. >>> and some very bad news tonight ant another music legend, aretha franklin. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. >>> good evening. it doesn't seem quite real, but the world is in the midst of a >>> good evening. it doesn't seem quite real, but the world is in the midst of a kind of electronic war. the mysterious man who runs wikileaks and keeps his secrets in a military bunker is tonight in a london jail and today forces loyal to him took down the websites of mastercard and visa and there's no real telling where this ends. every day, we learn more previously confidential state secrets on the web for everybody to see. every day there's new diplomatic damage done. and now there's this counterattack going on, hitting big financial interests in the u.s., the same companies behind the credit cards carried every day by millions of americans. our own peter alexander remains on this story and starts us off tonight from our london bureau. peter, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you. tonight, mastercard's

. >> aretha franklin's cousin says the queen of soul is in good spirits today. last month the 68-year-old cancelled her shows in order to take care of an undisclosed medical condition. fans held a prayer vigil yesterday ated of the -- head of the surgery. >> we wish her well. back in a moment. you can see ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ. >>> coming up plan to update kons yegss at san francisco park but not everyone supports it. and there is a mission for a san jose stake in afghanistan. the role two professors are about to play on the war on terrorism and a woman says she got clipped when she bought a clipper card. and that is coming up at 6:00. >> world news is coming up next. i'm cheryl jeng autos i'm dan ashley. from all of us

it's like your modern day ninacy moe moan, aretha franklin. almost like a female superhero. the talent is beyond the form. and then you have prize, right? so the thing about that -- >> prize to his credit. >> no, no, no. i'm serious. there's always the narrative. >> i heard it for a while, but you know, i've even cracked jokes on it too, you've seen it. but i think that at the same time, pride brings a certain ear into the studio, when it's in the context of the fugees. try this, let's go left here, let's go -- you know, it's the synergy of the three that made that happen. >> got you. >> when we were in there, there was no trust. lauren has to basically put her trust in me, you know what i mean? if i'm like, seeing us like that or let's go like this, you know what i mean? out of the three fugees the pulse of this time in this generation, they am have to say okay, you know what? we really gotta just listen to what clef is saying and mix it with what we're saying. >> lauren didn't trust you creati creatively? >> no. andty didn't trust them creatively at all. because i'm not a

. >> the mystery of what is ailing singer aretha franklin may have been resolved. news organizations are reporting the queen of soul has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. neither the singer nor her spokeswoman will confirm or deny the report. franklin announced she was taking six months off and underwent what she called a successful surgical procedure. pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of the disease but has been treated successfully with surgery. >>> still ahead tonight at 5:00, from berkeley to london. a swim coach makes history for women. >> also coming up, men and marriage. what they're less likely to do after saying i do. >> why testing for an unborn child's genetic health could soon become safer and easier. >> anger over the wikileaks scandal takes the internet by storm. >> and final boarding for the final frontier. the giant leap today for space travel. >> and we're trackinghe latest storm moving i right now, temperatures in the low to mid 50s. it's a cool and damp system as it continues to push over the bay area. showers expected to contin

aretha franklin's publicist confirmed she's home. she's in great spirits. she spent more than a eke in the hospital. a lot of sources are saying she has pancreatic cancer. she hasn't confirmed that yet. but she will reveal her illness soon. a lot of people are curious, hope it's not pancreatic cancer. easy for me to say. i'm very upset about this. she said i've been home for almost three days now. hopefully we hear good news. >> she is home. she can now watch the 24 hours of a christmas story. that's what she's planning on doing. >> another christmas movie. rally producers, give us some more. log onto scoop.todayshow.com. or be a fan of the scoop on facebook. school officials telling a high school football player he needs to cut his braids if he wants to play ball. that teen saying the school is targeting him because of his race. but first, there's a lot going on today and here's some things we thought you should know about. voters will not be doe nalting to campaigns via text message any time soon. the federal election commission ruled that cell phone comp

. >>> elsewhere -- in a statement released by her spokeswoman, aretha franklin says the surgery she had thursday for a serious but undisclosed illness was "highly successful." >>> finally, some bloggers are ca calling it a brave move. the show's co-creator is warning, like high school, the show's creator says the current batch of starless have to graduate and go their separate ways soon and be replaced by younger actors. a lot of fans upset about that. >> clips you just showed of "glee," the most i've ever watched of the show. >> me, too. everybody's such a huge fan. not surprised, but i'm glad. >>> and this comes to us from news channel 7 in waterloo, iowa. if you can't find thperfect christmas gift, get a cow. are you serious? rent bonnie for $75. renters get a certificate, a a cowendar. a sample of her cheese and even a chance to visit. 140 people signed up. one man has gifted 11 of them. >>> i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. d >>> visitors to one zoo made the best of a cold situation. europe has been hit with freezi

i'm lara spencer. >> "the insider" is on. ♪ little respect >> aretha franklin is battling pancreatic cancer. >> aretha's cancer mystery. why her camp is keeping silent. >> if you believe in prayers. >> patrick swayze, michael landon. >> i think every moment gets a little more important after something like this. >> how they fought the deadly disease. >> elizabeth edwards' will. >> was john completely cut out? >> it's possible john may contest elizabeth's will. >>> oprah's new video diary from australia. >> kelly ripa confined to crutches.

. >>> we learned that aretha franklin is expected to be released from a detroit hospital this weekend. her family says she has pancreatic cancer. her cousin says she's doing better after a surgical procedure last week. the 18-time grammy winner has cancelled all concert dates on doctor's orders. >>> coming up on the news at 5:00 -- art, culture and thousands of sparkling light picks as will brighten -- p icksals will brighten -- pickles will brighten the streets. >>> that and more coming up on our next newscast, the news at 5:00. thanks for watching. have a great day.

it is too different, from aretha franklin, ray charles, ll, duke. there is no panicle. -- there is no pinnacle. i would say the most influential people in the last 50 years of american music. that is something, i don't know how it happened, because you cannot plan that. you cannot make that happen. you have to just do what you know what to do and hope that somebody says dewitt with me. it -- and hope that somebody says do it with me. it is like with fright, and paris, i was the musical director for their records. somebody called and said mr. sinatra wrote once you to bring the whole house down, 55 musicians, to monaco for a sporting club for a fund-raiser for sinatra. i did not even know him. it was like a dream for an arranger. we went down, i got a call one day. the first guy to call me q -- q, i heard that phrase in that you did for count basie. it was a waltz. he said i like the one that you did. in 4-4. would you consider doing an album with me and count basie? i said, man, are you kidding? you better believe it. i worked with him from 1964 unt

had a brief conversation the other day with our friend, the queen, speaking of the queen, aretha franklin. and without going into the health challenge that she faces now, your thoughts about aretha. >> i love aretha, and i've loved her all my life. i think she's an incredible song stress, obviously. she consistently has had this incredible voice. i remember when she was singing gospel in this church. i was very, very little then. but i remember hearing over the radio in detroit and when she came out with some of the albums before she signed with atlantic, i remember those. and i'm just believing, again, that if we can get people to stop putting the negative out there and really, if they want to write something or talk about something, let's write and talk about something that would be encouraging and inspiring to her. in whatever way we do it, for those all over the world, pray or chant or whatever you do, meditate. let's meditate, pray or chant on her getting well. and you'll believing that miracles and blessings still exist. and if we do that, we will see that. and i say the same for an

. >>> soul legend aretha franklin reportedly had pancreatic cancer. family members are telling fox news that aretha franklin is recovering from surgery. she's expected to be out of the hospital this weekend. her family didn't specify which kind of cancer, but there have been several reports that it is pancreatic cancer. we're waiting for confirmation from the family. she's an 18 time grammy award winner. she's canceled all of her concerts through may. >>> a thrilling win for the san jose sharks as they came back from a three goal deficit to beat the philadelphia flyers in a shootout. >> he scores. and the sharks win it in the shootout. >> that was ryan with the game winning goal. the sharks and flyers went into overtime though. game tieing goal that is. joe knocked in the tieing goal in the third period. the flyers appeared to win in overtime, but the goal was waived off after a replay showed time expired just after the puck crossed the line. >>> time now 6:57. we're going to tell you about a really scary accident involved a toddler at a downtown san

. >>> aretha franklin says she will reveal why she underwent surgery in a detroit hospital. the queen of soul canceled concert dates and public appearances throughout may of next year. the 68-year-old music legend says doctors says she needs eight more weeks of rest. >>> mariah carry and husband nick cannon will have their hand fulls. cannon announced his wife mariah carry is expecting twins. no word on carry's due date. >>> time is 5:23. a word of warning to you this morning. the largest retailer is issuing a recall for different brands of space heaters. >> coming up what details wal-mart released about the massive recall and everything you need to know. >>> and the clock is ticking down to christmas morning. so, what's the retailers doing to help you out? longer hours? sure. some may be keeping their doors open longer than you imagine. oh, i see. a throne for the tv... room for movies... your workout gear... non-stop football... it's a man cave! the boys next door will never leave. who says we want them to? >>> now, mayor leaped most powerful doppler radar and the forecast

. >>> in other news, singer aretha franklin is reportedly doing well after surgery last week. several publications says she's suffering from pancreatic cancer. the reverend jesse jackson visited franklin and says, quote, her spirits are high. >>> the surgeon general is out with a tough, new message for smokers. even one cigarette can trigger a heart attack. that's because the chemicals can damage the cells of nearly every organ. despite the harmful effects, 46 million americans have the habit. 443,000 americans die each year. millions more are exposed to the damage of secondhand smoke. >>> another disturbing report out this morning. more than 30 million americans admit to drunk driving. that's about 12% of americans 16 and older. another 4% said they drove while drugged in the past year. those numbers are down slightly from earlier years. >>> talk show queen, oprah winfrey, is getting emotional, as she prepares to wrap up her final season. during the taping of a barbara walters special, winfrey adamantly denied long-time rumors that she is a lesbian. and talking about best fri

. >>> and singing legend, aretha franklin is set to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure today. franklin canceled all her appearances through may, under doctors orders. >>> for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this. [ female announcer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara®. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®, your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, or have had cancer. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems.

and i really did it and it was like aretha franklin did it and it was like, forget about it. >> larry: play a little of it while we're closing out. stevie wonder's been our guest. "ac 360" is going to follow and the latest news on cnn. play us out, stevie. ♪ i sit and wait in vain ♪ i love to rap on your door, tap on your window pane ♪ ♪ i want to tell you, baby, the changes i've been going through ♪

. ♪ >>> we wanted to tell you about reports tonight that the queen of soul, aretha franklin, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. recently, she canceled her concert dates through may and underwent surgery for an undisclosed illness. and all fans of miss franklin send her our thoughts. >>> and another legend, on what would become the last day of his life, john lennon, posed for this picture. today, on the 30th anniversary of his murder, "rolling stone" put this image on its cover and released lost excerpts from his last interview, which was done just three days before he died. bill weir tells us about it. >> reporter: his final months were the happiest of his life. as the new pbs film "lennonyc" shows, the beatle had mellowed. he was finally making music again and told "rolling stone" these were songs for his generation, not the critics howling for another "sergeant pepper." >> they only like people on the way up. i cannot be on the way up again, and i cannot be 25 again. i cannot be what i was ten years ago. i cannot be what i was five minutes ago. what they want is dead heroes,

apparently queen of soul aretha franklin is battling pancreatic cancer. "the national enquirer" kind of broke the story earlier this week, and a tv station in detroit kind of confirmed this, quoting a close family member. you may recall, i think we reported this a few weeks ago. she actually had surgery on december the 2nd, earlier this month. at the time didn't say exactly what it was for. it's since confirmed she is battling this very dangerous form of cancer. only a 5% to 10% survival rate, it's one of the lowest of all the cancers. very dangerous cancer. the same disease that claimed the life of patrick swayze. he had it for 20 months before he finally passed away. this backs up the reason why several weeks ago she said she was canceling all appearances and all shows through may. the surgery she had on the 2nd was successful, she has friends around her now, including della reese, the reverend jesse jackson. they say she's doing well, the surgery earlier this month went well. obviously have to keep an eye on this. a very, very serious form of cancer. l

and my version was very sort of pop-oriented a little bit, and aretha did it, aretha franklin did it, and it was like forget about it. >> larry: play a little of it. we're closing out. >> it's like -- >> larry: stevie wonder's been our guest. play us out, stevie. ♪ you don't call anymore

and aretha did it, and it was -- aretha franklin did it, it was like forget about it. >> larry: play a little of it. we're closing out. stevie wonder's been our guest. play us out, stevie. ♪ don't call anymore i sit and wait in vain ♪ ♪ i love to rap on your too tap on your window pane ♪ ♪ i want to tell

. >> aretha franklin doing better than expected this morning they expect to release her from the hospital this weekend the singer announced last week she had undergone surgery but no word on what that was for. she is 68 years old last month she cancelled all concert dates and personal appearances. and we also have the latest on wesley snipes in looks like the 48 year-old is going to report to prison in pennsylvania he is going to serve time for not filing income tax returns. it is a minimum security prison. now there will be offenses around to a perimeter he was convicted in 2008. we will be back with more couple of minutes we can see the golden gate bridge socked nfib this morning traffic looks heavy in the deck is still wet. 6:29 a.m. moment it's away from the opening bell. we are setting ourselves up for good opening encouraging news from the opening the ringing of the belt labor department reported first- time claims actually dropped last week to the second level this year. claims fell 421,000. better than expected news from the labor department we will see how the number shape up as

. ♪ >> larry: we played that aretha franklin song because it is reported that she has cancer. >> and aretha also was an inspirational force at the cancer march in 1998, larry. she entertained hundreds. thousands of people in the mall and it was an uplifting experience and it was quite interesting. whether it was bob dole from the republican party, and you had crosby, stills and nash there. very interesting collection of individuals. >> brings us all together. >> larry: are we going to see it end? are we going to defeat it? >> well, the ability to convert cancer into a chronic disease is a victory. as i point out in my book, you know, in 1970s we were obsessed with the idea of cure. and for some cancers, indeed, testicular cancer is the poster child of that. some leukemias. indeed, cancer is curable. but the ability to reduce or delay death from cancer is going to really transform the way we think about cancer in the future. and the ability to convert cancer into a chronic disease is for some cancers, will transform the way beth cancer. >> larry: do you agree? go ahead. >> and last bu

did it, aretha franklin did it and it was like, forget about it. did i ever -- >> larry: play a little of it while we're closing out. stevie wonder's been our guest. "ac 360" is going to follow, and the latest news on cnn. play us out.

. >>> a wreatha franklin -- aretha franklin is home for the holidays. she's been home from the hospital for three days and her family is taking good care of her. she says she also has a private nurse who checks on her daily. she was forced to cancel recent concerts because of illness. >>> one aquarium in utah is posting its electric holiday heel. it is lighting up a christmas tree. electrodes in the water pick up the eel's voltage, powering up the tree's multi-colored strand of lights. that is for real. >> i wonder if i could get one to power up my microwave. or my oven. >> well, for not very long. >> what do you know about that? >>> bob turk has the updated first warning forecast coming up next. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> let's take a look at radar. this shows the picture. had is moving in quickly. and moved out quickly as well. >>> early this morning, moderate snow. but in the last hour or two, it's really thinned out. north of baltimore, it is pretty much done. south of us, it's still snowing down there. and it could see another inch or so, across extr

. >>> plus, what is happening now with aretha franklin? there are some concerning reports about her health and now her camp is speaking out today. >>> also, the death of a hollywood legend, the pink panther will never be the same. trending, next. >>> here is what you are talking about, what is trending today. first up, aretha franklin, the 68-year-old queen of soul is become home recuperating today after being released from the hospital following surgery. now, her publicist says it was from "an unguess disclosed malady" and doctors say the surgery was highly successful. obviously, we certainly wish her well, a full and speedy recovery. >>> also trending, sad news out of hollywood today. director blake edwards has died. may not know his name, you probably, though, do know his movie. according to his publicist, the 88-year-old died from complications from new known ya. the hollywood icon and husband of julie andrews is best known for the pink panther movies and other flicks like "10," "victor/victoria." he died wednesday night in santa monic

and my version was very sort of pop-oriented a little bit, and aretha did it, aretha franklin did it, and it was like forget about it. >> larry: play a little of it. we're closing out. >> it's like -- >> larry: stevie wonder's been our guest. "ac 360's" going to follow. the latest news on cnn. play us out, cnn. ♪ you don't call anymore ♪ i sit and wait in vain ♪ i love to rap on your door ♪ tap on your window pane

aretha franklin's family told "people" magazine the singer is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. franklin said she was taking six months off under doctor's orders and what she called a successful surgical procedure. it's among the deadliest forms of the disease, but had been treated successfully with surgery. >>> california company celebrating space travel. >> they are calling it mind blowingly awesome. the launch of the rocket on tuesday or wednesday that sent a capsule into orbit and brought it safely to earth. now why you are seeing champagne i don't know, but it's the first time a company anywhere accomplished such a feat. it never brought them back. it's funded by one of several companies based in california. looking to privatize. >>> the bbc reports a chinese company block a website in mainland china. why is not clear, but it could be because of a nobel prize. china blocked a number of sites in the past and you will recall the problems with google earlier this year. we have found out from of all things, wikileaks, that the chinese government started to block many of the web

. >> music legend, aretha franklin is recovering from of surgery. last month, the 68 year-old was cancelling all or concert dates and personal appearances to the month of may and three- quarters of her doctor. prayer vigil was held in detroit and she released a statement thanking all of our fans. the queen of soul is in good spirits and is resting, comfortably. >> the start of the hit walker, texas ranger, chal-- chuck norris has been produced with a certificate by taxes. to think the brothers to show texas rangers and a positive light. >> i am kimberly sakamoto add right now www.kron4.com the storms moving to rob the bay area. just tell long the rainfall will last. throughout the bay area--and with today's conditions, and temperatures and also our live tougher rhetoric and action. while you are out there in the elements-live doppler radar, in action-- and if you see any weather activity? fee for all feel free >> this just in to the kron 4 news room to e-mail us now at 6:30, our top stories. more news crews, more stories. here's our top stories. >>

a spokesperson for aretha franklin said the singer is doing well, but would not say what the procedure was for. franklin said her doctors are superb and the sergery was highly successful. rumors have been swirling about her health since last month when her publicist announced she canceled all performances through may. >> the time now is 6:11. get your game on. mike inouye is suiting up to go head to head with the harlem globetrotters. we will bring it to you live, just ahead. . >>> this cheerleading squad is getting ready for the opportunity of a lifetime. they need your help. how you can help make their dream come true. >>> you are looking at a live picture of the san jose shark tank. 6:12. >> can you talk about the jobs? you will have an open house where people can take a look. you guys are growing. a lot of companies are at a plateau or cutting back. you guys are still growing. why do you think that is? >> we opened a new store in pleasanton which will have the grand opening this weekend. we have about to 10 stores between now and the end of 2011. that's a tremendous growth for a lo

. >>> the queen of soul aretha franklin is doing better this morning after surgery. reports saying she is battling pancreatic cancer but her publicist won't confirm that. >>> daddy's little girl there to take a vow of chastity. >> a larkspur theater showing a documentary last night that had originally been pulled from the schedule called daddy, i do. it compares the success of abstinence only programs with comprehensive sex education. the producer says two lark theater board members had issues with story lines involving unmarried latina and african-american mothers. they apparently question the relevance of the film to marin families. well, the theater has since apologized. >>> it is 5:56. tracy is standing by with a look at the foggy start to this thursday. tracy, good morning. >> hey, good morning, robert. yeah, we have fog out there and we also still have some rainfall widespread across the north bay and parts of san francisco down to the peninsula finally getting in on the action. showers will be possible this morning and the afternoon. bear in mind most of it is

. >> and aretha franklin's medical mystery. her new interview.

. >> aretha franklin is doing better than doctors expected and is expected to be released in hospital this weekend, the legendary singer had undergone surgery, no word on what's ailing the 68 year-old rumors that she has cancer. she canceled all concert dates in personal appearances after may. >> a judge in florida has denied wesley snipes is request for a new trial, the film star has are restarted his three-year prison sentence for failing to pay taxes. the prison camp is where the 48 year-old will be serving time is a minimum security camp, it doesn't even have fences. he was convicted in 2008. >> we will be right back as a kron4 morning news continues until 8:00 a.m., golden gate bridge, the fog starting to break up. honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my internet cord. oh, i'll borrow hailey's. you're downloading movies. fast! from here? where is her cord?! we switched to at&t high speed internet and got wireless access. no more cords. wireless, okay, honestly, can i just get a cord, please? dad, the cord's invisible. [ female announcer ] for a limited time, call to get hig

jair jair -- aretha franklin is recovering battling cancer says her long time friend, jesse jackson. >>> a massive rogue wave slammed through a window on a cruise ship, soaking electric circuits, engines are up and running and no one on board was hurt. let's turn it back to matt, meredith and al. they will be grabbing on to land when they get back, never letting go. >> it's still cold here in the northeast. >> it will moderate and get cold next week. >> it's winter. we have to start dealing with this. >> i like the wine. >> wine for my guests. >> we have lake-effect sno warnings and advisories from cleveland to new york and it is still freezing in cleveland, buffalo and syracuse and they will pick up another couple of inches in syracuse where they have their fourth highest total of 40 inches of snow. bringing snow to much of minnesota and iowa and dakotas, we're looking at light amounts of snow from chicago, cleveland, international falls, generally 1-3 inches, a couple places may pick up 4-6. that's what's going on around the country. s here's what's happening in your neck of the wo

super star aretha franklin is recovering from a mystery surgery but thanking fans for prayers. doctors for the 6-year-old super star insisted she canceled all public appearances for six months. yesterday morning she had surgery in detroit but there is no word on what kind of surgery. she did release a statement yesterday praising the doctors and medical staff. her spokesperson says she is very anxious to get back on the road for her fans. >>> a memorial created for the victims of the 1991 oakland hills fire is getting protection. what will soon surround it to keep vandals away. >>> one big stink is leading to another one. people in one bay area community are angry about an odor that just won't go away. >>> several countrys including the united states sending help to israel now to help them bat it will worst forest fire in israel's history. they know of 41 people now dead all prison guards who were on a bus headed to rescue inmates threatened by the fire. 15,000 people have fled their homes. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. >>> memorial created for the victims

every aretha franklin song is pretty much a classic. that's her singing "freeway of love" but right now she is on the road to recovery. she had surgery in a hospital in detroit. she says it was a success and thanked her doctors for their support. she is not saying what was wrong. last month she cancelled concert dates through may. she said it was on doctor's orders. queen of soul, get better soon. she a national treasure. >>> the 927nd street y in new york says it will refund hundreds of dollars of ticks. steve martin was there to talk about art but the crowd wanted to hear about his career as a comedian and actor. he stayed focused on art, though, and the crowd wasn't happy about it. so, hence, those refunds. >>> the golden girls, reason them, blanch, sophia, rose. what was the other one? dorothy. making comeback. not those, though, and it has nothing to do with the tv show. hard times have made more golden girls out of more american women. alina cho will explain. >> reporter: call them modern day golden girls. more and more women of a

. >>> it's reported this morning singer aretha franklin's recent surgery was for pancreatic cancer. she said last week she had a successful operation last week but did not explain why. >>> a public memorial service meanwhile for elizabeth edwards will be held saturday at a methodist church in raleigh, north carolina. she died tuesday at age 61 after a long fight with breast cancer. >>> here in new york, fans of beatle john lennon gathered last night near the place where he was shot 30 years ago. ♪ a candlelight vigil was held at the strawberry fields memorial across from the apartment building where he was gunned down december 8th, 1980. yesterday, i asked paul mccartney for his thoughts on the anniversary of lennon's death. >> wow. can you believe it's 30 years? it's kind of good for me to be in new york on this day, really, for something sort of inspirational about it, even though it was, you know, a terrible thing. but, i feel kind of close to him when i'm here. >> mccartney is in new york preparing to play a venue he's never played before, the apollo theater in harlem. 15 past

aret aretha franklin is speaking out about her mysterious hospital stay. she's back home recovering from a surgery she describes being highly successful. she tells "jet" magazine that she feels great and that the doctors want her to rest for eight weeks. she's been reported to have pancreatic cancer. she promises she will speak out soon on what is ailing her, telling "jet" this, inputting aretha together first. this is aretha time to do whatever it is that i need to do but i will talk more later. her doctors tell her she can do anything she feels like, unfortunately for us, doing concerts. since getting out of the hospital, she's been reading and relaxing, catching up on faxes and, as she puts it, pid delling around the house. as far as i'm concerned, until she's ready to talk about it, she doesn't have any responsibility to talk about it. >> yep, she's a strong person, that's for sure. >>> a.j., if you want more information or anything breaking, a.j. has it. this evening on "showbiz tonight," 5:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. on hln. >>> did you get enough beauty res

and singer aretha franklin is recovering af a mystery surge yesterday. in a statement, the queen of soul says that the surgery was highly successful and thanks the doctors and the nurses and the people praying for her. the reason for the surgery is unknown, and she recently can elled all of her performances through may. >> we wish her a speedy recovery, because she is an amazing talent. >> yes, she is. >> thank you, fred. >>> should congress extend unemployment benefits again? we will discuss that and more. >>> and verbal fireworks as the the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and why some say that there is a strong potential for the disruption. >>> and also 30 years since the murder of the former beatle john lennon, and we retrace the final hours with people who were there. to help revitalize a neighborhood in massachusetts. restore a historic landmark in harlem. fund a local business in chicago. expand green energy initiatives in seattle. because when you're giving, lending and investing in more communities across the country... more opportunities happen.

. >>> aretha franklin is recovering from surgery. we're told she's doing well. several reports say the queen of soul has pancreatic cancer. there's been no official confirmation. >>> finally, if diamonds are a girl's best friend, scientists may have found heaven. they discovered the first planet where diamonds could be as common as sand. thanks to all the carbon in the atmosphere, there may be mountains of diamonds. but don't plan on hopping on a spaceship anytime soon. the planet is 1,200 light years away. that's the news at 7:38. it can't sustain the atmosphere for life. but a girl can dream. >> long way to go for an engagement ring. >> thank you, juju. >>> let's go to sam. >> i love the scientific rendering. how about bad timing? real pictures out of cleveland. yesterday, 10 to 14 inches of snow came at the drive time home. we know this from our friends at wews, who know cleveland better than anyone else. one woman interviewed said it took her 1:38 to drive a block and a half. that's the mess. it came right at the drive time home. there's a light hit of snow,

queen of soul aretha franklin is home from the hospital where she reportedly had surgery for pancreatic cancer. she said in a statement she has friends and family looking after her and she's in great spirits. gretch and steve? >> a solar lighting project, a million bucks for the edward kennedy senate institute, $800,000 for audubon studies. >> these are just -- >> serious sly? >> these are some of the eight billion ways that they have filled the spending bill with pork. what happened to lawmakers promising to cut spending? the president of citizens against government waste joins us from washington. good morning to you, tom. >> good morning to you, steve. >> tom, let's talk about some of the earmarks, some of the pork that these guys have put in here, there is something that is so mind boggling and we're going to start with that. it's close to half a billion dollars. $450 million for the joint strike fighter engine which is the second engine that this company has built, g.e. and it's an engine that the pentagon or rather that the white house doesn't even want. >> you're right. it's the p

. >>> the queen of soul aretha franklin is now home after having surgery. she is recuperating after surgery for an undisclosed illness. she is looking forward to spending the holidays with her family. >> we wish her all the best. >>> coming up to two minutes to the top of the hour. top stories right after a break. ♪ sweet land ♪ of liberty ♪ of thee i sing [ laughs ] ♪ oh, land ♪ where my fathers died ♪ land of the pilgrims' pride ♪ from every mountainside ♪ let freedom ring ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good thursday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us on this december the 16th. i'm john roberts. >> i'm kiran chetry. >>> congress versus the clock essentially. everyone's paycheck set to shrink on new year's day. the house of representatives taking up president obama's tax cut deal. going to be a lot closer than it was in the senate. democrats want some big changes and some republicans are also calling it a bad deal. we'll speak to one of them, congressman mike pence in a moment. >>> last year there was the accused u