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[ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands a year in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. have given way to sleeping. tossing and turning where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. the flu outbreak has hit about 80% of the country. >> we all know the flu is contagious, but you might be surprised to know the virus is all around us. here's abc's chief medical editor dr. richard besser. >> reporter: the earliest flu season in a decade. with 80% of the country reporting severe flu, the cdc told me that in high flu states, 70% to 80% of the coughs around you right now are from the flu. each cough, sneeze or conversation puts flu into the air and into your lungs. it lands on railings, in the diner. everyone touches the salt and pepper shakers. on the atm and on every door you touch. the virus can survive two to eight hours on plastic or metal. parking meter. how many people have touched this one. if someone with flu touched this three hours ago, i could pick it up on my hand. hands take it straight to the nose and mouth. a facebook app that tries to find which friend gave you the flu. and flu near you 20,000 volunteers tracking their symptoms down to the zip codes. >> there is nowhere to hide. >> reporter: advice from the cdc -- there's still time to get the flu shot and wash your hands. a lot. if you do get the flu, there are a couple of drug options, tamiflu and rolenza. they are recommended for people with serious risk of disease. to work effectively, they have to be started early. so see your doctor. dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. >> bottom line, get the shot. even the doctor is, they do not make you sick. it's worth it. >> also when you get in the elevator, use your knuckles, using the bathroom, use your sleeves. do all the paranoid things i do, and i rarely get sick. >> and use a paper towel to open the door. >> because there's a lot of nasty people out there. >> we will be back with more right after this. "world news now" ♪ that was one of mariah carey's first hit singles. the beginning of a long line of hits that made her a star. >> now she's talking about a whole new chapter of her career. it is a barbara walters' exclusive. ♪ >> this is how we're used to seeing mariah carey, belting out her music with a staggering power and range. ♪ come on, everybody >> but starting next week, she will be judging the singers instead of being the singer. as a new member of "american idol." >> just my tiny personal opinion. >> reporter: her star power didn't come cheap. the rumor is you've been paid $18 million a season. am i in the ballpark? >> i think we're in the ballpark. but i can't even talk about that. >> we're in the ballpark, okay. >> yes, we're in the ballpark. >> congratulations. but it's not just mariah's salary drawing attention these days, it's her relationship with fellow judge nicky manaj. in october tmz released this video of a heated argument between the two divas during an audition in north carolina. after the cameras were off, mariah claims others heard nicky went further. she said went nicky walked off the set, multiple people heard nicky said, if i had a gun, i would shoot that [ bleep ]. did you take what she said seriously? >> it felt like an unsafe work environment. any time anybody is reeling threats at somebody, you know, that's not appropriate sitting there on the road with two babies. i'm not going to take any chances. so yeah, i did hire more security. >> reporter: nicky has denied saying anything about a gun, calling it a fabrication. when we asked her for a comment, her representative told us, she's said what she is saying about this topic. >> i'm doing this show, it's fun but it's not my life. >> reporter: indeed, these days her life is about being mom to her well-dressed 20-month-old twins. the girl, named monroe. >> i call her miss monroe. that kind of dictated her personality. she's a total diva. she's fascinated by jewelry, chandeliers. >> reporter: and a little boy named moroccan. >> we call him rock. he's my pal. he'll just watch movies with me. we have fun. it's just fun. >> reporter: for now, mariah is trying to stay close to home to spend quality time with the twins. and she says she and nicky have made up. we will get to see if that's true next week when "idol" starts. >> it's a great show. it's for me. ultimately this is about a contestant. i've been living my dream for half my life. i want to give that back to someone else. >> i can't wait. i love "american idol." i am ready for it. i'm ready! >> that is a vision of love. ep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. and now it's time for "the mix." get this, another airline story. >> sunny hates the airlines. >> delta this time is the offender. dave schneider is a musician. he had a classic 1965 gibson es-335 guitar on board. he wanted to bring it on board his flight from buffalo, new york to detroit. guess what? delta is like no, i'm sorry, you've got to check it. he doesn't want to check it. even offers to buy a seat for the guitar. they decline. he lands, his guitar is totally squashed and look at his guitar. it's a $10,000 guitar. and sustained all this damage, and delta tries to send him a $1,000 check. >> apparently they were worried because they thought the strings could be used as a weapon. >> come on! >> if he offered to pay for another seat, come on. >> nice going, delta. >> another reason to hate the airlines. remember that classic "seinfeld" episode about the man boobs. new numbers out on this and if man boobs excessive developments of male breasts thought to affect 14% of men, the number of man operations to reduce what you've got going on has doubled in five years. cosmetic surgery show 28% increase in man boob operation in the past year alone. >> i'm not hating on the operation. if that makes you feel better, you don't want to have it, that's fine. eating a fatty diet would reduce a man's sperm count by 40%. that's right, a danish study found men who ate the most saturated fat lowered sperm count and poor quality sperm. okay, men, no more burgers if you want kids. >> so one hot dog could jeopardize another. that's a rough story. this is also fascinating. today is the 45th anniversary of the release of otis redding's big hit "sitting on the dock of the bay." release january 8, 1968. the single reached number one on bill board top chart back in march of '68. stayed there for four weeks and got two grammys and the song inducted into the grammy hall of fame. otis himself never heard the single. on october 10, '67, he died in a plane crash at age 26 and told this morning on "world news now," face to face. relatives of the aurora movie theater shooting victims go to court, looking for justice and into the eyes of the suspected gunman. pretrial hearings for james holmes began in colorado. forcing even the most seasoned first responders to break down and cry. it's tuesday, january 8. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." good tuesday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin. paula faris is on assignment. we'll capture the mood of that colorado courtroom in our top story in a moment. you can't imagine what the families were going through today. >> absolutely not. then to new england, where a homeowner is counting his blessings. he was mauled by a wild bobcat in his own garage. >> can you imagine? >> no, i cannot. >> opening the door and there's a bobcat. lucky lived to tell the story. guess that's what counts. >> that's right. also this morning, what exactly happened to sunny's notre dame fighting irish? >> i have an explanation. >> do you really? because they just stunk. that was my explanation. the defense didn't show up at all. they didn't get on the bus to the game. we'll bring you alabama's big bcs victory. after the game, so many football fans are still talking about this. no matter who you're rooting for, nobody wants a rout of a title game. you don't want to see it come down to that final game and it is a boring blowout like it was last night. i was hoping the irish win. i'm not an alabama fan. and the commish was rooting for the irish. >> i'm speechless. it was so ugly. >> there's really nothing to say. it was ugly. >> just cry into your mug. >> that's all i can do. and later, she sings about love, and looking for love. well, this morning, the fearless taylor swift's own romantic life is starting to sound like a bittersweet country music song. hear all about it in "the skinny." >> oh, poor taylor. just can't -- >> she just can't get it together in the love area. >> you know, some of those stars have a hard time finding that special somebody. >> she needs to give me a call. >> willis says give me a call. she'll have better look in high school. but first, our top story this morning. new details from the scene of that mass shooting in aurora, colorado. the accused killer, james holmes, showed little emotion. even as the victim's families looked on. >> experts say holmes might take a plea bargain. abc's brandi hitt is joining us with the latest. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning. it was just a heartbreaking day in court. first responders described the horrific scene inside the theater, with several officers breaking down on the stand. and more tears are expected as the preliminary hearing continues today. emotions ran high during day one of the james holmes' preliminary hearing, as prosecutors laid out new evidence and testimony. >> i've got people running out of a theater that are shot. >> reporter: holmes is accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 others last july. through tears, the officer described rescuing the wounded. i knew i needed to get them to the hospital now, he said. i didn't want anyone else to die. the victim's families also packed the courthouse, including mary ellen hanson, who lost her 6-year-old niece, veronica. >> it's almost like you have to face the devil, as opposed to saying i don't want to know. >> reporter: the officers who arrested holmes at the theater's back exit also described looking into his dilated eyes. he was very, very relaxed. he seemed very detached from it all. holmes also did not react when witnesses identified him as the gunman. the former grad student's once comic book colored orange hair is also now brown and he's grown a beard. before dropping out of school, he was seeking psychiatric help at the university of colorado. but his attorneys have not said whether they'll mount an insanity defense. as the hearing continues this week, the judge said he'll allow witnesses to testify on holmes' mental state before he decides if this case goes to trial. rob and sunny? >> this whole idea of an insanity defense, you're saying no? >> no, no. that defense is rarely successful. but what his attorneys have indicated is they're going to go for a diminished capacity defense. that's very different. that means that, yeah, he can be criminally responsible, but it just means he's responsible to a lesser extent. so murder one? no. however, manslaughter a possibility. so that's really important in this case. what we're talking about is the possibility of the death penalty. we don't put our mentally ill folks in the chair. so bottom line is, if he gets -- if this diminished capacity defense is successful, he could be looking at a plea deal of life in prison instead of the death penalty. so it's really important. >> you would think whatever the legal wrangling may be, the goal would be for him to spend the rest of his life behind bars, even if it's a lesser charge. >> that's right. that's what we're looking at in my view. >> and not a lot of hope to this going to a trial. >> never going to trial. everyone knows he did it. it's just a matter of why. >> and detached probably is the best word on a lot of levels. >> that's right. now to an alabama courtroom where investigators gave new details of a suspected terror plot involving a teenage boy. derek shrout made journal entries about a plot to bomb classmates just three days after the newtown school massacre. he also began building small homemade explosives. he describes himself as a white supremacist. he was released to his parent's custody until the next hearing. police in tulsa, oklahoma walked into a horrific crime scene. four women shot to death inside an apartment. they also found a 4-year-old boy in the home, but he was not physically harmed. it's not clear what relationship the boy had with the women or what he may have witnessed. police say someone had spoken to one of the victims less than an hour before the bodies were found. so far no suspects, no motive. in other news this morning, casey anthony is not expected to appear in a florida courtroom later today during an appeal hearing. anthony was convicted on four counts of lying to investigators about the disappearance of her daughter back in 2008. her attorneys argued that the statements were made before anthony was advised of her rights. a massachusetts family is recovering after fighting off a wild bobcat. the bobcat took roger mundell by surprise as he stepped into his garage, pouncing on him from eight feet away, sinking its teeth into his face and clawing his back. he said all he heard was a hiss before the bizarre attack. >> it jumped from there and landed on me. it didn't walk, it didn't run, it just jumped. it was that fast and it bit me here and gave me a bear hug. >> the bobcat ran out the door and attacked his 15-year-old nephew. his wife got their gun and they managed to hold it down and shoot it. wildlife experts say the bobcat was likely rabid, so they are all being treated for rabies. but luckily, they are all going to be fine. >> and alive to tell the story. unbelievable. commuters at a jersey city rail station will be taking the stairs to catch the train this morning. that's because of what happened during yesterday morning's commute. a jam packed up escalator suddenly started going down, that sparked a stampede and sent panicked riders jumping to safety. at least five people needed medical treatment. thankfully no one was seriously injured. not a great way to start the workweek. man. and on capitol hill, the stage is set for a tough fight. now that president obama has nominated former republican senator chuck hagel to be the next secretary of defense. hagel, who has been accused of being hostile to israel and soft on iran, have come out swinging, telling a nebraska newspaper there is not a shred of evidence he's anti-israeli. and president obama says he's the right man with the right background for the job. >> he would be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of defense. one of the few secretaries who have been wounded in war. and the first vietnam veteran to lead the department. >> he received two purple hearts and president obama says his defense nominee is the leader u.s. troops deserve. also, the president moved to fill one other key national security position, nominating john brennan to be the next head of the cia. brennan spent 25 years at the intelligence agency. his name was floated for director at the start of president obama's first term in fact, but brennan withdrew when critics linked him to harsh interrogation techniques used by the cia when george w. bush was in office. also, it was back to work monday for secretary of state hillary clinton and her warm welcome is our favorite story of the day. there it is. >> that's right. after a month of health problems, including a fall, a concussion and a blood clot, clinton got a standing ovation from about 75 staffers at the state department. >> they had a little fun at her expense. they give her a few presents. a helmet with the state department seal on it and a football jersey with the number 112 and her name. that's the number of countries she's visited as secretary of state. almost 1 million miles traveled in that job. the most traveled secretary of state in the history of the country. >> and serious government types have a sense of rumor, right? >> even bureaucrats in the state department having a little fun. wear that helmet, hillary, the next time you think you're going to go down. >> haven't some people been reporting perhaps one of the reasons she had the blood clot is because of all that traveling? >> you hear about this deep vein thrombosis. a lot of people who spend a lot of time on planes cramped up and not moving up, that can lead to those kind of clots. she's very lucky. that was near her brain. could have been a lot worse. hopefully she'll enjoy her time off. next on the show this morning, the personal accident at the white house involving a very famous weatherman. this story is -- don't turn the channel. that's all i'm saying. and the highly anticipated football game that makes me wonder about my fighting irish. highlights and low lights next, from the bcs. you're watching "world news now." "world news now" weather brought to you by lunesta. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm janelle monáe. and i'm a covergirl. ♪ and i'm a covergirl. until it's completely clean. lysol toilet bowl cleaner gives you maximum coverage from the rim down to the water line to kill 99.9% of germs. and removes stains better than clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. so if you want to do the whole job, lysol's got you covered. lysol. mission for health. and for an incredibly clean and fresh bowl with every flush, try the no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaner. ♪ sweet home, alabama i know that's painful to your ears this morning. last night's bcs championship game didn't live up to the hype. in fact, it was kind of painful to watch, particularly for many alum of notre dame. >> sadly, the alabama crimson tide rolled over notre dame and won the game by a 42-14 score. the fighting irish never had a chance. >> on alabama's opening drive, eddie lacey ran right through the irish on a 20-yard touchdown run. the 82-yard drive was the longest given up this season by the irish. in fact, before the night was through, lacey would run for 140 yards. the irish did not score until the third quarter when they were already down 35-0. it's alabama's third bcs title in four years. can't argue with dominance. >> and coach nick saban was presented with the trophy after the game. with this win, saban is getting close to what's being close to hounds tooth territory, named for bear bryant, who held the record for the most collegiate wins. the hounds tooth reference was for his trademark hounds tooth hat. saban dismissed the comparison, saying bryant built a legacy. >> you read that without crying. i'm impressed. you held it together. and a.j. mccarron had a great night, as you might imagine from the score. >> he threw four touchdowns on 264 yards. this is his third national championship. he was asked after the game how it feels to be part of alabama history. >> it's pretty special. gives me chills thinking about it. all the things my teammates made all this possible. the coaching staff did an excellent job game plan wise, breaking down notre dame's defense in the 30 something days we had off. and really had a great game plan for us coming into tonight. >> mccarron actually brought 30 pairs of shoes for this trip to miami. and his girlfriend is miss alabama. hey, star quarterback, won the title, got the miss alabama. man, he's living the good life. sweet home, indeed. >> seems like a nice guy. >> he's having a great night, that's for sure. and let's not forget notre dame, they had a great run this year. >> we did. we had a story book season which many thought would end with our first national championship in nearly a quarter century. but it was not meant to be. and after the game, the players were understandably disappointed. >> it hurts me to see the season go out like this. but for me, you know, i felt this, so this kind of -- you know, my experience with the game. >> that is everett golson, the freshman quarterback who has some great years ahead of him. >> you know what it is? south bend is very cold and they're playing in miami and it's a lot of heat. i think when you're not used to that, that perhaps has something to do with it. >> let the excuses pour forth. that's weak. blaming the weather. >> it's possible. and they looked good with the shiny gold helmets. they were together. >> yeah, they looked good in the locker room. they had something to cry in. >> it was the weather. >> but i'm glad they survived the tundra of south beach. alabama fans had plenty to cheer about last night. >> hundreds of fans gathered to watch their team and cheer them to victory. you can only imagine the epic party on campus after the game. >> over at notre dame, not too much to celebrate there. fans packed into the local bars to watch, but the bars ended up being a pretty quiet place. >> i think i've been to that bar. >> really? >> several times. >> hopefully in happier days than today. >> always happy at notre dame. south bend, indiana. >> there's always next season. we'll be back with more after this, everybody. don't go far. ♪ ♪ skinny in the house. >> that's right, skinny is in the house. and taylor swift is 23, dating harry styles, one of the singers of one direction. they were only dating for two months and now they broke up. apparently they went to the british virgin islands for new year's and had a big fight and now it's over. >> just like that. hard time finding love for taylor swift. fellows, she's back on the market. but i've got to get to this story. al roker gave an interview, talking about his gastric bypass surgery back in 2002. he was at the white house and says he was eating something that he should not have been, thought he was about to pass gas, but ended up being a little more than gas. it got so bad he had to go to the bathroom, change underwear, had to go commando the rest of the night. al roker unveiling a little accident at the white house. >> i mean, how does that happen? >> i guess we know when he reached his dew point. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. do not drive or operate machinery until at least 4 hours after taking intermezzo and you're fully awake. driving, eating, or engaging in other activities while not fully awake without remembering the event the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. alcohol or taking other medicines that make you sleepy may increase these risks. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. intermezzo, like most sleep medicines, has some risk of dependency. common side effects are headache, nausea, and fatigue. so if you suffer from middle-of-the-night insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. ♪ before the tissue, help defend with a wipe. before the cold & flu season, help prevent with lysol. because when you have 10 times more protection with each hand wash... and kill 99.9% of germs around the house with each spray... those healthy habits start to add up. this season, a good offense is the best defense and lysol has your family covered because that's our mission for health. 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>> ever since i was a tiny girl, i have wanted to be taken off into space with hans solo. >> even if you've never seen "star wars," the way it's been edited down, the story could get across in a bare bones way. >> reporter: every line proves to be original. >> he can go about his business. >> he can go about his business. >> move along. >> move along. >> iconic moments from the films, we try to hit every single one of those. >> reporter: since 1995, they've been staging a 30-minute version of the first three movies. george lucas himself came to see it. >> it felt like the culmination of a dream for me, because this is a man who created something that profoundly changed me. >> reporter: at george lucas' request, they've now abridged the prequel. this is the world premiere of the 60 minute show. >> yes, master. >> america's "hamlet" one way or the other is "star wars." >> reporter: i'm nick watts, in a galaxy far, far away. >> no! >> this thing here was pretty good as yoda. >> the yoda eyebrows, he was rocking the yoda eyebrows. >> you make a good hans solo. >> i like my hair, man. i'm rocking that hairstyle. is that the princess laya hairstyle? >> absolutely. >> do you have a gold bikini anywhere? >> yes. >> oh. we'll be back. this is abc's "world news now" informing insomniacs for two decades. this morning on "world news now," braced for battle. president obama announces two controversial nominees for his national security team. >> his choices for defense secretary and cia director are already meeting tough resistance on capitol hill. it's tuesday, january 8. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning. i'm sunny hostin in for paula faris. >> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. and president obama says he's confident that he has picked two strong leaders to fill key national security posts. but what will they face in their confirmation hearings is not going to be pretty. we know that already. also this half hour, the death of a lottery winner is now a murder mystery. we'll hear how the man was poisoned just hours after getting the big check and what investigators could do next. you hear all those stories about how lottery winners get cursed. this is a whole different level. >> goodness. then a football fight, pitting a girl who loved the game against the roman catholic church. why the archdiocese is telling her she's got to get off the field. >> it's going to be a talker story with the parents this morning. later, an earlier jimmy kimmel moves up half an hour in the abc lineup, starting tonight. we'll hear the secrets of how he's getting ready for the new big time slot. a big jump for that show. jimmy kimmel has been on a hot streak. his show is great, i watch it because of the shift we work. so happy for the big move and hope he takes the throne. have a good opening tonight, jimmy. but first, supporters and opponents are lining up now that president obama has officially named his nominees for two key posts for his second term. >> his choices have the president digging in his heels yet again for another fight. abc's diana perez has the latest. >> reporter: two major seats have to be filled by president obama at the pentagon and cia. he announced his picks. former senator from nebraska, chuck hagel as defense secretary and long-time counterterrorism adviser john brennan as director of the cia. >> these two leaders have dedicated their lives to protecting our country. i'm confident they will do an outstanding job. >> reporter: hagel, a successful businessman who made millions in the cell phone industry before politics is a decorated vietnam vet and he would make history if confirmed by congress. >> he would be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of defense. one of the few secretaries who have been wounded in war. and the first vietnam veteran to lead the department. >> i will always do my best for our country, for those i represent at the pentagon, and for all our citizens. >> reporter: but fellow republicans are not falling in line behind this pick. he's been criticized for his outspoken disapproval on the troop surge in iraq and for calling u.s. supporters of israel the jewish lobby. >> this is an in your face nomination by the president. >> reporter: if john brennan is confirmed, he would be the new leader of the cia. but he's not new to the agency. >> he literally built and led the national counterterrorism center. >> reporter: he also he would an active role in the killing of osama bin laden. >> leading the agency which i served for 25 years would be the greatest privilege, as well as the greatest responsibility of my professional life. >> reporter: while neither confirmation is guaranteed, the white house says it's confident both men will assume their positions for the president's second term. rob and sunny? >> he did give an interview to his hometown paper and basically says that his record has been just distorted and he said, i have been hanging out there in no man's land unable to respond to charges, falsehoods and distortions. the distortions about my record have been astounding. so he'll get a chance in front of the country to elaborate on some of his past controversial statements. >> and to clear up whatever he feels has been misrepresented. don't we want a person in that position that has been, you know, enlisted during a war. >> injured saving his brother. >> because he understands the toll that war takes on american lives. so he's not going to sort of enter our country into that kind of thing without a lot of thought. so it seems like a thoughtful choice to me. >> you would think. but some of his comments have been controversial and republicans and democrats are going to seize on that. but the person making key decisions about our military has been in their shoes, literally on the ground, fighting, weapon in hand. very different perspective when it comes to the country and pulling our troops out of afghanistan by the end of 2014. it was an emotional day in a colorado courtroom as a pretrial hearing got under way in the aurora theater shooting case. one of the first police officers on the scene testified that he slipped and almost fell down because there was so much blood on the floor. the testimony brought back raw feelings for survivors and victims' families. mary ellen hanson lost her 6-year-old niece. >> it's like you almost have to face the devil, you know? as opposed to saying i don't want to know. >> given the amount of evidence against holmes, legal experts say they doubt the case will ever go to trial. also, a mass shooting suspect in northern california has been ruled unfit to stand trial. wong goh is charged with seven counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. he was arrested after the shooting last april at a christian university campus in oakland. doctors say goh suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. and there's backlash against a suburban new york newspaper that published the names and addresses of people with gun permits in the wake of the newtown, connecticut, school massacre. the paper is trying to publish the data from a third county. the district attorney in a third county is opposing the move and the clerk is refusing to comply. the paper has had to hire armed guards ironically enough because of ongoing threats against its staff. so it is public record, who has applied for permits here. >> it is public record. >> what is the good of publishing the names and the addresses in some ways could that not be a road map for criminals looking to steal those guns? >> that and inciting violence against people that have guns, people that are against it, especially because of what happened in newtown. i don't know how i feel about publishing those names. i don't know that it's -- >> if there's public good in it. it's public record, but is there public good? maybe that's the question that everyone is trying to grapple with. it's a gray area. >> that's the gray area. but the newspaper filed the freedom of information act. because the information is public. >> it's a government transaction. today marks two years since the mass shooting tragedy in tucson. survivors joined in a prayer service to mark the anniversary of a gunman opening fire on congresswoman gabrielle giffords' meeting, killing 6 and wounding 13, including giffords. she and her husband, mark kelly, just traveled to newtown, connecticut, and talked about it with diane sawyer. >> the first couple we spoke to that took out a cell phone and showed us a picture of his daughter. and i just about lost it. >> when it can happen to children in a classroom, it's time to say -- >> enough. >> and you can see the rest of our exclusive interview tonight on "word news" with diane sawyer. in chicago, what first looked like a case of tragic timing has turned into a case of foul play. a 46-year-old man died just hours after getting a $425,000 check for winning a lottery. now, at first, the medical examiner said he died of natural causes. but his family, they were a little suspicious. >> within a few days of that initial death certificate, a family member came forward to the pathologist and suggested they weren't comfortable with that ruling and asked us to look further. >> the new toxicology found that kahn died of cyanide poisoning and his body will be exhumed for police to continue to hunt for the killer. now to a major financial headline this morning and the settlement by big banks accused of foreclosure abuse. those ten banks agreed to pay $8.5 billion to settle federal complaints. they're accused of mishandling paperwork and foreclosing on customers who should have been allowed to stay in their homes. millions complained that most each customer can expect is about $125,000 in the settlement. more than two months after super storm sandy barreled across the northeast, a state of emergency has been lifted for some of the hardest hit areas of the jersey shore. that means many displaced residents, including normandy beach, seaside heights and tom's river can now move back home for good. power and water have been restored in most spots but piles of debris still stack much of the area. >> after going through katrina in new orleans, i'm sensitive to horrible weather storms. nine weeks and some of those folks are just now being allowed to go home. imagine being displaced that long from your home. >> i was upset about two weeks. i can't imagine nine weeks. i did some community service and it's just an unbelievable sight still. >> and it will be unbelievable resilience to build those communities back, but they will come back. >> they will. with that, let's take a look at your tuesday weather, everybody. some avalanche warnings in the cascades. up to eight inches of snow in the northern rockies. snow from new mexico into el paso. severe storms around houston and san antonio and corpus christi. coastal showers from south carolina to florida. >> 82 degrees in miami. upper 40s in the northeast. 30s from omaha to fargo. 54 in colorado springs. see how warm it is in miami? >> i'm always jealous of miami's weather. >> 81. notre dame had to deal with that heat. >> moving on. you want some cheese with that whine? a wealthy businessman in india said he needed a little help charming the ladies. you think high-end cars or traveling to exotic places would be the ticket, but you would be wrong. his plan, get a solid gold shirt. >> he hired 15 gold smiths working for weeks to fashion this, a 22 carat solid gold shirt. he said, i'm not the best looking man in the world, but no woman could fail to be dazzled by this shirt. you add a matching set of cuffs rings and a few gold chains and i would say he's ready for a stint on abc's "the bachelor." look at that. would that grab you eye out in club? >> the shirt is kind of cute. novelty. it's 24 carat gold. it may do something for me. >> you would be like let me talk to him? >> i like sparkly things. >> you like that? all right. good luck to you. coming up next, trading your christmas present in for some cash in places you wouldn't expect. >> and the 6th grade girl kicked off her school football team. why her parents and teammates are crying foul. you're watching "world news now." "world news now" weather brought to you by colonel penn life insurance. have given way to sleeping. tossing and turning where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. [ female announcer ] they're all going in the same direction, but in very different ways. and pampers gives all of them our driest, best fitting diaper, ♪ pampers cruisers with 3-way fit. not only with up to 12 hours of protection, they adapt at the waist, legs and bottom, for all the freedom to move their way in pampers best diaper. it's time to play. more and more young girls have been choosing to be on the field rather than the sidelines when it comes to football. and they're doing it with the encouragement of many parents, as well as athletic organizations. >> but in philadelphia, the roman catholic archdiocese has gone the opposite way. it is banning girls from the gridiron. as kenneth morton reports, she is fighting back. >> reporter: one look at this footage from a catholic youth organization or cyo football game and it looks like a bunch of boys on the field. but number 10 there is 11-year-old caroline. >> at first, everybody was like whoa, there's a girl. then it was like everybody just accepted me. >> reporter: the 110 pound, 5'3" 6th grader has been playing the game since she was 5. the past two seasons, she's been playing with the romans, part of our lady of caramel cyo in bucks county. >> if i feel i want to stop, i'll stop. but i want to keep going if i can. >> reporter: but a few weeks ago, she was told she wouldn't have another season after the archdiocese of philadelphia enforced its boys only policy when it comes to football. >> it's not just a safety issue for girls, it could be a safety issue for anybody. as long as we know how to play and play right. >> reporter: her parents say their daughter's teammates are behind her. and the worldwide support has been tremendous with an online petition reaching more than 7,000 signatures. >> she really wants the rule changed for not just herself, but for the girls who have come up to her and said i want to play football. >> reporter: the archdiocese has said the policy is being reviewed, but caroline's father doesn't believe there are plans to change what he calls an archaic and discriminatory rule. >> the decision whether or not you put a child on the football field should be up to the parent or the coach. >> reporter: while she continues her fight to get back on the field, her mother says her spirit has been amazing. >> she's determined and she's positive. she's had a great, great experience and she really wants other girls to have that experience, as well. >> did she have on a notre dame shirt in that piece? >> she doesn't need the shirt. she needs to go play for the team. just saying. >> let that girl play. let her play. >> we'll be back in a moment. "world we spent lots of money buying people christmas presents. some of which we don't need or want. >> 20% of us returned at least one gift check this story out by abc's paula faris. >> my daughter got this. >> reporter: if you're one of the millions that returned a gift this holiday season, it most likely ends up here. we have vacuum cleaners, legos. this is really good stuff. the real island of misfit toys letting us in their warehouse. we found out once an electronic item has been open, the big retailers can't put it back on the shelf. so they sell it to secondipity. santa might want to shop here next year. jamie and jordan are looking for a bargain. their parents to these kids. you spent all the money on the kids and now you need the money to buy something for yourself. >> absolutely. >> reporter: money that can help them buy this new camera. but we need to find them real money first. joanna stern, our savvy saver, tells us where to start. tip number one. did you know you can get cash for old kid's clothes without leaving home? thread up will give you dough for gently used duds. they'll send the bag. all you have to do is load it up. >> $4.65 to $6.95. >> reporter: all that's left to do is drop it by the door. santa may have gotten the kids new clothes but mom and dad got $80 for their old one. tip number two. go drawer digging for hidden treasure. we can trade them in on amazon. >> that's $60 there. >> reporter: two rooms down, $218 and we keep digging. and tip three, unwanted gift cards. >> giftgranny.com. they'll give us $46 for this $50 amazon gift card. and at gift card rescue, another $46 for $60 worth of barnes and nobles worth of cards. but what about getting what you really wanted? tip four, shop wholesalers. that's where we find this camera for a fraction of the retail price. we have enough money to get you your camera. all in all, they racked up $375 and a family album full of memories. >> that's real money. >> reporter: another money saving tip, even if your smart phone has a cracked screen, you can still get roughly $37 at one of ec oo atm nationwide locatio. paula faris, abc news, new york. >> how about just regifting it. repackaging it. >> a cracked phone, huh? >> giving it to someone next year and you save money like that. i've never done that, but it's just a suggestion. >> another christmas miracle. as miracle. the truth about mascara is... it clumps. introducing a revolutionary new mascara. clump crusher...crusher. 200% more volume. zero clumps. new clump crusher from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. it sparks a movement. look ! no ugly spots ! and see that shine ! you've got to try finish. because once they try finish, they can't keep it to themselves. i'm switching for good. wow ! awesome ! finish is seriously good. cannot believe how great it works. incredible shine. i won't use anything else. love, love, love finish ! so far over a million neighbors, friends, and family have switched to finish. join the finish revolution. recommended by more dishwasher brands worldwide. in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. do not drive or operate machinery until at least 4 hours after taking intermezzo and you're fully awake. driving, eating, or engaging in other activities while not fully awake without remembering the event the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. alcohol or taking other medicines that make you sleepy may increase these risks. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. intermezzo, like most sleep medicines, has some risk of dependency. common side effects are headache, nausea, and fatigue. so if you suffer from middle-of-the-night insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. ♪ ♪ it is a big night at abc. tonight at 11:35 eastern, jimmy kimmel live moves to his new time slot. >> that means jimmy will be on about 30 minutes earlier. even though he insists it will be the same show, it will at least look a little different. abc's george pennacchio has more. >> reporter: jimmy kimmel plans to continue his late night talk show fun the way he has for almost ten years now. >> football helps me pass the time between seasons of "dancing with the stars" more than anything. >> reporter: jimmy hasn't changed. but his set has. at least a little. and jimmy says it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> it seems almost exactly the same to me, i'll be honest with you. there's no stage, really. it's all flat now, which is a little odd. i don't like changes. it's going to take some getting used to. >> reporter: the set is getting its finishing touches for tuesday night's show. his good friend, jennifer aniston, will be the first guest and the first musical guest in the new time slot, no doubt. jimmy is happy with his new place in late night. >> i don't feel that nervous about it. i feel pretty calm about it. but there are a few nervous nellies around here. but i think everyone feels pretty confident. >> reporter: jimmy will continue to push the envelope like he has in the current issue of "rolling stone." we've opted not to show you the cover, which reveals a little more of jimmy than you're used to seeing. >> when you have a body like this, you like to flaunt it. the ladies appreciate it. >> i'm the most dangerous man in america. you hear that, everyone who wouldn't go to the prom with me? >> reporter: this is george pennacchio reporting for abc news. >> that "rolling stone" cover they didn't show you? we're going to show it to you. >> take a look here. kimmel gets real in the interview and is making headlines. one of the headlines is "kimmel taking a swipe at jay leno." saying leno hasn't been a good standup in 20 years. as a comedian you can't not have disdain for what he's done. that's according to jimmy kimmel. continues to say he totally sold out. he was a master chef who opened a burger king. >> those are fighting words. >> gloves off. i love it, i love it. do your thing, jimmy, do your thing. this morning on "world news now," more graphic and gripping testimony expected today in a colorado courtroom as new details emerge about the aurora movie theater massacre. >> the opening of a pretrial hearing had first responders breaking down on the stand. it's tuesday, january 8. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good tuesday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin in for paula faris. we'll take you to colorado where emotions are still very raw with our top story today. and a frantic search on a frozen lake. two teenagers slip beneath the ice as neighbors hear their screams for help. tracking the flu this season is packing quite a wallop. you'll see where the bug may be hiding and how it could spread to you without you even knowing it. that story is hard to watch, because you realize how many nasty things we all touch and do every day. you don't even realize what you're touching that everybody else has touched. so it's going to make you a little sick to think how easily you can catch the bug. >> that's why you need the flu shot. >> and some hand sanitizer. >> you need to get the flu shot. >> you need to sterilize. then getting personal with mariah carey. the superstar opens up to barbara walters about her kids, her career and her new $18 million gig. that's a nice gig. >> must be nice. making that kind of money to judge others. before we get to all that, more evidence in the case against james holmes is expected to be revealed in a colorado courtroom today. >> those first on the scene of the aurora shooting were on the stand today. abc's clayton sandell was there. >> reporter: veteran cops broke down on the stand recalling unimaginable horror. >> i've got people running out of the theater that are shot. >> reporter: this officer found motionless bodies everywhere in the theater. he drove six victims to the hospital in his patrol car. i knew i needed to get them to the hospital now, he said through tears. i didn't want anyone else to die. he was very relaxed he said. he seemed very detached from it all. holmes showed little emotion, even as victims' relatives looked on. >> he looked like an ordinary human being. that was hard to take. >> reporter: the hearing is the first glimpse of the prosecution's case and the opportunity to answer lingering questions about holmes' motive and state of mind. and how many people around him saw warning signs. holmes' attorney suggests he's mentally ill and may have tried calling his psychiatrist. nine minutes before the shooting started. he reportedly told a psychiatrist he had fantasies about killing a lot of people and mailed her a notebook that may contain details about the attack. holmes has not had a plea and this hearing will last about a week and a judge will decide if there's enough evidence for holmes to go to trial, something legal experts say should be easy for the prosecution. clayton sandell, abc news, centennial, colorado. >> they don't want this to go to trial. he is the shooter. so a trial is a waste of time and money. >> this is not a case that goes to trial. bottom line is, the prosecution is letting the defense know this is what we have. the writing is on the wall and now the defense is showing the prosecution yeah, this is what we have. we have this diminished capacity defense. so it's a dance they're doing. at the end of the day, what happens is they meet at the table and they hammer out a plea. that's what this kind of case is about. >> what's the advantage of an insanity plea verse diminished capacity? >> an insanity defense is rarely successful. it's something like less than 3% of those defenses are successful. but you have no culpability. so you're just not criminally responsible. diminished capacity, yes, you're criminally responsible, just not as much. so instead of murder, you have manslaughter. >> and people would rather have him pay than not pay. even if it's a lesser charge. >> it's just more palatable to a jury. to a community affected by this tragedy. that's why i think in colorado, it makes sense for that type of plea deal to happen. i suspect that's what is going to happen. >> good to have a lawyer onset. thanks, sunny. you can look for tougher backlash to tougher gun laws as firearms rights groups declare what they're calling gun appreciation day. set for january 19, two days before president obama's second inauguration. organizers want supporters to crowd gun shops and shooting ranges to protest plans to tighten laws on firearms. a long list of conservative groups are behind the drive. this is all just the appetizer to the big control debate we're going to have probably later this month when joe biden's group comes out with what they plan to do. >> it's going to be remarkable. but this is what happened in newtown, i think it almost started in terms of the sort of -- the media glare started with trayvon martin and stand your ground law, i think. and maybe it even started before there with gabby giffords. we've seen so much gun violence. now you have the newtown massacre that everyone, i think, can agree was so horrifying when you have babies being murdered. you've got to do something. what gives? >> whatever we're going to do, or not do ultimately, who knows how this will play out? there's no guarantee capitol hill has mustered the will or courage to do something. but if we don't do something after the murder of 20 kids, it will never happen. whatever happens. it's now or never seems as a tipping point now for a couple of weeks. the roman catholic church in southern california has been ordered to reveal the names of pedophile priests and church leaders in documents dating back decades. a judge ruled that the public's right to know was more important than the privacy rights of those involved. 30,000 pages of documents include letters from the vatican and complaints from parents. also in california, the coast guard says human error may explain why an oil tanker sideswiped a tower on the san francisco/oakland bay bridge. the ship's hull was scraped up but not cracked. the tanker was empty, so no oil leaked and the bridge itself was not damaged and no one was injured. tragedy in new jersey overnight as a frantic search was called off for two teenagers on an ice covered lake. residents heard the boys cries for help, but it was apparently too late. jim dolan reports. >> reporter: state police choppers swooped down and set its lights on the rescue effort below. a desperate search for two teenagers who fell through the ice into the frigid waters of bud lake. >> it's a terrible thing to have to deal with situations where there are families that don't know where their children are or possibly know what's happened to them. so it is troubling. >> reporter: police say two teenage boys were on the lake. it's not clear what they were doing there, when the ice gave way. nearby residents heard their screams. >> mt. olive police received multiple calls that someone was on the ice yelling for help. >> reporter: residents seemed divided whether it was safe to be on the lake, but many were. and many more were over the weekend. >> it's not something that is guarded in any way. it is a natural lake and people use the lake to do fishing or whatever is appropriate during the season. and i can tell you that that's probably what happened. >> reporter: the search continued. >> so far we've been unable to find anyone at this time. we're releasing some of the firefighters, but we continue to search as conditions allow throughout the night. and we'll be back. >> reporter: the police have not yet publicly identified the two teenagers, but rescue workers are in touch with the parents of those two teenagers. the search will resume at daybreak but in frigid conditions and dangerous conditions, as well. in mt. olive, new jersey, for abc news, i'm jim dolan. and unpredictable ice was to blame for leaving a group of fishermen stranded in green bay. eight fishermen had to be rescued when a huge chunk of ice cracked and it took the coast guard an hour to get everyone safely on shore without injury. well, here's a look at your weather. warmer than normal in much of the country. showers in the southeast. severe weather and heavy rain in south and east texas. snow from west texas into new mexico. rain and mountain snow in the pacific northwest. mostly 40s from seattle into the northern rockies. 30s in the upper midwest. 50s in dallas and 70s in new orleans. hand me those tissues, please. you may need them for this next segment. i want you to be prepared for this. if we could have a moment of silence now for our notre dame alum. after her alma mater took an old fashion butt whooping in the bcs championship. >> alabama crimson tide seemed more like a steamroller plowing over the top ranked, top ranked fighting irish. notre dame wasn't able to put up a single point until late in the third quarter when they were down 35-0 to the surging tide. >> gives a new definition to top ranked. final score on this one last night, 42-14. it was close. alabama picked up its second consecutive bcs title, the third in four seasons. irish had quite a run. you can't not be proud of the season they had, but alabama was clearly the better team. >> they needed to hold that game in a place that was a little cooler. >> oh, lord. now you're going to blame the weather. are you serious? >> miami is very hot. it's like 82 degrees. >> the unbearable weather conditions in miami. >> and the gold helmets attracts the heat. you are at a distinct disadvantage. you can't think straight. i spent years in south bend. it's very cool. that's what you get accustomed to. >> willis, get my boots because it's getting thick out here. >> deep out there. >> it's deep. need my big boots. the weather in miami was too rough! coming up next, the big dispute involving an airline, a vintage guitar and a very angry musician. and mariah carey's new career and her surprising comments to barbara walters. you're watching "world news now." 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[ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands a year in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. have given way to sleeping. tossing and turning where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. the flu outbreak has hit about 80% of the country. >> we all know the flu is contagious, but you might be surprised to know the virus is all around us. here's abc's chief medical editor dr. richard besser. >> reporter: the earliest flu season in a decade. with 80% of the country reporting severe flu, the cdc told me that in high flu states, 70% to 80% of the coughs around you right now are from the flu. each cough, sneeze or conversation puts flu into the air and into your lungs. it lands on railings, in the diner. everyone touches the salt and pepper shakers. on the atm and on every door you touch. the flu virus can survive two to eight hours on plastic or metal. parking meter. how many people have touched this one? if someone with flu touched this three hours ago, i could pick it up on my hand. hands take it straight to the nose and mouth. the google flu tracker. a facebook app that tries to find which friend gave you the flu. and flu near you 20,000 volunteers tracking their symptoms down to the zip codes. >> you see influenza move from the south and florida, but there is no where to hide. >> reporter: advice from the cdc -- there's still time to get the flu shot and wash your hands. a lot. if you do get the flu, there are a couple of drug options, tamiflu and rolenza. they are recommended for people with serious risk of disease. to work effectively, they have to be started early. so see your doctor. dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. >> bottom line, get the shot. even the doctor is, they do not make you sick. it's worth it. >> also when you get in the elevator, use your knuckles, using the bathroom, use your sleeves. do all the paranoid things i do, and i rarely get sick. >> and use a paper towel to open the knob on the door. >> because there's a lot of nasty people out there. >> we will be back with more right after this. "world news now" continues right after this. "world news now" continues after this from our abc that was one of mariah carey's first hit singles. the beginning of a long line of hits that made her a star. >> now she's talking about a whole new chapter of her career. it is a barbara walters' exclusive. ♪ >> this is how we're used to seeing mariah carey, belting out her music with a staggering power and range. ♪ come on, everybody >> but starting next week, she will be judging the singers instead of being the singer. as a new member of "american idol." >> just my tiny personal opinion. >> reporter: her star power didn't come cheap. the rumor is you've been paid $18 million a season. am i in the ballpark? >> i think we're in the ballpark. but i can't even talk about that. >> we're in the ballpark, okay. >> yes, we're in the ballpark. >> congratulations. but it's not just mariah's salary drawing attention these days, it's her relationship with fellow judge nicky manaj. in october tmz released this video of a heated argument between the two divas during an audition in north carolina. after the cameras were off, mariah claims others heard nicky went further, which i reported on "the view." she said went nicky walked off the set, multiple people heard nicky said, if i had a gun, i would shoot that [ bleep ]. did you take what she said seriously? >> it felt like an unsafe work environment. any time anybody is reeling threats at somebody, you know, that's not appropriate sitting there on the road with two babies. i'm not going to take any chances. so yeah, i did hire more security. >> reporter: nicky has denied saying anything about a gun, calling it a fabrication. when we asked her for a comment, her representative told us, she's said what she is saying about this topic. >> i'm doing this show, it's fun but it's not my life. >> reporter: indeed, these days her life is about being mom to her well-dressed 20-month-old twins. the girl, named monroe. >> i call her miss monroe. that kind of dictated her personality. she's a total diva. she's fascinated by jewelry, chandeliers. >> reporter: and a little boy named moroccan. >> we call him rock. he's my pal. he'll just watch movies with me. we have fun. it's just fun. >> reporter: for now, mariah is trying to stay close to home to spend quality time with the twins. and she says she and nicky have made up. we will get to see if that's true next week when "idol" starts. >> it's a great show. it's for me. ultimately this is about the contestants. i've been living my dream for half my life. i want to give that back to someone else. >> i can't wait. i love "american idol." i am ready for it. i'm ready! >> that is a vision of love. ep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. and now it's time for "the mix." get this, another airline story. >> sunny hates the airlines. >> delta this time is the offender. dave schneider is a musician. he had a classic 1965 gibson es-335 guitar on board. he wanted to bring it on board his flight from buffalo, new york, to detroit. guess what? delta is like no, i'm sorry, you've got to check it. he doesn't want to check it. even offers to buy a seat for the guitar. they decline. he lands, his guitar is totally squashed and look at his guitar. it's a $10,000 guitar. and sustained all this damage, and delta tries to send him a $1,000 check. >> apparently they were worried because they thought the strings could be used as a weapon. >> come on! >> if he offered to pay for another seat, come on. >> nice going, delta. >> another reason to hate the airlines. remember that classic "seinfeld" episode about the man boobs. new numbers out on this and if man boobs excessive developments of male breasts thought to affect 14% of men, the number of man operations to reduce what you've got going on has doubled in the last five years. cosmetic surgery show 28% increase in man boob operation in the past year alone. >> i'm not hating on the operation. if that makes you feel better, you don't want to have it, that's fine. >> you never want to get to second base with yourself. get it taken care of. eating a fatty diet could reduce a man's sperm count by 40%. that's right, a danish study found men who ate the most saturated fat lowered sperm count and poor quality sperm. okay, men, no more burgers if you want to have healthy kids. >> so one hot dog could jeopardize another. that's a rough story. this is also fascinating. today is the 45th anniversary of the release of otis redding's big hit "sitting on the dock of the bay." release january 8, 1968. the single reached number one on billboard top chart back in march of '68. stayed there for four weeks and got two grammys and the song inducted into the grammy hall of fame. otis himself never heard the single. on october 10, '67, he died in a plane crash at age 26 and told everyone this morning on "world news now," face to face. relatives of the aurora movie theater shooting victims go to court, looking for justice and into the eyes of the suspected gunman. pretrial hearings for james holmes began in colorado. forcing even the most seasoned first responders to break down and cry. it's tuesday, january 8. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." good tuesday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin. paula faris is on assignment. we'll capture the mood of that colorado courtroom in our top story in a moment. you can't imagine what the families were going through today. >> absolutely not. then to new england, where a homeowner is counting his blessings. he was mauled by a wild bobcat in his own garage. >> can you imagine? >> no, i cannot. >> opening the door and there's a bobcat. lucky lived to tell the story. guess that's what counts. >> that's right. also this morning, what exactly happened to sunny's notre dame fighting irish? >> i have an explanation. >> do you really? because they just stunk. that was my explanation. the defense didn't show up at all. they didn't get on the bus to the game. we'll bring you alabama's big bcs victory. after the game, so many football fans are still talking about this. no matter who you're rooting for, nobody wants a rout of a title game. you don't want to see it come down to that final game and it is a boring blowout like it was last night. i was hoping the irish win. i'm not an alabama fan. and the commish was rooting for the irish. >> i'm speechless. it was so ugly. >> there's really nothing to say. it was ugly. >> just cry into your mug. >> that's all i can do. and later, she sings about love, and looking for love. well, this morning, the fearless taylor swift's own romantic life is starting to sound like a bittersweet country music song. hear all about it in "the skinny." >> oh, poor taylor. just can't -- >> she just can't get it together in the love area. >> you know, some of those stars have a hard time finding that special somebody. >> she needs to give me a call. >> willis says give me a call. she'll have better look in high school. but first, our top story this morning. new details from the scene of that mass shooting in aurora, colorado. the accused killer, james holmes, showed little emotion. even as the victims' families looked on. >> experts say holmes might take a plea bargain. abc's brandi hitt is joining us with the latest. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning. it was just a heartbreaking day in court. first responders described the horrific scene inside the theater, with several officers breaking down on the stand. and more tears are expected as the preliminary hearing continues today. emotions ran high during day one of the james holmes' preliminary hearing, as prosecutors laid out new evidence and testimony. >> i've got people running out of a theater that are shot. >> reporter: holmes is accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 others last july. through tears, the officer jason described rescuing the wounded. i knew i needed to get them to the hospital now, he said. i didn't want anyone else to die. the victims' families also packed the courthouse, including mary ellen hanson, who lost her 6-year-old niece, veronica. >> it's almost like you have to face the devil, as opposed to saying i don't want to know. >> reporter: the officers who arrested holmes at the theater's back exit also described looking into his dilated eyes. he was very, very relaxed. he seemed very detached from it all. holmes also did not react when witnesses identified him as the gunman. the former grad student's once comic book colored orange hair is also now brown and he's grown a beard. before dropping out of school, he was seeking psychiatric help at the university of colorado. but his attorneys have not said whether they'll mount an insanity defense. as the hearing continues this week, the judge said he'll allow witnesses to testify on holmes' mental state before he decides if this case goes to trial. rob and sunny? >> this whole idea of an insanity defense, you're saying no? >> no, no. that defense is rarely successful. but what his attorneys have indicated is they're going to go for a diminished capacity defense. that's very different. that means that, yeah, he can be criminally responsible, but it just means he's responsible to a lesser extent. so murder one? no. however, manslaughter a possibility. so that's really important in this case. what we're talking about is the possibility of the death penalty. we don't put our mentally ill folks in the chair. so bottom line is, if he gets -- if this diminished capacity defense is successful, he could be looking at a plea deal of life in prison instead of the death penalty. so it's really important. >> you would think whatever the legal wrangling may be, the goal would be for him to spend the rest of his life behind bars, even if it's a lesser charge. >> that's right. that's what we're looking at in my view. >> and not a lot of hope to this going to a trial. >> never going to trial. everyone knows he did it. it's just a matter of why. >> and detached probably is the best word on a lot of levels. >> that's right. now to an alabama courtroom where investigators gave new details of a suspected terror plot involving a teenage boy. derek shrout made journal entries about a plot to bomb classmates just three days after the newtown school massacre. he also began building small homemade explosives. he describes himself as a white supremacist. he was released to his parent's custody until the next hearing. police in tulsa, oklahoma walked into a horrific crime scene. four women shot to death inside an apartment. they also found a 4-year-old boy in the home, but he was not physically harmed. it's not clear what relationship the boy had with the women or what he may have witnessed. police say someone had spoken to one of the victims less than an hour before the bodies were found. so far no suspects, no motive. in other news this morning, casey anthony is not expected to appear in a florida courtroom later today during an appeal hearing. anthony was convicted on four counts of lying to investigators about the disappearance of her daughter back in 2008. her attorneys argued that the statements were made before anthony was advised of her rights. a massachusetts family is recovering after fighting off a wild bobcat. the bobcat took roger mundell by surprise as he stepped into his garage, pouncing on him from eight feet away, sinking its teeth into his face and clawing his back. he said all he heard was a hiss before the bizarre attack. >> it jumped from there and landed on me. it didn't walk, it didn't run, it just jumped. it was that fast and it bit me here and gave me a bear hug. >> the bobcat ran out the door and attacked his 15-year-old nephew. his wife got their gun and they managed to hold it down and shoot it. wildlife experts say the bobcat was likely rabid, so they are all being treated for rabies. but luckily, they are all going to be fine. >> and alive to tell the story. unbelievable. commuters at a jersey city rail station will be taking the stairs to catch the train this morning. that's because of what happened during yesterday morning's commute. a jam packed up escalator suddenly started going down, that sparked a stampede and sent panicked riders jumping to safety. at least five people needed medical treatment. thankfully no one was seriously injured. not a great way to start the workweek. man. and on capitol hill, the stage is set for a tough fight. now that president obama has nominated former republican senator chuck hagel to be the next secretary of defense. hagel, who has been accused of being hostile to israel and soft on iran, have come out swinging, telling a nebraska newspaper there is not a shred of evidence he's anti-israeli. and president obama says he's the right man with the right background for the job. >> he would be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of defense. one of the few secretaries who have been wounded in war. and the first vietnam veteran to lead the department. >> hagel received two purple hearts and president obama says his defense nominee is the leader u.s. troops deserve. also, the president moved to fill one other key national security position, nominating john brennan to be the next head of the cia. brennan spent 25 years at the intelligence agency. his name was floated for director at the start of president obama's first term in fact, but brennan withdrew when critics linked him to harsh interrogation techniques used by the cia when george w. bush was in office. also, it was back to work monday for secretary of state hillary clinton and her warm welcome is our favorite story of the day. there it is. >> that's right. after a month of health problems, including a fall, a concussion and a blood clot, clinton got a standing ovation from about 75 staffers at the state department. >> they had a little fun at her expense. they give her a few presents. a helmet with the state department seal on it and a football jersey with the number 112 and her name. that's the number of countries she's visited as secretary of state. almost 1 million miles traveled in that job. the most traveled secretary of state in the history of the country. >> and serious government types have a sense of rumor, right? >> even bureaucrats in the state department having a little fun. wear that helmet, hillary, the next time you think you're going to go down. >> haven't some people been reporting perhaps one of the reasons she had the blood clot is because of all that traveling? >> you hear about this deep vein thrombosis. a lot of people who spend a lot of time on planes cramped up and not moving as much, that can lead to those kind of clots she's very lucky. that was near her brain. could have been a lot worse. hopefully she'll enjoy her time off. next on the show this morning, the personal accident at the white house involving a very famous weatherman. this story is -- don't turn the channel. that's all i'm saying. and the highly anticipated football game that makes me wonder about my fighting irish. highlights and low lights next, from the bcs. you're watching "world news now." "world news now" weather brought to you by lunesta. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta®(eszopiclone) can help you get there. like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm janelle monáe. and i'm a covergirl. ♪ and i'm a covergirl. until it's completely clean. lysol toilet bowl cleaner gives you maximum coverage from the rim down to the water line to kill 99.9% of germs. and removes stains better than clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. so if you want to do the whole job, lysol's got you covered. lysol. mission for health. and for an incredibly clean and fresh bowl with every flush, try the no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaner. ♪ sweet home, alabama ♪ sweet home, alabama i know that's painful to your ears this morning. last night's bcs championship game didn't live up to the hype. in fact, it was kind of painful to watch, particularly for many alum of notre dame. >> sadly, the alabama crimson tide rolled over notre dame and won the game by a 42-14 score. the fighting irish never had a chance. >> on alabama's opening drive, eddie lacey ran right through the irish on a 20-yard touchdown run. the 82-yard drive was the longest given up this season by the irish. in fact, before the night was through, lacey would run for 140 yards. the irish did not score until the third quarter when they were already down 35-0. it's alabama's third bcs title in four years. can't argue with dominance. >> and coach nick saban was presented with the trophy after the game. with this win, saban is getting close to what's being close to hounds tooth territory, named for bear bryant, who held the record for the most collegiate wins. the hounds tooth reference was for his trademark hounds tooth hat. saban dismissed the comparison, saying bryant built a legacy. >> you read that without crying. i'm impressed. you held it together. and a.j. mccarron had a great night, as you might imagine from the score. >> he threw four touchdowns on 264 yards. this is his third national championship. he was asked after the game how it feels to be part of alabama history. >> it's pretty special. gives me chills thinking about it. all the things my teammates made all this possible. the coaching staff did an excellent job game plan wise, breaking down notre dame's defense in the 30 something days we had off. and really had a great game plan for us coming into tonight. >> mccarron is a colorful character. he actually brought 30 pairs of shoes for this trip to miami and his girlfriend is miss alabama. hey, star quarterback, won the title, got the miss alabama. man, he's living the good life. sweet home, indeed. >> seems like a nice guy. >> he's having a great night, that's for sure. and let's not forget notre dame, they had a great run this year. >> we did. we had a story book season which many thought would end with our first national championship in nearly a quarter century. but it was not meant to be. and after the game, the players were understandably disappointed. >> it hurts me to see the seniors go out like this. but for me, you know, i felt this, so this kind of -- you know, my experience that i gained. >> that is everett golson, the freshman quarterback who has some great years ahead of him. >> you know what it is? south bend is very cold and they're playing in miami and it's a lot of heat. i think when you're not used to that, that perhaps has something to do with it. >> let the excuses pour forth. that's weak. blaming the weather. >> it's possible. and they looked good with the shiny gold helmets. they were together. >> yeah, they looked good in the locker room. they had something to cry in. >> it was the weather. >> but i'm glad they survived the tundra of south beach. alabama fans had plenty to cheer about last night. >> hundreds of fans gathered to watch their team and cheer them to victory. you can only imagine the epic party on campus after the game. >> over at notre dame, not too much to celebrate there. fans packed into the local bars to watch, but the bars ended up being a pretty quiet place. >> i think i've been to that bar. >> really? >> several times. >> hopefully in happier days than today. >> always happy at notre dame. south bend, indiana. >> there's always next season. we'll be back with more after this, everybody. don't go far. "world news now" continues after this from our abc statio ♪ skinny in the house. >> that's right, skinny is in the house. and taylor swift is 23, dating harry styles, one of the singers of one direction. they were only dating for two months and now they broke up. apparently they went to the british virgin islands for new year's and had a big fight and now it's over. >> just like that. hard time finding love for taylor swift. fellows, she's back on the market. but i've got to get to this story. al roker gave an interview, talking about his gastric bypass surgery back in 2002. he was at the white house and says he was eating something that he should not have been, thought he was about to pass gas, but ended up being a little more than gas. it got so bad he had to go to the bathroom, change underwear, had to go commando the rest of the night. al roker unveiling a little accident at the white house. >> i mean, how does that happen? >> i guess we know when he >> i mean, how does that happen? >> i guess we know when he reached his dew point. and go back to sleep.s tuf intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. do not drive or operate machinery until at least 4 hours after taking intermezzo and you're fully awake. driving, eating, or engaging in other activities while not fully awake without remembering the event the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. alcohol or taking other medicines that make you sleepy may increase these risks. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. intermezzo, like most sleep medicines, has some risk of dependency. common side effects are headache, nausea, and fatigue. so if you suffer from middle-of-the-night insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. ♪ before the tissue, help defend with a wipe. before the cold & flu season, help prevent with lysol. because when you have 10 times more protection with each hand wash... and kill 99.9% of germs around the house with each spray... those healthy habits start to add up. this season, a good offense is the best defense and lysol has your family covered because that's our mission for health. 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[ female announcer ] it's incredible protection, you'll barely feel it. always infinity. tell us what you think. it sparks a movement. look ! no ugly spots ! and see that shine ! you've got to try finish. because once they try finish, they can't keep it to themselves. i'm switching for good. wow ! awesome ! finish is seriously good. cannot believe how great it works. incredible shine. i won't use anything else. love, love, love finish ! so far over a million neighbors, friends, and family have switched to finish. join the finish revolution. recommended by more dishwasher brands worldwide. ♪ well, between the original trilogy and prequel, "star wars" has covered a lot of ground over the years. >> if you're still not caught up, a group of fans has boiled it down to a mere 60 minutes. and abc's nick watts takes a look. >> luke, we're going to have company. >> use the force, luke. >> reporter: fighter jets. whiffle ball bats and light sabres. >> ahhh! >> reporter: this is "star wars" on stage. all six of them, on stage, low-fi, in just 60 minutes. >> we are cutting it up, but doing it with a lot of love. >> i cannot teach him, the boy has no patience. >> reporter: patrick gorman, the "star wars" obsessed director. >> i worshipped it so much, it was a part of my being, my soul in a sad way. i could tell with the expression you gave there. >> reporter: the overenthusiastic cast? >> ever since i was a tiny girl, i have wanted to be taken off into space with hans solo. >> even if you've never seen "star wars," the way it's been edited down, the story could get across in a bare bones way. >> reporter: every line proves to be original. >> he can go about his business. >> he can go about his business. >> move along. >> move along. >> iconic moments from the films, we try to hit every single one of those. >> reporter: since 1995, they've been staging a 30-minute version of the first three movies. george lucas himself came to see it. >> it felt like the culmination of a dream for me, because this is a man who created something that profoundly changed me. >> reporter: at george lucas' request, they've now abridged the prequel. this is the world premiere of the 60 minute show. >> yes, master. >> america's "hamlet" one way or the other is "star wars." >> reporter: i'm nick watts, in a galaxy far, far away. >> no! >> this thing here was pretty good as yoda. >> the yoda eyebrows, he was rocking the yoda eyebrows. >> you make a good hans solo. >> i like my hair, man. i'm rocking that hairstyle. is that the princess laya hairstyle? >> absolutely. >> do you have a gold bikini anywhere? >> yes. >> oh. we'll be back. this is abc's "world news now" informing insomniacs for two decades. ing insomniacs for this morning, moving past the sorrow. >> a week-long hearing getting under way, giving us new details from inside the colorado movie theater, where 12 people died. also, tucson, today, marks two years since the attack on gabby giffords. we hear from her directly, in an abc news exclusive. on thin ice. ice-covered lakes and ponds proving dangerous and even deadly, across the northern states. rough landing. incredible video just coming in. a hot air balloon comes crashing down on a california subdivision. the impact caught on tape. inside the basket, a bride and groom. and tidal wave. the crimson tide, that is. celebrating this morning as alabama spoils notre dame's championship run.