you've only got one

mom and dad. >> reporter: one mom and dad he lives with in georgia. his father is disabled and can't work. his parents depend on his salary as a conductor to make ends meet. he would have made more for the jets, but there is no guarantee it would last. >> i could have been released again. it's about being a young man and not being selfish. >> i appreciate him loving us that much saying, i'm going to stay home with mom and dad and i'm going to help them. >> reporter: even the jets say his decision showed character. >> that's one of the reasons we wanted that kid. >> reporter: keith fitzhugh is passing up one dream for another. >> he's a great kid, he really is. >> reporter: he might never be a great player but he is already a great son. john berman, abc news, new york. >> already the story's going national. how much do you want to bet there are going to be donations coming in to this guy, he's going to be just fine as the story starts making the rounds. >> it's such an impressive

story. we were trying t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t tnelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

know what re you know what research looks like? take a look around me. the research at st. jude children's research hospital helps save kids with brain tumors, sickle cell, and leukemia across america. and no family is ever turned away because they can't pay. you know what i'm building? s to st. jude, thanks to st. jude, i'd say 'a future.' is that right? yeah! give thanks for the healthy kids in your life. and give to those who are not. go to stjude.org or shop wherever you see our magnifying glass.

bomb plot. how the fbi stopped an attack on a military recruiting station before it happened. then, fighting back. the white house goes on the offensive, saying that the controversial tax cut deal is the best thing for the economy. then, pie in the sky. >> everybody wants to get into the pizza business. because everybody eats pizza. >> what one of america's favorite foods says about our economy. it's thursday, december 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> even in the midst of a recession and tough times people love their comfort food and pizza is high on the list. >> i do think it's only in new york that you can get 99 cents a slice. >> i never noticed that before i moved here too. and it's good, too.

>> don't be jealous, we have a lot of other things that aren't nice. >> a lot more expensive. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. a u.s. citizen and new convert to islam is behind bars this morning charged with trying to carry out a bomb plot. >> it's the second time in less than two weeks that an alleged home-grown terrorist has been nabbed in a sting operation. with more details on the story, here now is pierre thomas. >> reporter: this is the man the fbi says had deadly intentions. antonio martinez, known as mohammad hussein, a muslim convert, drove to this recruitment center outside baltimore. he parked the suv, which he believed was full of explosives. he then left the scene in another vehicle. after he was certain the center was full of soldiers, he tried to detonate the bomb using a cell phone. but it was all a sting. >> how many more are out there that they're not catching? >> reporter: the fbi had been tipped off by a citizen who was concerned about martinez's facebook postings. just in the past two months he

wrote, the sword is coming. the reign of oppression is about to cease. anyone who opposes allah and his prophet, i hate you with all my heart. prosecutors say martinez was inspired by radical cleric anwar al awlaki of yemen, and believed the u.s. was at war with all muslims. the fbi made contact using undercover agents posing as radicals. martinez made clear to them he wanted to attack the u.s. military. he seemed obsessed with the recruitment center. he discussed burning it down to instill fear, and send a message to whoever joins the military, they will be killed. and, he said, i wish i knew how to make a car bomb. the fbi says they gave martinez many opportunities to back out. he chose not to. authorities say these stings reflect a disturbing trend, home-grown radicals. >> my assessment is that the threat environment now is increasingly active.

>> reporter: the fbi fears there are dozens, if not hundreds, of men just like martinez. angry and easily manipulated. pierre thomas, catonsville, maryland. supporters of wikileaks' founder julian assange have struck back on the web. hackers attacked mastercard, visa, swedish prosecutors, a swiss bank, and sarah palin, among other sites. twitter was choked with messages tax cut deal with republicans. >> the president is trying to convince party leaders that the compromise could head off a second recession, also known as a double-dip recession. so far it's a tough sell. john hendren joins us now from washington with the latest. hi, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. democrats on capitol hill are greeting the president's tax cut compromise like a lump of christmas coal. in the end, the president says they'll come around. >> this is the right thing to do. i expect everybody to examine it carefully. when they do, i think they're going to feel confident that, in

fact, this is it right course. >> reporter: president obama says he still hopes to let the tax cuts for the wealthy, which democrats so dislike, expire in two years. of course, that is another election year. making controversial bills tough to pass. >> republicans are going to have to explain to the american people over two of1 makiose or changes. >> there are things i think would make the bill much better and i'm going to work on those. >> reporter: exactly what reid will do, he won't say. white house officials don't want major changes insisting the current plan is the best deal available, with tax breaks for the middle class and an unemployment insurance extension that is a lifeline for millions of americans. the president doesn't just have problems with his own party. republican senator jim demint says he will join liberals like

vermont senator bernie sanders in trying to block a vote on the bill because he says it drives up the deficit. vinita and rob? officials in mississippi are apologizing after a top indian diplomat was given one of those controversial pat-downs at a jackson airport. meera shankar, india's ambassador to the u.s., was subject to the extra security, apparently because she was wearing a sari. which drapes across the body. a tsa spokesman says no one is exempt from the security measures, not even a diplomat. six children were injured yesterday when a car plowed into their schoolroom outside of new orleans. the 2011 infinity broke through a wall, into the private school. one of those kids, a 10-year-old, is still in critical condition. the driver was a mother dropping off her child at the school. she says she thought she'd stepped on the brake. she's now been charged with negligent injury. after a two-day visit to

afghanistan, defense secretary robert gates says the surge strategy is working. gates also says we can meet the goal of ending u.s. combat operations by 2014. but abc news martha raddatz talked to some of the soldiers who are working on it, who say it won't be easy. >> reporter: major general john campbell from the 101st airborne division commands all forces in the volatile eastern part of afghanistan where the toll on his troops has been staggering. in july, just five weeks into his tour, he told us 27 of his soldiers had been killed. he carried cards with each of their names in his pocket. by september, there were so many, he had to keep them in his rucksack. >> about 76 right now. >> reporter: and today -- >> lost 96 heroes. i've lost another 45 attachments from the 101st. so it's been a big toll. >> reporter: the toll is especially personal for some. >> i can't even get it out. >> too painful to say? >> yes. >> reporter: we later learned his friend's name was sean mittler, 32 years old, father of a young daughter. it seems everyone in these

combat outposts knows someone who has died. >> i think there are a lot of people saying, wait, women are on the front lines? >> we are, ma'am. i love being able to say that i can go out there and fight for my country along with every man in the army. >> reporter: yet after all this sacrifice and 30,000 additional troops, only 36% of the afghan people express confidence in u.s. forces. but we met lolila karimi two years ago. she told us then she was pessimistic about her future. today she says it's thanks to the u.s. that she has improved security. the u.s. troops agree. and everyone we talked to said that despite the polls, they see progress every day. which they believe will ultimately lead to success. this will take time. and it will take more sacrifice.

martha raddatz, abc news, kunar province, afghanistan. queen of soul aretha franklin is reportedly recovering "very well" from surgery for pancreatic cancer. the reverend jesse jackson told the associated press he has seen franklin several times recently and her spirits are high and her faith strong. neither jackson nor franklin's people though would give details on the surgery that she had last week, but we are told it was successful. >> and there are now reports she's just getting an outpouring of support, which of course she will desperately need at this point. here is your thursday weather. 1 to 3 feet of snow in the cascades, sierras and northern rockies. a wet day from seattle to portland and san francisco. up to 4 inches of snow in the twin cities, green bay and chicago. and it is the coldest day of the season here in the northeast. >> a chilly 29 here in the big apple. 28 in boston. atlanta gets up to 45. new orleans 51. 27 in detroit. 48 in kansas city.

40s from billings to portland. and i'm jealous of this, 73 out in phoenix. well, if you're watching right now, if you're a husband or wife get ready to debate this one. because there is proof this morning that it's not good for a man to be alone. >> okay. a new study finds that men tend to behave better when they're married. researchers at michigan state university say it's partly because marriage helps improve behavior. >> mm-hm. >> and they also say nicer men are more likely to get married in the first place. >> researchers also found both married men and women tenth to be healthier and live longer than singles. >> even though they're bored. i'm joking. >> you're such a cynic. >> i know. >> but you are nice, i will say. that flies in the face of that. >> soon enough, soon enough, we're getting there. >> i'm with you, jenny, it's coming. we'll be right back with more "world news now."

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well, as you know you can watch any number of cable channels all day. and hear all sorts of wall street types talking about economic indicators. but we are going to make this a lot more simple. >> we're keeping our indicator very simple and very understandable. everyone's favorite, pizza. help yourself there, stage manager. that's my piece, i took a bite, enjoy that. john berman looks at what sales of pizza mean for our economy. >> reporter: a slice of heaven. a batch of bubbling beauty. a literal piece de resistance. >> really good. >> reporter: that pizza isn't just a beacon of gooey, cheesy goodness. no. it turns out these days pizza is delivering a taste of economic goodness. there are more than 65,000 pizza parlors in the u.s., with more popping up each day. and this year, americans ordered more than 5.5 billion pies.

yes, the slice seems remarkably recession-resistant. so you've opened new locations? >> yes, we've opened five locations in the past year and a half. >> no way. >> yes. >> reporter: that's right. opening stores, hiring workers, and selling pizza. lots of it. albeit cheap. >> so the 99 cent pizza business is booming? >> absolutely. >> reporter: ryan farley is the director of operations for 99 cent fresh pizza. they sell slices for just 99 cents. >> does it taste cheaper? >> does it taste cheaper? i wouldn't say this is high-quality pizza but it's not bad pizza either. you get your buck's worth. >> it tastes like pizza. >> uh-huh. >> you won't claim it's the best pizza you've ever had? >> no. but it's not the worst. >> reporter: yes, there is something about pizza. with the cost of dough, cheese and sauce, they make about 30 cents a slice. but sell 500 pies per location per day. not bad. are you guys getting rich doing this? >> no, absolutely not.

>> reporter: but in this sluggish economy, cheap sells. cheese sells. and pizza sells. just ask pizza hut and domino's. >> pizza hut has lowered the price on every pizza on the menu. >> reporter: last year, pizza hut introduced a $10 large pie with up to three toppings. their business is up 8% in the last quarter. domino's offers two mediums for $5.99 each. their sales jumped 11.7% in the third quarter. and the success has spread upwards into what's called the casual dining sector. how's the pizza business? >> getting better all the time. >> reporter: frank gudara is president and ceo of uno. >> what are the perils of the pizza business? >> a lot of competition. everybody wants to get into the pizza business because everybody eats pizza. >> how has pizza helped you pull out of the recession? >> pizza in everybody's mind is affordable. as a restaurant, a lot of people come to us because they know we have pizza. and they can afford pizza. no matter what the economy is.

delicious, huh? >> very good. it's really good. >> you're not even to the best part. the best part is over here. when you get to this crust and the ingredients -- >> i promise i'll get there. i'll tell you when i do. >> reporter: pizza, he says, is the food for everyman. you think there's a pizza out there for everyone? >> there's no question about that. >> reporter: if it's a piece of the old reality that you want, there is nowhere more old school than di fara's in brooklyn. >> if you were to guess how many pizzas would you say you've made in your lifetime? >> it must be like a million. >> a million pizzas? >> yeah. >> reporter: dominic d'marco has been making the pizza here himself for 50 years. do you think you make the best pizza in new york? >> i'll tell the people say, i'm not going to say. >> you think it's good? >> i think it's good. >> reporter: so good he charges five bucks a slice. and people love it. no matter what the cost. how's business? >> very good.

>> have you noticed any changes in business the last few years? when the economy suffered, how -- >> i never feel it. >> never feel it at all? >> no. >> you know there was a big recession out there? >> i'm not feeling it. >> not at all? >> not at all. >> you're lucky. >> i guess. >> reporter: yes, there is something about pizza. it puts cheese in your mouth -- >> it's delicious. >> reporter: a smile on your face. and money in a lot of wallets. i'm john berman in new york. >> i find it fitting that in a recession story about pizza our budget allowed for one that's already pretty much gone. >> this is good, though. enjoy yourself, having a good time. >> jim's doing it the new york way. i only learned that when i moved here. you guys fold it in half. >> really? that's only a new york thing? >> willis eating. there's where all our props went. >> he ate the whole thing, man. when we come back, what happens when musical theater meets the circus. we'll show you.

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your points are worth 25% more on travel when booked through ultimate rewards. well, it is the latest theatrical production taking the stage by storm. part musical theater, part circus. >> it's called squirm burpee. it has fans from 5 to 55. how did these street performers become the next top thing? here's a look. ♪ >> we are trying to coin the phrase of vaudevillian melodrama. our goal is to have the story line with looney tunes type acts and characters and intersperse dancing, singing, juggling, jokes. ♪ and while they basked in the love from the masses, mike had eyes for only one ♪ ♪ lorinda lambshank ♪ >> lolo, the female leading

role, is kind of the princess. does the singing and dancing and i think a lot of little girls relate to that. >> audiences love that lolo is very naive and her intentions are pure. >> the baron is a stumbling idiot. i think people kind of relate to because everyone knows what it feels like to not get something right. >> i have an evil plan to destroy this world. i will not rest until each and every one of them is annihilated. ha ha ha! >> people like that they feel they're a part of the show. >> dave brings a volunteer up into the crowd, puts them through a series of embarrassing situations and circumstances. >> look into my eyes. deep into my eyes. that is not my eyes! >> reporter: baron von hamburger brings up a small child and trains him how to be evil. >> i'm the baron von hamburger and you're my evil assistant.

i've got it! hamburger helper! >> people like the confetti falling on them and the bubbles falling on them and we come into the crowd and just try to make everyone feel like they're also onstage. >> on the count of three i want to hear everyone's best wa-ha-ha! one, two, three! >> wa-ha-ha! >> wa-ha-ha! >> wa-ha-ha! >> people behind me were laughing and cheering. and we got all the kid humor and the adult humor. >> exciting for me to see how far it's come, from two brothers being on the street working out of their garage, building props, and then to being off-broadway in new york. >> just kind of feel like we're contributing a new look and a new style of theater. >> wa-ha-ha! you were supposed to do that too. leave me all alone on that island. >> i'm sorry about this.

>> vinita, you look great. >> before the electrolysis.

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"world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> in the headlines recently there has been a spate of crimes. one of the linking themes of all of them is that people have been committing these crimes wearing really, really, realistic masks. if you pay attention to this show at all we did one where it was a white bank robber in ohio who used a mask to make him look like an african-american guy. there was also the so-called geezer bandit which we had on the show. there was also another person who basically wanted asylum in canada so he walked in using an older person's mask, he wanted to look chinese. now we're finding more about the company that's actually responsible for making these unbelievably realistic masks. they say the price tag is anywhere from $600 to $1,200. and they said people are buying them more and more often. they say the actual trick is that they found the right recipe for the silicone that they're

using to make it seem more like skin. they said the mask on the inside is smooth, so even if the outside is bumpy with pores or a feature like a nose or a zit or whatever they want to do, it can stretch over most faces and move with the facial muscle. take a look at that. >> they even have the chest hair. they're getting down to the gritty -- >> they have everything. more and more people are using these masks because they're so realistic to kind of do some bad things. but really it says a lot about how high-quality they are. >> no kidding. >> only $600 to $1,200, i kind of want one. >> if you have that kind of money for a mask why are you robbing people or whatever? using the money for the high-cost mask, i mean, come on. you know, thank you, willis, thank you. here's a sweet loving story out of "the sacramento bee." have you ever had a late library book? most of us have at some point. >> i still do, yes. >> you and hazel severson would be good together. 95 years old, she just returned her book to the amador county library earlier this year in october. 74 years overdue. she earlier in 2010 found it in a garage sale.

that's her late husband who had checked it out way back in 1936. they were high school sweethearts, married forever. he's since passed. early 2010, cleaning out the garage, they found the book. she returned it in october. the library said, we don't want you to pay us back. don't worry about that. she did make a small donation. the fine, interestingly, would have been 10 cents a day adding up to just over $2,700 for 74 years late. the book was "sea plane solo" she took it out in 1936, just got it back. the library said they described it as this is an example how the greatest generation so is honest and so trustworthy, even decades later they return it. so congrats to hazel. and her donation to the library. >> i have that feeling when i open up a book and it says property of so-and-so library and i feel awful. i've lived a lot of places. last but not least. we only have 15 seconds. there's really no time for this. >> i'm eating my pizza, then. >> i would also encourage you to

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causing chaos. wikileaks' founder may be in jail but his supporters aren't. how they're wreaking even more havoc through the internet. a father's anguish. >> i was completely, completely fried. i was walking around in a daze. >> the sole survivor of that horrific home invasion speaks out for the very first time. and, posh planet. scientists discover what they believe could be another world out there that is covered in nothing but diamonds. it's thursday, december 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> yes, ladies, nothing but diamonds. so make sure and stick around for that one this morning. thanks for being with us, i'm vinita nair. >> change your career now to an astronaut, head up there. i'm rob nelson. call it revenge of the nerds.

hackers have rushed now to the defense of wikileaks by launching cyber attacks on some major targets. >> the website of sarah palin's political action committee was among those which were hacked. palin has been highly critical of wikileaks' founder julian assange. karen travers has more. >> reporter: supporters of wikileaks' founder julian assange are fighting back. groups of anonymous so-called hack-tivists have launched "operation payback" a series of cyber attacks aimed at companies that have cut ties with wikileaks after it published classified diplomatic documents. the internet assault shut down the website of mastercard. the credit card company recently blocked its customers from donating money to wikileaks. that followed similar moves by visa, amazon.com, and paypal. all cut ties with wikileaks, hurting its ability to raise money. the hackers targeted the website of the swedish prosecution authority, crashing it for the first time ever. >> there's been a lot of

interest for our website the past days due to the arrest of mr. assange. so -- but i don't know the reason for this. >> reporter: a spokesman for wikileaks told abc news it's still business as usual at the website. >> it is not derailing us in any way. >> reporter: assange remains in a british prison, fighting extradition to sweden to face charges for rape and sexual molestation. >> he claims that he is innocent in this case and he believes he will win that case. >> reporter: the wikileaks spokesman called the timing of the charges interesting and retribution for the recent release of classified state department documents. but the attorney for the women accusing assange of sex crimes said they are not motivated by politics. >> they got in contact with each other, decided to go to the police, to inform the police of what had happened. >> reporter: defense secretary robert gates says that america's allies have responded to the leaks like statesmen. karen travers, abc news, washington. >> it's funny, they say actually some american television shows are having -- that are broadcast overseas are having a role in softening anti-american

sentiments overseas. >> i wasn't surprised the diane sawyer show "world news" was on there. the list includes some ones you wouldn't expect like "friends" and "desperate housewives." they say "the late show with david letterman," they say they're agents of influence. a baltimore man faces charges of attempted murder and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction after a failed bomb plot. police say antonio martinez, also known as mohammad hussein, parked what he thought was an suv loaded with explosives outside a military recruitment center. but it was all part of an fbi sting and there was never any actual danger. in political news this morning, president obama is again facing some open hostility on capitol hill. but this time it's from his very own party. it is of course all over that tax cut deal he made with republicans. and this morning the white house is trying to head off a full-on rebellion by democrats. abc's jake tapper has the very latest. >> reporter: one day after

president obama said the country was not in danger of a double-dip recession, the administration has certainly -- is certainly putting the heat on democrats in congress with larry summers saying that not passing this tax cut compromise would significantly increase the risks of a double-dip recession. vice president biden got out of a meeting with house democrats, a meeting that was described to me by one attendee as contentious with a lot of angry democrats furious about this tax cut compromise. and if the white house, as it has been told to me, if the white house were relying only on democratic votes in the house and senate, this compromise would not pass. thankfully for the white house, they're going to have a lot of republican votes for it. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. a public memorial service will be held saturday in raleigh, north carolina, for elizabeth edwards who of course died tuesday after a six-year battle with cancer. we're learning new details about how exactly she prepared her family for her death, making sure their home was decorated for christmas, also writing a

letter to her children with advice on everything from how to pick a church to even how to pick a spouse. the family meanwhile is still working on specific burial plans. >> very interesting to hear also how bluntly she spoke with the kids. one is 10, one is 12. she said to them, cancer is consuming my body, will eventually kill me. then she said something along the lines of, raise your hand if at this table one of you is not going to die. >> apparently her motivation to write those letters is based on the very popular movie "terms of endearment." a mother to the very end there. there is a break in the murder of hollywood publicist ronni chasen. police believe the man who took his life last week probably was chasen's killer and it wasn't a professional hit. kabc's leslie miller reports. >> reporter: beverly hills police now believe ronni chasen's murder was a random act of violence committed by this man, harold smith, who used his bicycle as his mode of transportation. >> we believe mrs. chasen was going to be the victim of a robbery. >> reporter: 43-year-old smith, a person of interest in the case, was a transient with a long rap sheet of robbery and drug crimes. he shot himself in the lobby of

a hollywood apartment building last week after police detectives approached him for questioning. police confirmed preliminary ballistic tests show a match between the gun he used on himself and the weapon used in the chasen murder. >> the purpose of this was to tell you that it was a match. again, the firearm used to commit suicide in harold martin smith is the same firearm that was used to kill ronni chasen. >> reporter: police say they were tipped off about smith by the television show "america's most wanted." >> "america's most wanted" played a crucial part in this investigation. they were able to provide the information from a tip that came in to their studio. they contacted us and were able to put us in contact with the tipster. >> reporter: the 64-year-old famed publicist was shot multiple times in the chest in beverly hills as she drove home from a premiere at the movie "burlesque." investigators believe she was shot as she waited to turn left from sunset boulevard to whittier drive, a road she could have taken to get back to her

home in west l.a. after she was shot, ronni chasen drove down whittier before crashing into a light pole. in the days after her murder, harold smith openly bragged to neighbors he was the killer and he was getting paid $10,000 for the hit. police dismiss that theory. >> we believe that mr. smith acted alone. we don't believe it was a professional hit. and i will tell you it's an open and ongoing investigation. >> reporter: police are not releasing specifically what type of gun they recovered after smith's suicide. they are also still awaiting the coroner's report before releasing any more information on ronni chasen's murder. for abc news, i'm leslie miller in beverly hills. here's something to think about the next time you're behind the wheel. about 13% of americans say they have driven drunk over the past yes, sir. just over 4% say they've driven drugged. and though this is a slight decrease from past years, it still means that about 30 million drunks are on the road. the new study results are based

on drivers who actually admitted they were impaired. a private company is a step closer to taking over some of the duties now performed by the space shuttles. the company called space x launched a rocket into space and for the first time successfully guided it back to earth. the test flight could pave the way for space x to do supply runs and rides to the international space station. once nasa retires the shuttles next year. if traveling into space is too out of this world for you, how about flying the skies around earth. the air transport association is out with its holiday travel predictions. it now expects just under 44 million people to fly this holiday season. that's up 3% from last year. >> here are the dates you need to know. mark your calendars. they're saying the busiest flying days are december 21st through the 23rd. december 26th through the 30th. and january 2nd and 3rd. i guess you don't have to mark your calendars, they're the same every year, it's always painful. >> i will be right here.

here's a look at your thursday forecast. rain from seattle to san francisco. up to 3 feet of snow in the cascades and a foot in the sierras and northern rockies. snow also in the upper midwest with up to 4 inches in the twin cities, green bay and chicago. and some plunging temperatures in the northeast. >> only in the 20s in new york and boston. indianapolis gets up to 31. omaha 45. fargo 33. 40s from seattle to salt lake city. 60 out in sacramento. well, it was politics at its very worst in south korea as the budget battle hit a new low. >> there was pushing, punching and hair-pulling all because the rival lawmakers were unhappy with the final budget. they physically blocked the ruling party from entering the main chamber and even barricaded the hall with furniture until police were finally called in to break up the fight. >> oh, man. these political squabbles are not new to south korea. some newspapers there are referring to them simply as the yearly budget brawl. kind of makes capitol hill look tame. >> we'll be back with more "world news now." kind of makes capitol hill look tame. >> we'll be back with more "world news now."

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welcome back, everybody. it was a crime of course that shocked the nation. a home invasion that ended with a mother and her two daughters dead, the house set on fire. >> you'll remember that steven hayes was just sentenced to death for his role in the crime. now his alleged accomplice will go on trial next year. >> now for the first time, the sole survivor of that attack, dr. william petit, is speaking out. he talked to oprah about life after losing your family. >> do you fear going to sleep? or you don't look forward to it? >> in the beginning, i feared sleeping. >> because in the beginning you didn't sleep for months, i heard? you didn't sleep for months? >> no, two or three months maybe two or three hours a night. i was completely, completely fried. i walked around in a daze. just -- intrusive thoughts banging into your brain. every second, every minute. you know, replaying events over and over and over and over again in your mind. >> the entire intrusion?

>> yeah. different pieces, different parts. >> that intensely emotional interview took place in dr. petit's parents' home in connecticut. there oprah talked to petit about forgiveness. >> we were talking about this interview, and what i would ask or should ask. the word forgiveness kept coming up, and i said, i don't even know how to, you know, phrase that term to you. is it something that's a part of what you feel you need to do eventually? because of your religious beliefs? >> right now, no, i don't. i don't think you can forgive ultimate evil. you can forgive somebody who stole your car. you can forgive somebody who slapped you in the face. you can forgive somebody who insulted you.

you can forgive somebody who caused an accident. i think forgiving the essence of evil is not appropriate. >> certainly almost amazing to hear how calm and reasoned he is. keep in mind this is after the sentencing. he had to give a 30-minute victim impact statement. so if you think about it, he's really had to speak about these horrifying events a good number of times. >> he has to go through it again early next year when the accomplice goes on trial. jury selection begins in february. he has to relive this twice, the whole thing again, for the second man accused here. >> if you want to see oprah it is going to be on today with dr. petit. should be a very emotional interview to say the least. we'll be right back. petit. should be a very emotional interview to say the least. we'll be right back.

for most of this year u.s. forces have been going after the taliban in

its stronghold, southern and eastern afghanistan. >> for three months mike boettcher and his son traveled with soldiers from the 101st airborne. the report is part of our week-long series, "afghanistan: can we win?" >> reporter: this is what it sounds like. and looks like. to run for your life at 9,000 feet in afghanistan. that's me running for cover. bullets cracking everywhere. camera in hand. my son carlos and i are embedded with a small team from war squadron, 101st airborne. who along with us are pinned down on a barren, steep mountainside by eight taliban gunmen. we're behind some cover but not much. the apaches have come in. hopefully they'll keep their heads down. specialist eric powell below me shoots back. >> they're shooting through those bushes right there. >> they did see the antenna?

>> reporter: sergeant heeter's job is to protect his boss. the lieutenant colonel, war squadron commander who ironically is trying to build spreading pockets of peace in this violent, mountainous slice of eastern afghanistan. >> heeter, take it easy, all right? >> this deployment so far, had two rockets land within 25 meters. i got hit with a suicide bomber from about seven feet away in the beginning of the deployment. i was the only one to walk out without a scratch. had a 600-pounder hit me. >> reporter: the 600-pounder was a very bad day. >> the suicide bomber pulled up, stopped right here, and detonated. >> reporter: no soldiers were killed or wounded. only afghan children. >> those little kids playing out in front of their house. 600 pounds of explosives in the back of a truck goes off. totally innocent. they have no idea.

>> reporter: heeter and his commander lutsky have been trying to convince the mountain people that it's the taliban who are killing and wounding innocent civilians, not americans. the bombing has given them an opening to drive home the point. they hand out blankets and water as another sign of goodwill. it seems to work. >> it buys us credit. in a sense that there's a little more respect for us and there's a little more trust for us. >> reporter: a few miles down the road, though, war squadron leaves the business of making friends and returns to the task of finding enemies. >> what you doing, heeter? >> reporter: heeter again must keep an eye on his boss' back when they enter an afghan family compound. but an informant says this family is giving refuge to taliban bombmakers. >> i don't think you're taliban but i think you turn the other way when taliban come through. >> reporter: a long day made longer by constant role reversals from good guy to bad

guy and back to good guy, not to mention the bombs and bullets, has one last chapter to play. >> look under the bottom right-hand side. >> oh, yeah, that green thing? yeah. >> reporter: one more bomb is found along a dry creek bed patrolled by war squadron. the final job of the day is left to the robots. without emotion or prejudice, it performs its job. the bomb is destroyed. its job is finished. if only life were so simple for the living, breathing soldiers of war squadron like sergeant heeter. but they are not robots and nothing about afghanistan is ever simple or quick. mike boettcher, abc news, khost, afghanistan. >> should be an interesting moment for the war in afghanistan. the white house is expected to release a review of the war strategy in that country before the end of the year to see the direction things are moving. >> we'll also hear from general david petraeus.

release a the war strategy in that country before the end of the year to see the direction things are moving. >> we'll also hear from general david petraeus. general david petraeus. limited mobility. / a month ago thi man wasn't even able to get / around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me. call today and let the scooter store work for you. / if we qualify you and medicare denies

your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll give it to you absolutely free. that's the scooter store guarantee. you don't qualify for medicare? / no problem. / we'll wo with your insurance company, even help with financing. if there's a way we'll find it. when they delivered mom's power chair, i expected they'd show her how to use it once or twice. that man stayed for hours! you can just tell they care. / whatever it takes, as long as it takes. that's our guarantee. why do we go to < uch great lengths? because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today. find out what great lengthsthe scooter store / will go to fo you. / improve lçur m

if your racing thoughts keep you awake... sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. 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. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com.

sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. ♪ diamonds are a girl's best ♪ diamonds are a girl's best friend ♪ a great song indeed. finally this half hour, a little bling bling way up there in the sky. actually if scientists are right there's nothing little about it. >> they believe they may have found a new type of planet where diamonds, yes, diamonds, are as abundant as sand is here on earth. the bbc has the sparkling details. >> reporter: it's not just the stars that twinkle in the night sky. the planets might too. astronomers have found a world that's highly rich in the element carbon. the stuff that diamonds are made from. >> there are smaller planets out there which have the same carbon-rich composition. it may well than they're rocks,

instead of being made of silicate minerals like sand here on earth, are carbon-based. things like graphite, pencils, even diamonds. >> reporter: diamonds, of course, are found on earth. scientists writing in the journal "nature" say that in carbon-rich worlds they'd be woven into the fabric of the landscape. just imagine a world where diamonds are more plentiful than sand. a new study suggests such worlds may well exist. and that the galaxy is strewn with glittering planets. and entire mountain ranges might look like this. on such worlds, instead of seas and rivers, there would be pools of tar. and the rocks themselves might be made from diamonds. but would they be different to those found on the earth? >> diamonds actually come in all different shapes and colors. as you can see, most people expect diamonds to look beautifully white like this. but actually, if you know them, you can see that they come in

all different colors and all different textures. and who knows what diamonds from other planets might look like. >> reporter: it's only recently that instruments have been sensitive enough to detect the composition of a planet around a star that's hundreds of light years away. astronomers don't know how many carbon-rich worlds there might be. but now that they found one, they'll scour the universe for more. >> i think we just found your favorite planet. >> as hard as it is to believe, they actually say the planet called wasp 12b was found last year. now that i know what's on it, it makes sense people are keeping it under wraps. cartier and tiffany are like, don't tell anyone about this thing. >> we should check it out for them, bring back a full report for the folks at "world news now." there we are. >> i don't see eight carats on my ears so this graphic is wrong. s on my ears so this graphic is wrong. >> you ee eight carats on my ears so this graphic is wrong.

under fire. >> there are some things that i think would make the bill much better. and i'm going to work on those. >> president obama obliterated by criticism from his own party. how he's trying to convince them he did the right thing. then, sweet idea. how one college student went from shop worker to shop owner. and the surprising secret behind his success. and, thanks but no thanks. why this man passed up his life-long dream of playing pro football. it's thursday, december 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> if you watched the "morning papers" yesterday we were talking about kevin fitzhugh, the guy who turned down the offer by the jets. apparently he said the phone was ringing off the hook all day.

so many people fascinated by the story of a man who turned down his dream job saying, i'd rather have something more secure. >> to take care of his family in tough times. his parents are so appreciative. a lot of reaction on facebook from our folks yesterday. as we close in on 24,000 fans on facebook, to get to our goal of 25,000 sometime in 2011. >> it's shocking. it's not just our parents anymore. good morning and thanks for being with us on this thursday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. senate leaders could start debate today on president obama's controversial tax cut deal. >> the white house is still defending the compromise while scrambling to win over angry democrats gearing up to stage a revolt. john hendren is joining us from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the president says it's good for the economy, good for the middle class, and it's the best deal he could get. but many democrats still aren't buying it. president obama insists democrats will come around. >> this is the right thing to

do. i expect everybody to examine it carefully. when they do, i think they're going to feel confident that, in fact, this is the right course. >> reporter: but so far, they've greeted the plan on capitol hill like a lump of christmas coal. the white house has sent reporters the names of supporters. but only three of them serve in congress and will actually vote on it. the white house points out economists support the deal. even some of them offer less than ringing endorsements. >> it's a pretty bad deal. but the president has to take it. >> reporter: the president still hopes to let the tax cuts for the wealthy, which democrats so dislike, expire in two years. >> republicans are going to have to explain to the american people over the next two years how making those tax cuts for the high end permanent, squares with their stated desire to start reducing deficits and debt. >> reporter: of course, that is another election year. many democrats oppose not just the tax break for higher earners but also a compromise on the inheritance tax. senate democratic leader harry reid, not a fan of the deal, says he will bring it up this week. he hopes with changes.

>> there are some things i think would make the bill much better and i'm going to work on those. >> reporter: exactly what reid will do, he won't say. the white house has raised the stakes saying, without this plan, the economy could stall and slip into a double-dip recession. rob and vinita? the fbi says it has foiled yet another homegrown terror plot. they say antonio martinez, also known as mohammad hussein, parked what he thought was an suv loaded with explosives outside of a military recruitment center. but it was all part of an fbi sting. according to court documents, martinez is a recent convert to islam who was bent on killing americans. sarah palin says her website was hacked and personal credit cards disrupted by wikileaks supporters. she tells abc news she was

targeted because she's spoken out against what she calls sick, unamerican espionage reports. wikileaks supporters are also believed to be behind cyber attacks against mastercard and visa. meanwhile, abc's jim sciutto reports it is business as usual at the website. >> reporter: its leader behind bars, a committee of six is running wikileaks without interruption. to prove it, the cables continued to flow unabated. one highlighting an unexpected success the u.s. may be having overseas. in the cable entitled david letterman, agent of influence, two saudi informants tell diplomats u.s. programs broadcast to the muslim world by satellite, from david letterman to "desperate housewives" to news programs, were both popular and effective in fighting islamic extremism. the american programming is winning over ordinary saudis, say the informants, in a way other u.s. propaganda never could. they are fascinated by u.s. culture in a way they never were before. some analysts say american shows, even some of the more light-hearted ones, showcase american values in a way that contradicts the negative image of the u.s. often heard in mosques. in "desperate housewives" the comforts of capitalism. in david letterman, the freedom to poke fun at one's government.

in films, the leaked document described "heroic honesty in the face of corruption" in 'michael clayton'." >> do i look like i'm negotiating? >> people identify with them in the greater sense of reality. people feel that they have connected with americans regardless of their background. >> reporter: many are deeply skeptical. arguing, there's no way images from hollywood can overcome those from the extremely unpopular and violent wars in iraq and afghanistan. >> i don't think you can make a leap that because they're watching it, they are sympathetic to the society that produced it. >> reporter: but in the war of ideas, at least, could this be an unexpected new weapon? jim sciutto, abc news, london. anger over the presidential election in haiti has spilled into the streets with thousands of protesters rampaging through

the capital. buildings were set on fire and the country's only airport was forced to close. reports say at least four people were killed. it is just the latest setback for haiti, which is still reeling from the earthquake and fighting a cholera epidemic. an antarctic cruise ship is limping back to port under its own power after a freak weather accident. a giant wave slammed into the "clelia ii" earlier this week. damaging its engine and breaking a window. there were also 55-mile-an-hour winds. all 88 passengers on board are americans, though none were injured. there are also 77 crew members on that ship. if you use a cell phone, listen up. that means all of us. a new study is adding to the confusion over whether cell phones are dangerous. the latest research looks at the effects of babies and small children. here's our medical editor dr. tim johnson. >> reporter: in a new study from denmark, researchers suggest that exposing an unborn or young child to cell phones may be associated with behavioral problems. in a study of almost 30,000

children, the authors compared the mothers' reported cell phone use during pregnancy and after birth, as well as the child's own use of cell phones by the age of 7. they found that children who have both prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phones have a 50% greater risk of behavioral problems as compared to kids who are not exposed to cell phones during either period. the authors cannot say that cell phones actually cause behavioral problems. but they suggest cell phone use may need to be limited during pregnancy as a precaution. obviously, these findings are controversial. the authors gathered information through surveys based on mothers' recollections. behavioral problems were also determined using the survey

method. that is, the mothers' opinions. they were not based on diagnoses by medical professionals. so since the reliability of the data is questionable, it is not possible to reach firm conclusions. i'm dr. timothy johnson. if you think that occasional cigarette doesn't hurt you, think again. the surgeon general's out with a new report that says even an occasional cigarette or even inhaling someone else's smoke could cause heart disease. dr. regina benjamin says the 7,000 chemicals in each puff begin poisoning you immediately. more than 400,000 americans die from tobacco-related illnesses each year. here's a look at your weather here at home. several inches of snow from minneapolis out to chicago. rain in the pacific northwest and northern california. 3 feet of snow in the cascades. up to a foot from the sierras into utah, idaho, and nevada. >> 60 in sacramento. 73 in phoenix. 44 in boise. 30 in minneapolis. 27 in detroit. upper 20s in the northeast. 45 in atlanta. it finally warms up just a bit in the south. 66 in miami. 51 in new orleans. 60 degrees in dallas. the memory of john lennon is still looming large here in new

york as the world looks back on his life and death. >> a steady stream of fans poured into central park yesterday to mark 30 years since lennon's murder. they descended on the imagine monument at strawberry fields, a garden dedicated to his memory. and they came bearing flowers, candles and songs. >> and say they are still trying to carry on lennon's message of peace and love. >> there were actually tour buses pulling up to the area and letting off people, so many people there to buy souvenirs, anything that could give them a piece of lennon.

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get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. he's single and i'm going to introduce you in two weeks so whiten your teeth. no coffee. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white toothpaste removes up to 80% of surface stains in just two weeks. hi. [ female announcer ] for a noticeably whiter smile. crest 3d white toothpaste. this next story is just sweet. it involves a senior at syracuse university who's making good on a promise he made years ago.

>> he bought the chocolate store where he once worked. a move up the ladder that would surely please his mom. >> our on-campus reporter marlei martinez has the sweet story. >> reporter: ryan novak is far from your average college student. he wakes up at 5:30 every morning to get ready for class and work. on top of studying, going to classes and spending time with his girlfriend, novak owns and operates his own business, the chocolate pizza company. >> when i was very little, my mom and i would go across the street to the chocolate pizza company which then was located right next to our house. we would go over there and my mom would talk with the owner bonnie, and while they were talking i would be there and eat all the samples off the sample tray. by the time they were talking all samples would have been gone. >> reporter: novak recently bought the company from the former owner and says his new ownership seems to have been an act of fate. a destiny that unfortunately came to fruition through the worst means possible.

>> a man high on drugs ran a stop sign, broad-sided his mom as she was driving home from work. >> i didn't know what to do. i just started running. i ran down the street. because -- what's a 9-year-old supposed to do? it's not supposed to happen to you, it doesn't happen to me. >> after i told him the news, he stopped me in the middle of the street and turned to me and he said, "dad, i'm going to make mom proud." >> reporter: and today it would seem that ryan kept his promise. his dedication fueled him to work his way from the bottom up. >> he washed dishes, he mopped floors, he did shipping, put pizza boxes together. he did anything. anything i asked him. and always with a smile. >> reporter: ryan used his own savings to buy the business and will continue making payments for the next three years. >> he's had to deal with things that most people don't ever have to deal with until they're far beyond their years. i think he aged a lot when he was younger and now it's just helping him. >> reporter: while sometimes it may be a struggle, novak manages to run the company smoothly while maintaining his place on the dean's list. so what's his secret? >> i don't think he has a secret. >> you know, i'm not quite sure myself.

i just -- a lot of early mornings. that's what i like to do. >> reporter: and even today, with his 7:00 to 11:00 schedule, he makes time to remember the woman who inspired him to do it all. >> miss you a lot. but i know you're watching me. i had a reason to live now. i knew -- i've seen what bad days can be and i don't want to -- didn't want to let that ruin my life. i knew that's not what my mom would want for me. >> reporter: for abc news on campus, marlei martinez, new york. >> i have to admire his motivation. he started working at that store

at age 16, even at that young age told the owner then, i want to buy your company one day. five years later, 21, he did it. >> if the story's not enough to entice you to go to the website, i looked it up and they have something called a wing. what it is is a freshly, locally produced potato chip, they dip it in peanut butter, then they dip it in chocolate, and it comes with the chocolate pizza. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> the kind of ingenuity we like. >> we should support that kid, have some on the set. >> marlei, send some back. when we come back it is "skinny" time. >> we have a health update for you on the queen of soul. you're watching "world news now."

ad note but you kind of have to do this. major news out of the entertainment world this morning. apparently queen of soul aretha franklin is battling pancreatic cancer. "the national enquirer" kind of broke the story earlier this week, and a tv station in detroit kind of confirmed this, quoting a close family member. you may recall, i think we reported this a few weeks ago. she actually had surgery on december the 2nd, earlier this month. at the time didn't say exactly what it was for. it's since confirmed she is battling this very dangerous form of cancer. only a 5% to 10% survival rate,

it's one of the lowest of all the cancers. very dangerous cancer. the same disease that claimed the life of patrick swayze. he had it for 20 months before he finally passed away. this backs up the reason why several weeks ago she said she was canceling all appearances and all shows through may. the surgery she had on the 2nd was successful, she has friends around her now, including della reese, the reverend jesse jackson. they say she's doing well, the surgery earlier this month went well. obviously have to keep an eye on this. a very, very serious form of cancer. low survival rate. apparently she's doing well and has vowed to come out singing again. that's one of the greatest voices ever. we're praying for you, aretha. she's still the queen. >> from one queen to ons year's bash. this year they have a very interesting idea. normally there's a ball and the ball drops. this year, what mtv has decided to do is put snooki in the ball. she's going to be lowered down -- >> drop it quickly. >> yes. what they're saying is that as

part of mtv's new year's bash, she -- the other stars from "the jersey shore" will lead the crowd in a collective fist pump. that they want to do in the hopes of breaking the guinness world record for fist-pumping which i didn't know there was one. in the midst of all of that snooki will be lowered down into a ball. i looked it up. because i was just curious. she's 4'9". i would imagine the ball doesn't have to be that big. with that bump on the top of her head they'll have to build it for 5'6". >> that's going to be a very interesting ball drop. >> it's interesting. one quick thing. we've got to embarrass one of our producers. he actually has met snooki and we had a picture of her. that's what she looks like at a party.

last new year's. >> david meyers, recently engaged. before he met his lovely wife he had a little mishap. all right there, david. congratulations on that. you and snooki. big end of the year blowout issue. big hollywood issue. they take all these great photos, kind of take the hottest folks in the acting biz for the year. they're taking it up a level. raising the game a little bit. now they're doing this fancy video. they're calling it 14 actors acting. a video gallery of classic screen types. they've got some huge names. you can see michael douglas right there. what they're doing is giving them 60 seconds, no words, they have to kind of act out this performance through movement, through expression. it is set to music. again, they cannot speak during this. they've got matt damon, michael douglas, anthony mackay, robert duvall, javier bardem, james franco, natalie portman. really hot stars of the year. cool video in addition to what is always a great issue in the magazine. >> they even got the guy from "the social network." i just saw him. eisenberg? is that his name? >> the real guy or the character? >> not zuckerberg. >> right. >> that's going to be really interesting. last but not least, quickly, president obama is making an appearance on "mythbusters."

the show, we'll give you a sneak peek at what he says. he's basically trying to disprove one of the theories that a soldier's shields shined so much they reflected the sun's rays and set fire on something. take a listen to the quick tidbit from him. >> at the president's request -- >> i think we've got a big one that hasn't been thoroughly tested. >> which one is that? >> it is archimedes' solar ray. >> there it is. they say aside from that quick cameo the show's pretty much normal. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. 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. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com.

sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. n honking. a short time ago, this woman suffered from limited mobility. / a month ago thi man wasn't even able to get / around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me. call today and let the scooter store work for you. / if we qualify you and medicare denies

your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll give it to you absolutely free. that's the scooter store guarantee. you don't qualify for medicare? / no problem. / we'll wo with your insurance company, even help with financing. if there's a way we'll find it. when they delivered mom's power chair, i expected they'd show her how to use it once or twice. that man stayed for hours! you can just tell they care. / whatever it takes, as long as it takes. that's our guarantee. why do we go to < uch great lengths? because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today. find out what great lengthsthe scooter store / will go to fo you. / improve lçur m

éééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééé here are some stories to watch today on abc news. authorities in san diego will burn down a house that is packed with the largest number of homemade explosives ever found in the u.s. a 16-foot firewall has been built to protect nearby homes. a clemency board in florida is expected to pardon the doors' jim morrison. he was convicted for indecent exposure in miami back in 1969. and the president and first lady will light the national christmas tree at the white house. musical guests maroon 5 and b.b. king are set to perform. finally from us this half hour, a chance to meet an extraordinary young man who some of you may have seen us mention yesterday in our "morning papers" segment. >> he got another chance to pursue an nfl dream and said, no, thanks.

john berman tells us why. >> reporter: for nearly every kid who steps on a football field, this is his dream. to play in the nfl. keith fitzhugh was one of those kids. >> always wanted to play football. it's all i thought about. eat, sleep football. >> reporter: after college he did get a small taste of that dream, playing on the new york jets' practice squad. before being cut this fall. he landed a job as a train conductor for norfolk southern railroad outside atlanta. >> i love riding trains. that's always been the backup plan for me. >> reporter: but then something remarkable happened. the jets called and asked him to come back and join the team. his answer, even more remarkable. >> i had to turn them down because i had a great job. >> reporter: the conductor said no. no to pro football. no to a near-certain trip to the playoffs. >> people say, hey, you could have a chance to play in a super bowl.

i sit back and think and i tell them, hey, you've only got one mom and dad. >> reporter: one mom and dad he lives with in georgia. his father is disabled and can't work. his parents depend on his salary as a conductor to make ends meet. he would have made more for the jets, but there is no guarantee it would last. >> i could have been released again. it's about being a young man and not being selfish. >> i appreciate him loving us that much saying, i'm going to stay home with mom and dad and i'm going to help them. >> reporter: even the jets say his decision showed character. >> that's one of the reasons we wanted that kid. >> reporter: keith fitzhugh is passing up one dream for another. >> he's a great kid, he really is. >> reporter: he might never be a great player but he is already a great son. john berman, abc news, new york. >> already the story's going national. how much do you want to bet there are going to be donations coming in to this guy, he's going to be just fine as the

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