>> we'll update you coming up at 6:00. >> and more on abc 7 news.com. this is "world news." tonight, damage control. rick perry stalls out in a debate and scrambles to revive his campaign for president. his rough day. and we take a look at the science that explains showstopping brain freeze. chaos on campus. a volcano of protests by students over the summary firing of legendary coach joe paterno. our reporter caught in the tear gas. >> here they come. italy for sale. selling ads on the leaning tower of pisa? the coliseum? is this the way to pull that country out of the economic spiral? and gabby giffords. a preview tonight of a remarkable hour with the congresswoman and her astronaut husband, mark kelly. the powerful videos, the breakthroughs, the anguish.

the journey from this to this. and for the first time, the sound of her voice. true grit. a remarkable journey beginning here. an abc news exclusive. good evening. we begin tonight with the oops heard round the world. after texas governor rick perry drew a blank at the republican debate last night for an agonizing 54 seconds. unable to summon a central part of his stump speech. today, in the wake of the televised implosion, the man once called the human tornado from texas appeared everywhere, using every weapon in his arsenal, including his high wattage personality to explain how that happened. but can he bounce back? abc's jon karl watched him try. >> reporter: rick perry says it was 54 seconds that felt like 54 hours. >> it's three agencies of

government when i get there that are gone. commerce, education and the -- what's the third one there? let's see. >> reporter: he just couldn't find the words. >> you can't name the third one? >> the third agency of government i would do away with, education, the -- >> commerce. >> commerce. and let's see. i can't. >> reporter: the judgment was swift. tweets pronouncing perry's campaign dead, even before the debate was over. one pundit called it "the most devastating moment of any modern primary debate." and check this out. right after the flub, online stock traders started selling shares of perry presidential stock, cutting its value by two-thirds in a matter of minutes. the flub especially devastating for perry because he's already had enough cringe-inducing debate moments. >> was it before he was before -- >> reporter: to become a running joke on "saturday night live." >> i would be such a good president if there wasn't

talking involved. >> reporter: that's why, beginning with "good morning america," he went on an all-out media blitz to try to save his campaign. >> if we're electing a debater in chief, don't elect me. >> reporter: it's not that there haven't been over dreadful debate moments. al gore's incessant sighing. the elder bush looking so bored he glanced at his watch. and the time ross perot's running mate literally tuned out. >> i didn't have my hearing aide turned on. tell me again. >> reporter: but the odd thing about this one -- >> the third one, i can't. sorry. oops. >> reporter: is that the agency that he meant to say -- >> energy. energy. energy. >> reporter: is one that he often talks about eliminating. perry is also going on late-night television tonight in an effort to show that he can poke fun at himself. his top advisers point out that other than mitt romney, he's more money by far than any of the other candidates. in other words, diane, he does have the resources to mount a comeback.

>> okay, thank you, jon. and we wondered if memory freezes ever happen to you under pressure, and in a minute, we're going to tell you what the experts say about why. and tonight, there is a request for calm on the campus of penn state, after loyal students erupted in outrage over the firing of joe paterno, their legendary football coach. who, by the way, was fired over the phone, after 45 years at the helm, because that sexual abuse scandal involving eight young boys and one of paterno's top coaches. at the same time, the alleged victims were sending word today, asking those protesters, what about us? abc's dan harris is at the center of the tug of war. >> reporter: it was an eruption. >> they made him look like a freaking villain. you call him a legend, treat him like a legend. >> reporter: do you think he'd want you to be doing this, though? >> no. >> you got to be kidding me. >> reporter: the police moved in aggressively. >> police are spraying mase everywhere.

>> reporter: the police are spraying tear gas everywhere. it disperses the crowd for just a few minutes and then people just keep rushing back in. even in the thick of it, some students expressed discomfort. >> this does not represent everyone from penn state. please do not think we do this. >> reporter: and today, on a very somber campus, many expressed shame. on this day after, what do you think about what happened last night? >> i think the same thing i thought then. i thought it was terrible. >> it's pretty embarrassing. i think everybody's very embarrassed. >> reporter: in the wake of the riot, a lawyer advising some of the child sex abuse victims of former defensive coach jerry sandusky says he's worried they could become scapegoats for paterno's firing. the 84-year-old now ex-coach spent the day at home very sad, according to a source. today, penn state's first new head coach in roughly half a century, tom bradley, met the media. >> with very mixed emotion and a heavy heart that this has

occurred, that i'm going through this. >> reporter: tonight, one local paper is reporting the new head coach has been asked by the trustees to keep this man, coach mike mcqueary, off the field, during saturday's game for his own safety. mcqueary is the one who says he witnessed jerry sandusky sexually abusing a 10-year-old in the team showers. mcqueary reported that to joe paterno, but did not physically try to stop the abuse. tonight, the streets near penn state are calm, but the governor of pennsylvania has just held a press conference, basically pleading with students not to riot again. the next big test will be saturday, the first football game without joe paterno, who said today he will be staying away from the stadium. he doesn't want to be a distraction. diane? back to you. >> dan harris, as we said, who was in the middle of all this. thank you, dan. and on this, the eve of veterans day, attention was paid to the men and women who served the country. the veterans of iraq and afghanistan who have returned from the battlefield to another kind of battle here.

among them, 12.1% unemployment. and that's well above the rest of the country. today, first lady michelle obama announced that american corporations have now pledged to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the year 2014. it's part of a jobs initiative that she and jill biden, the vice president's wife, launched earlier this year. and we've told you about the economic convulsion in italy that threatens to take down the mighty countries of europe and send a shock wave across the ocean, to american 401(k)s. well, tonight, italians are talking about an unconventional hail mary idea. placing ads on some of the most beloved and recognizable tourist attractions in the world. a new member of our abc news team, kelly cobiella, has the story from rome. kelly? >> reporter: diane, rome is ground zero for what could be a

global financial catastrophe. italy's financial mess is massive. $2.5 trillion of debt, bigger than the entire economy. and the government is putting everything on the table. when it comes to treasures, italy has more than its share. who can forget michelangelo's "david" or that leaning tower in pisa? in the past few years, some of these monuments have become billboards. the roman coliseum, the canals of venice. the money-making deal wrapping the bridge of sighs earned more than $2 million from companies like bulgari. to keep things afloat, the country will need to borrow $408 billion next year. how many monumental ads would italy have to sell? more than 272,000. certainly not a workable answer. is it guaranteed that italy will survive this? >> unfortunately, it is not guaranteed. >> reporter: so what should they do? trading in the scandal-ridden prime minister silvio berlusconi for an economics professor named

mario monti is the first step. then comes sacrifice. higher taxes, cuts to the social programs italians have gown so used to. the people we met told us they are already suffering. >> i have been unemployed for one year. so, i have already given up something for my country. >> reporter: would you be willing to pay higher taxes? >> well, if i could, yes. but i think we don't have enough money to even eat sometimes. >> reporter: what would you give up for italy? >> give up berlusconi. >> reporter: when berlusconi tried to introduce cuts last month, italians let him know what they thought on the streets. the alternative would be much worse. a bankrupt italy dragging the rest of europe and the u.s. down with it. monti, the presumed next prime minister of italy, apparently saw all of this coming. he's been working on a financial reform package. no hints on what it's in it

tonight, but diane, you can bet italy, along with the rest of the world, is anxious to find out. >> well, kelly, thank you so much tonight. and it is great to have you on board at abc. and now we want to tell you about a terrifying kidnapping. a major league baseball player, taken at gun point in front of his family. here's abc's pierre thomas on the race to find him. >> reporter: wilson ramos was having the best year of his life. a rookie catcher, whose raw talent rocketed him into a starting lineup in the big leagues. >> try to climb out of the hole. swing and a long shot to left field! >> reporter: smacking home runs and making game-saving plays. a good guy, too. known for charity work, patiently signing autographs for fans. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: last night, ramos' field of dreams turned into a nightmare. armed men kidnapped ramos right in front of his family while he was visiting his mother's home in venezuela. >> just shocking that, you know, that happens to a professional athlete.

>> it's just horrible. i just -- it's terrifying and i hope he gets home safely. >> reporter: ramos is caught in what the state department describes as an alarming venezuelan plague. kidnapping for cash there is an industry, with hundreds occurring annually. >> kidnapping a business. the victim is a commodity. this is a family's darkest hour. >> reporter: police have discovered the getaway car, but as of tonight, the family has not heard from the kidnappers. major league baseball issued a short, carefully worded statement, expressing concern for ramos. players and friends kept a low profile, instructed not to discuss the case. everyone is clear, this is no game. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. and still ahead here on "world news," as we asked, have you ever had one of those rick perry i can't remember moments under pressure? the science of embarrassing brain freeze. and congresswoman gabby giffords, astronaut mark kelly. video of her powerful journey to recovery, her determination,

hope and her voice. you'll hear it tonight. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. i can go back and do gardening with comfort. [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex with 5-loxin advanced. shows improvement in joint comfort within 7 days. osteo bi-flex. the #1 doctor and pharmacist recommended brand.

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then i tried salonpas. it's powerful relief that works at the site of pain and lasts up to 12 hours. salonpas. you know what else is early? medicare open enrollment. now through december 7th. can i stick with my old medicare plan? sure! or find a new plan with better coverage, less cost, or both. medicare plans give you free cancer screenings and wellness visits and 50% off on brand-name prescriptions when you're in the doughnut hole. it's part of the healthcare law. so it's time to look, compare... and choose the right plan for you. learn more at 1-800-medicare or medicare.gov. and now, for all of us, is there any way to keep it from happening? you're under pressure, people watching and your brain freezes. you can't remember a name, a phrase you know by heart. when it happened to rick perry last night at the debate, we started asking questions.

what do the experts say about when and why our brains betray us like that? here's abc's john berman. >> the, uh -- >> reporter: there's nothing worse than completely forgetting your point in a televised debate. >> i can't, sorry. oops. >> reporter: well, except for seemingly losing the ability to talk at all in a televised debate. that happened to arizona governor jan brewer. how about forgetting the words to the national anthem in a televised nba game? and forgetting words, maybe not as bad as forgetting your wife. did that happen to christian bale at the academy awards? >> and of course, mostly, my wonderful wife -- >> reporter: yes, rick perry has joined an illustrious club of

those who suffer from brain freeze. we use our frontal lobes to sift through information and sort our memories. the problem is that part of the brain is sensitive to anxiety. >> the problem is, you start to stress out, and the stress hormones going up even higher and that shuts down their frontal lobe and disconnects it from the rest of the brain and makes it even harder to retrieve the memories. >> reporter: which explains how chief justice john roberts could flub the oath of office. >> that i will execute the office of president to the united states faithfully. >> reporter: or george w. bush could flub this. >> fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. fool me -- can't get fooled again. >> reporter: but of all the famous embarrassing cases of brain freeze, the absolutely most perfect example of all time is -- um -- i can't remember. oops. john berman, abc news, new york. and still ahead, richard nixon's secret testimony, recordings. what he said under oath about

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hosting the oscars is about to come back and save the day. comedian billy crystal agreed to return and host the oscars for the ninth time, replacing eddie murphy, who just dropped out. and crystal made the announcement on twitter, saying, this is a quote, "am doing the oscars, so the young woman at the pharmacy will stop asking my name when i pick up my prescriptions." looking forward to the show. and some of the secrets of richard nixon's presidency were made public today. testimony of his appearance before a grand jury and recordings from the oval office. there was a lot of anticipation. what, if anything, did he say about that mysterious 18 1/2-minute gap on the watergate tape? here's "nightline" co-anchor terry moran. >> reporter: richard nixon's grand jury testimony from 1975 finally released today was the only time he spoke under oath about watergate. but in it, he once again denies all, defends himself, dodges questions. there was that infamous 18 1/2-minute gap in the crucial

oval office tape made just three days after the watergate break-in. supposedly rosemary woods, his loyal secretary, accidentally erased it. she showed how in a photo. the rosemary woods stretch, it was dubbed. nixon told the grand jury he was as stunned as anyone else about the gap. "rose had thought it was four minutes and now counsel have found that it is 18 1/2 minutes and i practically blew my stack." and new tapes show another side. in may 1970, nixon visited anti-war protesters in the middle of the night at the lincoln memorial. years later, he recorded his remembrances. >> just wanted to be sure that all of them realized that ending the war and cleaning up the city streets, the air and the water was not going to solve the spiritual hunger which all of us have. >> reporter: nixon himself was and remains a great and enduring mystery of american history. terry moran, abc news.

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last night, we showed you never before seen pictures of congresswoman gabby giffords and her husband, astronaut mark kelly, chronicling her remarkable journey, working her way back after a gunman's bullet nearly took her life last january. together, they've written a book about the road lined with hope, breakthrough, setbacks and resilience. tonight, a preview of their story to come. >> not just the democrats but the greens, the libertarians and the vegetarians. i want to thank each and every one of you. good morning, everyone. to be able to stand up and just say it like it is.

>> reporter: there she is, vibrant, spirited. someone called congresswoman gabrielle giffords the most positive person in congress. >> i never said i was a democrat to the rest of them. >> reporter: and then seconds after these pictures were taken on january 8th, a man aimed a glock 19 at her head and three feet away, pulled the trigger. >> this is an abc news special report. >> we are following a developing story -- >> a shooting at a grocery store. >> 12 people were injured. >> reporter: through all these months, we knew her husband, astronaut commander mark kelly was there, holding her hand in the hospital. >> all right, how about that thumb's up? >> reporter: what we didn't know is there would be hours of video tape of an astounding, determined journey. gabby giffords, fighting her way, one breath, one word, one hard-fought step at a time. there would be music for incredible breakthroughs. ♪ and moments of despair. >> gabby, are you frustrated? >> reporter: but it was not just

the journey of one woman. it was also the husband who knew what his wife was made of. >> gabrielle giffords is too tough to let this beat her. >> reporter: the team of medical professionals, some of them astounded. >> i'm not putting any cap on her. i can't begin to think how far she might go. >> reporter: and the mother who remembered her daughter, singing at the top of her lungs with hope. ♪ a mother who knows she'll make it back. >> i think gabby's got a message now that exceeds the political one. >> reporter: on monday night, the woman who went from this to this. so much distance traveled, unafraid of the distance to come. how do you feel? >> pretty good. >> reporter: is it painful, is it hard? >> difficult.

>> reporter: gabrielle giffords, mark kelly. a chance to ask our questions. does she think she'll run for congress again? and what does she remember of that gun? the bullet? the day she was shot? and so many others were wounded and died. ten months later, a first conversation. and something we believe might change the way you think about your life. hope you'll circle the calendar for monday night at 10:00 eastern. and thank you so much for being with us. abcnews.com is always there. "nightline" later. and we'll see you back violence tonight at frank ogowa plaza we're on the scene, live. >> after more than 0 years of suspects this a cop killing turns himself in but won't go to jail for the crime he was most wanted for. >> a lot of angry birds at

zynga tonight. a start up gave stock to employees and now, wants it back. >> a nation where rain is relents and water is in short supply. sky 7 hovering live over downtown oakland where there has been violence at the encampment. >> several shots fired. we know one man was hit. and sky 7 is live over the scene watching a swarm of police officers and abc 7 is on the ground with the latest on this. laura? >> i think we're showing you sky 7 hd pictures. you can see down there at 14th and broadway. that is where this occurred tonight. there are now police cars out there and a full investigation shooting that occurred. let's show you video we have. i was just