oh, yeah. oh, yeah, oh, yeah ♪ oprah: oh, yeah. oh, yeah. too much. fun. ok. so jon definitely has the next big thing that everybody's buzzing about. it's the rally to restore sanity, and it's on the national mall in washington, d.c. you may have seen a clip of me popping in on "the daily show" last week. i had a little surprise for his studio audience because that's what we do. >> you've done it now, mister. you are going to pay! do you understand me? you are going to pay, mister! oprah: stephen? >> what? oprah: hi, stephen. [cheering] y >> yes! yes! >> hi, oprah. how are you? oprah: hi! hi, stephen, hi, jon. so, jon, r so, jon, remember when you were just here on my show and we talked about how i was taking my audience to australia? >> that is true. i remember that.

oprah: and you said that your audience never gets anything. >> well, the tickets are free. [laughter] that is something. oprah: well, when i heard that, that made me feel just a little bit sad. >> oh, really? mm-hmm. oprah: so, you know, i know that you've got this huge event coming up. and i'm really excited about it because i think that we need a little bit more sanity in the world. >> it would be nice. [cheering and applause] oprah: and i wanted to show my support for you, jon, and alsoye for your audience. so here's what i did. i had my staff sneak into your studio early this morning with a little gift. ok? >> can i tell you what's weird about that? [whispering] we have no security here. [laughter] zero. >> that's how i got in. >> what did you get them?

oprah: ok, so this is it. "daily show" audience, look under your seats! [cheering] oprah: you're going to the rally! you're going to the rally! you're going to the rally! everybody's going to the rally! >> in your face, colbert! oprah: so here's the deal, jon. here's the deal. i'm sending every one of you to washington, d.c. free airfare and two nights hotel. now, get out there and restore some sanity! >> appreciate it! take care! good-bye, oprah! >> bye, oprah! i got to say, jon, just for the record, your rally is supposed to be about sanity... >> uh-huh. >> and that was insane.

[laughter] oprah: great! wasn't that great? ok. that was fun. ok, you're right. that was fun. so when we asked who wants to help me pop in on jon stewart with a little surprise, xbox raised their hand, because they have the next big thing in video games. it's called kinect for xbox 360. and it is so cool. sensors pick up your body movement, and instead of a remote control, it's your entire body controlling the video games, ok? so i want to say a special thank-you to xbo for helping me pull that surprise off for jon's audience. and for everyone here in this audience, you're going home with both xbox 360 and the new kinect! [cheering]

oprah: thanks, xbox! bye, everybody! [captioning made possible by king world] [captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--] pfffffffff! ñ

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with the holidays upon us now, intelligence communities around the world of course are on full alert. they're doing their best to protect their citizens from terror. >> one way they do that is by keeping an eye on dangerous substances, including nuclear materials. >> the bbc's gordon corera went on an exclusive journey with a top-secret convoy to transport enriched uranium to a safe place. >> reporter: a secret operation in the dead of night. tight security preparing for the departure of this most deadly of cargo. inside the bomb-proof blue containers is nuclear material.

the type terrorists have long wanted to get their hands on. at 2:00 in the morning the president of serbia turns up just outside of belgrade. >> we have significant security here but this is extremely important because of organizing that very, very specific transport. >> reporter: we were taken to see the aging reactor where the material was stored. >> this is the reactor room -- >> reporter: in the cold war, russia and america supplied many countries with highly enriched uranium to help develop scientific expertise. here it came in the form of these fuel rods, filmed by inspectors. now, getting this material back and to safety has become a top priority. because of its poor security, this site was top of the list. behind me a convoy of trucks are beginning a long odyssey across europe. inside are 2.5 tons of

radioactive material, including highly enriched uranium which could be used for a nuclear bomb. as the convoy heads through the gates we join it as it makes its way north, snaking through a deserted belgrade. roads have been closed and guards line the route. the journey, which will take more than four weeks in all and cover more than 7,000 miles, begins with the lorries driving from belgrade driving to the town of subotica near the hungarian border. here the containers are loaded onto a train. this cargo is the largest of its type ever moved. it's too big and too dangerous to transport by air. in all this journey has taken five years of planning. the train travels for nearly 24 hours across hungary. its destination the port of koper in slovenia. the nuclear material is being loaded onto this ship, ready for

its 20-day journey around europe. it will be carefully tracked at every stage along the way. somali pirates tried to hijack this ship last year, and there are no guards on board. but it will be closely watched. this is all part of a much wider ambition. >> this is the sixth country we've cleaned out of all highly enriched uranium since the president's speech in 2009 in prague. but there are several more countries we need to clean out between now and the end of the four-year plan. >> reporter: the boat makes its way through the mediterranean, past gibraltar, and up the english channel. it's headed to the russian port of murmansk in the arctic. the containers, whose arrival was delayed by arctic weather, are unloaded from the boat, ready for the final stage of their journey. the roundabout route is because some countries would not provide permission for it to pass through.

the material then travels by train to mayak, a secure nuclear facility. we agreed not to report the route until complete from fear of attack. these fuel rods will now be made safe. but the race continues between those trying to secure the nuclear material and those hoping to steal it. gordon corera, bbc news, slovenia. >> the details of that shipment and the route were kept secret until now. basically the bbc came along and decided to make a lot of that information public. >> it's dangerous because they could use some of those ingredients to make a dirty bomb. we all have seen what that can potentially do. very serious what's out there. when we return it's time for your "skinny" and some controversy involving a foot fetish video and an nfl coach. and jennifer hudson dedicates her charitable act to someone very special. all that and more coming up in cial.skinny." all that and more coming up in "the skinny." car

here's going to be the water cooler story of your christmas season here. nfl coach rex ryan, coach of the jets here, apparently this website named deadspin.com has discovered video a few years old that apparently shows he and his wife there, there's some kind of foot fetish thing going on here.

this website uncovers a series of four videos in which it depicts his wife or a woman just like her, her feet in the suv, kind of having all these intimate discussions about her feet. there's another video where she's sitting on the couch and rubbing her feet. you hear him complimenting it and all of this. it came up in a press conference and he kind of said, this is a personal matter, i'm not going to address it. jets management, nfl, said it is a personal matter. we're not going to address it here. but some horribly embarrassing video for the head coach of the jets. people are calling it a foot fetish here. this just a long line of embarrassments for the team. the brett favre situation with the sexting, then the coach who tripped the dolphins player, and they've had a real kind of messy season. the foot fetish video ain't going to help. >> i know i'm going to be sounding naive. does he say lewd things about her feet? or what is the -- i mean, it could be just one of a thousand, right? >> i have the full audio, but it's just that he's enamored

with her feet and discussing in a romantic way her pups. >> very interesting. >> there you go. >> here's some -- a really nice story. jennifer hudson recently, between the weight loss and her new baby, has really had some wonderful press and this is continuing on in that tradition. keep in mind in 2008 her nephew julian king was murdered and she decided to do a toy drive in his honor. take a listen. >> it's a good way to keep his memory alive by blessing other children through the holiday season. for us we never had a sad christmas. >> keep in mind when she says that, in referencing julian king, he was murdered in 2008. hudson's mother and brother were also murdered. it really is just amazing to see the comeback she's been able to accomplish. she basically says among the many gifts this year she also had the son i mentioned earlier. she just said she wants to give back and thinks it's an appropriate time to do that. >> in memory of her family members. it's nice that she's doing that. this next story involves those of you who are friends of "modern family" like we are. sofia vergara, drop dead gorgeous. she was on "letterman" earlier

this week. kind of a funny moment. she's trying to raise awareness and raise money for colombia which is going through a really tough time. worst rain in 40 years, landslides, flooding. she kind of made a pitch for her cause. take a listen. >> so maybe like, you know, somebody wants to give a little gift to colombia, you can go to my website and with the red cross and give a little donation. because we need $6 billion. >> $6 billion? >> just a few dollars to help colombia out. you couldn't ask for a better spokeswoman than sofia. >> we're going to leave you on antoine dodson. of course you know the chimney song right now or the house song, the original song. this is the newest version, "chimney intruder." ♪ newest version, "chimney intruder." ♪

here some are stories to watch today on abc news. president obama's former chief of staff rahm emanuel should find out today if his name will be allowed on ballots in chicago. emanuel was running for mayor there and a chicago panel plans to decide if he does in fact meet residency requirements. >> a town in southern michigan hosts a candlelight vigil for three missing boys. the brothers were last seen on thanksgiving. their father's now being held on a $30 million bond. and new labor department figures on unemployment are released later this morning

along with last night's figures on new home sales. investors are looking for positive signs before the holiday. finally, for years many americans have been looking for any sign of rebuilding at new york's ground zero. on wednesday, they got one. >> it wasn't a new building, it was something much smaller. but it's something with tremendous symbolism. wabc's tim fleischer was there. >> reporter: carefully being lowered into place, positioned just right, the survivor tree is returning to its roots here where ie stt thd tde certre dig mountains from the twin towers discover the pear tree, now standing tall at 35 feet, most of iteavi damaged. >> its trunk was scorched from the burning debris that engulfed the site. its crown had been completely blown off, reducing its branches to charred stumps. >> reporter: its survival, a long shot. but one not lost on survivors like keating crown, escaped the south tower collapse.

>> the fact that this tree survived such devastation reminds us all of a capacity of the human spirit to endure. >> reporter: transplanted and nursed back to health in van courtland park. >> the spring after the attacks i saw the buds coming out, then i knew that she was going to survive. we took care of it. >> reporter: surrounding the survivor tree here in whatnown/ took it to a nursery in bronx, >> reporter: among those helping to plant the tree, retired fda lieutenant mickey cross. >> until we get memory of the people that are not here. i was a lucky guy.

i'm lucky like the tree. ow

fatal fire. the holiday tragedy in chicago exactly 100 years after a very deadly day in history. catholic controversy involving a hospital and a life or death decision. >> we always save the life we can save. >> the swift impact and now fierce debate. and, holiday ham served by a creative chef in "insomniac kitchen." it's thursday, december 23rd. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> this is my first experience with scandinavian food. i never have had it. >> did you like it? was it good? >> it was absolutely excellent. and the funniest thing is i assumed it would be flavors i had never heard of. when you see the recipe for this

ham i think you're going to want to try it at home. it was really pretty simple and really very tasty. >> you broke my heart that you didn't bring any samples. it's all right, though. >> the holidays, it's hard. >> i know. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. two of chicago's bravest are being remembered this morning a day after they were trapped and killed in a burning building. >> the firefighters knew that building was abandoned but they went in anyway, hoping to rescue squatters who might have been inside. we get more now from abc's barbara pinto. >> reporter: the search was frantic. desperate. more than 100 firefighters digging through smoldering rubble with axes, buckets, even their own hands, trying to save four of their brothers. they were trapped when the roof of this abandoned burning building gave way. >> our condolences and prayers go out to both families, their friends, and the brothers and sisters at chicago fire department.

>> reporter: gerald glover lost his brother, corey ankum. the former police officer leaves a wife and three children. >> their fathers, their brothers, are heroes. and their extended firefighter family will be with them as long as they need us. >> and salute! >> reporter: in a heartbreaking scene, the city showed its ultimate respect to corey ankum and ed stringer, a 12-year veteran. >> the public outpouring of support is truly appreciated. we are a tight-knit community and it means more than anything to us to receive such heartfelt messages of support and love. >> reporter: this is a painful loss just three days before christmas. >> we must remember that their sacrifice in this instance, the ultimate sacrifice of two lives, are selflessly given in the spirit of saving the lives of the citizens of the city of chicago. >> reporter: all of this comes on the 100th anniversary of the

chicago union stockyard fire that killed 21 firefighters. one of the deadliest days for first responders before 9/11. a century later, a reminder as two grim processions wound their way through the windy city. barbara pinto, abc news, chicago. flooded california is finally getting a break from the rain which has fallen straight for the past week but the damaging effects could linger for some time. in san diego the first floor of a hotel flooded forcing about 50 guests and employees to the second floor where they had to be rescued. seaworld was closed for the day but is expected to reopen today. and further north in the hills of los angeles county, mud slides are the problem there causing some tremendous damage and the threat is far from over. mike von fremd reports. >> reporter: devastating mudslide slashed through highland, california, near the foothills of the san bernardino mountains. most of the residents' cars are buried in mud. more than 20 homes destroyed. the horror happened in an instant.

>> i had a roaring river in my living room, all through the downstairs. i've got nothing left, nothing. >> reporter: it appears no one was hurt. many here do not know where they'll be sleeping. officials were most concerned about la canada, a suburb of los angeles, where police tried to enforce mandatory evacuations. >> are you guys going to stay? >> yeah, we're going to stay. >> reporter: a mudslide destroyed much of this neighborhood last february. >> we're going to stay. >> reporter: but this time most residents decided to stay put. >> this is the holidays and i don't really want to be dealing with this. >> reporter: authorities say la canada is not out of the woods yet. the threat remains. look what happened in dove canyon, california, which is now drenched and buried in mud. >> we performed 60 rescues and evacuated 30-plus homes. >> reporter: as the monster storm moves across the country, there's significant flooding in eastern nevada. in nearby littlefield, arizona, "the las vegas review journal" captured this newly built home collapsing. this week has also seen record snowfall in central colorado,

and in utah there is now the threat of avalanches. >> by early next week you'll be seeing it on the east coast. it will be wild and woolly. >> reporter: here in california the mountains are still saturated and remain vulnerable. and more pacific storms are threatening the west coast before new year's day. mike von fremd, abc news, la canada, california. >> that storm is now moving to the middle of the country, mostly in the form of snow. >> let's get the latest from accuweather's amy aaronson. good morning, amy. >> thank you, rob and vinita. great news for california today. finally the rain is coming to an end. sunshine making a return from san francisco, fresno, all the way down to los angeles. flooding still an issue today but the good news is travel conditions expected to improve. unfortunately that won't be the case across parts of the midsection of the nation. the latest storm moves eastward. we are talking light rain for the four corners and light snow to the north. that will cause some slippery travel along i-90 through south dakota. back to you, rob and vinita.

>> all right, amy, thanks. now for the rest of your weather. scattered showers in the pacific northwest. windy in the northeast with more lake-effect snow around syracuse, rochester, and erie, pennsylvania. cool with light rain in west texas. dry in the southeast. >> 49 in dallas. 55 in new orleans. 72 in miami. 36 here in new york. 42 in boston. chicago 31. minneapolis 23. 40s in seattle, boise and salt lake city. a mild 63 in phoenix. the legal battle over the alaska senate race may finally be at an end. the state's highest court has refused to overturn election results which favored senator lisa murkowski. her republican challenger joe miller sued after her victory. he claimed some of the write-in ballots for murkowski were invalid because her name was not spelled correctly. former white house chief of

staff rahm emanuel should find out today if he's allowed to run for mayor of his hometown of chicago. emanuel left the obama administration in october to get his campaign under way. ever since dozens of people have challenged his candidacy, claiming he did not meet chicago's residency requirements. a city elections panel plans to decide today if he in fact will be on that ballot in february. the president has now left washington to join his family in hawaii for the christmas. much better president o new year with a number of washing good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. its critics argued it could restrain u.s. missile defense but the arms treaty with russia passed with a two-thirds majority in the senate as the 111th congress essentially wrapped up business here in the nation's capital. the 2010 lame duck congress has been anything but. handing president obama a handful of early christmas

> af fo thi elections, washington woul headed for more partiannd and instead, this has been a season of progress for the american people. >> reporter: there was a major foreign policy victory. when the senate ratified the s.t.a.r.t. nuclear disarmament treaty with russia despite charges the adminsratade toocess >> i think this treaty is good for our country. i think this treaty enhances our national security. >> reporter: also, the senate approved a package of health benefits and compensation for 9/11 first responders. under a bipartisan deal struck earlier the total cost of the bill was reduced from $6.2 billion to $4.2 billion. it passed unanimously. >> this is our small effort to stand behind them when they need us most. >> reporter: earlier, president obama received a hero's welcome. just before repealing the 17-year-old don't ask, don't tell policy allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military. marine staff sergeant eric alba was the first american wounded in the iraq war. losing a leg when he stepped on a land mine. a purple heart winner who's gay

was standing beside the president as he put pen to paper. >> it was just surreal. is this really happening? it was history. and we've been waiting for this for such a long time. >> reporter: the president has left for christmas vacation in his home state of hawaii, where he will meet up with the first lady and their two daughters. rob and vinita? you'll love this story. hats off this morning to a little girl named abigail taylor of wichita, kansas. the 9-year-old recently found $68 at a soccer game outside of her church. she did the right thing, she turned it in. >> no one claimed the money so the church let abigail have it. but she's so adorable, she says she used the money to buy toys for kids at a wichita hospital. when word got out, lots of people matched the donation. ultimately there was quite a collection of toys. $900 worth. >> that is definitely the spirit of the season. well done, abigail. she's growing up right. more news after this. hó

that will get you in a festive mood. well, there is a fascinating controversy that's erupted between the roman catholic church and an arizona hospital. at the center of the fight is a decision made by just one nun. >> that nun approved an abortion, claiming it would save the mother's life. a bishop though insists that was a mistake and took swift action against the hospital. dan harris has the story. >> reporter: doctors at st. joseph's hospital in phoenix say their patient likely would have died of heart failure, killing her unborn child too, were it not for the abortion. the decision was approved by sister margaret mcbride, a

long-time senior administrator at the hospital. when the local bishop, thomas olmstead, heard about this, he excommunicated mcbride. on tuesday, bishop olmstead went a step further, stripping st. joseph's of its affiliation with the catholic church. >> instead of treating the disease, st. joseph's medical staff and ethics committee decided that the healthy 11-week-old baby should be directly killed. >> reporter: but the hospital ceo said that is not true. >> our first priority is to save both patients. if that is not possible, we always save the life we can save. >> reporter: we heard from people in the anti-abortion community who applauded bishop olmstead. >> that was a courageous, moral decision by bishop olmstead. >> reporter: but we also heard from critics of the bishop, including some catholics, as well as a slew of doctors who use words like frustrating,

troubling, and horrible. critics say this case exemplifies the problem of hospitals having religious affiliation. in fact, according to one recent survey, one-fifth of doctors who work at such institutions have had conflicts over religious policies. dr. deborah stalberg conducted that study. >> my concern is that the catholic directive can get in the way of doctors doing what they really think is best for their patients. >> reporter: as for the hospital in phoenix, mass will no longer be allowed to be said here. but hospital officials insist nothing about this controversy will impact the quality of the care delivered. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> abortion, never an easy issue in this country. the hospital did release a statement saying, st. joseph's will continue through our words and deeds to carry out the healing ministry of jesus. our operations, policies and procedures will not change. >> they say basically they were established by the sisters of mercy in 1895, and they don't plan to change their name or their mission. >> no end in sight on that debate, we know that. coming up next, vinita heads into the "insomniac kitchen" for a holiday tradition. >> that's right.

chef marcus jernmark has a really creative way to cook a christmas ham. if you do it every year, stick around, this is a cool twist on it, scandinavian. you're watching "world news now." around, this is a cool twist on it, scandinavian. you're watching "world news now." so, a flight to hawaii using our points from chase sapphire. last minute... on christmas. and sitting next to us, chevy chase. and we really hit it off. we play golf, and then the luau.

he's like da vinci with ice. and after, we help hang christmas decorations. wait, wait, wait. you flew last minute... on christmas... with points from chase sapphire? yeah. amazing. believe it. with points from chase sapphire, you can book airline tickets with no blackout dates or restrictions. welcome back, "insomniac kitchen." here at a beautiful restaurant aquavit with executive chef marcus jernmark. beautiful restaurant. >> thank you. >> it is beautiful in the sense that there's so little going on in the dining room. >> we're a modern contemporary, scandinavian, nordic feel to it. we've been around 23 years. consecutive locations. five years, 5 1/2 years old now. i would say modern, very slick and elegant looking restaurant.

>> why do so many people for the holidays do a ham? this is a really cool take on it. it's a scandinavian tradition the way you guys do ham so let's get going. >> let's start with the ham. normally when you cook ham you brine it before in the salt liquid, aromatic. once brined you take it up and either poach it or roast it. this one has been roasted. so let's start with the breading. before you serve it you bread crust it. we make a glaze and bread the glaze and pop it in the oven. we have brown sugar, light brown sugar. we have chopped parsley we're going to chop fine. we have a swedish mustard. and egg yolk. a little bit of seasoning in there. we have also a little bit of cold espresso, or strong coffee. >> that's interesting, espresso. >> let's start with the parsley. roll it up into a little ball. >> that's a fine chop you're doing on it also. >> yeah. >> you really have to get a good chop on it. it almost looks like salt. >> we're adding a little bit of mustard. i would stay about two tablespoons. >> is this traditional dijon, anything will do? >> this is swedish mustard. >> what's the closest thing would you say? >> i would say a not too strong dijon. add a little bit of brown sugar.

not just a little bit, quite a lot, in fact. >> it's interesting, the glazinghe wle h.mtardith ocf1o it doesn't have to be a thick layer. and like i said, this can be done in one step and then bread crumbs. that's what we're doing now. crusting you really just want i would say 50 or a warm oven is the appropriate temperature for this. esere n seaed bead of bread crumbs. you can do it with japanese little flaky, crunch. then we can just -- you're going to see a little bit of -- if you do it like this. >> so is this just for presentation? >> just a little presentation. when you eat ham, you traditionally eat it with braised red cabbage. >> oh, okay. >> and you enjoy that with a good mustard, a strong mulls standard.

just crisp the top, i would say 450 just to give it a nice crust. >> can you to this with day-old bread? >> you can do it with any type of bread crumbs. you can do it with japanese bread crumbs if you want it a little flaky, crunch. then we can just -- you're going to see a little bit of -- if you do it like this. >> so is this just for presentation? >> just a little presentation. when you eat ham, you traditionally eat it with braised red cabbage. >> oh, okay. >> and you enjoy that with a good mustard, a strong mustard. >> now we've got it all pretty. it has the beautiful finish on it. >> ready to go into the oven. i would say 450 just to give it a nice crust. about ten minutes. >> not long at all. >> no, not long at all, just the finishing phase. nice and crusted.

>> is that what you're looking for is the crumbs to sort of turn color? >> yeah. you can see it's nice and soft. >> it's hot. >> yeah. give it a little lift. >> nice. >> there's the swedish mustard. >> okay. is there any toast for this? [ speaking foreign language ] >> bon appetit. >> i'll let you say that. >> all right. [ speaking foreign language ] >> mm. very good. if you want to get the complete recipe for this, wnnfans.com. there really is a cool way to change up your ham, especially if you do it every year on the holiday season that same way. chef marcus, thank you very much

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call this toll-free number now. "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> if the ham in that last block didn't make you drool, this certainly will. apparently there's a really traditional meal in japan. and pretty much everyone eats it. it's due to a very clever marketing campaign. and it's kfc. >> that's what i'm talking about, yay. >> it's so interesting. one of the spokespeople from the company says he started in 1980. they say usually in november they would take orders for people to order what they call party barrels. that was two months in advance. now he says there's so much high demand, they basically have to start much earlier. they say the sales for three days are equal to half the normal monthly sales. they say part of the reason, it's advertising. all the advertising is, is this. at christmas, you eat chicken. that's it.

>> very clever. they paid big bucks for that slogan. >> they interviewed a couple of people in this article in "the financial times." they basically said everyone there associates fried chicken with the holidays. they have basically created a market for themselves right around the holidays. >> i love it. proof that all kinds of people love some chicken. all right. this is my favorite story of the day here. we of course remember the horrible incident down in the panhandle of florida last weekend, the school board meeting where the gunman comes, in starts firing at the school board members, firing at the security guard, ultimately kills himself. a little bit of good has come out of that near-tragedy there. apparently the famous scene where that school board member comes in, tries to swipe the gun out of his hands with the purse. last night a local tv station down there in florida literally auctioned off that purse last night on ebay, raising just over $13,000. on top of that the company that makes the purse, which is kind of this brown faux crocodile handbag, they matched the donation. it's all going to go toward a local charity there. the woman herself, ginger

littleton is the school board member's name, she says, i am thrilled to death that the purse will have another life and will do some good in the community. she was a very brave woman there. now that purse became ubiquitous and it raised some money for a good cause in florida. congrats to ginger and the station doing that. >> normally i would think why would anyone bid on that. but you have to admit it was pretty brave what she did, considering. >> oh, yeah. >> i would secretly want that purse. >> people remember that story. >> here's one. promise us you're not going to try this at your own house. take a look at this photo. what he basically did was attach a dummy to the side of the house and basically string lights right up into the dummy. when you're driving past this guy's house, this is in west warwick, he says people have been calling and people, neighbors have been coming over and saying that doing that, people are probably driving by calling the police department saying what's going on, is someone really falling? they think it could cause accidents. the police department says they haven't been getting calls but the guy says he's been getting a lot of complaints.

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california crisis. the worst round of storms flood the coast and cause mudslides in the hills. when will there be some relief? family finances. a money makeover just in time. >> we have to say thank you. thank you. >> saving a bundle before the holidays. and, accident prone. the temporary stop to the "spider-man" broadway show. it's thursday, december 23rd. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> for spider-man there's so many safety concerns about the show. it's gotten so bad a state lawmaker in new york literally wants to hold hearings on safety to make sure everything is okay so they can avoid any more injuries like the ones we saw earlier this week.

>> so often we hear the expression, you any press is good press but to some extent with four cancelations i'm sure these producers are hoping for no more press. >> that's for sure. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. that week-long storm that pounded southern california is finally moving on but the widespread damage will linger for quite some time. >> it's such a mess out there. mudslides have destroyed more than a dozen times and rapidly rising floodwaters led to some pretty risky rescues. our coverage begins with brad wheelis from los angeles. good morning to you, brad. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. it was one last wallop from a nightmarish storm that started blowing into the west late last week. san diego is submerged. stranded guests had to be rescued at this inn surrounded by water. >> nobody knows what to do in a situation like that. you just cooperate with the firefighters. >> reporter: qualcomm stadium looked like a big, dirty pool. officials say it will be ready for thursday's college bowl game. nearly four feet of water raced

through the streets of laguna beach, leaving a mess for residents and businesses to clean up. in silverado canyon, rain-loosened boulders and rushing water blocked access to mountain homes. >> what sounds like thunder is a lot of rocks coming down in that creek. they're hitting all these trees, cutting away all the embankment on the side. >> reporter: a devastating mud slide in highland, california, buried everything in its path, 20 homes destroyed. >> i have mud in my living room, all through the downstairs. i've got nothing left, nothing. >> reporter: dove canyon was hit just as hard. a state of emergency has been declared in six counties. in some areas, hundreds were forced to evacuate. many in la canada refused to leave. >> are you guys going to stay? >> yeah, we're going to stay. >> reporter: this monster storm is moving across the country. flood warnings and emergencies have been declared in nevada, utah, and arizona. "the las vegas review" captured this newly built home collapsing and being carried away by the current.

and this week has seen record snowfall in some parts of the southwest. scattered power outages are still keeping people in the dark here in the west this morning. and keeping the christmas lights off before the holiday weekend. rob and vinita? >> what a mess. that storm is now shifting east finally giving california a little bit of a break. >> accuweather's amy aaronson continues our coverage this morning. good morning, amy. >> thank you, rob and vinita. things are finally looking up for the golden state. sunshine is making a return from san francisco all the way down through los angeles today. now, though flooding will still be a concern, travel conditions greatly improving across the state. where that is storm going? out into the midsection of the nation but weakening as it does so. still some light rain for the four corners and light snow to the north here. do expect some slippery travel along i-90 traveling through south dakota. as we continue eastward, snow will be winding down in new england today. still talking lake-effect snow

in syracuse and rochester and erie, pennsylvania. our main concern will be gusty winds. especially in cities like boston. as for the southeast, the picture perfect travel day on deck with high pressure in control. cool and dry. my advice would be to travel early on in both the south and the midwest because snow is on the way. already we're talking snow by christmas eve from chicago down through st. louis. back to you, rob and vinita. now for the rest of your thursday forecast. also look up to a foot of snow in the rockies. it will be a wet day around the pacific northwest with some scattered showers. >> 40s from seattle down to albuquerque. and 63 in phoenix. low 20s fargo and minneapolis. meanwhile, 34 in detroit. a cold 45 in dallas. 55 in new orleans. atlanta just shy of 50. 36 here in the big apple. following last weekend's snow, london's heathrow airport should be up and running at full capacity today. that is not stopping the controversy over why it took so long. the airport's top manager is surrendering his annual bonus because of the response to the snowfall.

heathrow's flight delays and cancelations created a global backlog. they are promising it will never happen again. in illinois, a 15-year-old boy who fell through the ice while fishing with his father has died. by the time rescuers arrived the man had been pulled to safety by other fishermen. his son was pulled out of the water after being submerged for 90 minutes. >> there was a lot of, you know, reaching and throwing of a variety of objects. don't know what those objects are. obviously you don't want to get too close. you're just going to add to the situation rather than help it. >> the boy was revived and despite a body temperature of about 20 degrees below normal, he was kept alive for several hours but died yesterday morning. chicago has lost two of its firefighters, killed inside a burning building.

the firefighters had entered the one story vacant building to see if any squatters were inside. that is when the roof collapsed and they were trapped. investigators say homeless people might have started the fire while burning debris to keep warm. it broke out as the fire department was marking the 100th anniversary of the city's historic 1910 fire. south korea is conducting its largest-ever wintertime military drills today. just about 20 miles from its border with the north. today's maneuvers involve 800 south korean troops along with tanks and even some jet fighters. they are all in direct response to last month's bombardment of a south korean island by the north. last night in seoul, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil honoring the four people killed in that attack. tension between north and south korea will top the agenda when the chinese president visits washington next month. the white house announced hu jintao's official state visit will be january 19th. the two leaders met last year when president obama visited china. the president and mrs. obama

will also host a state dinner in president hu's honor. and the president is joining his family in hawaii for the christmas holiday is but he is leaving washington on a high note. >> nearly all the top presidential priorities ended up being approved by congress. t.j. winick has details from washington. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the 2010 lame duck congress has been anything but, handing president obama a handful of early christmas presents. >> a lot of folks in this town predicted that after the midterm elections, washington would be headed for more partisanship and more gridlock. and instead, this has been a season of progress for the american people. >> reporter: there was a major foreign policy victory wednesday when the senate ratified the s.t.a.r.t. nuclear disarmament treaty with russia. >> i think this treaty is good for our country. i think this treaty enhances, enhances our national security. >> reporter: also on wednesday, the senate unanimously passed a package of health benefits and compensation for 9/11 first responders. under a bipartisan deal struck, the total cost of the bill was reduced from $6.2 billion to

$4.2 billion. >> this is our small effort to stand behind them when they need us most. >> reporter: earlier, president obama received a hero's welcome just before repealing the 17-year-old don't ask, don't tell policy, allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military. >> it was just, you know, surreal. is this really happening? i mean, it was history. and we've been waiting for this for such a long time. >> reporter: the president has left for christmas vacation in his home state of hawaii where he will meet up with the first lady and their two daughters. rob and vinita? as we've been talking about all morning, the weather outside is frightful. in one southern california hospital the newborns were truly delightful. >> not to mention they came wrapped in their own christmas stockings. look at that, that's adorable. it's become an annual tradition at the millers children's hospital in long beach, california. >> it almost makes the crying not annoying. >> almost.

>> some handled being stuffed in their stockings better than others. to the parents, they are undoubtedly little bundles of holiday joy. so cute. >> that is very cute. very nice. congratulations to all those new parents. what a christmas they're going to have. be right back after this.

welcome back. we turn now to a disturbing discovery uncovered by abc news involving hundreds of critical medications. >> they range from drugs used in everyday procedures in emergency rooms, to life-extending cancer treatments. our health and medical editor dr. richard besser reports. >> reporter: this year, a nationwide shortage of over 100 critical medications used for everything from anesthesia to asthma. >> this is the first time that i've encountered shortages that may affect patient care. this is an emerging huge problem. >> reporter: one drug affected, doxorubicin, an essential chemotherapy drag.

500,000 doses were needed last year. it's the only drug that worked on mark mckee's tumor. >> the hospital actually called us on a sunday night and said, well, don't come in, we might not have the drug. >> reporter: we heard from doctors across the country struggling with so much uncertainty. >> we need to be able to give patients at least a general idea how long a given drug is going to be in short supply. >> reporter: there are three companies that make doxorubicin. two slowed or stopped production this year. it is typical of drug shortages. when companies stop making a drug, because of low profits or problems at the plant, pharmacy supplies run out. the fda is responsible for tracking drug shortages. >> we're not talking about antibiotic for an ear infection. we're talking about really important medications. >> that's right. >> what type of drugs are you seeing in short supply? >> drugs that are needed for patients undergoing surgery. emergency medicine drugs like drugs on the crash cart. >> drugs on the crash cart?

>> yes. those shortages have now resolved. those were very critical. >> reporter: but these are private companies and the fda can only advise, look for other suppliers. when doctors need to substitute, other medicines may not be as effective. and making matters worse -- >> patients have been given substitutes for a drug that's in short supply but the insurance will not cover the costs of that. >> reporter: mark mckee decided to take what the hospital could find, a partial dose. hoping that some chemo is better than none. >> this really comes as a shock. we just assume if we pay our hospital bills the medicine i need is going to be there. >> there is a clear example of market failure. there's a demand for these drugs that industry is not meeting. many are calling on congress to take action. things like requiring manufacturers to alert fda when they expect a shortage will be coming. creating incentives for industry to keep these drugs flowing. this is a very big problem and i do expect there will be action. dr. richard besser, abc news,

new york. >> the whole health care debate the country experienced over the past year, people talked about the pros and cons of a for-profit health care system. profit is one of the issues that's making these shortages reality these days. >> we've heard of the term black market. they're saying what's occurring is essentially a gray market, an area where now basically you have the haves and the have nots, people who can afford the genuine, because the generics like dr. besser pointed out aren't covered by insurance. coming up next, help for one family struggling with money. >> some creative approaches to help them save a bundle. that's next. ow

of course christmas is just a few days away. but right after that, of course, comes new year's, which means the all-popular new year's resolutions.

you have any yet, or no? >> every year i say i'm going to run a marathon, this is the year. i can keep saying it every year. >> every year. i've resolved to stop making resolutions i won't keep, that's my goal. many families make the resolution to save cash. elisabeth leamy went to one family's home to show them and families just like them how easy it is in fact to save. >> reporter: nancy and tom gunn of oswego, new york, have always wanted to make their finances fit their family, not the other way around. they have two sons of their own and over the years have adopted or taken in three other kids. >> we'd love the opportunity to help other children. that's how our family ticks. the more the merrier. the more we can help, the better we like it. >> reporter: so my challenge was to find a way to stretch the salaries of a self-employed hairdresser and a school bus

supervisor. the one thing i want you to sacrifice is cable tv. by canceling cable, bundling their home phone and internet, and switching wireless providers, the gunns will save big. $4,632. >> wow. that's awesome. >> reporter: nancy's big blended family needs a lot of groceries. she has only a little time to shop for them. i'm going to introduce to you the idea of copycat grocery shopping. all over the country, grocery gurus who know how to get rock-bottom deals blog and brag about their best finds. all nancy has to do is copy the one who covers her store, and she can cut her bills in half. you would save $3,900 on groceries. >> wow, that would be wonderful. >> reporter: the gunns' car insurance seemed high to me. so i invited independent trusted choice agent brendan higgins to

shop around the companies he represents. >> we're able to save you $2,082 a year on your auto insurance. >> wow, that's great. >> high five, man. >> all right. thank you. >> reporter: the gunns had never refinanced their house because they didn't have the cash for closing costs. i took them to oswego county federal credit union. the credit union approved them for a new home loan at 5.35%, with no closing costs, which will save them $33,473. >> you will have it paid off in a matter of 11 years. saving you eight years off of your total payment of your mortgage right now. >> that's so huge. maybe we'll be able to retire. >> but wait, there's more. >> reporter: the credit union also offered to roll the gunns' car loans and credit cards into a home equity loan. a $13,684 savings and a sound practice, in their case, because they have a healthy amount of equity. >> that's going to save you $155 a month on that. and all of your debt will be paid off in three years. >> reporter: nancy cried tears of relief. >> seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. we so appreciate that, thank you. >> okay. >> reporter: but next, it was time for smiles. since oswego federal credit union recently renovated a historic train station, we used the old baggage scale to reveal the gunns' total savings to them. >> here we go. one, two, three. the scale landed on 58.

what could it mean? could you, nancy, read what it says on that tag on the money bag? >> $58,288. >> whoa! >> reporter: savings to fit this fine family. >> wow. it's amazing the small steps people can take to save a lot of money. they ended up saving 850 bucks a month, that family. >> elisabeth says one of the unsung heroes for everyone is a credit union. so often people have negative connotations of them but they are in fact what helped that family save so much money.

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to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil. finally this half hour, the finally this half hour, the superhero-themed broadway show "spider-man" may need to be rescued from itself. >> last night producers canceled another sold-out performance leaving the $65 million show tangled in a web of controversy. >> reporter: another cancelation for broadway's "spider-man." >> it's canceled again? >> reporter: that makes two in one day. for broadway's most ambitious and expensive production ever.

segments of the show are now being retooled after state department of labor inspectors requested another layer of safety precautions. reed carney plays peter parker. you feel safer? >> i do. i've actually always felt safe. i do feel safer now, even. >> reporter: some of the show's other stars work the crowds trying to smooth over any hard feelings. >> i really, really hope you'll get to come back and see the show. >> reporter: the show's only in previews and it's already had four accidents. monday's mishap landed 31-year-old stuntman chris tierney in the hospital with serious injuries. he fell 30 feet while trying to perform one of the show's complicated aerial stunts. new york state officials say 38 stunts in the show will now be

subject to new procedures. there will be more stagehands available to check the equipment before a stunt is allowed to proceed. >> we believe that through the cooperation of all involved, that we're going to have the safety protocols in place that will ensure that the events of the other night are not repeated. >> reporter: the previews for the $65 million production will resume, giving theatergoers another opportunity to see it. >> very disappointed but we did get tickets for january.

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underwater. california's floods after nonstop drenching downpours. the damage at an nfl stadium. under wraps. secretly moving nuclear materials by truck, train and ship thousands of miles. and, special symbol. the ground zero tree still thriving and replanted years after 9/11. >> i knew that she was going to survive. we took care of it. >> it's thursday, december 23rd. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it's really hard to believe that next year will be the tenth anniversary of 9/11. it's incredible it's been a decade since that. it's a really good story to have from ground zero this morning about what has survived here

just in time for the holidays. >> i know you've taken a tour of it somewhat recently also. it's hard to go down there for me still. >> it is. it's sacred ground always. >> good morning and thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. the sun is expected to finally shine on southern california today after a week of those relentless and destructive rains. >> the storm has left behind a trail of mud-caked homes, flooded streets and houses ruined by filthy water. david wright reports now from los angeles. >> reporter: in san diego the flooding turned one coastal inn into an island. with water surrounding the premier inn on all sides, lifeguards had to bring in boats to rescue stranded guests. >> you don't know what to do in a situation like that. you just cooperate with the firefighters and hopefully they'll help you through it. >> reporter: a local golf course became one giant water hazard. qualcomm stadium is now a shallow pool literally the size of a football field. in silverado canyon, people

trapped in their homes called out to reporters for help. here in laguna beach, the wall of water four feet high poured through downtown, bringing with it a tide of mud. local police urged residents to evacuate but many elected to stay. >> waves probably three feet tall. it was wild. >> reporter: and shut down downtown all day long. as residents and business owners dug themselves out. the heavy water is making coastal roads tough to navigate. puddles the size of lakes forced many roads to close. this driver stalled trying to make it through. he gathered up his belongings and trudged out on foot. planning any trip along the southern california coast demands patience and some creativity. >> right now, i've attached my bicycle to the back of my car in north laguna and i'm going to try to drive as far as i can

north, and when i'm stopped i'm going to get out and ride my bike to my appointment in south laguna. >> reporter: you saw qualcomm stadium there. the poinsettia bowl is due to be played there on thursday and amazingly the game is on. officials say they have brought in the pumps and the work crews will be working. they insist the field will be ready even though it will probably be a bit soggy. david wright, abc news, laguna beach, california. there are even more evacuations in highland, california, this morning where an additional 200 families have been forced out. the mudslides threaten to continue for weeks after rain-soaked hillsides have started literally sliding into homes and yards. muck has covered nearly two dozen homes and several cars. the neighborhoods most at risk are where wildfires burned earlier this year. as the southwest begins to dry out, that storm moves east today. >> so expect some rain and some snow. accuweather's amy aaronson is tracking it all for us this morning. hi, amy. >> thank you rob and vinita. things are finally looking up for the golden state today.

the sunshine is back from san francisco through los angeles. flooding will still be a concern today. the travel conditions are expected to improve by day's end. where's that storm moving? out into the midsection of the nation. we are talking some light rain to the south there through the four corners and some light snow to the north. do expect slippery travel along i-90 heading through south dakota. as for the northeast, snow winding down across new england. we are still talking some lake-effect snow in cities like syracuse, rochester and erie. i think our main concern here in the east will be very gusty winds, especially in cities like boston. as for the southeast, a picture perfect travel day on deck with high pressure in control looking cool and dry. my advice would be to travel early on. in both the southeast and the midwest because snow is on the way. that snow is expected to arrive on your christmas eve in cities like chicago down to st. louis. back to you, rob and vinita.

>> all right, amy, thanks a lot. here's the rest now of your thursday forecast. heavy mountain snow out in utah, colorado, arizona, and new mexico. it will be a damp thursday in the pacific northwest with off and on showers from seattle to portland. >> mostly 40s in the pacific northwest and rockies. 56 degrees in sacramento. 30s from omaha to indianapolis. a gusty 42 in boston. 37 in baltimore. 72 degrees in miami. with tensions on the korean peninsula at crisis level, south korea is conducting its largest ever wintertime military drills today. the maneuvers are taking place just about 20 miles from its border with north korea. they are in direct response to last month's bombardment of a south korean island by the north. last night in seoul, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil. they remembered the four people killed in last month's attack. investigators in dallas are still piecing together an incident last night at the home of former president george w. bush. a suspect was detained after he apparently drove on the bushes' lawn. initial reports say the man lost control of his car after

visiting a neighbor. the secret service says there was never any danger to the former president. the nation's lawmakers are finally headed home and the 111th session of congress is now in the history books. before it ended both the house and senate passed a bill providing more than $4 billion of assistance to workers who got sick at ground zero after the 9/11 attacks. also yesterday, the senate approved a new nuclear treaty with russia. the next congress begins january 5th with republicans in charge of the house. and the lame duck congress also successfully repealed the military's don't ask, don't tell policy and the president of course did his part, signing that historic repeal into law. jake tapper has the story. >> reporter: for a moment the orator in chief was speechless. >> yeah, i -- i am -- i am just overwhelmed. >> reporter: as he signed the law that will end the policy that has led to the discharge of more than 13,000 gay and lesbian troops. >> we are not a nation that says, don't ask, don't tell. we are a nation that says, out of many we are one. >> reporter: singled out for

special recognition, the first marine seriously wounded in iraq. sergeant alva told us his tale three years ago. >> waking up and actually seeing that my leg was gone, it almost felt like a nightmare. >> reporter: he insisted the military is ready for the change. >> i've had so many calls even from current military service members right now, both gay or straight. >> reporter: four years ago we met discharged gay sergeant blue kopas, one of the army's few arabic speakers. >> the work that my specific job does is one of the most important jobs of the military. >> reporter: kopas told us he might re-enlist. >> just because i've been burnt by this policy doesn't mean that's been taken out of who i am. still a patriot. still a soldier at heart. >> reporter: but what of those like marine commandant james amos? >> my recommendation is that we should not implement repeal at this time. >> reporter: amos told president obama that he will follow the

order. and troops we spoke to with the 101st airborne division in kandahar, afghanistan, suggested any impact would be negligible. >> combat proficiency is more than sexual preference. >> we are in the middle of war. the whole don't ask, don't tell policy is the least, the lowest priority in my mind right now. >> reporter: at wednesday's press conference, president obama said he still believes marriage is between a man and a woman, but same-sex marriage is an issue he is struggling with. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. it's a tradition in spain just like the running of the bulls and that big tomato fight we show folks every summer. they call this el gordo which translates into the fat one. >> it is spain's annual holiday lottery which is considered the world's richest. the total payout, $3 billion. but unlike lotteries here there is not just one grand prize. >> there are more than 26,000 winners. the cost of the ticket is about

26 bucks. the top prize is nearly $400,000. pfffffffff!

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with the holidays upon us now, intelligence communities around the world of course are on full alert. they're doing their best to protect their citizens from terror. >> one way they do that is by keeping an eye on dangerous substances, including nuclear materials. >> the bbc's gordon corera went on an exclusive journey with a top-secret convoy to transport enriched uranium to a safe place. >> reporter: a secret operation in the dead of night.

tight security preparing for the departure of this most deadly of cargo. inside the bomb-proof blue containers is nuclear material. the type terrorists have long wanted to get their hands on. at 2:00 in the morning the president of serbia turns up just outside of belgrade. >> we have significant security here but this is extremely important because of organizing that very, very specific transport. >> reporter: we were taken to see the aging reactor where the material was stored. >> this is the reactor room -- >> reporter: in the cold war, russia and america supplied many countries with highly enriched uranium to help develop scientific expertise. here it came in the form of these fuel rods, filmed by inspectors. now, getting this material back and to safety has become a top priority. because of its poor security, this site was top of the list. behind me a convoy of trucks are beginning a long odyssey across

europe. inside are 2.5 tons of radioactive material, including highly enriched uranium which could be used for a nuclear bomb. as the convoy heads through the gates we join it as it makes its way north, snaking through a deserted belgrade. roads have been closed and guards line the route. the journey, which will take more than four weeks in all and cover more than 7,000 miles, begins with the lorries driving from belgrade driving to the town of subotica near the hungarian border. here the containers are loaded onto a train. this cargo is the largest of its type ever moved. it's too big and too dangerous to transport by air.

in all this journey has taken five years of planning. the train travels for nearly 24 hours across hungary. its destination the port of koper in slovenia. the nuclear material is being loaded onto this ship, ready for its 20-day journey around europe. it will be carefully tracked at every stage along the way. somali pirates tried to hijack this ship last year, and there are no guards on board. but it will be closely watched. this is all part of a much wider ambition. >> this is the sixth country we've cleaned out of all highly

enriched uranium since the president's speech in 2009 in prague. but there are several more countries we need to clean out between now and the end of the four-year plan. >> reporter: the boat makes its way through the mediterranean, past gibraltar, and up the english channel. it's headed to the russian port of murmansk in the arctic. the containers, whose arrival was delayed by arctic weather, are unloaded from the boat, ready for the final stage of their journey. the roundabout route is because some countries would not provide permission for it to pass through. the material then travels by train to mayak, a secure nuclear facility. we agreed not to report the route until complete from fear of attack. these fuel rods will now be made safe. but the race continues between those trying to secure the nuclear material and those hoping to steal it. gordon corera, bbc news, slovenia. >> the details of that shipment and the route were kept secret until now. basically the bbc came along and decided to make a lot of that information public. >> it's dangerous because they could use some of those ingredients to make a dirty y yñ

here's going to be the water cooler story of your christmas season here. nfl coach rex ryan, coach of the jets here, apparently this website named deadspin.com has discovered video a few years old that apparently shows he and his wife there, there's some kind of foot fetish thing going on here. this website uncovers a series

of four videos in which it depicts his wife or a woman just like her, her feet in the suv, kind of having all these intimate discussions about her feet. there's another video where she's sitting on the couch and rubbing her feet. you hear him complimenting it and all of this. it came up in a press conference and he kind of said, this is a personal matter, i'm not going to address it. jets management, nfl, said it is a personal matter. we're not going to address it here. but some horribly embarrassing video for the head coach of the jets. people are calling it a foot fetish here. this just a long line of embarrassments for the team. the brett favre situation with the sexting, then the coach who tripped the dolphins player, and they've had a real kind of messy season. the foot fetish video ain't going to help. >> i know i'm going to be sounding naive. does he say lewd things about her feet? or what is the -- i mean, it could be just one of a thousand, right?

>> i have the full audio, but it's just that he's enamored with her feet and discussing in a romantic way her pups. >> very interesting. >> there you go. >> here's some -- a really nice story. jennifer hudson recently, between the weight loss and her new baby, has really had some wonderful press and this is continuing on in that tradition. keep in mind in 2008 her nephew julian king was murdered and she decided to do a toy drive in his honor. take a listen. >> it's a good way to keep his memory alive by blessing other children through the holiday season. for us we never had a sad christmas. >> keep in mind when she says that, in referencing julian king, he was murdered in 2008. hudson's mother and brother were also murdered. it really is just amazing to see the comeback she's been able to accomplish. she basically says among the many gifts this year she also had the son i mentioned earlier. she just said she wants to give back and thinks it's an appropriate time to do that. >> in memory of her family members. it's nice that she's doing that. this next story involves those of you who are friends of "modern family" like we are.

sofia vergara, drop dead gorgeous. she was on "letterman" earlier this week. kind of a funny moment. she's trying to raise awareness and raise money for colombia which is going through a really tough time. worst rain in 40 years, landslides, flooding. she kind of made a pitch for her cause. take a listen. >> so maybe like, you know, somebody wants to give a little gift to colombia, you can go to my website and with the red cross and give a little donation. because we need $6 billion. >> $6 billion? >> just a few dollars to help colombia out. you couldn't ask for a better spokeswoman than sofia. >> we're going to leave you on antoine dodson. of course you know the chimney song right now or the house song, the original song. this is the newest version, "chimney intruder." ♪ ♪

here some are stories to watch today on abc news. president obama's former chief of staff rahm emanuel should find out today if his name will be allowed on ballots in chicago. emanuel was running for mayor there and a chicago panel plans to decide if he does in fact meet residency requirements. >> a town in southern michigan hosts a candlelight vigil for three missing boys. the brothers were last seen on thanksgiving. their father's now being held on a $30 million bond. and new labor department figures on unemployment are released later this morning along with last night's figures on new home sales. investors are looking for positive signs before the

holiday. finally, for years many americans have been looking for any sign of rebuilding at new york's ground zero. on wednesday, they got one. >> it wasn't a new building, it was something much smaller. but it's something with tremendous symbolism. wabc's tim fleischer was there. >> reporter: carefully being lowered into place, positioned just right, the survivor tree is returning to its roots here where it once stood at the world trade center. first responders digging through mountains of smoldering debris from the twin towers discover the pear tree, now standing tall at 35 feet, most of it heavily damaged. >> its trunk was scorched from the burning debris that engulfed the site. its crown had been completely blown off, reducing its branches to charred stumps. >> reporter: its survival, a long shot.

but one not lost on survivors like keating crown, escaped the south tower collapse. >> the fact that this tree survived such devastation reminds us all of a capacity of the human spirit to endure. >> reporter: transplanted and nursed back to health in van courtland park. >> the spring after the attacks i saw the buds coming out, then i knew that she was going to survive. we took care of it. >> reporter: surrounding the survivor tree here in what is known as the 9/11 memorial glade, workers are starting to plant dozens of white oaks. it is here families will come for quiet reflection. >> it's a site being tranbees o >> it's ntiet mhe ng tranbees o i'mo c happive. >> reporter: a living memorial. tim fleischer. >> wow. as part of that memorial and museum they're building there, they're literally bringing in hundreds of trees to ground

zero.