debate in the state of new hampshire. join george stephanopoulos and diane sawyer as they moderate the next republican showdown. live coverage from manchester, 9:00 p.m./6:00 p.m. spa pacific. >> a suspect in dozens of arsons around los angeles in jail. harry burke hart taken into custody after police pulled over his minivan. now sources tell abc news that burkhart may have been angry his mother was facing deportation. the los angeles mayor was clearly relieved that an arrest had been made. >> i want to acknowledge the bravery and dedication of our fire fighters and our police officers, complemented bite vigilance of angelinos who during a busy and what should have been a festive new year's holiday were on the look out for anything suspicious, phoned in leads to law enforcement and fire officials. >> the deputy who spotted burkehart is a volunteer, reserve deputy, get this, only paid $1 a year for his work. >> worth a lot more than that to say the least. in other news, a utah father says he is amazed by the actions of complete strangers who didn't hesitate for a second jumping into an icy river to save his life and the lives of three children. abc's clayton sandell has more on their terrifying ordeal. >> reporter: it was a new year's eve near tragedy. roger anderson was driving to a ski resort in utah with three kids in the car when sudden leap he braked to avoid an accident. the car slid off the road down a ten foot embankment into a river landed upside down in three feet of freezing water. two 9-year-old girls and a 4-year-old boy were trapped. >> we want to say thank you, we appreciate, from the bottom of our hearts the efforts. >> it very easily could have been -- a funeral for four of us. >> reporter: former police officer chris wilden and others quickly stopped to help. >> they were screaming something about kids. i jumped out of the car. ran around and jumped the river, the children any father helping him. >> reporter: time was running out the car filling with water. >> i tried pulling on the door handles. i pulled out my handgun and shot out the window. >> reporter: even that failed to free them. second later a dozen onlookers jump in the water and help push the car upright allowing the children to get out. the young boy had stopped breathing but was revived with cpr. the kids have gone home from the hospital after being treat ford hypothermia. >> an army like that cannot be defeated. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: who could forget this, last september a man was trapped under a burning car, but instead of run ning away, fello citizens saved his life. >> how brave they are is crazy? >> reporter: why do people trade their own safety for people they don't know. >> heroes are very human. the key is being aware that someone else is in need. someone else, an emergency, that you are willing to take action. >> reporter: wilden with three kids of his own nefrp thougver twice. >> we did what we needed to do right then. >> reporter: help that came from perfect strangers. >> never know when you will need a good samaritan. amazing story. >> always good to see there are good people still out there. because all we hear a lot of time in the news is the negativity. >> a positive. good people doing good things. also "good morning america," the father as well as the the guy who shot out the car window with a gun, was able to get the kids out they're going to be on gma later this morning. check that out later >> the kids are doing just fine. anti-wall street protestors put their work on the annual rose parade and swarmed city hall rallying against corporate greed. during the parade, protestors were greeted by jeers and cheers from the crowd. police say the demonstration was peaceful and they made no arrests. an arctic blast slamming the midwest and moving east now is dumping heavy snow around the great lakes. the new year got off to a very snowy start around south bend indiana which is now buried under nearly a foot of lake-effect snow. it is not expected to taper off until this afternoon. look familiar, chicago? girl? >> i could use some snow. >> do not say that. we had a blizzard last year. we don't want that. don't jinx us. >> going to be cold. let's be cold for a reason. let's go play. put our snow pants on and boot. >> we have to got to work in the snow. see that attitude will change. i promise you. wanting snow. crazy, crazy talk. here is a look at your weather across the country. half foot of snow from michigan, northeast ohio. may have jobs out there for you. and western new york. chilly as far south as florida. up to 10 inches of snow in the cascades. >> 50s in the pa cific northwes. 30s for much of the east coast. upper 50s in miami and dallas. >> uh-huh. a popular pair of twin boys who have been in seclusion have now gone public. >> of course we are talking about polar bear cubs born in october. at an ocean park in china. now the cuddly couple ventured into a glass cage to meet visitors on new year's day. handlers say they're growing nicely should be able to walk on their own very soon. they're very cute. >> the cubs the second set of twins born to the same set of parents in 2011 an event that vets say is very, very rare. cute guys. welcome to the world. >> so cute. >> more "world news now" coming up after this. attention - americans living with limited mobility. what do you do when you can no longer get around like you used to? 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[ explosion ] an ied just blew up beneath this truck. ieds are the u.s.'s number one enemy here. >> oh my -- >> reporter: injured more than 7,000 troops including private first-class alex serapia. >> i remember the taste from the explosion in my mouth. just tasted so, so awkward. >> reporter: what did it taste like? >> if you put pennies in your mouth, tasted like that. >> reporter: he was only 3 feet from an ied. he was lucky and survived. but high does have injuries. they're just mostly invisible. >> where are you feeling pain? >> right here. it comes around. >> both side or one side? >> all around. >> reporter: suffering from a concussion that gives him headaches and blurs his vision. in the past because his body is mostly intact, the army may have sent him back to the front. today treatment looks like this. you would never see these scenes on the front lines. hanging out with girls, watching movies. >> they pretty much told me to get rest. they gave me food. anything, hot shower. you know, just pretty much, just, treat me like a baby. which is good. >> reporter: every morning, major katherine brown asks him how he is feeling? >> when i go outside i can't see far. >> reporter: every evening he gets privacy. >> here you have got your own room. how guys do you sleep with on the front lines? >> the whole platoon. >> reporter: how many? >> 30. >> reporter: in terms of comfort how does this compare to your base on the front lines? >> feel like i am at the marriott presidential suite. >> reporter: that's mike lavender, he too just missed an ied. his invisible injuries are even worse. he can't sleep. and is fighting depression. >> i have feelings like -- sometimes i feel look i'm choked up. sometimes i feel dizzy. some times i feel sore. >> reporter: when ieds started blowing up in iraq and afghanistan, the military was overwhelmed. it didn't know how to treat so many concussions. soap so it turned to a surprising source, nfl, football helped teach the importance of rest. today the army moving its victims far from the front lines is a culture change. >> we now have our most youngest leaders on the battlefield proactively taking their service members out of the fight and having them have some downtime and getting taken care of. we didn't know in the past to do that and probably many of our service members would have said shake it off. get out and go back in the fight. >> reporter: the new approach seems to work. 95% of the men return to the front. including the two. they told me they will miss the movies but now feel they're back at home with their men. nick shif rchifrin, abc news. >> we can celebrate all we want the war being over. when you hear about not only the physical injuries, the stress disorders, the suicide going up, as the well as the the number of homeless in this country who are veterans it is staggering. it is a national disgrace that we don't take better care of the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country who ever gets in the white house next year should address that big time. >> you mentioned the homeless too. the largest group in the united states of homeless is veterans. which is, just, it's incomprehensible. >> national disgrace. no other way to put it. we'll lighten the mood when we come back. a little bit on the other side of life. new babies coming into the world. three celtics of twisets of twi similar story to tell. >> one twin born in 2011. one born in 2012. the unforgettable birthdays all next. ♪ baby baby ♪ the stars are shining for you ♪ >> you remember that song. >> i love amy grant. >> figured you would. ready? >> i'm ready. >> boom, time for our "favorite story of the day." >> you are looking at at doorabdoor ab -- the adorable, how many, how many, how many twins? >> two. >> they were born on different days in different years. >> how does that happen exactly? you might ask. the brother was born on december 31, 2011. six hours later his sister was born, january 1, 2012. >> >> adorable. >> cute. cute. >> they're not alone. they're joined by the twins in buffalo. born 33 minutes apart. their parents claim rowan was the last baby born in western new york in 2011. rory, in 2012. >> seeing the babies makes me want to be another. >> i have two. considering you and my husband. four kids. >> can't stop there. the bear family out of florida. >> that's right. their twin girls were born just a few minutes apart. still they were born on different days, different years. >> one, two, three. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> reporter: blank and joycelyn never expected their newborn twins to bring this much attention. >> this is jenna. this is leah. >> reporter: while the world was getting ready to say good-bye to 2011. the bears rushed to the hospital, joycelyn was in labor 26 days early. >> feel like the stereotypical dad waiting for the babies. out pacing in the halls when they're in there prepping her. >> reporter: 7 hours of labor and a c section later, jenna and leah said hello to their parents and ape new year. >> wait for the moment that you can see the babies and hold them know they're okay. >> reporter: doctors say the girls are okay. jenna weighs in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces. leah, 6 pounds, 4 ounces. now they're waiting to go home and meet their older sister. >> three little daddies girls. >> yeah, yeah, i love the idea of that. i love the idea of having three little girls. >> reporter: the girls are twins. but only one officially bears the baby new year title. that's leah born right at midnight. her sister jenna arrived a couple of minutes before. making her birthday, december 31, 2011. >> it's amazing. a great way to end the previous year and start the new year. i can't imagine a better way. >> reporter: the bears say two separate birthday maze be hectic but they're in store of a lifetime of happiness. >> i'm not sure you can top this. >> no, absolutely the best. >> having twins now a lot different than back in the day. my father-in-law is a twin. his mother had the first. didn't know she was pregnant with twins. the doctor was like there is another one. >> surprise. >> there comes another 8 pounder. >> big boys. >> big boy. that's in the genes too. >> good luck. >> yeah. care card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying .up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp p medicare supplement insuranc. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding 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ready for whatever the day brings. compared to ordinary toothpaste, you feel a deeper clean. up to a two times cleaner feeling. new crest complete. feel it working. welcome back, everybody. time for the papers. you are not going to believe this first story, how far some folks will go. >> every woman wants to have full lips. but this, this is sad actually. a 22-year-old russian girl named christina ray now has the largest, world's largest lips. 100 silicone injections to look like that. so sad. look at how beautiful she was noucht look , now looks like a cartoon character. >> that's the gel to look like daffy duck. >> rob, she said she wants to look like jessica rabbit. her favorite, favorite. >> more daffy than jessica. >> she says she wants to go even bigger. up next she wants to have her breasts surgically enhanced, couple surgeries and get elf-like ears. i feel bad for girls like that. >> that is twisted. >> embrace what you have. >> she is a good looking girl. not a bad looking girl. cannot believe. some people get addicted. >> wonder how they judge the world's biggest lips. who measures, who does that? >> i don't know. get on that story will you. we'll have it tomorrow. >> maybe did side by side with mick jagger, decided. you'll love this story, you "et" fans. a woman in the uk, her daughter spent three months building her a replica of et. in september her house was broken into and some one had the nerve off to steal et believe it or not. guess what, et really does come home. because days ago, spotted him. he washed ashore from the sea. the woman has et. back home. >> washed on shore. >> lifelike replica. et rolled up on shore. the woman has it back. gift from her daughter. et, didn't just phone home, he scam home. >> et phone home. >> all you want foed for christ was your two front dooteeth and gun. >> over 1.5 million background checks for gun owners in the month of december. 500,000 were six days before christmas. so americans buying a record number of guns. why you ask? >> why? >> maybe potentially tighter legislation in the future. also, people are freaked out. because, you know crimes are on the rise. you saw what happened in l.a. >> crazy. the country's fascination with guns is remarkable thing. for christmas, i don't understand. happy birthday, jesus. i don't understand that. >> we did see one positive story, mandate who rescued the kids use aid gun to help -- help save the family. >> saved the kids. car in the river. life balances everything this morning on "world news now" -- critical contest. today's iowa caucuses could make or break some of the republican presidential hopefuls' campaigns. >> yesterday's front-runner could be tonight's disappointment indictable race. it's tuesday, january 3rd. good morning, everybody. on this first tuesday of the new year. i'm rob nelson. for those of you who did not join us yesterday, because it was the holiday and all that. >> was it yesterday or today? >> blurring together. that's the first hallmark of a new anchor on "world news now." paula faris in the house joining us. full time our new permanent anchor. welcome again. >> thank you, what day did you say it was? after a couple weeks you start wondering. you acclimate to the shift? >> you will be all right. >> thursday or tuesday. >> who knows. it will fall into place. once you get a little sleep. it's good. welcome. >> thank you. >> you have come on a cool week. we are going to celebrate our 20th anniversary. this show turns 20 years old friday, this friday, january 6th. we have a huge show planned. make sure you tune in. >> where were you 20 years ago. 8 years old. >> 8th grade. middle school senior. >> i was a junior or senior in high school. i'm older than you just remember that. >> i respect my elders. we'll do well. welcome, again, everybody. our top story, today's iowa caucus, a big political day. all eyes on the surging rick santorum and ron paul campaigns. could there be a big upstet et iowa, if there is will it matter for that matter? take you live to des moines. >> the sudden arrival of winter weather from the midwest off to the northeast. the plunging temperatures, the whiteout conditions and the dangerous roads. wait until you see the 40-car pileups. >> a big chill along the east coast. what a difference a day makes. cold for two days. later this half-hour, if you've think you have a large family. this guy -- in minnesota -- get this, has 14 kids, 93 grandchildren, 76 great-grandchildren, how does he even remember everyone's names? incredible family. we'll take a look at that too. >> how does he buy christmas gifts for awful them? >> a lot of money for the family gifts. here we go round two. before we get to awful that, occupy protestors were among those making their voices heard in iowa ahead of the critical caucuses tonight. interrupted a romney rally last night outside dauf moin. a -- of des moines. >> abc's karen travers is joining us live this morning from des moines with more. hi, karen. >> reporter: good morning, paula. good morning, rob. for now, every republican contender is vowing to stay in this race no matter where they finish. for several campaigns these certainly will be the final hours. >> reporter: from morning till night the republican contenders hit the campaign trail hard, trying to lock down last minute votes. the polls show mitt romney its the man to beat. and he is sounding more and more confident. >> we're going to win this thing with all of our passion and strength. >> reporter: but could rick santorum play the spoiler. the former pennsylvania senator its the hottest candidate on the trail right now. after months of quiet, tireless campaigning. >> i just want to say to the people of iowa, first, foremost, thank you. i don't know what is going to happen tomorrow night. but this has been an amazing experience. >> reporter: with growing support from evangelical christians santorum surged. on the trail emphasizing opposition to abortion and same sex marriage. >> he is a social conservative and he -- appears to be a genuine, honest person. and i would trust him to -- to govern our country. >> reporter: for the rest of the field it is a fight to stay out of last place. newt gingrich vowed to run a campaign. for weeks pummeled by negative ads from well financed romney supporters. with his campaign flailing, gingrich is lashing out. >> romney in the end is a cultural hopeless position. >> what dwu you mean? >> mals massachusetts moderate conservative party. >> reporter: michele bachmann is out with her first television ad reminding them of her roots. >> born and raised in iowa. >> reporter: 40% of likely caucus goers say they could change their mind before tonight. so, rob, paula, that means this republican race could really go down to the wire. >> thanks, karen. kind of our trivia question last night who won in 2008. mike huckabee. how critical is it for candidates to win in iowa? >> paula, history shows you don't have to win here in iowa to win the republican nomination. in fact iowa voters have a mixed record when it comes to picking the eventual winner. over the last 40 years they have only didn't half the time. remember, mike huckabee won in 2008. john mccain got fourth. we know how that turned out for john mccain. tonight will be critical for mitt romney, he has a lot of moment momentum. sounding like some body expecting to win. even itch he doesn't he is in good shape heading into new hampshire. rick santorum and ron paul ha a tougher road ahead once they leave the hawk eye state. >> karen, in 24 hours from now could we be seeing a game changer perhaps? >> the 40% of those likely caucus goers that say they could change their mind they're the potential wild card here. because the it depend on who they throw their support to. this also could be a very bad sign for mitt romney if he starts to lose supporters and they start going over to rick santorum. he could pull out the win. he is certainly surging in cat campaign trail. large enthusiastic crowds. rick santorum is the guy to watch tonight. >> going to be frg. all these months of campaigning comes down to tonight. we will all be watching. thank you, karen live from des moines. thank you, appreciate it. >> thanks, karen. >> unfour days we'll turn our attention to the new hampshire primary. and our debate in man man. george stephanopoulos and diane sawyer cope host the gop showdown this saturday night. starting at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific. catch all of it here on abc. >> aun other news this morning, in los angeles there has been an arrest in the string of fires that rattled residents in the hollywood neighborhood. 24-year-old harry burkhart taken into custody after spotted driving a minivan. burkhart, a german citizen may have been motivated by the pending deportation of his mother. they say the first thing he said upon being arrested, was quote, i hate america. >> well the man suspected of killing a mount ra rainier park ranger has been found dead. investigators say benjamin colton barnes wearing a t-shirt, jeans and one shoe, apparently died of hypothermia. abc's neal karlinsky is following the latest from the park. >> this was all playing out up the road from the main entrance here at mount rainier national park. if the becomes very rugged and steep just a few miles up the road here. a collective sigh of relief among park officials when word came down midday that the gunman was found dead, face down in the snow. identified as benjamin colton barnes, a military veteran. officials say he spent the night hiking through chest-deep snow in very rugged terrain pursued by at least three s.w.a.t. teams in snowshoes along with multiple aircraft with heat seeking cameras to find him. police say he shot and killed a park ranger, a mother of two, before firing on other officers and running off into the woods. for a time more than 100 men, women and children were hunkered down inside a visitor's lodge here. they were actually guarded by armed swat team members for their safety before taken out under police escort a gent gunman has been found dead. face down in the snow. fortunately, before he could hurt anyone else. neal karlinsky, mount rainier national park for abc news. >> apparently a lot of clues coming out from his ex-girlfriend. recently broken up. the mother of his child. look he had anger issues could have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. >> served a tour of duty. she said he was emotionally unstable and had issues with anger. we saw that, yep. a mystery unfolding this morning on the ground of queen elizabeth's winter retreat. police say a dog walker discovered human remains in a wooded area less than a mile from the royal residence. police sealed off the area now a popular tourist attraction. the queen and prince phillip and prince edward, wife sophie and two children are currently staying at the estate. israeli and palestinian negotiators are gathering in jordan this morning for the first face to face meeting in 16 months. the first step towards reviving the peace process which broke down in september 2010 over the issue of israeli settlement construction in the west bank. both caution resuming full blown formal talks a long way off. >> after an unusually warm december. a cold shot of air blasting the eastern half of the country. parts of the midwest get covered in white. tens of millions are fleeing the chill as far south as florida. more now from abc news, meteorologist, good friend of yours, ginger zee. >> reporter: from no snow to more than a foot of snow, in one day. parts of michigan, slammed with 10 to 12 inches. january 2012 is roaring in with thick blankets of snow and 30 to 50 mile per hour wind throughout the great lakes. a pileup on i-75 in kentucky. an ice rink on the highways around chicago. and accidents in fort wayne indiana. temperatures have plummeted from the great lakes through the southeast. and it's not over. the arctic blast will hold its icy grip from maine to florida tuesday and wednesday. by fuse dtuesday night, wind ch will be subzero for new england and in the teens for northern florida. >> you know that girl. >> is it ginger, paula? we used to work together in the city of chicago. people would approach me on the street say what is the weather going to be like? how the heck am i going to know. ask her about sports or her kids. she doesn't have any kids. >> exactly. ended up in the same place. cool. >> maybe that was me. two for one. abc's getting two for one, right. >> they look a deal around here. that's good. tuesday forecast, frost and freeze warnings across the gulf coast. some morning snow showers in the mountains of west virginia, north carolina, tennessee. up to 2 feet of snow, in western new york. 6 more inches in michigan. rain, mountain snow, pacific northwest. 53, seattle. 47, salt lake city. 75, phoenix. i could go for that right now. mid 20s. twin cities. minneapolis. 32 here in new york. 37, atlanta, miami, only climbs to 57. only. >> poor folks in miami. how will they make it. wear their wool shorts. >> i know. >> we have good news now for fans of banana sam, squirrel-monkey snatched from the san francisco zoo last week. he is back now where he belongs. >> some one found the kidnapped creature in a park not far from the zoo. returned him. handlers say the 17 year owed, he was trembling, hungry and thirsty. he is going to be okay, rob. >> that's good. banana sam's plight went global after some one opened a twitter in his name. posting fantasy tweets, quote, i was never cut out for life on outside. cute little monkey. welcome home, dude. more "world news now" coming up after this. we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta 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. 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 get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. ♪ ♪ >> welcome back to "world news now" and rob i absolutely love this next story. the story of a woman who permanently lost her voice 30 years ago. her own daughter didn't even know her voice. awe bought then she saw a story right here on abc news, that not only gave her hope she would find her voice again gbut showe her exactly where to find it. abc's linsey davis reports. >> p b betty lou said i do in 1981. the very next year she came down with a bad cold and lost her voice. but three decade later, she could still only muster this raspy whisper. >> a voice that i haven't had for 30 years. >> reporter: doctors say the virus paralyzed her vocal chords. her daughter went from adolescent to adult without hearing her mother's real voice. >> i don't remember what her voice ever really sounded like. >> reporter: she resigned she'd live the rest of her life gesturing and whispering. until one night, she saw a story on abc world news, about erin martin who lost her voice and received a throat therapy at the cleveland clinic. >> try to relax your throat. this massage brought her voice back. >> i hear my laugh. >> reporter: that night betty lou also got something back she hadn't had in years, hope. she called the cleveland clinic right away and set up an appointment. >> i an going m going to have a. i will yell again. >> reporter: when we breathe the vocal chord are relaxed we tighten them to speak. betty lou's left vocal chord was paralyzed until doctors performed the surm surgery to ct it. finally after 30 years, belty lbelty -- betty lou was able to say this. >> i'm good. i am really good. i'm going to cry again. >> reporter: the crying soon turned to laughter. >> i am going to be singing and dancing. >> it was just a blessing just a blessing to get my voice back. >> reporter: she is not only talking. she is calling the shots. >> hey! >> reporter: linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> you know women love to talk. making up for lost time. >> the husband is put to work. 30 years worth of chores starts now. >> when she called her 11-year-old grandson, he didn't believe it was her. the moral of the story don't give up hope. you never know. congratulations to her. coming up next the sitcom actress take one day at a time. small hint. addressing some of her issues. >> who is helping mckenzie phillips clean her cluttered home. it is all next. >> plenty of people are struggling with their resolutions just three days into the new year. >> a popular one is to cut down on clutter. even celebrities like mckenzie phillips find it easier said than done. here is abc's cameron mathison. >> reporter: for the last few years, phillips' life has been an open book, with teen drug use, and allegations of family sex abuse and in extreme clutter she reveals her home in los angeles for two decades have slowly become entrenched in clutter. clothing, objects, even drug paraphernalia. >> how embarrassing. >> symbols of her life bottled up in one rather extremely cluttered house. >> what is that? >> pill bottles? >> what kind of pills. >> i don't know. i want to throw them away. >> the whole thing about extreme clutter, abut this show is that it helps people redefine their relationship to their stuff. >> reporter: the first step is to identify what needs to stay and what need to go. >> handwritten sheet music by my father. this really valuable stuff. >> original sheet music written by -- john phillips. ♪ california dreaming ♪ on such a winter's day >> this is rock history right here. >> things that i chose to keep, obviously photos, photo albums, all of my scripts from "one day at a time." >> look you always say to us let's learn from our mistakes. >> reporter: letting go of your clutter is no easy task. >> everything in this house or in your house or your house you have brought into that space. and in this case, the stuff that mac owned was really crippling her. >> reporter: in the episode she literally axes and breaks apart an old desk where she had sat and shot up drugs. part of her decluttering and in effect self-healing. >> this is the bedroom. >> reporter: as she showed me around her bedroom and its closets, once her deepest caves of clutter, i noticed a proud glow in mckenzie. >> i am dedicating to it. >> reporter: we talked about how we heard so much about her dark decades for almost a decade she helped bring laughter to millions. i am going to read something you tell me what comes up for you if you recognize it. just the lyrics. >> i have a feeling i know what is coming. >> this is it. this is it, this is life. >> the one you get. so go and have a ball. but while you're here enjoy the view keep on doing what you do, hold on tight, we'll muddle through one day at a time. >> hold on tight we'll muddle through one day at a time. >> wow, good to see her doing well. she has the had a rough go. the drug addiction. the sexual relationship with her own father, she admitted to. she did keep the music despite the dark past with her family. >> no surprise why she may have had issues to begin with. had to be cathartic for her, healing for her to go through the process. >> clean start for all of us in the new year. how about that. coming up next, after the break, a huge family celebration you won't believe just how big. stay with us. [ male announcer ] new vicks nature fusion cold & flu syrup. flavored with real honey. powerful cold medicine that leaves out artificial flavors and dyes and instead uses something more natural, honey. new vicks nature fusion cold & flu. ♪ [ femala $100 cream. we were flattered when regenerist beat flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream. for about $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than over 20 of america's most expensive luxury creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. ♪ we are family ♪ get up everybody sing ♪ we are family ♪ i got all my sisters with me >> you are going to do well. you guess they'd would play that song. >> i want to dance. >> you ready to dance? >> can you dance? >> we'll see if you have dancing skills soon enough. >> i don't. you don't want to see them. >> only your second morning here. still learning more about paula here. who knows on this shift. for example one thing i learned. the youngest of four. you have two older sisters and one brother. >> brother. very good. four. this many. right. >> there we go. >> our final story of a minnesota man who has a rather large family that is if you kid over 150 combined grandchildren and great grandchildren. >> busy family. >> ksax's andrea hubble has more. >> in 1949. >> reporter: here is where the story begins. he married at 23, and started a journey of his own. here's where it gets interesting. >> seven girls. seven boys. >> reporter: 14 children. tim, doreen, rita, ann, peter, helen, joseph, louise, martha, thomas, michael, altogether to carry on a family tradition. well and of course their children. >> been quite a lot started this year. >> for as long as i can remember. >> reporter: jacob is one of the grandchildren. one out of 93. that means, 93 coats. 93 shoes, and 93 curious minds. >> a lot of mouths to feed. >> reporter: like a well greased assembly line they do just that. own they may have grown out of grandpa's kitchen. >> because it is such a big group, we have been using the community center. >> reporter: this year they booked the community center. but this wasn't the first year size has been an issue. >> before that we want to the city hall. >> reporter: you see community hall gives them a little breathing room. >> i have two. >> reporter: for everyone to play their favorite games. all 93 of them. >> there is cousins. probably about 96. >> reporter: though the count may be off. here comes the real math adding in the great grandchildren. >> 73 great grandchildren. >> reporter: with new ones arriving every day, it its a little hard to keep track. >> some of them we don't see as often, we don't know them. >> reporter: with a grand total of almost 170 offspring there is only one thing grandpa has to say. >> good thing it is only one at a time. >> as an only child that blows my mind. what a huge family. you promised some dancing. >> no. this morning on "world news now" -- in custody. l.a. police arrest the man they believe set dozens of fires since late last week. >> after an intense manhunt and millions of dollars in damage, investigators have uncovered a possible motive. it's tuesday, january 3rd. good morning, everybody. on this back-to-work tuesday. the holidays are officially over. >> don't tell me that. >> back to the grind. you are not really back, you are just joining us here as newt the new anchor of "world news now." day two. >> when is our next official holiday. that was depressing. >> mlk day. >> do we get the day off? >> no, you will be right here. in that seat. no seniority yet. >> next to you. that's my holiday. >> you came back for a second day. that's a good sign. welcome aboard. for those that didn't tune in yesterday, you are just starting out with us. >> my second day. i still -- i don't have a security pass to get in, log-in, e-mail, maybe just working for free. testing me out see if it works. >> yeah, may be ready for anchor 14 in a few weeks. you are permanent. which we like. have not said that word in a while. >> say it again. >> permanent. that's right. we like it. our top story on this half-hour is the suspected arsonist who may have set dozens of fires out in los angeles, that person is now in custody, the officer who spotted a suspicious minivan deserves a lot of the credit. >> wait till you hear how much he makes a year. right? also, this morning, voters in iowa could make or break the campaigns of some republican presidential hopefuls. at today's caucuses. we'll look at ron paul and rick santorum's campaign and why they appeal to iowans. >> all his months of campaigning has come down to tonight. see who emerges from iowa. a sfwhibig night for the gop. some iowans turn their attention away from politics a lit bit to a splashy, wintertime obsession, water skiing. this is not for the timid to say the least. the weather there in the water, i can't imagine. but, those folks are out there enjoying it. >> brave and a little crazy. >> just a touch crazy. but first, the suspicious fires in los angeles have stopped now that a suspect in this case is in police custody. >> harry burkhart, a 24-year-old from germany is being held on $250,000 bail. abc's scott goldberg has the latest on what led to the arrest. >> reporter: authorities in los angeles tell abc news, they're confident they found the man who has been setting fires across the l.a. area. the sheriffs department detained a 24-year-old man named harry burkhart. subsequently charged with one count of arson. >> reporter: police took him into custody and say he will be charged with arson. sources say he is a german national who may have been motivated by a deportation hearing against his mother. when he was detained he told officers i hate america. police searched the minivan he was driving and sources say they found flammable materials that matched materials used in the fires. >> as soon as i put on my lights and -- initiated a traffic stop of the suspect vehicle, i had, an lapd vehicle behind me ready to go. >> reporter: since thursday night authorities say some one night authorities say someone or some people deliberately set 55 fires. the blazes started in and around hollywood, but moved into the san fernando valley. no people have been seriously hurt, but in some cases the fires have jumped to buildings threatening lives. >> we have automobile fires that are intentionally set underneath car ports or parking structures or adjacent to apartments where people actually are residing the. >> some evil person is doing this for no reason. they didn't think there might be people sleeping in those beds. these people like they might kill these people tonight. and they didn't even care. i just, i just don't understand why someone would do that. it's disgusting. >> reporter: police found the suspect after they handed out dvds with grainy video of a man in his 20s or 30s seen walking away from a parking garage where someone reported a car fire. l.a. police arrested two people last week and charged them with arson. but authorities say they don't believe those two had anything to do with the string of arson attacks over the weekend. scott goldberg, abc news, new york. >> so the arresting officer, is a reserve deputy. do you know how much reserve deputies make a year? >> guessing not a lot. >> how about $1. $1 a year. >> what he makes? >> $1. >> four quarters. ten dimes. 20 nickels. >> you are a math major. that's good. >> wonder if they get taxed on that. >> let's hope not. >> $1 a year. he's the one that cracked the case. in store for a raise. earned a raise. $10. how about that? an iranian-american attorney. this is just part time. >> congratulations to him. volunteers. proves that -- worth not measured in money. >> doesn't it make you feel better that you make $2 a year. >> much better. feels about right. here in new york that goes a long way. in other news this morning, counsel on islamic american relations slamming a fire bomb attack on an islamic cultural center here in new york city. police are investigating the attack and three others at nearby sites, sunday night. look at the video. investigating these as possible hate crimes. so far though they have made no arrests and security around the center is extra heavy this morning. an iraqi war vet suspected in the killing of a mount rainier ranger has been found dead inside the park. police say benjamin colton barnes likely froze to death after being on the run in waist-high snow. his body found clad in a t-shirt, jeans and one sneaker. joe moreno of seattle's komo has more on barnes any's troubled background. >> reporter: barnes kept an interest in weapons even after his release from the army. he had a small arsenal in tow when he moved into this east lake apartment. >> i just saw him bring his weapons in when he initially moved in. i didn't see much else than that. >> reporter: neighbors didn't get to know barnes that well and told that to fbi agents. >> he came up asked if we had seen anyone. we hadn't. >> reporter: the landlord said barnes lived here with his girlfriend and baby moved out a few months back when the relationship fell apart. the ex-girlfriend filed custody documents claiming benjamin has many guns and knives in his home. i do not know if he will fry to -- try to use them against myself or my family. and, ben is emotionally unstable and has issues with his anger. >> he just gave off that feeling like he was one of the guys that wanted to be left alone. >> shock, really. i had no idea. i didn't, i never saw him very often. >> reporter: a family member reached by phone said barnes served one tour of duty in iraq. then left the army in 2009. investigators say barnes rampage started at a party in skyway which turned into a gun battle after several people started arguing. to give you a sense of the shootout that took place. right here is one, two, three, four, five bullet holes. and this is just one wall. three men and one woman were hurt. investigators say barnes then took off. headed for mt. rainier and a deadly encounter with a park ranger. >> it seems like it was unprovoked. the lady just tried to stop him. >> in seattle, joel moreno, abc news. >> let's not forget the victim in the case. thankfully the case is over. margaret, the park ranger, her lifelong dream to work as a park ranger and she leaves behind two daughters and a husband. >> two young daughters, just 3, 1. she grew up in our area. in new jersey. the daughter of a pastor, of a lutheran church. our condolences to that family. >> absolutely. absolute lie. absolutely. shifting gears now, florida a & m university is creating a committee to study and combat hazing. this comes more than six weeks after the beating death of a drum major at the school. the school's board of trustees also announced plans to create a memorial and name a scholarship after robert champion. police say champion died after being punched and paddled during a hazing ritual. the board reprimanded the university president but did not put him on administrative leave as the governor requested. to politics now, the first test for republican presidential candidat candidates. it comes in iowa, where voters head to the caucuses just hours from now. mitt romney its the front-runner. but two of his rivals are gaining ground. abc's jake tapper has more. >> reporter: at a packed pizza ranch restaurant in boone, iowa, rick santorum tells voters not to pick a more moderate candidate like mitt romney. but to go with their gut. >> don't defer to others who don't know the candidates as well as you do. >> reporter: through an old-fashioned shoe leather campaign of shaking hand and kissing babies, santorum has become the candidate to watch. >> money doesn't buy iowa. >> reporter: propelled in no small way because of the support of christian conservatives. >> he clearly is a moral man with high integrity. >> reporter: heap is winning them over with his stand as a culture warrior. and his stand against abortion and same sex marriage. but argues his reach is beyond those key republican voters. pointing to his two wins as senator in the all-important battleground state of pennsylvania. you talk a lot about how you won in the important swing state of pennsylvania. you don't talk a lot about how you got defeated in 2006. >> worst election year for republicans in the history of the state. this isn't going to be 2006. >> reporter: the other man drawing crowds and watchful eye of the romney scam -- of the romney campaign, texas congressman ron paul. >> the vote is about tomorrow, are we sick and tired of the expansion of government, endless spending and the deficit doing the things they weren't supposed to do and forgetting about doing the things they should be doing. >> reporter: paul and santorum face questions about their appeal to independents and moderates who will decide the election this november and their ability to translate a strong showing here into something more. jake tapper, abc news, boone, iowa. >> wow, ron paul did give an interesting interview last night. do you envision yourself in the white house? he's like not really. which is an interesting message to send the last few hours before the caucus gets started. he said he is not blind, his odds are not good. he has momentum. >> you know who is endorsing santorum, the father of seven, by the way, guess who? >> i have no idea. >> jim bob duggar. the duggars. 12 of 19 kids campaigning for santorum. a lot of votes. >> not sure. we'll see. folks in iowa. quick numbers right here. candidates have spent almost a year in number of days in iowa. they have had, almost 1,000 events in the state. candidates have traveled 23,000 in the state alone. all that coming down to tonight. so. big, big, big, big. >> from iowa we turn our attention to the new hampshire primary. and in just four days, abc news is hosting the next gop debate. join, diane sawyer, and george stephanopoulos, this saturday night, from manchester. live coverage starts at 9:00 eastern. 6:00 pacific. >> weather may be to blame for a nasty pileup in northern kentucky. more than 40 cars, trucks, suvs collided in the snow yesterday. 40. shut down busy interstate for four hours. eight people were hurt. but injuries thankfully were all minor. also an icy ride across indianapolis where dozens of cars were sliding off the roads there. police responded to more than 80 crashes and spinouts in the area. including the one seen right here involving 18 vehicles. as you can see there was plenty of damage. again, thankfully no serious injuries. 'tis the season. here we go. >> 'tis the season for wonderful weather out here in the east. >> you come from chicago. you know about brutal winters. >> midwesterner. i come from cold winters. i like it. i like the change of season. i like the psychology of it. it's good. i like change. you know all about change? right. >> yes, i do. >> here is your tuesday forecast. 6 inches of snow, the great lakes, michigan, my home state, northeast ohio. 2 feet. whiteout conditions near buffalo, syracuse, new york. chilly air, midwest, north east. and florida, snow in the -- cascade. 46, boise. 25, minneapolis. 33, fargo. 47, omaha. 30s, bean town down to hot-lanta. not so much hot today. chilly 48 in the big easy. >> i am familiar with moving companies these days. the moving company trying to haul a mobile home across an oklahoma bridge in big trouble this morning. >> look at that. really simple math. the mobile home is wide. the bridge is narrow. you can see what happened. the highway patrol had to close the bridge causing some major traffic problems. >> wow. police say the moving company did not get a permit and even if they had tried it would have been denied. and now it is facing huge fines. >> supposed to be moved yesterday. see if it happened. not smart movers. we'll be back. welcome back, everybody. well there is no question at all, childhood obesity is an epidemic sweeping the country. the question is how do we stop it? >> this is really polarizing a lot of our viewers on our space book page. we'll get to some of your comments in a moment. we told you about the ad campaign trying to stop it by putting the blame on the parents of these obese children. but is that going too far? here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter: the health experts behind the blunt ads say they're what the state of georgia needs, more straight talk less sugarcoating the crisis. more than 40% of georgia's children are obese or overweight, some diagnosed with hypertension in the first and second grades. in this television spot a child asks his mother a simple question she can't answer? >> mom, why am i fat? >> reporter: the approach has divided and angered health officials with critics saying you can't shame families into losing weight. >> this campaign is an example of what not to do. we need to fight obesity not obese individuals. >> i think it is not only ineffective but actually quite damaging. if kids feel bad about their bodies, then they're not going to take good care of them. >> reporter: children's health care of atlanta hired the actors, spending $25 million to spread this message and they refuse to apologize. >> this is a medical crisis. and we can't continue to stand by and let this happen to our state and our country. >> reporter: these in your face campaigns have worked before. >> i did meth. and now this is my life. >> reporter: these meth ad helped drop teenage meth use in montana by 50%. sam prestige, is a georgia teenager. >> i knew i was overweight. >> i could see how unhappy he was at school. >> i started being teased a lot. >> reporter: he said he is trying to eat better, change his life and avoid becoming a statistic in a commercial. steve osunsami, abc news. >> very important issue, a polarizing one. you can see for clear reasons there. >> a lot of folks chiming in on facebook on this one. >> a lot of fans, viewers. >> they're not really fans. >> no, they don't like us. that's part of what is wrong in the first place, parents working all of the time. deborah murray says yikes our children don't feed themselves. i would hate for children to get that in their head at such a young age. as parents we must give our children the tools to thrive. >> you know what, kids do kind of feed themselves if the parents aren't around. the onus on us to have healthy choices in the cupboard and in the cabinet or else put them too high. my kids can't reach anything. >> put them way high. if you look at the stats. first, second graders, high blood pressure. a third of the children obese. clearly a problem. the thing that heightens the discussion probably is a good thing. may not like the ad campaign. it is a legitimate issue and a real problem across the country. hopefully this gets some action down. scary. >> a lot of people don't realize this is an epidemic. this is why they chose the straight forward approach. >> coming up next, lighten the mood. aretha franklin's freeway of love takes her in a new direction. >> for the third time. and snoop dogg, come on down. it's all next in "the skinny." down. it's all next in "the skinny." ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny >> ha-ha. welcome back. i am learning so much about my new co-anchor. can't wait to share it. good news for aretha franklin. reported she was not doing well, a health care, some rumors, cancer. she bounced back, not only bounced back, looking good, in good health. she is engaged. queen of soul will get married for a third time at age 69. her long time friend, william, willie wilkerson. get married on south beach. have an exclusive reception aboard a pririvate yacht. confirmed to the associated press. and no, i am not pregnant. >> 69. she can have one at 69. >> the queen of song. happy, back in good health. back in love. happy for her. so, boom. >> snoop dogg, has a lot of talents. did you know he is a game show afish nad -- expert. he appeared on the "price is right." i love this. he won $72,000 for the snoop youth football league. used to love "price is right" growing up, favorite show to watch, skipping school. hard to imagine him skipping school. >> sure he was valedictorian. let's take a listen. >> trip to new orleans for the music festival. snoop dogg in concert. watching the show from the side of the stage. bid $33,000. >> the actual retail price is $36,915. >> come on down, snoop, come on down, snoop. get some of this. well done, snoop. very cool. >> you are a snoop dogg fan. >> inadvertently. a long story. went to a concert at, at a place in chicago, they had a couple people performing. he was the last. couple hours late, surprise. >> there is more to the story. >> a lot more. >> we'll talk more. >> one of my favorite people, selma hayek will be knighted in france. getting an award that typically goes to figures of international standing, jerry lewis, clint eastwood, robert redford, robert de niro. she will get the award in the next two months and it will include a presidential medal pinning, by president sarkozy, will enjoy that moment very much as any man would. congratulations, selma. >> congratulations, shouldn't she be ladied. >> whatever she wants to be, she can be. >> 45, still looking good. to be, she can be. >> 45, still looking good. if your neighbor could bring his jaw back up, he'd say, "thank you for making every day halloween." inspired by all you attention grabbers comes gain hawaiian aloha and other scents that are, like you, anything but ordinary. ♪ i'm going to marry ♪ i'm going to marry the night ♪ i'm going to marry the night >> welcome back, everybody. finally this half-hour, if you are like me you spent your new year's day on the couch watching football and hydrating. >> why am i not surprised -- hydrating with water clear liquid. those that felt better than this guy, that include brave souls in cedar rapids, iowa, spent the day water skiing and probably freezing their hinies off. >> reporter: eastern iowans met the first day of the new year with blustery wind and cold temperatures. weather that kept most people bundled up at home. >> river is almost always frozen over. so this is just a rare occurrence for us. it is a lot of fun. >> reporter: unless you are the five seasons ski team. >> all right, january 1st, 1:15 here in pyramid here. >> reporter: with water temperatures floating around 30 degrees, about a dozen skiers flew across the river. >> what are some of the people that show up to watch what do they say? >> pretty much everybody asks how cold the water is. ha-ha-ha. and they just think we're nuts. >> reporter: maybe so, but they're also talented enough to cut through the icy conditions and keep fans cheering. how many times did you go in the water today? >> three times. >> reporter: was that enough for you? that was good. that was good. i was satisfied with that. >> reporter: team work and the right equipment are crucial in the dangerously cold temperatures. >> you need to get out of the water quickly if you fall. we have an extra boat on the water to pick people up. >> reporter: the performance attracted a lot of attention and the team hopes a few donations. but that is not the only reason they froze their wet suits off on sunday. >> for us to all get together the beginning of the year it is what we worked for and what we hoped for. >> what we work for. what we hoped for. i hope for a warm bed and hot chocolate. >> i have a feeling you are adventurous, you may got out there and try something look that. i have a feeling. >> maybe with the proper wet suit. >> what's the proper wet suit? >> a warm one. >> a warm one. >> that massages my back. >> oh, see, look, we happened to catch you. >> wow, my legs are looking good there. wish they were that muscular. >> told you, you were an athlete. former sports anchor. >> slaloming too, how about that. should be barefooting come on. much more talented. >> give them time. our graphics department is good. that's the news. don't miss our updates on facebook. >> catch us on twitter. you need to get on twitter. >> next year. next year.