so thank you very much, santa. see you at 6:00. captioned by closed captioning services inc. landmark vote in washington. "don't ask don't tell" no longer. the senate votes to repeal the 17-year-old law. gays will openly serve in the military. storm warning. forecasters sounding the alarm out west. flash floods, mudslides, and snow taller than some homes. the grim sleeper case widens tonight. more than 8 million hits online after the faces of so many nameless women are printed on the front page of the paper. final sale. retailers pulling out the stops the last weekend before christmas. can our correspondent uncover the biggest deals armed with just his iphone and a new app? what it revealed. and a dream come true. a hollywood star who showed up at a public school and stunned the chorus. pack your bags.

good evening on this saturday. it's headed to the president tonight, and it's a change for gay rights and for america's armed forced. meeting in a rare saturday session, the senate voted to let gays and lesbians serve openly in the military for the first time in this nation's history. the vote was 65-31 to repeal "don't ask don't tell" which lets gays serve but only if they keep their sexuality a secret. david starts us off in washington tonight. good evening. a stain on our nation has been lifted is how one civil rights leader put it tonight, and president obama says, quote, no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic americans just because they're gay. this was personal for thousands of service members. mike served in iraq but was

discharged when the air force learned he was gay. he has been battling "don't ask don't tell" ever since. >> wow, what a day. long time in the making, a long, hard process. >> since bill clinton signed the law 17 years ago, gays have been banned from serving openly in the military. how times have changed. >> "don't ask don't tell" is a wrong that should never have been perpetrated. >> under the law, 14,000 service members have been discharged. >> if you care about national security, if you care about our military readiness, you will repeal this corrosive policy. >> we cannot let these patriots down. their suffering should end. >> there was passionate opposition. >> in the middle of a military conflict is not the time to do it. >> former navy pilot john mccain called this a sad day. >> i hope that when we pass this legislation, that we will understand that we are doing great damage.

>> mr. conrad, aye. >> eight republicans joined democrats, a vote made easier because while some generals opposed repeal, the country's top military man and the defense secretary said it was time to end the policy. >> this can be done and it should be done without supposing a serious risk to military readiness. >> and as our poll showed just a week ago, 77% of americans believe homosexuals should be allowed to serve. discharged army lieutenant dan choi who with others chained himself to the white house fence in protest celebrated in a tweet. quote, today we stand taller, declaring, i am somebody. he told abc news he wants to re-enlist. so does mike. >> i look forward to wearing the uniform again of the united states air force. >> the white house says the president will sign the law next wiebe. that doesn't mean immediate repeal. all the law does is give the pentagon the ability to decide when it is ready to lift these restrictions. that could take several months.

some say it could take up to a year. david. david kerley tonight starting us off. and as he pointed out, this goes to the president for his signature and the pentagon is expected to slowly roll it out. how smoothly will it go. we go to christiane amanpour, who has covered this overseas in countries where a similar decision was made long ago. what if anything can we learn from what we have seen elsewhere on this? >> some 30 countries or more from canada to europe to australia and israel have now openly gay service members in their militaries and these are countries who have served alongside the united states in campaigns as recently as afghanistan and iraq, and on high military alert with significant military and unit combat cohesion and readiness. so it's gone well. there have been no complaints from the militaries i have talked to. they're saying the minute it's enacted, implementation goes much smoother than anyone could have foreseen. >> while we have you,

republicans have said this would get in the way of another vote on s.t.a.r.t., the nuclear treaty with russia. the president said it wouldn't be a victory for him own democrats, saying more is at stake. i want to get your reaction to this. >> it's about the safety and security of the united states of america. further delay comes as a cost. every minute we drag our feet is a minute that we have no inspectors on the ground at those russian nuclear sites. >> i'm curious what you're hearing tonight. will there be a vote on s.t.a.r.t. after all. what are the chances it will pass? >> there will be a vote. perhaps even as early as this week. there's going to be procedures in the senate sunday and monday, but they think it will come to a vote. hard to say whether it will pass. some say yes, some say who knows. but certainly, this is a clear and major foreign policy objective of president obama's and has bipartisan support of

former secretaries of defense, secretaries of state, chiefs of the joint chiefs of staff, intelligence officials across the spectrum. >> and i know you're diving into this with senators kerry and luger first thing in the morning on "this week." thank you. meantime, there's growing outrage over one more bill that has not passed. we reported on the legislation that would help the firemen, the rescue workers who spent weeks digging at ground zero at 9/11. tonight comes word there just might be a vote on this, too. one senator said it could be the christmas miracle, but not after fiery words exchanged on capitol hill. >> as so many people raced away from ground zero that morning, they were the men and women who raced to it. they would dig through the rubble for weeks, and for years now, families of the rescue workers have been fighting for medical help for their loved ones. it was more than four years ago, we met joseph, whose son, james spent 16 hours a day, a full month, digging through that debris. >> he would be coughing and cough up all kinds of debris from his lungs.

>> doctors say he developed lung disease and four years later, he died, leaving behind his little girl. >> to watch your son die in front of you is difficult. >> a new jersey coroner rote in the autopsy the death was directly related to 9/11. it was questioned whether the dust and toxins were the actual caused of death. still, so many saying no question. one senator saying his lungs looked like the lungs of an 80-year-old. the senator said in the final days of a lame duck session, she expects a christmas miracle, a vote, support from her republicans who opposed the funding of this, the $7 billion to help. >> it's not a tax, and i think we have the agreements in place to pass it. >> this weekend, senator john mccain is taking heat for seeming to suggest this bill is getting in the way of others. >> after all of the fooling around we have been doing on new york city, on all of these other

issues that's taking up our time. >> and just today, we reached out to james' father again, who reacted, saying this is hardly fooling around. >> he's been in the military, he knows what it is to be sick and injured and come back from the war and you know, not to get the proper care right away. >> are these deaths 9/11 deaths? >> yes. >> most certainly. >> absolutely. >> and so many of the first responders who were celebrated right after 9/11 in this spread in "vanity fair" say they would trade all those accolades for help. >> if you don't take care of the responders from 9/11, what does that show when the next disaster happens? >> and joseph told me today even if the bill is passed, it would not help the little girl his son left behind, but his fight all along has been to help the other families with loved one who are still struggling with health problems. the picture from congress tonight. meanwhile, much of washington continues to follow the unmasking of a cia agent in pakistan who has left the country and left major questions

about the alliance between the u.s. and pakistan. nick schifrin is in islamabad tonight. >> reporter: it seemed straightforward, a man from the pakistan/afghanistan boarder accusing the cia of killing his brother and son with an unmanned aerial drone. our children and women are being killed, he says. what do they have to do with terrorists? he went so far as to name the cia's local station chief. but there was more than meets the eye. according to a senior pakistani official, the press conference and protest were payback for something happening 7,000 miles away. a court case in brooklyn that linked pakistan spy agency with the massacre in mumbai, india. one spy agency sending another a message. but pakistani officials say they didn't intend what happened next. because his cover was blown, the cia station chief had to flee. >> being the station chief in islamabad is a tricky job. you have an ally in pakistan who is tricky and an intelligence

service that plays a double game. >> the tension between spy agencies comes at a critical time. the u.s. is pushing pakistan to do more to crack down on militants while the cia has launched 110 drone attacks this year. more than twice the number in the bush administration. but success here will only come if the cia and pakistan cooperate, and today's retaliation is a sign there's less support than suspicion. nick schifrin, abc news, islamabad. also overseas tonight in europe, heavy snows and bitter cold are causing misery and chaos. firefighters there cutting through the highway divider in germany. more than 1,000 flights have been canceled. countless drivers have been stranded. frustrated travelers trying to get away for christmas. a plane in miami stuck for three hours at heathrow airport. the pilots waving through the window. >> and in this country, preparing for what is to come on the west coast. there's a real chance for severe flooding, mud slides, and 10 or

more feet of snow. and this evening, dire warning predicting traveling will be dangerous and in some places downright impossible. >> reporter: good evening, david. the national weather service said this could be the biggest storm to hit california in the last ten years. the big concern in the los angeles area is mudslides. there have been a lot of fires here in the last few years and that barren hillside over there says it all. there's very little to hold back the mud. here's where the k-rail barriers along with the sand bags come in. they can't hold back the land, but they can help to direct the water flow and mud to protect the surrounding homes. further inland, the bigger story is snow. some forecasters are predicting up to 15 feet by the middle of this week. that's great for skiing, but it could create dangerous conditions for avalanches. a series of storms is predicted to head this way all through the middle of this week. one meteorologist called it a conveyer belt heading straight through california.

>> standing out in the rain, we appreciate it. and we couldn't ignore the storm of shoppers in malls across the country on this last saturday before christmas. traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. shoppers hunting for the final gifts on their christmas shopping lists. jeremy hubbard was armed today with his iphone and a new app. we're curious, did it help you find the biggest deals? >> it did. we'll explain more in a minute, david. bargain shopping in the palm of your hands. a lot of people are doing it this holiday season, and what is the single biggest bargain in stores today and going forward. we picked up the phone, called around, and asked. with less than a week to shop, we reached out to some of the biggest retailers in the country like walmart, what is your very best deal? >> we offer a playstation 3 video game system for $299 plus a bonus $100 walmart gift card. >> for those shopping for children, we checked in with toys "r" us.

if i'm going to toys "r" us tomorrow, what is going to be the very best deal in the store. >> a great deal is you can save $20 on the toy story 3 you command buzz lightyear. it was $79.99 and now it's going to be $59.99. >> toys "r" us will be open non-stop for 88 hours leading up to christmas. for last minute shoppers, and what about the department stores? they're offering colossal bargains, too. we checked in with jcpenney. their best deal, this women's cashmere blend peacoat. >> it was originally $200, and it's on sale for $59.99. >> if you're in the market for a new tv, we stopped by best buy. the best deal in the store in the final few days, this 32" lcd tv for $299. and this year, procrastinators can save time finding the last minute bargains. with this popular smart phone app, i can scan the bar code and

a few seconds, it with tell me if i can find a better deal on the same item at a nearby store. and we now have the results from the bar code app. it turns out the same tv was $100 more expensive online so best buy had the best deal on it. one more way to put these to use this holiday season. >> saved you from a longer walk to another store. jeremy, we appreciate it. still ahead on "world news," the grim sleeper case. it's widening after the faces of 180 women put on the front page of the paper, and there have already been millions of hits online. the hollywood star who walked into a school auditorium and stunned this chorus. it's a moment worthy of the oscars, literally. and later, why would a college football star walk off the field in the most important part of the season? what would you do if you got the same call? i'm off to the post office...

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stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, have vision changes or eye pain... or have problems passing urine. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine or an enlarged prostate... as these may worsen with spiriva. also discuss the medicines you take... even eye drops. side effects include dry mouth, constipation and trouble passing urine. i'm glad i'm taking spiriva everyday because breathing better is just better. ask your doctor if once-daily spiriva is right for you. tonight, we have learned los angeles police has been flooded with phone calls, e-mails, and visits to the website after these faces were posted on the front page of the los angeles times. verg investigators needed help identifying the women. the images were discovered at a home of a man they suspect may be the serial killer known as the grim sleeper. >> reporter: once the coldest of cold cases, there are new leads

in the grim sleeper murder investigation after l.a. police released 180 images thursday found on the suspect's property. >> we have about five we have tentatively id'd. as this rolls out, we hope we identify every person of the 180 photos. >> authorities are getting calls from women who recognize themselves and others. police believe some in the photos could be victims of lonny david franklin jr., a 57-year-old mechanic arrested in july. he allegedly killed several women in a south los angeles neighborhood in the '80s and then more than 15 years later, began killing again. because of the apparent time gab, the media dubbed the serial killer, the grim sleeper. franklin is accused of nine murders. there was dna evidence from his son earlier this year that led police to him. sglo definitely going to bring my family some closure. >> in many of the pictures, the women are topless or completely naked. some even appear to be unconscious or perhaps dead. franklin's attorney's outraged

by the photo release. she said it taints the potential jury pool, and some of the members are friends and family of the suspect. >> it's not all the photographs. that were released to the public that's the problem. it's also the commentary that went along with the release by the public officials. >> abc news has learned that police asked franklin's wife to see if she could identify any of the women in the photos, but she refused to look at them. now they're hoping others will come forward to offer a name and happy ending in a case where there are far too few. tj winick, abc news, new york. another case, american college student amanda knox is getting a second chance. an italian appeals court has agreed to an independent review of dna evidence and will allow several new witnesses. she's sentenced for killing her roommate in 2007. when we come back, the hollywood star, the middle school chorus, and their oser moment. their oscar moment.

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staten island just to tell the fifth grade chorus she's a huge fan. >> wow, you guys are incredible. >> she discovered them just as we had on "world news" from their performances on youtube. millions have now watched them. ♪ the eye of the tiger >> when we first visiting the school, the music director said he started the chorus as a sort of musical escape in a school where three quarters of the children qualify for free lunch. he told them, forget sheet music. just sing. but it turns out anne hathaway was not there to simply applaud them. she had an invite for them. she's co-hosting the oscars, and they had no idea she now wants them to come to perform. >> i'm here to officially invite you guys to the oscars. >> her invite was drowned by the excitement. the entire chorus will now be flown to hollywood in february. even the actress was overwhelmed. and for the teacher, it was getting an oscar himself.

>> it's like the culmination of everything we worked for. i'm overwhelmed. >> we're going to rock this show. >> we're going to rock this. so worthy of their oscar moment. can't wait to see it. when we come back on "world news" this evening, the college football star who walked off the field, and the question tonight, would you do the same? it makes it hard to do a lot of things. and i'm a guy who likes to go exploring ... get my hands dirty... and try new things. so i asked my doctor if spiriva could help me breathe better. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for both forms of copd... which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva keeps my airways open... to help me breathe better for a full 24 hours. and it's not a steroid. spiriva does not replace fast acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, have vision changes or eye pain... or have problems passing urine. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma,

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and finally tonight here, anyone who plays or watches football knows this is the most important part of the season which made it even more remarkable when we learned of a college football player, defensive end, who volfeunteere to skip the rest of the season to tackle something far more important. matt hoffman has been playing football since he was just 11 which is why it's not surprising he's a star defensive end in rowan university in new jersey, >> football is something that is very important to me. >> but it turns out he and his entire team are determined to be team players off the field, too. last year, they all volunteered to be tested to see if anyone on the team was a match for stem cells for one of the 10,000 americans in need of a bone marrow transplant, and it wasn't long before the star on defense was called on to play offense. >> they said i'm definitely the 100% match. >> he put down his football, skipped the tackling and set

aside the all important end of the season and walked into the hospital instead. >> i jumped at the opportunity. there wasn't a question in my mind whether or not i was going to go through the process. >> afterward, he felt like he was on the field. >> i became very tired, my bones were achy. >> but he'll be the first to tell you it was worth it. his stem cells were used to save the life of a 59-year-old father from texas and finally late this week, matt met the men whose live he saved. >> you have a 9-year-old son. i'm just happy he has more time to spend with his dad. i would go back and do it 100 times if i could. >> way to go to matt and to the entire team who went for testing to see if any of them were matches. that's going do it tonight. thanks for being here on a saturday night, and from all of us at abc news, thanks for watching. good night.

>> alan: the second punch in a series of storms is approaching the bay area tonight. in the sierra, chains were require at 5,000 feet on what turned into a very slushy day. you might call this the lull between the storms. leigh glaser is watching a long stream of systems heading our way. >> leigh: they're luck fluctuat. the one we anticipated to bring is quite a bit of rain slipped into southern california, so we got a nice break. but things are starting to get a little more active. live doppler 7hd picking up moisture. much of this is on the light side, but you can see this stuff