eyes up here, rob. good morning, everyone. i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. the developing news overnight, negotiators have been able to come the an agreement to extend the payroll benefits. >> and avoid a reduction of federal money to doctor who is treat medicare patients. a vote could come as early as tomorrow. and to politics now, in the looming republican battle in michigan. it was supposed to be an easy win for mitt romney who was born and raised there. >> but now the native son is trying the avoid an embarrassing loss there to rick santorum. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. running against john mccain four years ago, mitt romney easily won michigan. this time, michigan is a different story. and romney knows it. this is not homecoming he was hoping for. the battle for michigan has tightened as rick santorum has surnlgd ahead of romney nationally. romney, today, will pick up the endorsement of the michigan governor. santorum is spending plenty of time in oil country lately. overnight, he relations his tax returns. the former senator and his wife made big money after leaving office. thoepg make a stand, santorum is on the offensive. >> this time, he's firing his mud at santorum. mitt romney's ugly attacks are going to backfire. >> reporter: a loss there on february 28th could be devastating. romney was born and raised in michigan. he took aim at president obama. >> he got hundreds of millions of dollars from labor bosses for his campaign. and so he's paying them back in every way he snows how. >> reporter: three years ago, romney spoke out about the president's plan to lend money to gm and chrysler. many blue collar workers in michigan haven't forgotten romney's position. >> it worked. we're on our way back. we're being profitable again. >> reporter: the president continued to talk jobs on wednesday. he'll spend end to west coast, raising campaign cash. mitt romney still maintains that the billions of dollars in bailouts was a sweetheart deal for the unions. one more political note. massachusetts voters could soon send another kennedy to washington. joseph kennedy iii is launching his campaign for the seat of barney frank. he's is son of joe ken did i ii and is the late bobby kennedy's grandson. iran stirring up new concerns. saying they're dramatically closer to being able to produce nuclear fuel. they've resumed talks with powers. a government official tells us that the u.s. believes this is still time and space for a diplomatic solution. and families honduras are demanding justice after more than 350 prisoners were killed in a fire. inmates said guards refused to let screaming prisoners out as flames swept through the prison. firefighters said they were kept outside for half an hour. the so-called underwear bomber could be hit with five life sentences when he's in court today. he confessed to trying to blow up an airliner with a bomb hidden in his underwear. he was the only person hurt in the 2009 christmas day plot. and new details in the whitney houston investigation. her death certificate has been released. it does not list a cause of death. >> meanwhile, family members have allowed fans a chance to say good-bye. linsey davis has more. >> reporter: much to the delight of whitney houston's fans, the superstar's family is making a concession. the funeral services will still be private. but the service will be broadcast to the public live over the internet. gospel great marvin winans will give the most public good-bye. >> i do miss whitney. >> reporter: a choir full of music legends are scheduled to perform. darlene love says houston's mother and her cousin, dionne warwick are coordinating the service. these photos show houston lounging by the pool on wednesday. the doctors and pharmacies where houston obtained several prescriptions will be subpoenaed in the coming days. linsey davis, abc news, newark, new jers new jersey. and the governor of new jersey is defending his decision to lower state flags to half staff in honor of houston. some critics say she did not deserve the tribute considering her lifestyle. the governor says h her substance abuse problem does not cancel out all the good she did in her life. be sure to watch a special edition of "20/20" tomorrow. one moment in time. thunderstorms from the carolinas to tallahassee, new orleans, houston, and el paso. heavy snow in the mountains of southern california and arizona. rain in phoenix and tucson. snow showers in the northern rockies. >> 40 friends boise to albuquerque. 36 in the twin cities. upper 40s here in new york and much of the northeast. 67 in atlanta. and an always warm 82 in miami. coming up next after the break, the new rankings of the most and least dependable auto marks. new debate in the powell family tragedy. should the dad who killed his two young sons be buried next to them? and the alert about babby formula. arsenic found in certain kinds of @drmula. we'll showh@ y what to look for welcome back, everybody. cars are getting a little more dependable. in fact, a look at 3-year-old cars found dependability is at its best ever. the j.d. power survey says lexus, cadillac and porche are the most dependable. and chrysler, joj, and jeep are the least dependable. overseas you markets mostly low because of delays in the greek bailout deal. hong kong's hang seng dipped 88 points. in london, the ftse opening lower. and on wall street, the dow lost 97 points yesterday, the worst one-day decline this year. the nasdaq fell 16 points after apple stock fell after eight straight days of gaines. get ready for another increase in domestic air fares. southwest raised fares yesterday. other ailrlines will follow. and the government is cracking down on robo calls, those automated telephone messages that always happen during dirn. they need your permission to call now, but there are exceptions. airlines, banks, and sclools be able to make the automated kals. >> just couldn't get those politicians out of there. this year, the awards may not be haned out at the kodak theater. it may have a different name. there's no word on how soon the name will change. and cell phones are expected to outnumber humans by the end this year. in another four years, there should be 10 billion with a "b" devices in use around the world. a staggering number. >> hard to believe we never had them. paramedics called to the heart attack grill when it lives up to his name. and another blowout win. linsanity. we'll be right back. i've been growing oranges my whole life, ever since i can remember. my name is paul fabry, and i grow oranges in florida for tropicana. my grandpa taught me that there's no orange like a florida orange. they're grown in just the right soil... with the perfect amount of sunshine. see, that's how you get that beautiful colour and ripeness. tropicana pure premium is made with 100% florida oranges. because the best oranges make the best juice. ♪ and a greeting 250 miles above the earth. you're looking at the firsthand shake between a human and a humanoid in space. it's been tested to help astronauts at the international space station. now a look at your morning road conditions. wet and icy in the pacific northwest. rain drenches i-10 from l.a. all across the country. >> if you're flying, airport delays possible in atlanta, houston, new orleans, charlotte, phoenix, and l.a. a new twist this morning on the family tragedy in washington state. relatives of josh powell want to bury him at the same cemetery where the two young sons he killed have been laid to rest. >> that is causing a huge uproar. a local crime stoppers group just bought the plots on either side of the graves where charlie and braden powell are buried. and the family of the missing wife is outraged. >> killing them, set on fire, involved in an explosion. every time you turn around, it can't get worse. then how to this. >> the cox family hopes to bury their daughter, susan, near the boy ifs her remains are ever found. for now, the sale of josh powell's plot is on hold and will likely have to be settled in court. police have arrested 17 students from texas christian university for dealing drugs, after conducting a six-month undercover operation. the football steam is hard-hit, losing four flars the drug bust. police they caught students making hand-to-hand sales of drugs. toundercover officers. an alarming study released overnight has revealed arsenic has been found in some foods including baby formula and cereal bars. they had a common ingredient, organic brown rice syrup. parents should limit babies' consumption of formula with brown rice syrup. for many people, there's nothing like the smell of a new car. researchers are saying that smell is now bad for you. those chemicals mostly flame retardants and pvc plastic have been linked to thyroid problems and other health issues. >> who doesn't love that smell? well, the heart attack grill in las vegas is living up to its name. a patron had just ordered a triple bypass burger. he was sligtdly through it and started complaining about pains in his chest. he was treated at a local hospital. in sports, he has shot to stardom in less than two weeks with fans across the country and even in the white house. jeremy lin put his skills on display again last night, as we see from espn news. good morning, i'm zubin mehenti here with your espn news update. threw the first five game in the nba, michael jordan scored 125 points. jeremy lin has scored 136. taking on sacramento. to landry fields. and then, lin driving to amar'e stoudemire for 2 of his 11. he's been a scorer. more of a distributor on wednesday. second quarter, up top, to player who is ben it thing from his arrival, tyson chandler. won an nba title last year with the mavericks. with the way lin is playing, chandler, stoudemire, anthony coming back, could it be back to back? lin, from harvard, to fields, from stanford. nerd alert. the beautiful bounce pass to jeffreys. one of seven knicks double figures. they win, 100-85. wait until those two get chance to team up. let's go 3,000 miles west. wizards and clippers. second quarter, chris paul. jordan, no, blake griffin. he has 23 and 15. third quarter, clips up two. playing a little bit of defense. paul poking it away. other way, griffin, lob city. the wizards found out the hard way. then paul to jordan for the monster jam. clippers win, 102-84. that is your espn news update. i'm zubin mehenti, have a great thursday. up next, "the pulse." and a big lifestyle change for paul mccartney. he's talking about it in a public way. and swim suit model kate upton admitting she was far from swim suit ready just a few months ago until she got some advice from a few of her friends. 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[ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. but does bringing a floor back to life really make us heroes? [ chuckles ] yes. yes, it does. ♪ call 1-800-steemer and it's time now to check "the pulse" on this thursday morning. scientists in swirtsland are taking their obsession for tidiness to new heights. they're planning to launch a janitor satellite to clean up space junk. it would release the junk back into the earth's atmosphere where it would burn up. a little house cleaning in outer space. >> i need it here on earth first. paul mccartney is taking the weed whacker to his marijuana habit. >> he says he's smoked his share. was now it's enough. he was arrested in sweden in 1972 for possession. jailed and deported in 1980. and picked up in 1984 in b barbados for buying pot on the beach. he says he has no responsibility, raising his daughter. speaking of -- never mind. the smoking hot model heating up the latest swim suit issue. >> kate upton is now a curvy 34-25-34. friends tell source they had to stage an intersengs. i think she looks great in both pictures. there, of course is the current state of affairs. >> apparently, she only needed to put in extra time in the gym to reclaim your bomb shell figure. that what happens to you when you're young and have a great metabolism. for some of you, your local news is nux. for everyone else, the man with a front row to history. the president's official photographer. isisisisisisisisiss thousands of tuition down the drain. the local college being forced to shutdown kwaeufplt the new role in the grim search for dozens of bodies in san joaquin county. why some say the search is ruining evidence. >> meteorologist mike nicco has the forecast. clear and cooler. chance of showers in and out of holiday weekend with bay bridge closure updating this morning's top news stories. a vote is expected in congress tomorrow to officially extend the payroll tax cut for about 160 million americans. it would also extend unemployment benefits. and today, the governor of michigan, rick snyder, is endorsing mitt romney. romney needs it. and whitney houston fans will be able to watch her funeral online on saturday. the family is allows one camera in the court. meanwhile, subpoenas have been issued for her medical and prescription records. light rain in the northeast. finally this morning, a rare look at the man charged with documenting the obama white house. >> official presidential photographer pete sousa cease things we will never see. ben bradley of chicago has the story. >> reporter: inside this country's best known building, one of the world's most photographed men. long after the media is ushered out of the president's public events and private meetings, one photographer typically remains. his name, pete sousa. he's been with barack obama from before day one. >> he goes through a lot of emotions. that people maybe don't. he gets mad. i see him get mad. he laughs. i see him laugh. he sings every once in awhile, which, you know, the public finally got to see him do. >> reporter: souz harksz more access to more meetings than almost any adviser. there, that's sousa next to the military aide carrying the military football. >> think this was the happiest day of his presidency. >> reporter: the day american forgss brought jus ttice to osa bin laden. that was one of the days he was keenly aware the world would be watching america's action through his lens. >> the one photograph with a lot of notoriety. in actuality, think i probably took a thousand photos that day of the different meetings. >> reporter: the official white house photographer also captures the president's private moments. from family, to frustration, fun, to fantasy. it's a dream job for a photographer. capturing history as it happens. >> people ask me the question, what is your favorite photograph? i always say, it's one i'll make tomorrow. because that's sort of like, what keeps me going. >> chance to see amazing moments. he was previously a photographer for the chicago sun times and the chicago tribune as well. >> that's what's making news in america this morning. stay with us for "good america this morning. stay with us for "good