memorial on tv screens and on computers, some even holding candles as a vigil. and in asia, fans gathered in hong kong and tokyo to remember their idol, holding candles and they even held silent vigils at outdr record stores in memory of the legendary singer. it's a another indicator of jus how popular jason was adored around the wld and a also as a paragoof musical inspiration the world will miss. >> what was happening in london in terms of the commememoratati? >> repororter:well, london the were c commerationt the to be playing. jacon was going it was very touching for those fans w who were supposed to be actually watching him in person there live ithcoming weeks. thank yousonia. stay with abc news for more

michael jackson coverage throughout the morning. later this half hour, jackson's role as a pop culture icon and why the public was so fascinated by him. >> president obama has a busy day in italy where he meets with the world's top leaders. they're discussing global warming, iran's nuclear program and international trade. mr. obama wrapped up his historic visit to russia. yunji de nies is traveling with the president. >> reporter: good morning. day three of the president's trip abroad finds him in rome for the g-8 summit, three days of meetings with world leaders to talk about the global economy and international security. the white house says the president has had a very successful trip so far. here in russia he and president medvedev agreed to cut nuclear weapon stob piles by as much as 30%. but this advice sit just the first step in the president's efforts to reset u.s.-russia relations. in a speech at the new economic school yesterday, he said government can only do so much. >> this must be more than a

fresh start between the kremlin and the white house, though that is important and i've had excellent discussions with both your president and your prime minister. it must be sustained effort among the american and russian people to identify mutual interests and expand dialogue and cooperation that can pave the way to progress. >> reporter: looking ahead to the g-8 that meeting will be held in central italy, the historic town that suffered a major earthquake last april. nearly 300 people were killed and centuries old buildings were damaged or destroyed. italian prime minister silvio berlusconi moved the sum tlit to help boost the local economy. yunji de nies, abc news, moscow. >> now let's take a look at your wednesday forecast. showers and thunderstorms with a chance of severe weather in the midwest and northern plains today.

thunderstorms and heavy rain from the carolinas into florida and into the gulf coast. scattered showers and thunderstorms up in new england. >> a high of 73 in boston, 81 in new york and 87 in atlanta. chicago and detroit will be in the 70s. 91 in colorado spring, 86 in salt lake city and just 65 in seattle. >> you know, we're hearing so many stories like, there so many people dropping what they were doing no matter where they were to come to l.a. to be a part of history yesterday. even if they didn't have ticketeds to michael jackson's memorial. >> they will no doubt take home many memories. we'll share a few in just a moment. ♪ it true we make a brighter day just you and me ♪ ♪ we are the world, we are the children ♪ we are the ones who make a bright are day so let's start giving ♪

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new >> a new congressional report finds major security gaps around federal government buildings. investigators were able to smuggle bomb-making materials into ten of those facilities. once inside they were able to construct the bombs and carry them around. ere are likely to be tough questions about the report during today's senate homeland serity committee hearing. >> china's president was forced to cut short his trip to the g-8 summit in italy because of worsening ethnic violence at home. governor troops have been rushed to the northwest province where at least 156 people have now died. >> reporter: in the capital city, dozens of riot police crashed with uighur women protesting the security crackdown. it would be better to kill us than to live like this, one uighur woman said. more than a thousand people have been arrested. the chinese government won't say

how many are uighurs and how many are local hahn chinese. the region's communist party secretary said more arrests are under way. chinese officials cast the recent violence as a brazen ethnic attack. like tibetans, uighurs say they've been colonized by the chinese and have long campaigned for independence. officials say in their anger they turned on their neighbors, local hahn chinese claim they were attacked in their homes and businesses. the government says at least 50 people have been beaten to death. the uighurs deny starting any violence. on tuesday police blocked hundreds of local hahn chinese carrying sticks and lead pipes from marching in the capital's muslim area. witnesses say they were looking for uighur tarring totes exact revenge. the uncommissioner for human rights called it a major tragedy. despite restricted cell phone and internet access, there were reports violence is spreading in the region.

>> gloria mentions that violence. there was a scene odd live reminiscent of tiananmen square back m 1989. so many people remember that image of tank man. yesterday there was a woman who tried to single handedly stop government forces from moving against all those protests. it really is a moving image when you know what's going on >> she was probably inspired by tank man all those years ago, though that image has been restricted in china. a lot of people don't even know much about tank man. fascinating nevertheless. when we come back, why the public was so fascinated by michael jackson. how he became a pop culture icon and why his death could mark the end of a trend. you're watching "world n ral student aid.

start here. go further.

♪ no ♪ no one can he be from my destiny ♪ >> stevie wonder from yesterday's michael jackson memorial service in los angeles. here in new york the service was shown live on big tv, including the huge screen outside our "good morning america" studios at times square. as can you see, hundreds of people stopped in their tracks to simply watch and to celebrate. >> i'm guessing we'll get a better sense of the ratings and just how many people were watching worldwide later today. it was incredible to watch it all knowing so many others across the globe were doing the exact same thing at the same

time time. it was all for a man who went from being the seventh child of a steel work are to one of if not the most recognizable people on earth. here's bob brown. >> reporter: more than 85 years ago between 600,000 and a million people flooded the streets of paris for the funeral of a global superstar, androgynous in the choice of both male and female roles, memorialized even today on youtube, who kept exotic pets such as a cheetah, went on spending binges and died nearly bankrupt but who had electified the audiences who saw her. her name was sarah bernhart. if this is the age of celebrity, then her career was dawn of it and her fanslike fans today, sought to stand in that glow. >> it's part of the human condition. we have this need to connect to something greater than ourselves. >> reporter: grip are lawrence is the author of a book title "theult of celebrity." >> i think for most of us it's the primary reason we enjoy

celebrity, purely for entertainment but because we want to bond with other people. they show up at a memorial service and there's all the people who feel the same as they do. >> reporter: today the millions of people who congregated worldwide for michael jackson's memorial may have represented an end in terms of the kind of global phenomenon jackson became. >> michael jackson was i think the last of the sort of american iconic pop culture superstars. it would be very hard for anyone to sell that much music ever again. 30, 40 years ago there was basically rock and a couple of other things. now there's just an entire array of different styles out there and en a million different ways to listen to it. >> reporter: jackson's music virtually guarantees that he will occupy a prominent place in the pantheon of pop icons but so does the timing of his career. the poet ben johnson said it in

a memorial to william shakespeare. he was the soul of an age. in our time marilyn monroe became a star when sexuality was being defined. elvis presley when black and white music were being fujed, james dean when teen-age alienation was growing. jackson broke racial barriers at mtv and made his music a visual banquet as well. >> they came along at a time in the culture that they needed to be there and we needed them as much as they needed us. >> reporter: jackson's legacy has its own complexities because it is virtually impossible now to escape minute-by-minute security any. >> michael jackson turned us all into pop psychologists. we spent years and years studying this man, man, child, completely baffled about what was going on in his mind and i think that that was part of our fascination withim was we didn't understand him. >> reporter: what is absolutely clear is that the value of the

work he leaves behind is immense. elvis presley has generated far more income and depth than he ever did in life, more than $52 million last year. the competition occurs not over how to divide the estate of an icon but how to multiply it. so on a day like this before that next phase begins, we speak of them gently, say our farewells elaborately, assign them a unique place and then leave them to the test of time and distance. >> bob brown reporting. of course everybody who was at the memorial service got one of these highly coveted programs. i was looking at that time. it's got all these pictures of michael's chidehood and stories from almost all of his siblings. tito said we had no idea of what was to come. this the hot item on ebay. we posted all the pages on our facebook fan page so can you get a look on this on your own.

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>> "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> for once i get to put you on the spot, mr. hubbard. one of these papers is very closely connected to you and you're about to see why. let me start off with this story. it's about a busty man ekin. the story is it was outside a barbecue place in ohio and people got really upset. take a look, you can see why. she's wearing a halter top and shorts. people went to the city and said get rid of her or at least put her in more clothing. the city agreed. that decision was now overturned. so this barbecue place can continue keeping this chesty mannequin outdoors. one day jeremy came into work and said you have to see this

mannequin i saw in brooklyn and sent me this image on work e-mail nonetheless. you're not the on one noticing that. >> i was dumb struck. i was walking down the sidewalk and dia double take. i was like, wow. i had to take a picture and i posted it on facebook. all kinds people commented. you can see two reasons why they commented on that. >> you're the on person who said i can't believe is, let me take a photo of it. >> the world had to see that. >> you know from our time in colorado we both worked there and lived there. everyone talks about we have to climb the 14ers, the 14,000 foot peaks. this 11-year-old is taking that quest to new levels. he's going to hike 14 colorado 14ers in 14 days. he's just 11 years old. he's triesing to raise money for a friend who has pulmonary

arterial hypertension. he said he's going to try to raise money to help him. matt is going to be struggling for oxygen. >> i'm fascinated by these young children to undertake amazing things. it's not what i was doing when i was 11. >> makes us feel like slackers. >> this is a new fashion wet suit. i don't know why you'd want a fashionable wet suit but take a look at this. the idea behind it, you can see it there, it's sort of like red, looks like blood. this is from a dutch maker who wants to make it look like the wearer has just lost a fight with a great white shark. >> i love it. i think that's cool. >> i think it's bizarre. >> as long as we're speaking a fashion, check out the latest prom fashion. these two girls, you know, going in a limousine not enough for them. they went dressed as barbie dolls right down to the card board box. pretty inventive. >> odd but okay.

>> touching tribute. michael jackson's star-studded memorial and a rare appearance from his daughter. >> daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. >> and concerns about the cost of the huge service. >> then sarah palin's plans. >> don't know what the future holds. i'm i'm not going to shut any doors. >> her first comments since her resignation. >> and revealing debbie rowe. insiders talk about michael jackson's ex-wife, their relationship and her intentions. it's wednesday, july 8th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning and thanks for being with us.

from new york i'm vinita nair. >> and good morning. i'm jeremy hubbard here in los angeles where the legions of michael jackson fans gathered yesterday. we have a memento from the service. on ebay these things are going from upwards of $600. we've uploaded a few pictures of this on to the "world news now" facebook page. it was here in l.a. where we witnessed a truly remarkable public memorial for michael jackson, the eulogies and remembrances are over now but the questions over jackson's death are not. here's what we're learning this morning. michael jackson's death certificate is now public but without a cause of death because toxicology tests are not complete. security costs for the memorial could run up to $4 million and the city of los angeles has posted a web site seeking tax deductible donations. economists say money spent by thousands of jackson fans and media here in l.a. could help cover the costs. t.j. winick has more from the staples center.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy. few celebrities led as complicated a life as michael jackson but yesterday was about the music and the good times as remembered by his friends and family. >> ever since i was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. >> reporter: the first public words ever spoken by jackson's daughter paris provided new insight into the king of pop who is memorialized by his music and the stories of how many he inspired. ♪ just call my name and i'll be there ♪ >> reporter: the day began at the forest lawn cemetery in the hollywood hills where family and close friends gathered for a private funeral. then the motorcade to the memorial service which temporarily shut down parts of two los angeles freeways. for an entertainer known around the world inside the staples center, there were many personal and intimate memories. >> both of us needed to be

adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. >> reporter: motown records founder berry gordie called him the greatest entertainer to ever win but didn't shy away from the controversial private life saying michael made some questionable decisions. >> but michl jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of. >> reporter: for the thousands of michael jackson fans who beat the odds and won a ticket to the memorial service, it was an overwhelming and emotional experience. michael jackson's death certificate right now lists the cause of death as deferred. it is still unclear where the king of pop will are buried. jeremy? >> t.j. winick here in los angeles. we'll have more coverage from l.a. throughout the morning here on abc news. later this half hour, some insight on michael jackson's ex-wife debbie rowe and her intentions after his death. >> thanks. the farewells to michael jackson

extend well beyond the confines of los angeles. last night at thee rock 'n' rol ll o famee i clevendnd fans paid tributeo egend at a a candlelighig. mimiioore gatherereded i inn puc and p privatewoworldwide t to >> reporter: airpororts aunund the world werere filled with fa of michael jackson t tuesday, a lucky few of whwhom won a ticke to the memorial.l. >> it't's sueal. very surreal. we weren't expectiting itt all. >> reporter: others arrivivede loles without titickets, simplyappy toto b be nearby as their favorite pop star w laiaid to rest. >> everyone has s lookeded up tm and now he just died lik sout of the blue. itit's jt so rarandom. it's so upsetting. >> reporter: some of those who couldn't make it to jackson's memorial witnessed it live on screens in times square and on television in lebanon. many created their own memorial.

more than 200 jackson fans came together at a raleigh, north carolina convention center. >> what a pivotal moment in my life, a memorial moment in my life i'll never forget mike sell an icon of this world. >> it's very loving here. it's just amazing that people can come together like this. >> reporter: across the globe in russia, dozens of balloons lifted in the air as fans sing along to jackson's songs. and at the place where it all started, his boyhood home in gary, indiana, the modest white structure is now a shrine to the pop star it once housed. >> he deserves it. he came a long way from gary and when i was little, i would listen to his records. i thought he was the cutest little boy i ever seen. >> reporter: diane alvear, abc news. >> president obama arrives in italy for a summit of the world's major developing countries. the troubled global economy is expected to be topic number one.

as he left moscow, mr. obama urged russians to look beyond their antagonism toward america and join the must battling common problems. >> whether america or russia, neither of us would benefit from a nuclear arms raised in east asia or the middle east. that's why we should be united in opposing north korea's efforts to become a nuclear power and opposing iran's efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon. i'm pleased that president medvedev and i agreed upon a joint threat assessment of the ballistic challenges, ballistic missile challenges of the 21st century including from iran and north korea. >> president obama acknowledged the summit might be overshadowed by the events surrounding michael jackson but said people will start focusing again on world issues. >> after a series of major recall, the white house is taking steps to make sure the nation's food supply is safer. the admin neither of us would benefit from

a nuclear arms raised in east salmonella and e. coli. the rules call for better coordination between agencies regulating the food industry. >> time to take a look at our wednesday weather. cooler than normal temperatures in new england with scattered showers and thunderstorms in boston, hartford and portland, maine today. thunderstorms and heavy rain from the carolinas and florida and along the gulf coast. severe weather in the middle of the country. >> 73 in chicago, 75 in detroit and 90 in omaha. in the east we're hitting the 80s from new york all the way to atlanta. 65 in seattle, 77 in boise and 84 in sacramento. >> some lasting impressions over the past 24 hours here in los angeles as celebrities and every day people said good-bye to michael jackson. >> our coverage of the memorial continues after these snapshot from a truly historic day. yore watching "world news now." ♪ i'll be there, i'll be there

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>> it is now senator al franken. the former funny man was sworn in as minnesota's newest u.s. senator on capitol hill. franken was given what was considered a plum assignment for a new lawmaker. he's on the judiciary committee which oversees the nomination of sonia sotomayor to the supreme court. final stint as alaska's governor but the questions about her future are not gng away. she signed a bill in a remote alaskan village yesterday. kate snow caught up with her during a fishing trip. >> reporter: we caught up to the governor on bristol bay. where salmon fishing is a palin family tradition. >> we're chasing the tide. it's ebbing and flowing of course and we're trying to get the fish as they come close today shore as they're heading up river. >> reporter: how long you been doing this? you. >> 25 years probably. >> reporter: it was a bit surreal. you have some fish guts on you.

>> we do and this is relatively clean, though. we get the fish blood. >> reporter: the governor, who just announced friday she's leaving her post acknowledged people may not have understood why. what's your motivation behind announcing on friday? everybody wants to know and not just journalists and media. >> you mean i didn't do a good job in my 22 or 24 minutes of explanation the other day? >> reporter: she wanted to make clear that ethics complaints forced her staff to waste time and money defending her. >> there's not fair to a state to allow those dtractions to stymie and thwart the progress in a state. it has been costing our state millions of dollars. it cost todd and me -- the adversaries would love to see us on a path of personal bankruptcy so we couldn't afford to run. >> reporter: we couldn't afford to run. was that hant she's planning to run for president in 2012? >> i'm not going to shut any doors. >> reporter: palin said she

didn't tell john mccain she was going to leave office but she has been talking about it with her closest political adviser, her husband todd, for months. and your vote was? >> of course. >> reporter: why? >> move on. >> reporter: is it possible, governor that, this could be the end of your political career, that you might never walk into another run for office? >> i said before i stood in front of the mic the other day, politically speaking if i die, i die. so be it. >>eporter: is it over? or is she just resting up for more? kate snow, abc news, dillingham, alaska. >> she's saying had are last day in office will be july 26, so very soon. >> sure sounded like she hinted at running but we'll see. still ahead, michael jackson's ex-wife debbie rowe. her intentions after his death and why her comments made years ago are so meaningful today. you're watching "world news now."

>> michael jackson's fans gathered across the country to watch his memorial service, including near the apollo

theater here in new york where the jacksons got their start. hundreds watched the memorial on a large screen. organizers said the whole thing didn't cost taxpayers a dime. >> now the battle lines over jackson's children continue to be drawn. debbie rowe, jackson's ex-wife and the mother of his two oldest children, is considering seeking custody of the youngsters. rowe did a lengthy interview in 2003 which abc news has obtained. in it she addresses motherhood as elizabeth vargas reports. >> reporter: debbie rowe describes her marriage to michael jackson as untraditional, an understatement in the overstated world of michael jackson. did they ever live together? >> no. >> reporter: did they ever consummate the marriage? >> i find that extremely inappropriate to ask. what happens behind closed doors between me and my husband is our business. and i don't know how much clearer i can make it.

>> it's pretty clear that their relationship was really in essence a quid pro quo. >> reporter: stuart backerman was michael's former publicist. >> michael wanted to have children. debbie cared for michael, debbie carried the children. it's pretty well as simple as that. >> reporter: their first child was a gift debbie said she wanted to give michael. the baby was delivered on february 1th, 1997 at l.a.'s cedar sinai hospital. >> we were ver excited. michael was definitely more excited than i was. he was welling up. and the look on his face. >> reporter: the king of pop doted on a son they all called prince. a little over a year later he was joined by a sister. >> we called her the little princess. then she came out, he touched

her head. he was able to be more hands on, yoknow, because there weren't that many doctors. it was more what a normal delivery is. >> reporter: within moments of her birth, michael took paris, rushed her from the hospital room and to his home, reportedly not even waiting for doctors and nurses to clean the newborn. while michael and the baby went home, debbie rowe once again went off alone to recuperate. barely a marriage, not even a partnership, debbie said she never led with michael during either of her pregnancies or during those precious days with the new babies but she says they were both satisfied with their arrangement. >> what michael has done for me, i live the way i do because of him. and there's not one day, i swear to you, there is not one day that i don't walk throu my

house and i see something that i can't believe i live re. how lucky am i? to have someone who cared that much about me to make me safe and to keep me safe. >> reporter: as for her role as a parent in this interview six years ago she had strong feelings about that. >> you earn the title parent. because you give birth, because you impregnate someone, it does not automatically give you the title of mother or father. you earn the title. my kids don't call me mom because i don't want them to. they're not -- they're michael's children. it's not that they're not my children, but i had them because i wanted him to be a father. >> the best of my knowledge i don't believe they know that debbie rowe is the mom.

they are under the impression that she's a very close friend or maybe a distant relative or something like that but i don't believe that they -- certainly i don't believe that they were told that she was the birth mom. i believe that clearly there was a monetary benefit in the whole process but i think she wanted to do something positive for michael. i think that the relationship was built on a mutual understanding. >> reporter: but that mutual understanding was based on the idea that michael jackson would be alive to raise the children and support debbie. his sudden death changed all that. >> it's interesting they mention that notion of monetary benefit. that's certainly one of the questions raised during that primetime special, this notion of did debbie rowe essentially back off at one point because she got money, reassert herself and back off again because she got more money? it should be interesting to see what her role should be in the future. >> getting an early look at this

morning's los angeles times. a story in here about whether the more disturbing aspects of michael jackson's life were glossed over, a common complaint we're hearing about.

>> finally this half hour, there was of course plenty of music at michael jackson's memorial service but some of the most stirring moments came courtesy of the words of those who knew him best. we begin with brooke shields. >> we had a bond. and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. michael saw everything with his

heart. today, although our hearts are aching, we need to look up where he is undoubtedly perched in a crescent moon and we need to smile. [ applause ] >> i was scared to death to go over to his house because this was my idol. he was everything to me. so i went over to his house to have dinner. the chef came out and said what would you like? i said some grilled chicken. the chef brought me out the grilled chicken but he brought michael out a bucket of kentucky fried chicken. and i went crazy like, wait a minute, michael, you eat kentucky fried chicken? that made my day. that was the greatest moment of

my life. [ applause ] >> i came to say thank you, thank you because you never stopped. thank you because you never gave up. thank you because you never gave out. thank you because you tore down our division. thank you because you eradicated barriers. thank you because you gave us hope. thank you, michael. thank you, michael, thank you michael. >> thank you michael is what so many of his fans have been saying for so long now. quite a stirring seen at staples center yesterday. another look at the program that people on hand got. this is quite the hot item on ebay. about $650 is what they're selling for. it's got a lot the letters from family members. there's one from janet in here, her nickname is dunk. we noticed a typo or two. clearly it was thrown together at the last minute. >> it really was an amazing day. there's been so much coverage, i didn't think i had any tears left.

>> superstar sendoff from a rare emotional tribute from michael jackson's daughter to performers sincing his -- singing his greatest hits. ♪ just call my name and i'll be there ♪ >> an unforgettable memorial and its price tag. >> then lasting impression. president obama's message for russia before his big trip to the g 8 summit in italy. >> and dynamic dancer. remembering michael jackson's moon walk. it looked easy but professional dancers say it's difficult. it's wednesday, july 8th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now."

>> the dance that really defies gravity. good morning and thanks for being with us. from new york i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm jeremy hubbard in los angeles where we are getting our first look at the l.a. times on this, the morning after. the headline reads "a requiem for a king," sure to be a keepsake for thousands. meantime there are still unanswered questions in jackson's death. the coroner has issued michael jackson's death certificate but the cause of death is pending. security costs for the memorial could run up to $4 million so the city of los angeles has posted a web site seeking tax deductible donations. as it turns out, most of the 3,200 police deployed for the memorial had little to do because the expected crowds never materialized. t.j. winick is live at staples center. >> reporter: good morning. few celebrities had as complicated a life as michael jackson but yesterday was about the music and the good times as remembered by his friends and

family. >> ever since i was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. >> reporter: the first public words ever spoken by michael jackson's daughter, paris, provided new insight into the king of pop, who was memorialized by his music and stories of how many he inspired. >> michael jackson wanted nothing more than to give love to the world. >> reporter: the day began at the forest lawn cemetery in the hollywood hills where family and close friends gathered for a private funeral. ♪ hallelujah, hallelujah >> reporter: for an entertainer known around the world, inside the staples center there were many personal and intimate memories. >> both of us n needeoo be adulults very rly; b but w wne

were together, werere o littlele k kids havaving f >> reporteter: wn founder berrgordy calledim the grtest entertatainerero eve lilive butut didn' shywayfr ththntversial pratfe desions on hisart but t ble michael jajackson complished erytng he drdreaeamed of.. >> reporter: f e thousands ofichael jackson fa,, it wass an oveverwrwhelmg and ememototi >> one off those momements you' rememb the rest y youour lifefe >> r rorter:ightow michael jacks death ceceifificicat deferred.ef death ass i iss still unclr wherere the king of pop will be buried. jeremy? >> t.j. winick reporting from staples center here in los angeles. after the public memorial, jackson's family left downtown l.a. in a convoy of limos and headed to beverly hills for a private reception and lunch. in jackson's hometown of gary,

indiana, fans flocked to the modest home where the pop icon lived until the age of 11. since his death it has become a shrine. the city of gary plans to host its own public memorial on friday. >> and our michael jackson coverage continues throughout the morning here on abc news. later this half hour, how professional dancers are remembering jackson's unforgettable technique. >> the president and the first family travel to italy this morning where mr. obama attends high-level meetings with other world leaders. before leaving moscow the president said the u.s. want as strong, peaceful and prosperous russia. viviana hurtado has more from washington. >> reporter: president obama is meeting in italy with leaders from that country ahead of the g-8 sum that will focus on the global economy and international security. in meetings with the russian president, the prime minister, graduate students and opposition politicians, president obama tried to solve u.s.-russian

relations. >> we may not end up agreeing on everything but i think that we can have a tone of mutual respect and consultation that will serve both the american people and the russian people well. >> reporter: mr. obama's approach may be reaping fruits. the white house says presidents obama and medvedev agreed to cut nuclear weapon stock piles by as much as 30%. mr. obama credited this new tone for helping to gain some progress on ending nuclear threat from iran and north korea, despite recent north korean missile launches. >> on north korea what we saw was very song unanimity around a very strong sanctions regime that two or three years ago might not have been imposed by either china or russia. we're going to have to see whether a country like russia, for example, is willing to work with us to apply pressure on

iran. >> reporter: the challenges are daunting but mr. obama hopes his new efforts toin gauge russia will create an important ally out of a country that was an arch enemy. president obama will only be halfway through his trip. he's expected to meet with the pope at the vatican before traveling to africa. >> china's president has cut short his trip to the summit in italy because of the worsening ethnic fight at home. violence broke out in westernhina as sobbing muslim women scuffled with riot police. >> a diplomatic solion could be in the works to resolve the leadership crisis in honduras. both sides have agreed to acpt costa rican president as a mediator.

>> supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor is getting a boost from the american bar association. with her confirmation hearings set to begin next week, the bar association declared her well qualified to serve on the high court. the group's top endorsement is based on sotomayor's integrity, competence and judicial temperament. >> al franken was sworn in yesterday as the junior senator from minnesota. he's been appointed to the judiciary committee, which is considered a high-level assignment nor a new lawmaker. he becomes the senate's 60th democrat, which could make for a filibuster-proof majority. >> the obama administration want tougher standards for the food industry so a new safety group is setting up tighter rules in the production of eggs, poultry, leafy greens.

>> and lawn armstrong's team won yesterday's time trial and moved him into a virtual tie for the overauld lead. his deficit is just 220 thousands andth of a second. so they call it a tie. >> wow that, is a short discrepancy, isn't it? >> real close. >> thunderstorms in the midwest and northern plains with hail, gust eve winds and a chance of tornadoes from montana to missouri. scattered showers and thunderstorms in parts of new england. thunderstorms with heavy rain in the southeast and the gulf coast. >> a record 95 in miami today, 90 in new orleans, 100 in dallas. 73 for boston, 83 for baltimore. st. lou st. louis hovers around 90. 105 hot degrees in phoenix. >> jeremy, this will come as no surprise to you but so many of us are jealous. you were an eyewitness to an amazing event in l.a. for an unforgettable day. >> honestly you didn't have to

be in l.a.? everybody watching on tv was also an eyewitness. what an emotional day for his family, his fans right there on the stage. we're going to share more memorable moments and be right back with more "world news now." ♪ i never dream in summer, i thought you would go and come back home ♪

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many said they were happy to celebrate jackson's life instead of mourn his death. >> so hard to master the moonwalk. it was within of jackson's signature moves, just one example of what made him a great entertainer and fantastic dancer. his moves were unmistakable original, as chris connolly reports. >> reporter: motown found are berry gordy remembered that moment. >> when he did his iconic moonwalk, i was shocked. it was magic! michael jackson went into orbit and never came down. >> reporter: he was already a superstar but the night of march 25th, 1983 made michael jackson a legend as he capped off the motown 25 special by tossing his hat and to the strings of "billy jean" unveiling the moonwalk. there were mere seconds that reflect so much of what would be associated with michael jackson the performer, talent, sheer magic on stage, always somehow

not entirely of this earth. it would instantly become the most envied dance move of its time because for just about everyone else, it was completely impossible. >> he did try in vain one night to unsuccessfully teach me the moonwalk. >> reporter: it was of course findishly hard, the product of entertaining and hours of rehearsal. >> it takes repetition to make it smooth and put the style on it to make it look like mike del. >> reporter: but that didn't keep lots of wanna-bes from trying to do the moonwalk ever since. youtube is chalk full of efforts, soldiers, babies on their knees. even homer simpson did the moonwalk, all of that eager for that feeling of surpassing cool. he didn't invent the moonwalk.

it turns up as far as 195 with tap dancer bill bailey a has its roots in mime but like much of michael jackson in performance, he took something and adreenlized it, kicked it into another dimension of excitement. >> the way he moved and carried himself and how committed he was to his music and to his artistry made that -- made that movement much more mind blowing than it would just to see somebody do the st. >> reporter: the moonwalk tipified how michael jackson used dance to rev you the energy of r & b, lessons learned by today's stars from justin timberlake to usher and not long ago he aserted to tmz that he could still do it. >> hey, michael, can you still moonwalk? >> why wouldn't i be able to? >> reporter: so much of michael jackson's life would be frustrate with difficulty, many of them self-inflicted but michael made this most difficult move seem eas and electifying

and for this perennial child-like star, perhaps gliding through life backward might have been his fondest dream. i'm chris connolly for "nightline" in los angeles. >> that's it, vinita, i feel inspired. i'm going to try the moonwalk myself. let's give it a real quick go here, rye behind the desk. i'm doing the most awesome moonwalk as far as you know. you can't see it. >> thank you for not doing the typical michael jackson, grabbing the nether regions. we appreciate that would have been hidden by the desk as well. >> i exercised some restraint, he-he. >> more memories coming up of the king of pop.

>> the governor of alaska, sarah

palin, has announced she's stepping down. she'll no longer be the governor of alaska. today she woke up are went out on her porch and waved good-bye to russia. insiders believe she hopes to be the next octo mom of idaho. that's why she's resigning. tired of attacks from the media. thank god i didn't say anything. skinny, so skinny ♪ ♪ skinny, ♪ skinny, so skinny >> that was a good one. >> you know, i thought that letterman would have learned his lesson about joking on sarah palin but he still does it. >> he's still going after it. >> we're in los angeles so let's of course start the skinny with michael jackson news. we just saw so many people attempting the moonwalk and so many others have been doing the thriller dance. now the thriller dance has reached the frozen tundra, the final ontier. let's listen for a second. ♪

>> i'm sort of distracted by the giant bugs flying in the foreground. those are mosquitos. this is the tulic field station in the brooks range of northern alaska. people decided to give their best thriller dance. pretty impressive and the bugs about as scary. >> they look the same size as the people given the angle that's shot at. >> i think this is something almost everyone sort of went what's going on here when we saw jennifer hudson perform. she was singing "will you be there"? it looked like there was a bump under her dress. her friend is confirming that jennifer hudson and her boyfriend of about a year, she is about eight months pregnant. if you need proof right now the number two search item is is jennifer hudson pregnant? in that picture a lot of people said is she pregnant or is usher a little too handsy?

>> you saw the bump and realize it's no longer rumors. >> great forer. >> did you watch abc's coverage of the memorial service? it was great stuff, don't you think? >> this next moment, though, it took the cake. >> it did. they just started the very somber services, charlie gibson at the helm and he pitched to brian rooney, who was live in los angeles but brian was distracted. >> we've run into people from bolivia, from japan. >> i've heard there are empty seats. >> there are some empty seats. >> why can't we fill them? >> i don't know why. we have people complaining there are empty seats and she want as ticket. hey, if i could just talk for a moment. >> she wanted some answers and she demanded them from him. >> what self-restraint, though. in those situations i've often not been quite so nice as brian

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for maximum protection-- no matter how you move. wake-up to a beautiful morning with stayfree®. >> here are some stories to watch today on abc news: president obama has a busy day today in italy after leaving moscow. he's visiting the president of italy and stopping at a school before the g-8 summit. >> the fda is ordering stronger warning labels on certain pain killers. patients taking medication will receive new information about the dangers of overdoses. >> and ruth madoff got her passport back from federal prosecutors. it could be a sign she will not be prosecuted as an accomplice in her husband's fraud case. >> finally this half hour, changing roles in a changing economy. an overwhelming majority of the five million jobs that have been lost in the recession were held by men and that has a way of turning gender roles around. it's all part of the new normal as linsey davis reports.

>> reporter: some have called it the he session as manufacturing, financial and other male dominated fields continue to shed jobs. about 80% of americans laid off during this recession are men, which has led to lots of dads staying at home while more moms are becoming the bread winners. when rick was laid off from his sales job last november, he started doing the housework and caring for his 7-year-old daughter, elizabeth. >> in spite of being laid off, i feel like i'm so blessed. when i get a phone call from my daughter and she says daddy, i don't feel well can you pick me up from school and i'm here and table to do it. >> reporter: when chuck lost his technology job, he also renegotiated household gender roles and became a stay-at-home dad while his wife kept going to work. >> it's definitely like old school thought process on staying at home and being a male where you're supposed to be the provider and everything. >> reporter: in t.j. mckenna's book "caution" he lists five

mistakes state at home dads make. trying to do things the way their wife did, not asking for help, isolation, men can lose their identity and forget to take time off for themselves. he also recommends dropping the mr. mom talk and coming up with an acronym like stud, short for spending time as an unbelievable dad. linsey davis, abc news. >> i can see how men would like stud a little more than mr. mom. that is the news for this half hour. coming up we have got much more from abc. >> first, the remarkable performance from michael jackson's brother jermaine here at the memorial in los angeles. ♪ if there's a cloud in the sky you'll get by ♪ if you smile through your sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow