crashed into their home in december 2008. that judge's ruling follows the family's lawsuit for emotional and monetary loss. >> tense three hours for miners in tennessee. a firetraped three men deep underground. it could have easily ended in tragedy. but rescuers managed to get them all out alive. mike krajcic has the latest. >> yes, it is a happy ending for everybody. yes. >> reporter: a happy ending escially for three miners who were trapped for several hours at the mine in new market. rescue crews say miners were trapped more than 800 feet underground. the result of a diesel drill catching fire. an explosion or fire, two of the worst things that can happen in a mine obviously. you have other accidents that take place. but those two things, they're, they're right at the top of the list. >> reporter: in all 54 miners in the mine while the fire started. two of them were taken and released from the hospital for smoke inhalation. the mine is operated by near

star tennessee mines which operates underground zinc mines in tennessee. a press release sent by the company says it was in regular radio contact with those employees until they were brought safely to the surface approximately at 4:00. >> it is a big area. it is scary when there is a problem. there are all kind of safety measures that the mine safety and health administration demands and expects. >> reporter: according to data on the mining website there have been six operator injuries in 2011, seven last year. no fatalities reported here. rescue crews say this incident is unluike any other on the min. >> i have been on the fire department since '76, i have never heard of anything wecht have had mine rescues before, peoples got hurt, but not no fire underneath the ground. >> reporter: the company says there will be a full investigation of this incident. >> that was mike krajcic with the report. two miners taken out had smoke

inhalation. being in a mine, did a report from a mine in syracuse, it is a feeling just to work down there of intense blackness and just isolation. so when something like this happens you can only imagine what the panic is like. >> must be unbelievable. i think back to the chilean miners down there for so very long. we all thought it was going to have a tragic ending. it had a wonderful, beautiful ending. i always get worried when i hear about the mines. >> a necessary evil unfortunately to our society. want to turn now to a puzzling medical mystery of a bacteria linked to illness in infants. an oklahoma baby is the third sick end by the bacteria, some times associated with powdered infant formula. a baby in missouri died. a chicago area baby went to the hospital and did manage to make a recovery from the infection. many stores have been pulling enfamil powdered formula as precaution. the oklahoma baby was not given that enfamil formula. also this morning, hundreds of

thousands of teddy bears recalled due to a serious hazard, colorful hearts teddy bears sold by build-a-bear should be take any way from children immediately all because of a choking hazard. 300 tough the bears are being recalled because of the bear's black plastic eyes could come off the bear. sold for $18. made in china. they should be talken back to stores for a full refund. the northwest is getting some snow today not nearly enough to measure up to season's past. many ski resorts are covered in more brown than white because the snow is either melting or just not falling. abc's clayton sandel takes a look at what is going on. >> reporter: remember blizzards of 2010? they're a distant memory. in boston last year they had so much snow they blew their snow removal budget by $9 million. this year, they hardly touched a penny. no snow may be good for city budgets, businesses that rely on it are feeling the pain. in spokane, washington, private

snowplow companies are losing money. >> it's been pretty light. haven't been doing much. >> reporter: across the west, ski resorts are suffering. snow pack in utah is down 50%. >> i thought this looks a lot like it does during the summer. >> reporter: with less of the white stuff there is less of the green stuff. here at california's ski area, half the ski runs are closed. if you don't get that big storm which opens things up how many jobs are we talking about? >> we employ 150 at full operation. >> reporter: in minnesota. >> beautiful weather. >> first time ever golfing in minnesota in december. >> reporter: forecasters say we could still get a snow or two. it is those extreme weather events that can quickly turn your winter from conditions like this, into something a lot more like this. >> the winter is young. and we certainly think that the cold and the snow is going to return for a good part out country. >> reporter: that is either good news or bad news all depending

on whether more snow makes you money or costs you money. clayton sandel, abc news, los angeles. >> crying wolf we don't have a winter. >> winter is pretty young. just got into winter december 22nd. hold off, everyone. >> before the panic button gets hit. your thursday forecast, downpours with flooding in the seattle area. up to a foot of snow in the cascade, northern rockies. rain in the lower elevations from boise to billings. a wintry mix in the dakotas. twin cities, chicago and detroit. >> mostly 30s in the northeast. 56, atlanta. 61, dallas. kansas city, 54. chicago, 44. rainy, 50, seattle. 64, sacramento. 52, colorado springs. >> dustin the wind not snow in the wind. from southern germany now, holy ice church, ice church. yes, we're serious. >> the church wpriest was thereg the church. ice and snow.

75 feet long. a tower 60 feet high. created to mark the 100th anniversary of another ice church built in the same place. >> the project had to be delayed a couple of weeks because of the warm temperatures. and the church will be use ford religious services and of course as a tourist attraction. >> it is quite, quite beautiful if you think about it. i myself have visited an ice bar in sweden. >> an ice bar and ice church. >> i admit. >> you can both have a religious experience in those areas. >> yeah, you can. >> was it fun? >> really, really fun. i had some vodka. i was dressed up all una warm thing. >> bundled up. bundled up. there you go. we'll be right back with more "world news now." ♪ ♪ ♪ ice ice baby ♪ ice ice baby [ male announcer ] meet lafayette.

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now to the sweet signs of creating strawberries. yes, strawberries, plural. >> scientists at university of florida have come up with a dozen new varieties of the strawberries. the results delicious. mike field of tampa's affiliate has more. >> reporter: not uncommon to see strawberry unfield in eastern hills. borough county. but the berries are special and unique to the bay area. >> it has really good early yields. >> reporter: this strawberry breeder is talking about winter star strawberry, newest berry released by the gulf coast research and education center.

>> we are just really excited about the quality of the variety and what it can do for florida growers. >> reporter: the 12th different variety that the florida growing program has released. experts believe it will bring a sweeter earlier blossoming fruit to florida's fields. >> a larger sized fruit. glossier at times. it has a sweeter, lower, acid flavor. that can be really good throughout the entire season. and s a little bit of a lighter color, you can see. and that -- it doesn't darken so much when it is in the clamshell. and look overripe. >> reporter: developing the berries can be a long, tedious process the as much as 30,000 seedlings have to be evaluated and meet different criteria. >> the consumer wants a different eating quality strawberry that arrives to them fresh. so it has to have good shipping quality. news be foreign minister enouir good flavor, color and shape when it gets to the shelf. >> reporter: experts say you

will be able to find these on store shelves starting next year. >> with every step of increased quality of the fruit that makes the product better for consumers, people will want to eat more of such a healthy product, and that, that it sustains the florida industry which is a big economic driver in this area. >> some good-looking strawberries, right? >> you definitely approve of that. nice berry picking there. >> i love it. strawberry shortcake. >> where do you fine the time to do this? >> coming up rob had quite an assignment. >> with new year's eve cuppiomie got advice on food, drink and fun. stay with us that's coming up next. . in 1999, i was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis c. ultimately, i decided to take the next step and talk to my doctor about my options. that step was a big one. but i'm glad i made it.

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>> well, welcome back, everybody. there is no better person in the world to put holiday cheer into your holiday gathering than the one and only tim laird, chief entertaining officer and author of the book "that's entertaining" is here to make sure everyone has a great type. new year's again here we are. last one for the year. you came with some, bearing some of my favorite things. sweets and booze. >> you bet, rob. absolutely. try to break out the bubbles. we have tip for you when picking out champagnes. good news you don't have to spend a lot of money for great champagne. here's what you want to look for. on the bottle it will say that it was produced in the same way they do it in france. this bottle, actually goes through the secondary fermentation, korbel under $20 a bottle. absolutely not. pick your champagne on the sweetness level you like. >> some like it not so sweet, dry. different levels what you can

get. >> if you want dryer style, brut, the way to go. >> drier. >> if you like it sweeter go with extra dry. that one. then again if you want more sweeter than that, there is a sweeter one, sweet rose, those are sweeter, not really, really sugary sweet. little sweeter than the dry version. >> very good advice. now we know. >> tell you the other thing with champagne. people are afraid to open it. >> yeah, the cork in the eye. >> the locker room spray. got a couple tips so you won't have the problem. >> should i stand back. >> i have opened a few of the bottles. here's what we do, take out the wire cage. another trivia. this has six half turns. so one, two, three, four, five, six. all the cages i know. but the first thing is you want to make sure it is well chilled. the big secret. four hours minimum in the

fridge. well chilled. otherwise it will spray. other big secret. you want to hold the cork. okay. and turn the bottle. the big secret. 45 degrees. just turning the bottle. getting the cork. >> turning the bottle more than the wrist. >> people try to pull the cork off. if you do that it will pop and go everywhere. boom. ease it off. turn the bottle there it is. not a drop spilled. >> nicely done. >> throw away the flimsy flutes. don't look them. don't hold much. hard to drink from. hard to pour from. white wine glass. bring out your white wine glass. see how easy. pour that in. you have room for mimosas, want to add mixes. >> get more in there. easier to pour in. >> and drink from than the flutes. we also talk new year's eve. being responsible. so i look to serve a lot of alcohol-free, fun, sparkling cocktails at my party. >> not quite as fun. i'll let you go with it. >> anyway.

this is ginger ale with a hibiscus flower. you can buy these on line. a lot of people use these in champagnes. they're edible. actually a lot of fun. jazzing up what would be a boring ginger ale making it fun. >> little flavor. >> absolutely. this one i love. even, have this any time. doesn't have to be just new year's eve. i call a tropical fizz. shake with ice, 3 ounces of pineapple use, ounce of orange juice, boom goes in. give this a good little shake. then what's nice. this is a tropical drink, pineapple, orange, everything comes in. just love this. again great drink any time. you can see it is nice, frothy. >> oh. >> that looks good and refreshing. top with a little club soda. >> little fizz. >> get that fizz. finally, a little orange garnish goes in. and that's it, my tropical fizz. >> delicious. >> look it. >> a great one too, rob.

real easy. fresca, cranberry juice. >> color. >> lime. boom, that's it. cranberry breeze we call this. >> not bad. light, refreshing. >> easy, good. >> absolutely. >> nonalcoholic. >> alcohol-free, fun, sparkling. >> want to add booze. >> actually, little vodka in here. delicious. >> so noted. >> finally twist on the peach and champagne. lemon-lime soda with pear nectar. pare bi pear belini. >> and very nice. quick, easy. if you like sweets. can't go wrong down here. >> sweet ending. sweet ending. all of these go with a little champagne or your alcohol free sparkling drinks. cupcakes any time. put an assortment. easy to do. buy them. guests will have fun. >> fun gift here. tell me how this works right here?

>> grab here, rob. >> right here. pull it. we have another one. >> one, two, three. >> oh. out cupscomes a hat and toy. >> you'll be too drunk you will never notice. >> happy new year's everybody. cheers. >> thanks to our favorite guest. tim laird, chief entertainment officer. liven up the party. drink this. for more check out wnnfans.com. happy new year, everybody. >> happy new year, cheers! ♪ old ang sine [ sponge ] the prognosis is bleak. you may need to soak overnight.

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"world news now" delivers your morning papers. it is time now for the morning papers. and "the daily mail" never lets us down. this woman that they have a story on is a woman after my own heart the i love this. she went shopping with another man and her, well her husband or boyfriend or whatever and their chide. she goes into the store apparently had a real hankering for guinness. a case of guinness. check this out. she takes a case of guinness beer. >> a case. >> here we go. up the dress. and like nothing happened. >> i am so impressed by this. >> suzanne somers you have done your work. >> the thighmaster. >> 18 to 20 pound load. >> check the walking. walking out.

there you go. >> what you will do for a guinness. they haven't got her yet. obviously still out there if you have leg mussmuscles like that. nobody is going to want it after it's been there. >> now, check this story out. you know the nascar driver -- kasey kane. went to the supermarket. he was so shocked and offended because he saw a woman breast-feeding her child. hear baby. so he tweets he saw something that was so nasty, a mom breast-feeding a little kid. of course there has been tons of backlash. one woman that said this is a natural thing. he tweets her back and calls her the b word. >> wow. >> unbelievable. >> from that? >> from seeing that. he has apologized for the controversial tweets. he says he understands his comments were offensive. but he basically still says, i was still so shocked. grow up. is my point.

because i am sure he has been to one of these little strip clubs, boobs, everywhere. no problem with that. that's not offensive. god forbid some one wants to feed their child. that's a big no-no. grow up. >> doing it all on. >> mr. kane. kasey kane. nascar, big family. >> in his defense. he did apologize. hopefully sees the err of his ways. do not talk to sunny about this one. speaking about twitter. everyone has to tweet, multitask. out in the theater there seems to bow a trend now for selling tweet seats. boston theaters are now starting to sell premium seats people can be away from the rest of the audience so they can tweet watching the show and not distracting. >> shouldn't it be watching the show. >> sesame street live is selling tweet seats. i don't know what, omg, grover is hot. what would you be tweeting? >> better that they're away from everyone. i don't want to watch grover and have some one next to me.

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this morning on "world news now" -- political shift. just when you thought you had a clear picture of who was leading the republican race for president -- think again. >> newt gingrich is plunging in the polls, ron paul gaining, and what could this mean for mitt romney before the iowa caucuses? it's thursday, december 29th. and good morning, everyone, i'm dan kloeffler in for rob nelson today. >> ooh, i'm sorry. and i'm sunny hostin. the latest polls show some political surprises with ron paul and mitt romney running neck and neck. there is even enthusiasm in the rick santorum campaign before

tuesday's caucuses. >> this has really been an interesting race, the front-runner has flipped all over the place. >> i think it is the front-runner curse. become the front-runner and everyone attacks them. >> right. take a look at that. also this morning, the outrage over a breast-feeding mother's complaint when the houston area target store. she was told to nurse in private. you'll see how some other moms they went very public in a nationwide protest. this is going to get a lot of people talking. i was surprised by this kind of response. and, i think we're going to get a lot of response. >> i'm shocked at the outrage. very interesting story. later this half-hour, alfred hitchcock's scary movie "the bird" remember that one. turns out there is some fact to this fiction. >> interesting. so, this actually could come true reality? >> who knows. >> all right. stick around for the warning on that. first though, on this thursday morning, days ahead of the iowa vote, major shifts among the candidates. the latest poll find newt gingrich dropping way back in the pack behind mitt romney,

behind ron paul, behind rick santorum. >> just last night we learned michele bachmann's iowa campaign chair went to work for paul. abc's jonathan carl is following the campaign for us. >> reporter: newt gingrich visited a chocolate factory in i w to poke fun at mitt romney who compared his campaign to lucille ball's failed attempt. >> in tradition of ball we are here in the chocolate factory. i will be the nominee. now trails not just romney in iowa but also ron paul and even rick santorum with perry and michele bachmann not far behind gingrich looks like he is una four way race for third place. gingrich is trying to get things back on track with the biggest advertising blitz of his campaign. two new ads in two days all positive. >> we can create millions of jobs right now.

>> reporter: his campaign has been down before. his decision to talk a ten day greek cruise in the spring led to mass resignation of his campaign staff. gingrich said the cruise ship helped him understand the financial crisis. >> ironically, being in greece during the greek crisis was very helpful and gave me a much deeper perspective of how hard this is going to be. >> reporter: gingrich has been hit with a one two punch of self-inflicted mistakes and blistering attacks by his opponents. a new ad released by ron paul hitting gingrich and romney. >> serial hypocrites and flip-floppers can't clean up the mess. >> reporter: gingrich's fall has been rick santorum's gain. the former pennsylvania senator has been tirelessly campaigning in iowa for almost a year. he is in third place now. but also the fastest rising candidate in the state. it's b at various times michele bachmann the front-runner, rick perry, herman cain, newt gingrich and the man who may be

peaking at the right time, mitt romney. for gingrich in iowa, a spectacular collapse. he lost nearly 20 points in the polls in just 20 days. in a campaign of ups and downs he is in danger of being the shortest lived front-runner of all. jonathan carl, abc news, new york. >> see i think it is the front-runner curse. because also when he came out, once he was sort of identified as the new front-runner he said i will be the nominee. i don't think people like that. and then before you know it those attack ads come out. now he is at the bottom of the heap. >> the intensity on the attack ads getting more and more. we chuckle about it. it does give you that death, doom, destruction feel of things. getting desperate. newt gingrich on a big pile of cash, $9 million, spending on advertising in iowa. days to go. their last bet. >> we'll see. government prosecutors are preparing what would be the first criminal charges against bp employees. in connection with last year's gulf oil spill disaster. this morning's "wall street journal" reports, prosecutors

believe several houston based bp employees provided false information about the risks of drilling in the gulf before the disaster. but the report says it hasn't been decided whether charges will be filed. >> some amazing pictures from the former soviet republic that may ask you how did any one survive this. a plane with 70 people on board, flipped over after landing in heavy fog. it then caught fire as it skidded off the run way yesterday. here its the amazing part. 30 people were injured. yes, no one was killed though from that accident. >> and here at hope, an extremely busy week for airline travel. over one 24-hour period there were five airline scares including one, involving a southwest airline flight in sacramento we told you about yesterday. lisa stark reports it's been a pretty safe year in the skies. >> reporter: five mishaps in the air, but no injuries. a southwest jet whose tires blew

on takeoff. >> heard a loud pop and shaking. plane started shaking. set the nose down. blew a tire. >> reporter: another southwest plane hit a bird. smoke alert on a united jet. a strange noise forced a delta emergency landing. another delta flight also blew a tire. but the last major fatal commercial air crash in the u.s. was nearly three years ago. the skies in the u.s. and in fact most of the world are as safe as they have ever been. this year so far, planes most commonly thrown by americans worldwide have just one major crash for every 3 million flights. 49% better than last year. >> they have gotten very good at making the system very safe. >> reporter: years of effort including new safety technology and better pilot training have paid off. but there is a nother reason the skies may be safer now as well. believe it or not it is the slow economy. that's when airlines retrench and keep their most experienced

workers. during boom times, safety can slip. >> during periods of growth you see airlines are usually pressed to try to put new people in service, to -- to bring in new aircraft. and all of that actually puts a little bit more risk in the system. >> and there is another risk. even now. >> you have to be careful not to assume that the battle is over for aviation safety. it is not. >> reporter: accidents happen in an instant. it takes work to ensure safe skies stay that way. lisa stark, abc news, washington. >> now to the deepening medical mystery over a bacteria linked to a deadly illness in infants. an oklahoma baby is now the third infant this month sickened by this bacteria, some times associated with powdered infant formula. a baby in missouri died. and a chicago area baby went to the hospital and did make a recovery. many stores though have pulled enfamil powdered formula. the oklahoma baby was not given that enfamil formula.

moms across the country banded together to send a message to retail giant target. a texas mother complained target workers had humiliated her for breast-feeding her baby in the store. so in a show of solidarity, outraged moms staged a nationwide nurse-in. kgo's sue thompson reports. >> reporter: outside target's front door, some 30 mothers nursed their babies in protest. >> we should be able to breast-feed unpublic. there is nothing wrong about it. there is nothing dirty about it. it's nourishing our children. >> reporter: nursing mothers banding together upset about what happened to michelle hickman in texas. she claims houston target workers bullied her for breast-feeding her baby while shopping and asking her to move to a private location. >> i definitely am not going to go nurse my baby in a bathroom. would you want to eat your lunch in the bathroom. >> really unhappy a mom had to go through that experience. >> reporter: around the nation,

mothers and babies, openly nursed in public to send a message to target's corporate headquarters. >> so i thought i would come out here and support. and you know, show that -- feeding your baby in public is normal and natural. >> reporter: target does have a policy for moms who need to feed their babies and says it works hard to help nursing moms. >> target has the a long standing policy to embrace breast-feeding and make our guests feel as comfortable as possible while doing so. >> reporter: moms here in emoryville say this store is accommodating but believe they should be able to nurse anywhere, not just in a private location. >> i think that -- you know, breast-feeding is something that is natural. and you know, as long as they're covered up, i feel that they're not bothering any body else. it's okay to feed your baby. >> reporter: in california, sue thompson, abc news. >> this is our facebook question of the day -- should mothers be allowed to nurse their babies in public? let us know what you think at

wnnfans.com. i am shocked by this. i mean, i, i nursed my children. of course, i am modest. i had a nursing shawl. but i did it in public. a very natural thing. i think stores like target want the moms there right to buy the diaper genie and bottles all the stuff. >> bread and butter. i see the from a different point of view. i understand not something that you are going to see every day. it may catch some people off-guard. to have the outrage to say don't do that. >> people are offended. guys are at the strip clubs all the time with the boobs everywhere. no one says anything about that. they're into it. god forbid you like, feed your child. >> pound weint well taken. issue very hot with you on this. here is your thursday forecast. cool it down with heavy rain in the pacific northwest. flooding around seattle. up to a foot of snow in the cascades. rockies. lighter snow, dakotas, minneapolis, detroit, chicago. 33, twin cities.

53, omaha. 56, indianapolis. 37, new york. 56, atlanta. near 70, new orleans. mostly 50s from seattle to albuquerque. mild 71, phoenix. sacramento hits 64. >> well from the icy environs of fargo, north dakota. >> i love the way you say fargo. >> fargo, north dakota. word that jack the labrador has not learned his lesson. >> helmet-cam, a fire fighter pulls jack out of the frigid waters of the red river. he has escaped his owner's backyard, wandered out on to the ice and got trapped there. >> and speaking of his owner he says he doubts the incident taught jack to stay in the yard. jack just being jack. we guess. >> at least jack got rescued. >> that's very, very cute. labs, they're resilient little animals. >> they're worker dogs, sporting dogs. >> make good camera workers as well.

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♪ ♪ >> as we get ready to close the book on 2011, we want to take a moment and remember those we lost this year. >> from stars of the entertainn't industry to sports legends to people who made a difference in our world. they're just a few of the many people we said good-bye to in 2011. ♪

>> the left hook by joe frazier. quickly ali covers up. >> come join us. one. two, three, four. ♪ >> i will continue to assist humans to alleviate their agony and interminable suffering. ♪ tried to make me go to rehab for fi said no ♪ >> you will assume the position of a suplient before this throne. >> today apple is going to reinvent the phone. >> do you want life? do you not want life? and i want life. >> i'm 91 and i am just getting this great star on hollywood boulevard. ♪

♪ you give me feelings ♪ i can feel them with a crooked hand ♪ >> i think for a human being is a very deep form of profou profouprofound -- [ indiscernible ] >> what are you standing around about for? move. >> this has always been with the e street band. we have just been having a great time ourselves. ♪ >> lieutenant columbo, thank you very much, ma'am.

>> somebody was an in spir rati -- somebody was an inspiration to me. so we just pass it along. >> america is the land where dreams can come true for all of us. randy savage! >> if they can invent better ways to kill each other why can't they invent a way to end this stupid war! >> i made my living as a writer for 70 years now. i've been pretty good. ♪

>> i'm always so saddened by sort of the, the look back. so many people that we lose, but so many wonderful contributions. on a prersonal note i lost my grandmother on october 15. a tough year for me. >> her memory will live on through you and your children and the strength of everyone in the family. a lot of big legends lost this year. >> yes. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now."

the rose parade. the one in pasadena will have marching bands, beauty queens and occupy movement protestors. >> little addition. the last attraction is new this year. organizers though don't think it will change too much though.

rob hayes has a preview. >> reporter: it's called the rose palace, but with several days left before the big parade there are few roses in sight and it's far from a palace. >> you go this way. and then you go this way. >> reporter: today it is more of a bee hive, hundreds of volunteers pasting on the decorations that won't go bad scrambling to get the floats ready for january 2. >> two shifts today to make -- for another crew comes, group comes in to 11:00. and we do that for five days. >> reporter: but the floats aren't the only displays set to hit the parade route monday. members of the occupy movement are expected along the parade route and reportedly going to bring their own float. though police say occupiers won't be part of the official parade. >> they just like every other spectator will be allowed to fall in behind the completion of the parade with any one else follows the parade on colorado boulevard. >> reporter: because of the occupy movement, rose parade

security will be bolstered this year. pasadena police won't talk about how many the officers will be manning the parade but say efforts will be enhanced with federal, state agents and deputies from the l.a. county sheriffs department. >> this year we decided to bring on some additional public safety resources. >> reporter: the hope is that parade-goers and viewers at home will notice only the floats. in los angeles, rob hayes reporting for abc news. >> i wonder how this is going to play out? >> i don't know. everyone has got to have their place and time and things like that. i guess this will be a change. interesting, the grand marshal of this year's show, j.r. martinez. we'll be right back.

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>> i think we all remember. >> where have i heard that song before? right? the profile shot? >> the theme to the tv show "alfred hitchcock presents." our final story, the mystery behind one of hitchcock's greatest movies. >> in "the bird" the violent title characters attack just about everyone. so the question is where did hitchcock get the idea? here is abc's dan harris. >> reporter: what we have known all along about the sigh ypsych winged eed killers, in the mov "the bird" is they were based on a real life event. that event in 1961 when thousand of deranged sea birds descended on north monterey bay, california, hurdling themselves into the sides of houses making headlines and catching the attention of a guy named alfred hitchcock who had a mansion nearby. what has been a mystery all these years is what caused the real life bird to freak out.

enter this researcher at louisiana state university whose parents wouldn't let her watch the movie as a kid. >> they were so scared for me. when i grow up i will watch this movie again and again. i did. >> reporter: recently the professor went back and examined samples that the bird were eating and she found strong evidence of a naturally occurring toxin that creates confusion, disorientation, and even death among birds. >> i am so thrilled i could make the connection. >> reporter: it is not quite as sexy as demonic possession. but if it turns out to be a rather mundane mystery the movie it inspired is a classic. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> we laugh about it now. >> ah! >> the acting is priceless. >> yes, yes. you see. i love that movie. one of my favorite movies. then they peck her on the face. ah!

ha-ha-ha! >> that is a great movie.

this morning on "world news now" -- fuel fight. the tense international dispute involving iran's threat to close off a key oil shipping rain of the persian gulf. >> that could send oil prices sky high and send the american economy into the danger zone. it is thursday, december 29th. good thursday morning. i'm sunny hostin. >> i'm dan kloeffler in for rob nelson today. so much of the world's oil travels along the strait of hormuz off iran closing that off could be sending prices at your neighborhood gas pump into the stratosphere. we'll explain the dispute and potential impact on all of us. >> we don't need that.

>> the american economy, the last thing the world economy needs at this point. >> we don't need it. >> also this morning, burglars seen stealing christmas at a suburban atlanta home. little did they know the homeowners recorded every moment. they hope social media helps police catch the bad guys and track down their gifts. talk about grinches. >> brazen, broad day light. i don't see any hustle in the step right there. right? if you are going to make off with someone's stuff put action into it. >> social media useful. at times like this. >> could be on the tail of those guys. speaking of gifts did you bring in a haul over christmas, chanukah, how did you make out? see who is showing off their favorite presents online and their videos are all the rage. i didn't believe this was a trend that is happening. this yet again, something else going viral. >> can't wait to see it. >> the u.s. is sending a strong message to iran over its threat to close the straits of hormuz, interference will not be tolerated. >> gulf arab nations said

they're ready to step in if iran should make good on this threat. abc's cecelia vega explains what exactly is at stake. >> reporter: any attempt by iranians to shut down the strategic strait of hormuz could send oil and gas prices skyrocketing in this country. an astounding 20% of the world's oil travels through that vital waterway, just 20 miles wide and right in iran's backyard. their navy chief said on iranian tv closing the strait of hormuz will be easier than drinking a glass of water. if they follow through on the threat, experts predict higher prices at the pump. >> depending on how long this goes on, how much is damage, really going to be affected by summertime we could be looking at upwards of $5. >> reporter: that could have a profound effect on this nation's already fragile economy. economists say if prices rose from $3.26 a gallon average to

$5 it would zap $218 billion in consumer spending over a year. money for things like restaurants, vacations and trips to the mall would instead go straight to the gas tank. >> what i might have to do is stay home a little bit more often, work from the phone. >> reporter: while president obama is on vacation in hawaii purposefully keeping quiet on iran's provocations, the u.s. is responding forcefully. the navy vowing that any disruption will not be tolerated. this eased concerns in the oil markets but with america and iran facing off in these troubled waters nothing is certain. >> if the iranians attempted to shut down the straits of hormuz it would almost be like saying please attack me. it would be an act of war. >> reporter: if the strait remains open. u.s. sanctions are about to be imposed on countries that trade with iran. sanctions will make it difficult for other countries to buy iranian oil and possibly increase gas prices around the world.

while oil prices did not immediately rise, experts are telling us the throw could be enough to send gas prices skyrocketing by 50 cents a gallon. cecelia vega, abc news, washington. >> those numbers. that would be painful. >> staggering. over $5 a gallon? could you imagine? >> adding to souch tme of the tn on this -- the u.s., obama administration announced it is ready to sell $30 billion worth of f-15 fighter jets to saudi arabia. huge ally in the region. not making tensions go away. not good. >> that's right. that's right. >> we'll keep an eye on that story for sure. the new year could bring the first criminal charges against bp employees in connection with the last year's gulf oil spill disaster. this morning's "the wall street journal" reports prosecutors believe several bp employees provided false information about the risks of drilling in the gulf before the disaster which killed 11 people. but the report says no decision has been made on whether charges will be filed.

heading overseas now, in contrast to yesterday's weeping and wailing, the north koreans have observed three minutes of silence in memory of the late kim jong il this morning. earlier tens of thousand had gathered in the main square for a memorial. and yesterday's ceremonies may have been a little too choreographed. because this morning's "the new york times" is reporting some of the pictures were photo shopped to remove some errant details. also, new evidence this morning that the violent unrest that killed thousands in syria since march, that was all captured in syria's third largest city, the center of the uprising against president bashar al-assad. that just more information and details coming in from the unrest that is happening in syria. more violence yesterday, evidence that the government is cracking down on demonstrators. 40 killed just this week alone. closer to home, it was a deadly evening commute last

night outside washington, d.c. a collision between a pickup truck and a public transit bus left the truck's driver dead. and almost a dozen injured. the collision was so forceful that both drivers had to be cut out of their vehicles. in tennessee, three miners had to be rescued after a fire trapped them 800 feet underground. the fire broke out yesterday afternoon on a drill rig near a zinc mine. the trapped miners were in contact with officials, but thick smoke prevented them from leaving a safe area. it took rescuers about three hours to get them out safely. now to the story we teased, a tech savvy georgia family turning to social media to track down a group of grinches who made off with their christmas presents. the thieves were recorded on video. now their faces are plastered all over the internet. wsb's craig lucy reports now from suburban atlanta. >> reporter: the web page says help identify these decatur

christmas thieves. it has close-ups of each of the faces using a homeowner's video that caught them in action burglarizing their house. they backed into the oakhearst home driveway, christmas eve, in a silver car. the camera shakes and they kick in the front door and all four of them rush inside. they stock up on presents, apple computer, a 32-inch screen tv, a nikon camera and nearly take off without their friend before he comes out with a few more presents. $5,000 worth of items gone in less than 3 minutes. >> just standing on the outside, outside on the road. >> reporter: peter says he saw the four men in the neighborhood the day before. >> i was just looking to see if it was the same guys. it was. i thought it was pretty brazen. >> the homeowner posted the video asked us to share it put it on our neighborhood network. >> reporter: the network is growing with the video hitting 4,000 views and popping up on blogs, twitter and facebook postings, a dekalb county neighborhood coming together to put the decatur christmas

thieves in jail. >> what i like it is geo-targeted people in the neighborhood sharing it with people in this area. >> reporter: decatur police are on it, but so are the victims using social media. >> that shameful. >> break in on christmas. steal everyone's things. >> brilliant to put that social media to work for them. public humiliation i think is the best form of punishment. soon as they are going to catch them. i have a feeling with that exposure they will. eventually get caught. >> i have spoken to so many investigators, social media one of their number one tools in investigating crime. fascinating to me. >> yeah, very interesting. very interesting. >> in medical news, more bad news for the makers of the cancer drug avastin. new studies out this morning show it does not improve survival rates for most ovarian cancer patients and keeps the disease from getting worse for a few months. last month, the drug lost approval for treating breast cancer because it was not as effective as first thought. >> doctors may have come with a way to test for lung cancer. the key is something simple and

involuntary, the human breath. and the results are surprisingly accurate. more now from abc's dr. timothy johnson. >> reporter: with every breath we take, the human body emits a metabolic bio-signature, organic compounds present when we exhale. and for physicians at the cleveland clinic and university of illinois, a chance to test that breath for lung cancer. researchers using a breath analyzer tested samples from 229 people. 92 had confirmed lung cancer that was untreated. and the other 137 were either at risk for developing lung cancer or had undefined growths in their lungs. the age, sex, smoking habits and history of pulmonary disease of the participants was incorporated into the study. the breath tests proved accurate in detecting lung cancer better than 80% of the time. and the tests were even more

accurate when researchers looked for specific types rather than lung cancer in general. the goal now is to develop a low-cost, noninvasive breath test that when combined with a c.a.t. scan aids doctors in distinguishing between benign and malignant lung tumors. i'm dr. timothy johnson. >> amazing isn't it? >> isn't it something, the breakthroughs. they have pen all the time in medical science. >> simpler than any biopsy used before to look for malignant tumors. the breath. some one may be fearful to get invasive testing done. breathe in, breathe out. >> noninvasive. so many people are afraid of going to the doctor and getting tested. it goes undiscovered. >> not just results. the actual procedure. >> this winter has been unseasonably warm across much of the country. and golf lovers are taking full advantage. hitting the links in omaha at a time when that area is gripped by the coldest, snowiest days of the year.

many courses have been booked solid. >> bundled up. ear warmers. nonetheless. >> they're playing. >> not very green. they're playing. >> no snow tires on the golf carts. a good sign. here is a look at your weather this thursday -- stormy in the northwest. flooding downpours from seattle to portland. also heavy snow in the cascade. mountains of idaho, wyoming, montana. rainy, boise, salt lake city, billings. rain/snow from dakotas to michigan. >> 40, detroit. 44, chicago. 30 in fargo. 50s across the rockies and pacific north west. 35 in boston. 45 in baltimore. 73 in miami. >> is that "dust in the wind" i'm hearing? was that the tune? >> i think it was. ♪ dust in the wind ♪ dust in the wind >> why don't we have a karaoke segment. the rest of the show will be sung. earlier this week, we showed you the annual elephant races in the himalayan nation of nepal. the whole elephant festival is

over. what an ending it had. >> wrapped up yesterday with the elephant beauty pageant. really, does miss america have anything on these beautiful contestants. >> look at the color. the animal in second place last year, you guessed it, the winner this year. and when it comes to elephants. all is well that ends well and clearly it ended very well. >> love it. >> all the best. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now." ♪ the most beautiful girl in the world ♪ ♪ picks my ties out eats my candy drinks my brandy ♪ candy drinks my brandy ♪ i'm just a bit of residue left behind by some mop. why you... nobody's taken a shine to me in a long time. phooey. i don't need anybody...but you!

♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. used mops can push muddy water around. swiffer wetjet's new, upgraded solution helps prevent streaks and residue to reveal more shine than a mop or your money back. you're a fresh swiffersnapper! ♪ have a holly jolly christmas

♪ it's the best time of the year ♪ ♪ have a holly jolly christmas ♪ it's the best time of the year ♪ >> berle ives. what a man, what a guy. >> time now for our "favorite story of the day." about a little boy, who like many boys, love sports. >> due to his kidney disease he could never play sports with other kids. so he found his place high above the field in the press box. espn's tom rinaldi reports. >> why do i like sports? that is a good question. >> reporter: like most 15-year-olds lyndon beatty loves sports but not for the usual reasons. >> it's my hobby. it is an outlet for me. kind of escape all of my medical history. >> reporter: born with a rare kidney disease, lyndon spent half his life in hospital rooms. >> he has dialysis from 9:00 at night until 7:00 in the morning.

he has five injections a week. >> reporter: his immune system has become so weak he can no longer be around other kids. >> you know when the doctor told me, it sucked the life out of me. >> reporter: his parents were determined to try to connect him at home to a life in high school. his eyes and ears, a four-wheeled robot who walks the halls for him. all he need is a laptop and wi-fi connection. >> they came up with the baby-bot. >> what can you say about this? >> reporter: while the robot connected lyndon it can't heal him. he can't be exposed to classes filled with children and he can't play sports. but one place he can go -- is the safety of a small booth at the top of the bleachers. where he sits mostly by himself, but where his voice certainly carries. i just really look to make as much is not as possible.

i really just want to be part of it, just to be part of the sports team. picked up by sheldon. he could go all the way! touchdown! i watch "monday night football" a lot. so i got some ideas from them. oh, wow! what a play! oh! ow! come on, man! >> i think his attitude with that sports announcing it gives him a desire to keep going. >> yes, i have this kidney disease, yet i am happy. i want people to look at me and say "he can be happy with that. you know why can't i be happy?" for abc news, tom rinaldi, espn. >> what a wonderful attitude. >> did you have that at 15 years old? >> we could learn a lot from him. >> definitely makes you appreciate the things you have in life when you get up and see some of the creeks and pains you might have. you put that in perspective.

definitely sets things right. >> coming up celebrities with the best hair. >> yeah. also some controversy surrounding janet jackson. that's all coming up next in "the skinny." ♪ [ woman on p.a. ] now boarding track 6. ♪ do not leaveags unatteed. [ male announcer ] maybe you see something suspicious. but you don't want to get involved. it's nothihing, you think. can you be surure? ♪ if you see somomething, say something. report suspicious activity to local authorities.

♪ skinny ♪ so skinny ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny >> the dish, dirt on all celebrities in the world of all that is important of entertainment. and this first one coming about katie perry and russell brandt, people think they may be an odd couple. colorful to say the least. always rumors there might be tension in the marriage. now apparently there could be some truth to that. apparently had a very big fight right before christmas. they were all going to go over to russell brandt's hometown over in britain. they had a massive fight. katie said forget it. i will go to hawaii with my friend. russell went to a pub. how he spent his christmas. a lot of people do. and, so who knows. we will have to wait and see how this will play out. >> odd, she gets to go to hawaii. he is in a pub. think she won that one.

won that argument, sorry, russell. >> depend on the family, i suppose. >> she won that one. also talking about sort of couples, steven tyler, we know him, aero-smith, american idol fame, got engaged to erin brady. the problem is -- his family is furious. he is 63. she is 38. but they have been in a five year relationship. started dating in 2006. we don't know which family members are upset. a source tells us that this woman, erin brady has been mean to the family and they have deemed her just not nice. they don't like it. >> little protective of steven tyler. i think the dude can handle himself. >> i think so too. he's 63. >> he has a few lessons under his belt. >> yeah. leave him alone. >> to say the least. >> janet jackson not on the christmas card list of peta. they named her grinch of 2011. here's why. she has been affiliated with a fur fashion company, black

glama, they said, you know what, janet. they made reference to the infamous wardrobe malfunction during the super bowl. they said the flesh exposed was natural and voluntary compared to fur she's wears now. >> low blow, peta. >> little bit. >> a message that will stick. yeah. i wouldn't necessarily hold out for a fruit cake of forgiveness. >> i agree. well, how about who had the most influential hair of 2011? you have got good hair? >> thank you. >> i like yours. >> most of it is real. coming from you it is beautiful. beautiful thing. >> justin bieber and emma watson had the most influential hair of 2011. i imagine it would be justice bieber. we know the biebster. people love his whole frontal do. surprised by emma watson. maybe the pixie. >> i did a deep analysis, had long curly hair, now pixie cut.

i think what's fascinating -- she can pull off long and short. a lot of women can't do that. right? am i digging too much into this? is it legitimate? >> very legitimate. >> finally, who would you luke to have as your neighbor, zillow research did something, who would people like to have as their next door neighbor, you know who was the top? tim tebow. put him as number one best person to have. as your next door neighbor. >> who don't they want? >> they don't want charlie sheen, lindsay lohan and kim kardashian. >> you get invited to good parties if they're your neighbor. >> i would think so. if it is a boring night you know you have something to do. "world news now" is still ahead. ou know you have something to do. "world news now" is still ahead. is such a blessing.

not financially. so we switched to the bargain detergent, and i found myself using three times more than they say to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. that's my tide. what's yours?

♪ but this year ♪ i'll give it to someone special ♪ >> you are good. >> i love that song. finally on christmas you open up your presents, display them to your family, all the awesomeness you got from the new gifts. like many things these days that tradition has gone viral. >> people are showing off so-called christmas haul online. abc's bianna godryga has more. >> reporter: 'tis the season to be jolly. i mean holly. >> awesome! >> i got this hello kitty. >> these are from chaps. >> this smells so good.

it's christmas miracle. >> reporter: these aren't your average teenage girls on youtube they're called christmas haulers and they're here to tell you everything they got for christmas and we mean everything. >> i got a new bra. >> reporter: with thousands of views, the christmas haulers are the latest internet sensation. >> the first i got from the gray boots. >> reporter: nearly every one comes with this disclaimer. >> i am not trying to brag. >> i am not frying to brag. >> if you are going to hate and think i am bragging, i am not. >> the haulers are all about telling people what they have gotten and they really see it as sharing. for them it is less bragging it is more just i want to show you the cool stuff that i got. >> reporter: that's exactly what veteran hauler morella bernall does for her 10 million loyal youtube followers. >> my goal is to show people to give people ideas of what they might want to ask for, save money for to buy, i show what i

like? what i think others would look. >> reporter: her youtube channel is so popular she earns nearly $100 a week in ad sales. not bad for just talking about some of your favorite things. >> if you start watching someone and growing, they start growing on you, you look them you, feel like you know them and then you want to know more about their life because you are interested. >> reporter: bragging or not at least the girls are in better spirits than all the tweeters who complained about not even getting an iphone this year. if your dad didn't know you were mad now he definitely does. >> so that hand knitted sweater from aunt martha will not make it on the haulers. >> that's what i'm interested in, i want to know what you got that you didn't like at all. >> that's very true. >> that's sort of interesting. >> look at what do we have here? >> actually my house. >> from the hostin household. that its a nice haul. i'm coming to your place. >> did you see half the tree isn't lit. it was a little malfunction. >> who cares about the lights. it's what is underneath it. that's the news for this half-hour. ♪ last christmas i gave you my heart ♪ it's what is underneath it.

that's the news for this half-hour. ♪ last christmas i gave you my heart ♪