A climate where troops became vulnerable. Not everyone agrees with todays decision. A republican lawmaker from arkansas says women are not physically capable of combat duty, because they dont have the Upper Body Strength or the endurance. Others worry that women in the military could increase the sexual atmosphere of those serving on the ground. In india today, a trial begins for five men accused of the brutal rape and murder of a young woman. The case sparked widespread protests. The suspects are accused of attacking the woman and her male friend after she boarded a bus last month. She was raped and both victims dumped on a roadside. The woman died two weeks later. A federal Appeals Court declared indianas law banning that can be accessed by children. But the Appeals Court said the law went too far in restricting free speech. Indianas attorney general is considering whether to appeal. Interesting here. So if youre a sexual predator, according to that judge, you can still get on facebook. How many scary stories do you hear about people stalking people. Thats where they find their victims off. Constitutionally, its always a balancing test between a persons right and the right of society. The right of a state to protect its citizens. I just think when you balance that, its like oh, sexual predator, or children. And its a very clear choice for me. Under the law, i think its a very clear choice. I think that judge got it wrong. I get the free speech argument. Its happened already. Theres theory, and then theres actuality. Moving on, the actor thats been the voice of Charlie Brown on tv, 56yearold peter robins pleaded not guilty to charges he has stalked and threatened his former girlfriend, as well as a Plastic Surgeon who performed a breast enhancement operation on her. Prosecutors in san diego painted him as an angry, desperate man. He has used physical violence against one of the victims and against his dog. Hes been acting erratically and hes not been staying at a stable location and we believe he poses a flight risk. He was arrested crossing into the u. S. From mexico while driving a car with no license plates. His attorney points out that he has no criminal history and called the case overcharged. Somebody make sure snoopy is safe this morning. The deadly wave of frigid air blowing in from the midwest to the east coast nearly claimed another life. A worker had to be rescued from a cell phone tower 200 feet in the air. He called 911 after becoming hypo thermic in the 10 degree weather. A coworker reached him first and helped rescue him to the safety. It is that cold out there in some places. Just like the dog days of summer, you have to feel bad for people who work outside, whether its your mailman or construction workers. Just give them some hot tea or cocoa. I always worry about the homeless. Especially that too. Its brutal this time of year. Heres a look at the rest of your weather on this thursday morning. More snow with that arctic cold snap. Up to 8 inches around the great lakes. A dusting from southern ohio to virginia. A wet day in california. Freezing rain and snow in the northern rockies. 40s from billings to rapid city. 4 degrees in minneapolis. Teens from omaha to boston. 70s from dallas to orlando. A chicago dad who kept his cool as his fiance went into labor at the most inopportune time is now enjoying his baby boy. They were rushing to the hospital yesterday and got caught in a traffic jam. Her contractions started in the car, so morales pulled into a gas station and called 911. With instructions from a dispatcher, he delivered his son himself. Paramedics got to them in time to cut the cord and get the family to the hospital. This seems to happen often. You know what . Caught on the train. Amish people dont need to go to the hospital anymore. Im sure i could do it. Do it. Make a little extra money on the side. Catch a little kid. Nothing wrong with that. Glad the family is safe and happy. Coming up, the nfl player in trouble because of his socks. And later, the ladies who are not afraid of a little hard work. Its an inspiring story involving women repairing roofs for free. Youre watching world news now. 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, dont 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. Theres a land of restful sleep. We can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. How can the dishwasher do its job . Adding finish power up to your detergent brings your dishwasher back to life. Dishwasher buildup, cloudiness, spots, even tough stains gone so dont give up. Add finish power up. Wow see the difference. Lets get a recap, merv. [ merv ] thanks, other merv. Mr. Clean magic eraser extra power was three times faster on permanent marker. Elsewhere against dirt, it was a sweep, with scuffed sports equipment. Had it coming. Grungy phones. Oh super dirty and grimy car rims. Wow that really works . All taking losses. It looks like mr. Clean has won everything. The cleaning games are finished . And so are we. Okay, but i just took a mortgage out on the cabinet. [ male announcer ] clean more, work less, with the mr. Clean magic eraser extra power. The family of former nfl line backer junior seau is now suing, claiming the league hid information about the consequences of hits to the head. Theres no word on how much the family is seeking. As you may remember, he shot himself in the chest back in may. Earlier this month, tissue samples showed that he had cte, a degenerative disease linked to hits to the head. The nfl hassocked it to 49ers running back frank gore. The league has fined him more than 10,000 for wearing his socks too low. Thats a violation of the uniform code. Gore committed the fashion foul during sundays nfc championship game. We dont know why he chose this look, but it worked. He scored two touchdowns. And the nfl also fined tom brady for a spikes slide. Brady kicked reed during that slide. The cost 10,000. At least his socks looked good. Also from the top offices of the nfl, League Officials are pressuring an indiana man to give up his pursuit of a trademark for the word harbowl. Last february, roy fox had the foresight to think the brortders might play together. If the nfl has its way, the league is concerned that foxs harbowl nickname might be confused with the super bowl. Experts say the nfl doesnt have much of a case. Then theres this, from the brain trust of the nba. The New Orleans Hornets are about to become the new orleans pelicans. Thats right, the pelicans. The new name, new logo and new colors will be announced today. In case youre wondering, the pelican is the state bird of louisiana. Well be back. Welcome back, everybody. Weve seen the giant new tv sets and the high tech forks and spoons from the Consumer Electronics show in vegas. But there were some other innovations unveiled in sin city worth taking a look. To our giz wizz is here to show them off to us this morning. Rob, im happy to be back, away from all the neon and buffets. You went out to vegas for more than 20 years now. Many, many cess. This is from asa. This is called the chrome book c7. So chrome books offer people who do a lot of apps, work with wifi and the google apps. Its not exactly a computer or a tablet. But if youre working with a lot of app stuff, you want a full keyboard, you want a screen, and its under 200. Thats great for a laptop. Very nice. So a chrome book, not a laptop. This guy is called on pocket. A lot of people jog and wear these on their arms. The cell phone goes here. This is touch screen sensitive. You put it on your arm this way, so that as you run, you have a headlight and then for the back, you have a red light and you can push it again. If you want extra safety, you can have a flashing red light. And theres room in here for your credit cards and all that other stuff. This is my galaxy s3. This is a case i got at the show. Whats neat about this case, its called the smart sound case. You click that open. It can act as a stand. Except this also acts as bellows so that it amplifies the sound from the little bitin speakers. So without additional batteries or any other addon, the little amplifier thing is built right in. I like it. This is very cool from an environmental stand point. This is called the lucy. Its the inflatable waterproof solar powered lantern. Put it in the sun. After about six hours, you get 6 to 12 hours of light. This is low. Then thats high. Thats probably six hours of burn time. About a dozen l. E. D. S in there. You can buy them for 16. But soon theyre going to have a deal where youll pay more but youll get one and someone in a third world country where theres very little power, can have the gift of light. So a global cause behind it. This time of year its nice to save on the energy bill. Absolutely. And for all of the slouchers out there like me, listen to this one. The slogan is, we watch your back. It goes around your waist, theres a little sensor, and the sensor here goes against your lower back and if you slouch it starts vibrating. Shock therapy. Not exactly. Just a little vibration. At the end of the day, you go in and download how you did the entire day. You stat fat for three hours an slouched for two. This is last little guy is called charge card. You get to the hotel, you have your laptop and you forgot the cable. This little charge card now is your cable. Really good for travelers out there. Absolutely. You do good work in vegas every year. Hope you won a little money, as well. I did not. Thanks, dick, for being here. For more details, go to dicks website or check out our facebook fan page. Well be back with more. Youre watching world news now. 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, dont 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. Theres a land of restful sleep. We can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. Its important to follow cdc guidelines to help protect your family. Wash your hands often. And clean your surfaces using a disinfectant to prevent the spread of cold and flu viruses. You can trust lysol because lysol disinfecting wipes kill 99. 9 of cold and flu viruses. And with lysol notouch hand soap, you have 10 times more protection with each wash. Helping protect your family with lysol. Thats our mission for health. Pouring tar and hammering shingles on a roof under the hot sun sounds like a traditionally male occupation, not something necessarily i want to do. But in north carolina, some women are breaking through that glass ceiling. Dozens of women are spending their free time doing just that, and not even making a dime off the thing. Reporter theyre roofers. Working for free for people that need it most. My house was leaking bad. Reporter and much to the surprise of many we have stopped traffic before for people to stop and look. Reporter theyre women. People look at you funny because youre women . Yes. Reporter mothers, grandmothers, wives, widows, retires and sometimes even pregnant. Theyre forest citys women roofers. I was asking at our church for a group to help with roofers. And a couple of ladies came and i said well, nobody else volunteered. Reporter Billy Honeycutt says working with women is different. Probably the conversation thing i would say. Theres always something to talk about. Reporter theyre all volunteer and theyve grown to about 80 members, ranging from 18 to 75 years old. Im planning to do my birthday on the roof at 70, which is coming up. Reporter donna retired from nursing and took up roofing. I could climb a ladder and hit a hammer with a nail and i thought i can do this, its fun. Reporter arenas roof was the first one ten years ago. I thought oh, my god. Reporter 66 roofs later, theyre getting popular, even featured in people magazine. I would hope it would just encourage people to do things they think they cant do. Reporter they work in their spare time for people that cant spare the money. If it wasnt for them, i wouldnt have had it done. I like that. Girl power. We talk a lot about girl power. Nicely done, ladies. And thats the news for this half hour. Follow us on facebook. And dont forget twitter. Nf afc, offensive lineman, defeive tackles, quarterbacks and cornerbacks are all living uted. To ensure the academic success of millions ofof kids in our communities. All the way to graduation day. But that wont happen without you. So take the pledge at unitedw. Org. Make a difference in the life of a child. Suit up like your favorite nfl players, and become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor with united way. This morning on world news now, deadly deep freeze. The midwest and northeast caught with an intense arctic weather system. The lives lost and your risk for hypothermia in the coldest weather system in years. Its thursday, january 24th. From abc news, this is world news now. Good thursday morning, everybody. Im rob nelson. And im sunny hostin. From lakeeffect snow to below zero windchills, accuweather updates this miserable cold snap coming up. It is rough outside. People say it hurts to be outside right now. You can only be outside ten minutes. Thats all they give you. Frostbite can hit you like that. Then the freak accident that could have killed a baby girl. Find out how a pencil pierced her skull and why her mom didnt notice anything wrong at first. Goodness. Also this morning, the innovation unveiled exactly 29d years ago today. Well look back at the worlds first Apple Computer as the Company Announces record sales. Look at that thing compared to the ipad and laptops of today. But at the time, that was the hot thing. That was the thing. Put it right next to your walkman. Later, performers who should have considered lipsyncing the National Anthem. Beyonce, pay attention. These are folks who shouldnt have let us hear their voice. Lets not give it all away. Stay tuned for that story. A third of the country is still shivering this morning in some down right dangerous cold. Windchill warnings and watches are posted again today from north dakota to new england, dipping to 45 below zero in northern maine. Our coverage begin in central new york. Reporter the polar invasion is making for some amazing pictures and beautiful frozen landscapes. But make no mistake, this weather is dangerous. In maryland, the cell tower worker found out just how dangerous when 200 feet up, he became overcome by the frigid ten degrees and had to be rescued. Across the country, the cold is blamed for at least four deaths. Ed roy will spend more than nine hours outside, making sure the mail gets through. People sometimes forget how quickly they can get frostbite. Reporter doctors say it can take as little as ten minute for frostbite to set in, so wear layers and limit being outdoors if you can. And in chicago, firefighters had to battle more than the flames, when their water lines froze and their gear iced up. The coldest place its about 3 below. Reporter crane lake, minnesota, where its dropping to a chilly minus 37 degrees. This is just another normal winter january day in northern minnesota. Reporter and dont expect any of this to end any time soon, and these because forecasters believe that this will be a freezing weekend. But as you can see, we dont need anymore snow in these parts of central new york. Lets take a moment to welcome geo to the abc news family. Welcome to the weather, geo. Relief is days away. Meteorologist jim dicky has the latest from accuweather. Good morning, jim. Another brutally cold day on tap here. These are the Early Morning temperatures, minus 14 in burlington. Upper midwest and Northern Plains, minus 13 in minneapolis. Minus 12 in bismarck. Seeing some snowfall, looking for light snow drifting across the midatlantic. Watch out in the washington, d. C. Area. Could be some slick spot on the roads for the this morning commute. Thanks, jim. In other news, the nations debt crisis appears to have been put on hold for three months. The house approved a measure to allow the treasury to keep borrowing money until mid may. The senate is expected to follow through with its approval as early as tomorrow. And word of that deal is one reason why investors on wall street were in a buying mood. The dow closed yesterday at its highest level since late october 2007. That was one month before the start of the Great Recession in december that year. Most asian markets were also trading higher overnight. Finally some good news. It is good. But its good and its not. Essentially what its good for the stocks. But in terms of the politics, they kicked the can down the road and republicans are hoping look, weve done this and hoping to use the time between now and may to get that grand bargain on the nations fiscal house, the debt and get things tidied up. Thats the goal here. Whether it happens, who knows . We discussed it yesterday, a lot of pundits were saying, well, theyre increasing the debt ceiling. But thats not the case. They just sort of stalled everything. Theyre not going to enforce the debt limit. So now you have three months to work behind the scenes. That big number 16. 4 trillion, by they expect to hit in the middle of february. So the deal is not to borrow more, the limit is still 16. 4, theyre just not going to enforce the rule until mid may. Interesting politics there. Equality comes to the battlefield today when the pentagon lifts its ban on women serving on the front lines. The change opens the way for thousands of female Service Members to serve in combat and elite commando units and increase their chances of moving into the highest military ranks. There could be a break in the case of a philadelphia pediatrician who was strangled and burned. Sources say an exterminator is being questioned. The body of melissa katanuti was found tied up and set on fire in her basement monday. The suspect was seen on surveillance tape near the home. In new hampshire, a baby girl is on the road to recovery two weeks after a freak accident nearly killed her. 20monthold olivia smith was on a chair coloring with her new pencils when she fell. A bright orange pencil pierced her skull, penetrating four inches into her brain. I didnt say anything, but i remember my 3yearold saying the pencil is in her head. If you go in at a 45 degree angle, it was about 2 1 2 inches sticking out. Olivia suffered a stroke in the hospital, but is now recovering. Surgeons say the pencil picked a perfect path, just missing the optic nerve and all major arteries. Wow. Harvard researchers put a price tag on American Workers sleep deprivation, saying chronic exhaustion cost the economy more than 63 billion and the cdc reports more than 40 million workers sleep fewer than six hours a night. Thats below the recommended 7 to 9 hours. The sleep problems are linked to depression, obesity and cancer. [ yawning ] get more than five hours a night. Sorry. That cost 1. 50 right there. Maybe we should have seen this coming. Two men from new jersey are suing subway because the chains footlong sandwiches are not always 12 inches. The suit is believed to be the first legal action against subway since the flap went public last week. A lawyer says theyre seeking compensatory damages and they want subway to change its practices. I think people eat too much any way. And they say america is a litigious society. No, i dispute that. Cant get the foot long. While were feeling angry, mcdonalds will seen roll out a new seafood snack. Theyre called, im not making up up, fish mcbites and theyll debut next month. It will come in three sizes, made from the same fish thats used in mcdonalds fillet of fish. That looks delay shou s deli. You are a fool. Its nice and small. Do you need the 12foot sub . I mean, we have the obesity sub. This is nice little fish bites, take a couple and you feel good. You heard it here first, the sunny hostin size doesnt matter. Good to know. You and i have a Bright Future together. To sports now. A story that makes unc alum rob nelson feel really good. Rob, you and the rest of tarheel nation should know that number one duke got destroyed on the Court Last Night by the miami hurricanes. Oh, poor little dukies. Yes, it broke my heart to see miami go on a 251 run in the first half. It wasnt close after that. For the second time this season, number one duke goes down to defeat. Miami wins this one in an unreal final score here. Ill say this with a smile, 9063. And its all over for Sloan Stevens at the australian open. In scorching temps today, stevens lost her semifinal match. Her twoset defeat came just a day after teaches defeated tournament favorite and her idol, Serena Williams. So much so, shes such an idol she had serenas poster in her bedroom. They asked her after the match and she said, i guess ill put my poster up now. But shes feeling good. But that loss a little controversial, because her opponent took a tenminute break saying she had chest pains. But theyre wonder if that was a way to break her momentum. Ten minutes is a long time during a tennis match. Some people think it was a panic attack. Suspicious. Look nor discussion on that one today. Coming up, one place where its now legal to drive drunk. Thats coming up in the mix. And the Product Announcement 29 years ago today that changed everything. A look back at the mac in 1984. Take a look at that. Youre watching world news now. Every time someone chooses finish over cascade, it sparks a movement. Look no ugly spots and see that shine youve got to try finish. Because once they try finish, they cant keep it to themselves. Im switching for good. Wow awesome finish is seriously good. Cannot believe how great it works. Incredible shine. I wont 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. Its 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 cant get back to sleep. Its an effective sleep medicine you dont 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 youre 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 middleofthenight insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. Oh, a Little Prince to wake you up on thursday morning. I thought you only did michael. I didnt know you did prince, too. I left my pumps at home. All right. The sweet sounds of 1984. Speaking of that year now, we want to pass a point of history along to you this morning. It was on this day 29 years ago that the revolutionary apple mcintosh computer was introduced. This ad here aired in the Third Quarter of the super bowl a few days earlier, promising a technological revolution. And the media was impressed as we see in our abc news report. Reporter heres our Business Correspondent steve aug. And the latest round in the battle of the small computers. Reporter the personal computer war heated up today. Apple computer unveiled its new macintosh. The new apple that cost less than 2500 is supposed to be one of the easiest to use. You hardly half to touch the keyboard. You hold a little house and move it across the desk and the cursor moves across the screen. Wow. At first, you had the big, big floppy disk, then you had the small one. Then no more disk. Crazy how far weve come in a relatively short amount of time. And today as you probably know, apple is the Worlds Largest tech company. Apple shipped out a record 47. 8 million iphones in the last quarter. It sold more than 4 million macs and 13 million ipods. Apple runs the world. Remember when they came out with the touch . That was huge. It was revolutionary. And if a product is really popular, you know it has to be a hit with more than just the human species. So we have this. The orangutans at the national zoo in washington, they love their ipads, they draw, paint, and even play piano and steel drums. They picked up the technology quickly. See there . Then they pooped on it. Still to come, you already know beyonce is catching a lot of heat for recording, perhaps lip sinking that star spangled banner. But theres a whole list of people that botched the National Anthem. The worst of the worst is coming up next. He actually played that. A classic Jimmy Hendricks in woodstock with a mind blowing version of the star spangled banner. Theres been lots of mind blowing versions, and not always in a good way. This one is our favorite story of the day. And here is abcs dan harris. Reporter inaugurations are supposed to be a showcase of american democracy. A primmer for the world on the peaceful passage of power. So help me god. Congratulations, mr. President. O, say can you see reporter but what is everybody talking about after president obamas big day . Beyonce. Shes still not saying whether she lipsynced the National Anthem, but what we do know for sure is that there are others that absolutely should have. Here are scientifically compiled top six worst ever National Anthem renditions. Number six, steven tyler. O, say can you see reporter the lead singer delivered what many believed to be a bad performance at last years afc championship game. Number five, carl lewis. This is a classic. In 1993, he got booed in the middle of his rendition. And the rockets red glare reporter number four, anita baker. And the rockets glare reporter she just could not hit the high notes at the 2010 nba final. Number three, michael bolton. The ramparts we watched reporter clearly haunted by the curse of the bambino at boston fenway park in 2003. We have a twoway tie for second. Cyndi lauper and christina aguilera. Both of whom forgot the words. But number one, now and forever, must go to roseanne bar. O, say can you see reporter for her ear bleedingly, crotch grabbingly bad performance at this 1990 San Diego Padres game. Heres what she later said about it. It was horrifying. I knew i started too high about the fifth note in. And i thought, well, at least ill try to make it funny. Reporter dan harris, abc news, new york. And that brings us to our facebook question of the day. We want to know if you were beyonce, what would you do . Logon to our Facebook Page to weigh in. I think the fact that she hasnt officially spoken out speaks volumes. Thats all im saying. Thats my exgirlfriend, too. Trust me, i know what shes thinking. Well be right back. And free ourselves from worrying about the ones we love. New lysol power free has more cleaning power than bleach. How . The secret is the Hydrogen Peroxide formula. It attacks tough stains and kills 99. 9 of germs. New lysol power free. Powerful cleaning thats family friendly. Another step forward in our mission for health. Except what its done to my hair, so im doing something new. New age defy from pantene. Its a system with provitamins and caffeine. 7 signs of aging hair, like dryness and damage, virtually disappear to make hair act up to 10 years younger. New age defy, including advanced thickening. Winner of an allure best of beauty breakthrough award. Pantene expert collection. Winner of an allure best of beauty breakthrough award. 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, dont 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. Theres a land of restful sleep. We can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. Were having a who can sing debate. And who should lipsync. She sings better than jlo. Theyre in the same category. Who sings better, Jessica Simpson or jlo. Both should lipsync. You go first. Burger king, you like to say theres horse meat in burgers. Not in white castle. White castle is pure. But burger king has dropped some burgers from an irish firm that they sourced food from because its linked to horse meat. Whats that, wilbur . Ap food group insist theres no evidence products have been contaminated. But theres tests done, 27 burgers were analyzed, 10 of them contained traces of horse dna. Im shocked by that news. Have it your way, wilbur. Oh, man. Its almost friday. Can you tell, folks . This blew my mind. We know the irish can hold their liquor. But the county council in southwest ireland passed a maesh they are allows rural drivers to legally drive while under the influence of alcohol. The Council Voted 53 to issue special permits to individuals who live in rural areas. So basically legalizing intoxicated driving in parts of rural ireland. Thats a great idea. And i love this next story. Jay crews jenna lions. Jay crew has received so many accolades, the first lady, the girls wore some of their clothing. Jenna lions is their creative director and she suffers have a genetic disorder that causes loss of hair, malformed teeth, and this is an actual picture of jenna lions. I met her recently, and she was so gracious, so incredible. And beautiful. So she says she knows what it feels like not to be beautiful. And she sort of this perp thats now out there representing the Ugly Duckling turning into a swan. I just say well done. Role model for all. Shes a wonderful person. And a mother gets drunk and gets stuck in her this morning on world news now, military advance. The pentagon plans to announce today that servicewomen can join men in combat. The decision. What it means to the armed forces and women who want to advance in their careers in the military. Its thursday, january 24th. From abc news, this is world news now. Good morning, everybody. Happy friday eve. Sounds good. Were getting there. Slowly but surely. Im rob nelson. And im sunny hostin. Todays pentagon announcement is a milestone for military women and women in general. Well look at the impact in our top story. Then secretary of state Hillary Clinton and her very tough day on capitol hill. Her emotional testimony as she gets ready to leave this office. And i dont know that i would characterize it as emotional. I think she was combative. It was. She had one point where her voice cracked talking about being there as the bodies of those four americans were brought home. But by and large it was defined by some very testy exchanges. But strong. Like her or dont like her, shes no shrinking violet. She had an interesting time in that hotseat yesterday. Well give you some information on that. Also this morning, the young tennis star who is now in the pro tennis spotlight after defeating Serena Williams. Her surprising background and how she did in her latest match. The verdict is in. Well tell you how sloan made out over there in australia. Oh, look at serena. The thing is, thats her idol. Serena is her idol. She had a poster of her in her bedroom. Sloan is a fierce player. I play a little bit of tennis. I keep it with that kind of thing. I dont play at the sloanserena level. Ill pay to check out that match. Later this half hour, why members of the Kardashian Family are not happy about a tellall book. And get this, the author is dead. Well bring you the rest of that story in the skinny, coming up. I know people get thoroughly tired of the kardashians. I am. For understandable reasons. But this latest nugget is kind of juicy. You dont get tired of the kardashians. I dont get tired of looking at some of the kardashians. But we give them way too much attention, the media in general. But this latest thing, it is getting a little interesting. So stay tuned for that. But first, the pentagon announces a major crack in the camouflage ceiling today. Women will be allowed on the front lines. And it opens the way for thousands of female Service Members to advance to the militarys highest ranks. Heres Abcs David Kerley with more. Reporter it is a stunning turn around. A unanimous vote by the countrys top generals, which the defense secretary will accept, to remove the ban on women serving in direct combat roles. Theyve proven themselves time and time again after the last 12 years, and finally theyre going to get the recognition. Reporter it will be the first fully integrated military in americas history. But without discernible front lines, women did serve in combat roles in iraq and afghanistan, theyve been donning flak jackets is, heavy packs and ended up in the middle of firefights. Were taking fire everywhere. I remember hearing the pings of the bullets going by me and hitting the ground beside me. I shot one guy, i saw him fall. Reporter Leanne Hester was the first woman to receive the silver star since world war ii. And pilot Tammy Duckworth lost both of her legs in combat. I think americas daughters are just as capable of defending liberty as americas sons are. Reporter while an abc news poll show ed three quarters of americans support women in combat, not all men serving agree. You moron. Im here to stay. Reporter and what about g. I. Jane, women in special forces . The military will give some units the ability to ask to exclude women. Just two months ago, four women sued the pentagon to get on the battlefield. Now they may get their chance. We certainly want to see this executed responsibly, but in a reasonable time frame. I hope this doesnt get dragged out. Reporter this historic announcement will be made thursday by the defense secretary. Implementation could start by may, finishing by 2016, with men and women serving together in combat roles. David kerley, abc news, the pentagon. Theres going to be sort of a learning curve, clearly. But its about time. Why not . Its interesting. What a sea change for the military in the past year. First dont ask, dont tell. That goes away. And now this. So theres aeal cultural shift going on in the nations military. If youre wondering what the critics are saying, theyre saying having women there may amp up the sexual atmosphere and they wont be able to do some of the more physically demanding jobs. Thats what the critics are saying. Let me tell you, there are some women we just sawer eae williams. Im sure she can do a lot of things men can do, or cant do. I wouldnt mess with serena in a dark alley. And the navy has already started advancing women into roles. Theyre now allowed into the submarine force, which for some time they werent allowed on submarines. It seems like any push to equality is a good, healthy thing. Well get passed the learning curve eventually. It changes a very male dominated culture for sure. Now they can advance. That is the key piece. If you cant be in combat, perhaps you cant be a general. So this is a real moment for women. More details coming out this afternoon in that official announcement. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton meets behind closed doors with president obama today as her term winds down. Yesterday was full of drama as clinton gave her long awaited testimony on those attacks in benghazi. At times combative and other times emotional. Clinton said she took full responsibility for the security lapses at the american consulate. She fired back over questions about what was said in the days just after the attack. Was it because of a protest or guys out for a walk one night and decided they would kill some americans . What difference at this point does it make . Confirmation hearings begin in the senate today for clintons replacement, john kerry. The massachusetts democrat and former president ial contender is not expected to face any major opposition. The white house is giving the go ahead to general john allens nomination as europes top nato commander. The nomination had been put on hold during the investigation into allens email relationship with a florida woman. But now that the pentagon cleared allen, his nato nomination moves forward. Many parents are angry at one Southern California school district. They say allowing Campus Police to have semiautomatic rifles is a bad idea. Even so, police have 14 of the rifles in their arsenal. They were purchased before the Newtown School attack, and the police chief says they sent a blunt message to wouldbe attackers. Were prepared for you and if you seek to harm our children, we will neutralize the threat and you will most likely be killed. No mistaking that comment. Police received 40 hours of training with the rifles over the holiday break. Some parents claim the 14,000 spent on the rifles should have been used to restore School Counseling programs. Also, medical researchers are sending out a strong message to smokers. Kick the habit and live a lot longer. The new england journal of medicine reports smokers die at least ten years earlier on average compared to nonsmokers. The findings follow a study of more than 200,000 cigarette smokers. But those who quit before age 40 can reduce their risk of dieing from a smoking related illness by 90 . The polar blast freezing the midwest and much of the east is slamming some areas with another round of blinding lakeeffect snow. Dozens of cars and trucks spun out of control in whiteout conditions in the cleveland area. Interstate 90 was closed for hours there, leaving people stranded in for hours. This relentless chill is keeping a broad section of the country bundled up again today. Meteorologist jim dicky has the latest from accuweather. Good morning, jim. Good morning, rob and sunny. Our cold snap ongoing from the Northern Plains to the northeast. These are your Early Morning temperatures. Minus 14 in burlington. Minus 1 in syracuse. Colder still as we track away further westward here. Many consider international falls, minnesota the icebox of the country. It will earn that name this morning, falling around minus 40 as you step out the door. Rob and sunny, back to you. God bless all you folks in minnesota. I cant imagine. Weve been complaining about the weather here and its 19 degrees. Nothing compared to what those folks are going through. Thanks for that report, jim. Heres a Little Something to warm you up now. It comes from a prison in chile, to the queen go ahead. To the Queen Classic we will rock you. Dozens of inmates broke out in a flash mob yesterday. They had practiced for three hours a day for a month to get ready for the performance. The warden says dancing is simply good for morale. And they claim it cuts down on violence while improving selfesteem and not to mention it seems like fun. Look at that. As long as that guy is still there watching over everything. Making sure nobody gets squirrely. I guess thats a good thing. The choice of song is so fascinated to me. We will rock you . Yeah. It seems off a little bit. With that song, you dont want to amp them up. You dont want to start a riot. Put on some yanni. Everybody calm down. I agree. Theyre a little off beat, too. Flash mobs, everybody is supposed to move together. Ill let you go tell them. Im not saying anything. Just here. Dont tick off the prison folk. Coming up in the skinny later, who is fiercely defending beyonce after that now much discussed, much analyzed performance at the inauguration . And manti teo explains his embarrassing online love hoax to abcs katie couric. Youre watching world news now. Im only in my 60s. Ive got a nice long life ahead. Big plans. So when i found out medicare doesnt pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. 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A woman he thought died of cancer in september. He spoke of her throughout his epic football season, even two days after the woman pretending to be his girlfriend called him to say she was alive. Was this intoxicating in a way for you, manti . I think for me, the only thing i basked in is i had an impact on people. That people turned to me and for inspiration and i think that was the only thing i focused on. My story, i felt, was a guy who in times of hardship and in times of trial, really held strong to his faith, held strong to his family. And i felt that was my story. Even if that hardship was perhaps exaggerated . No, it was what i went through was real. You know, the feelings, the pain, the sorrow. That was all real. Reporter behind the hoax, this man. Ronaiah tuisosopo, a christian singer seen in these youtube videos. Teo says he made his girlfriend his alter ego, at first reaching out on facebook. Hes likely holed up in his family home where no one is talking. But teos father is talking, defending his son. People can speculate about what they think he is. Ive known him 21 years of his life. And hes not a liar. Hes a kid. Reporter matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. Maybe its just the way that people date these days. For me, i just dont understand how it feels so real when youve never met the person or touched the person or just actually seen the person in close proximity. How does that feel real . Maybe thats where were at now with the texting and the internet and the phones. Maybe thats the new generation. But it just seems so bizarre to me. And so inauthentic. Maybe it is a generational issue. Maybe if youre a certain age, like i dont get it, you dont get it. But maybe this younger crowd, they dont need that touchyfeely stuff. Its all right here and right here. That has to be it. Because it doesnt make sense otherwise. It just seems profoundly naive. But katie said last night she got the impression that he was genuinely duped, he was not in on the hoax or part of the very weird but he never met her. She believed the story. And dad seemed convincing, too. It is bizarre. Between lipsyncing and fake girlfriends, america, weve got to get it back. What is going on . Are you real . Im here, i swear. Coming up, an old role is new again for eddie murphy. And a chapter of the kardashian story you have to hear to believe. Thats coming up next in the skinny. Skinny, so skinny skinny in the house whoa, willis. I havent heard that octave in a while. Everything all right . Something drop on you . I know you guys get sick of the kardashians sometimes. We all get sick of the kardashians sometimes. I got a little crush on kim. But besides that issue, this is juicy. Robert kardashian, the father who passed away years ago. He was obviously the famous o. J. Simpson attorney. After he and kris jenner broke up, he got remarried to a woman named ellen. Ellen is saying she has diary entries that robert wrote before he died and in these diary entries, which are now coming to light, basically theyre accusing kris jenner of being very abusive to kim. Kris was kicking and beating her and said she was going to kill kim he allegedly wrote back in a 1989 entry, referring to his wife and kim. He even talks about the alleged affair that kris had with a young Soccer Player named todd, suggesting she was an irresponsible mother, she didnt really care about the kids. Now, her publicist said we have no knowledge of these diaries existing and these accusations are ridiculous and not true. Thats juicy. That is juicy. Apparently from the grave, robert kardashian, according to his widow, the second wife, he had some real dirt he was putting out there about the whole family. But they are denying it. We have to see that writing, though. We have to see the diaries before we believe that. Wow. Dirt, dirt, dirt. Dirty in the skinny. How about this, not so dirty. Eddie murphy, he is reprising his role as axle foley. Who doesnt remember axle foley from Beverly Hills cops . Oh, my gosh. Its going to be a Television Series and hes going to play the father of a young man who is fighting crime. Im going to watch that. Welcome back, eddie. Anything is better than norbit. Aretha franklin coming to the defense of beyonce. The whole lipsyncing controversy from the inauguration. She said she did a beautiful job with the prerecord, according to her, she said it was cold out there, some singers dont do well in the cold. So the queen of soul, the biggest mistake was that hat. Lets be honest. Approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you cant get back to sleep. Its an effective sleep medicine you dont 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. 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Its recommended by the cdc to wash your hands often. With lysol notouch hand soap, you have 10 times more protection with each wash. Helping protect your family with lysol. Thats our mission for health. Serena williams is a tennis goddess who has dominated the game for more than a decade and made tens of millions of dollars in the process. Thats for sure. But even giants can fall. A little known 19yearold named Sloan Stevens dealt a rare loss to williams in the australian open. It was the classic david and goliath story. But this one used a tennis ball instead of a stone. Heres abcs ron claiborne. Reporter call it the shock heard around the tennis world. 19yearold Sloan Stevens, taking out one of the greatest players ever to lace on a pair of tennis shoes. Talk about david versus goliath. Sloan had never before reached a grand slam semifinal. Serena williams holds 15 grand slam titles, and she was sloans childhood idol. She had her poster on her bedroom wall. This morning when i got up, i was like, look, you can do this. Just go out and play and do your best. Reporter sloan first picked up a racket at the age of 9. Shes the daughter of two gifted athletes. Her father a former pro Football Player who died in a car accident four years ago. Her mother, a swimming star at boston university. This is probably the first time sloan has gone into a season saying i cant wait to get out there and play. Reporter sloans big breakthrough came last year at the french open, at wimbledon and on the pages of vogue magazine, which names her one of its up and coming style stars. And it was her style on the tennis court that reduced Serena Williams to frustration. Now having conquered her onetime idol, sloan has somewhat of a new perspective. This is just so crazy. But oh, my goodness. I think im going to put up a poster of myself now. Reporter ron claiborne, abc news, new york. And just a few hours ago, Sloan Stevens played in the semifinal match. While stevens hung tough, she couldnt put il out in the end. She dropped the first set, but came back strong in the second. After a now very controversial tenminute break during which she left the court saying she had medical issues, stevens was defeated. About that tenminute break, she admitted her chest felt tight and she couldnt breathe and thats why she left the court. But this is controversial now, because ten minutes is a long time for an athlete. Right. Maybe that broke up some momentum. Kind of like icing the other player a little bit. So look for a lot of discussion about the break that she took in that game. But sloan did beat one of the greats, so she has to be proud of that, no matter what happened today. And it makes her a legend