good morning, america. on this wednesday, december 30th. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm dan harris. this morning, abc news has learned the government knew even more about the alleged christmas day bomb plot and who might be behind it, weeks in advance. as the president calls it a systemic failure, we ask how did so many people fail to connect so many dots? the deep freeze. two-thirds of the nation in the big chill, with record snow in texas. a windchill of 30 degrees below zero in the northeast. battle for the boy. david goldman says his newly-returned son wants to be a normal kid. but his brazilian family says the custody fight isn't over. and the mother and child who both died during labor, only to come back to life moments later. doctors are calling it a true christmas miracle. and they're here live to tell their story. robin roberts and george stephanopoulos are off this morning. and we have lots of news this morning, including new information that government intelligence officials actually knew about a nigerian that was being trained for a terrorist attack. >> this is all new information, coming in this morning. the president is now calling the failure to stop the plot unacceptable. saying the system is not up to the task, not up to date, and incapable of piecing together obvious red flags. >> it is all leading to mounting pressure on homeland security secretary, janet napolitano, with some lawmakers calling for her to step down. >> we'll goat to the politics in a moment. but we want to focus on the news that the cia may have knew weeks before about a suspected attack. an agent even met with the suspect's father in nigeria, before the attempted attack. abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, leads us off from washington this morning. pierre, good morning to you. >> reporter: dan, president obama could not have been more blunt. the national security system failed. and we learned that the government had intelligence that a nigerian was in yemen, possibly preparing for an attack. >> a systemic failure has occurred. i find that unacceptable. >> reporter: now, more damming information. weeks before the attack, u.s. intelligence had, quote, a nigerian in yemen may be plotting an attack. his visa was not revoked. nor was he placed on a no-fly list, after his father warned he was associating with islamic radicals in yemen, a hotbed for al qaeda. and last night, we learned that the cia met with the suspect's father. the information was shared with the counterterrorism community. but it's not clear why more urgency wasn't assigned to the case. >> there was information that could have and should have been pieced together. >> reporter: while the president was taking aim at the flaws in the agencies that report to him. political shots were firing at mr. obama and security napolitano. >> her comments that there was no evidence of a wider conspiracy is just wrong. >> i'm not sure she has the ability to organize that agency, to make sure we're secure. >> reporter: but administration officials called such calls as standard washington fair. and the president stated full confidence in napolitano. and democrats accused republicans of blocking president obama's attempt at a transportation security chief. republicans said senate majority leader harry reid, had decided to play politics with the critical nomination. michael chertoff, napolitano's predecessor said democrats and republicans should stop bickering. >> i don't think this should be a political office. unfortunately, some people made it a political issue. >> reporter: but then again, this is washington. politic at fights erupt, even about matters of life, death and national security. elizabeth? >> all right, pierre. thanks so much. and joining us live now from los angeles, california, is former counterterrorism adviser to former presidents clinton and bush, and abc news consultant, richard clarke. richard, good morning. >> good morning. >> we heard pierre lay out. the u.s. had intelligence about a nigerian planning a terror attack. at the same time, the cia knows from his father, that his nigerian son is radicalized and missing in yemen. why didn't anybody put this together? >> well, it does appear to be a failure here, at either cia or the new national counterterrorism center. i think the criticism of homeland security misses the mark because homeland security didn't get the information. and you can't blame a department if they weren't informed. the intelligence community seems to have failed here. when they received information that someone was planning an attack, that should have become priority number one. go out and find any shred of information related to a nigerian in yemen. >> if we had put it together, we would have known that, an attack was coming, the suspect is nigerian. even his name. and that he was already on the no-fly list in the u.k. this all could have prevented this attempt on christmas day. >> elizabeth, every president has a moment when he gets very mad at his intelligence community. president obama has had his moment early. that's a good thing. he can shake up the intelligence community and give it a new sense of purpose and vigor. right now, it doesn't seem to understand that there is a real threat. and when information comes in, you have to run with it. you have to go to battle stations. >> is this the kind of basic stuff we were talking about right after 9/11? >> it's exactly the kind of stuff we were talking about, for a decade before 9/11. that the public became aware of during the 9/11 commission. it hasn't been fixed. there's a business as usual attitude in many of the agencies, particularly in the cia. >> we now also know there's more information emerging that the suspect was radicalized and perhaps even recruited by al qaeda, while attending school in london, a school known for radical muslim activity. he is the fourth president of a muslim society. he is the fourth president of such a society to face terrorist charges in three years. should that president of that society, touched off red flags some place when he was applying for a u.s. visa? >> well, someone should have talked to the british. the british seemed to have known a lot about this guy. and given the information that we had, that a nigerian was doing something in yemen, there should have been talks with british intelligence. that's the normal thing that happens. and when his father raised questions about him, his visa could have been revoked, even though it had been issued. they could have taken it off the visa list. the president is right. he deserves to be mad. a number of agencies have made mistakes. and if they keep making mistakes -- if they keep making mistakes, we won't be lucky next time. we were lucky this time. maybe we won't be lucky next time unless we clean house. >> well the very start, people predicted someone's head in this would roll. we heard in pierre's piece that some say that should be the homeland security secretary, janet napolitano. you worked with a number of presidents. do you think janet napolitano should resign? >> no. i think she's doing a great job. he wasn't given the information. her department wasn't given the information. she inherited a tsa that needed a lot of work. she's appointed a great guy to run the new transportation security agency. but the senate hasn't confirmed him. i think the problem lies in the intelligence community, not in homeland security. >> do you understand why people are frustrated? we talked about the intelligence community to talk to each other. to follow the leads and track them out. we were talking about this eight years ago. we're talking about it today. and as you just said, we simply got lucky on christmas day. >> i'm very frustrated. i'm sure everyone in the united states is frustrated. we have to go through these long lines and take off our shoes. and still, it doesn't work. we should be frustrated. we should be using advanced technology that doesn't require us to take off our shoes. advanced technology that could find the bomb like the one that this guy was carrying. the technology exists. we haven't bought it. we haven't implemented it. >> all right. richard clarke, this morning. thanks for joining us live from california. it's 7:08. let's go back to dan. there's now enormous attention on yemen. the lawless country where the terror suspect was trained. the terror secretary has said, that his country needs more help from the u.s. to deal with it. jim sciutto is in london this morning with the latest. good morning, jim. >> reporter: dan, good morning. before the northwest bombing, yemen has become a primary training ground and magnet for jihad jihadis. attacks on u.s. soil, however, are a new and harrowing expansion of the group's ambitions. abdulmutallab, went to go to this school. u.s. officials suspect he went to train to kill americans. now, there may be 200 or 300 more terrorists just like him, planning to strike the u.s. >> of course, there are a number of al qaeda operatives in yemen. and some of their leaders. and they may actually plan for attacks like the one we've just had in detroit. >> reporter: in january, the al qaeda affiliates in saudi arabia and yemen merged, into one, powerful, regional organization. carrying out attacks from killing foreign aid workers. to the attempted assassination of the saudi ent counterterrorism chief. two of the four leaders shown in a propaganda video at the time, were detainees released from guantanamo. a third escaped from a yemeni prison. lawmakers are urging the u.s. government to stop sending any detainees to yemen. four days before the northwest bombing, an al qaeda operative in yemen, issued a new warning, aimed directly at america. we are carrying a bomb for the enemies of god, he said. we only have issue with america and its agents. yemen is training counterterror forces and launching air strikes against militants. the u.s. has twice launched missiles against al qaeda target there's. but yemeni officials say they're overwhelmed, needing more training, equipment and money from the west. >> there is actually, at the moment, some support that's coming. and i must say it's inadequate. >> reporter: a senior white house official said last night, that the u.s. has dramatically increased its attention to yemen. and, dan, you'll remember that during his speech at west point, announcing a surge of troops to afghanistan, president obama mentioned two other countries that have become terror magnets and somalia and yemen. >> this is a country we're going to be talking about for a while. >> i think so. bianna golodryga is here this morning. with headlines. >> good morning, elizabeth and dan. good morning, everyone. we begin with word this morning of another government bailout in the financial industry. gmac financial services is expected to get another $3.5 billion in taxpayer money. this, on top of the $12 billion it's already received. an announcement is expected within days. gmac is believed to be essential to the auto industry, providing financing for thousands of gm and chrysler dealerships. turning overseas this morning, twin attacks in western iraq have left at least 21 people dead. a suicide car bomber set off the first explosion near a government building in ramadi. when police arrived, another attacker detonated a vest of explosives. the governor of anbar province was among the 100 people wounded. iran could soon get its hands on more material for its nuclear program, according to an intelligence report obtained by the associated press. iran is ready to smuggle 1,300 tons of uranium from kazakhstan. turning to medical news, the fda's process for heart devices is coming under new scrutiny this morning. the review of pacemakers, stents and other devices are based on scientifically weak studies, approved sometimes based on only one clinical trial. researchers say the studies lack important information on patents. finally, a bit of a mystery in san francisco. this is what it usually looks like at the city's famous pier 39. sea lions swarming the docks. yesterday, look what happened. hardly one sea lion in sight. it's unusual for so many to disappear so quickly. scientists believe the lions are tracking down their favorite two foods, sardines and anchovies. they're expected to return in the spring. and sea lions aren't the only ones that love sardines and anchovies. russians do, as well. >> i do. and i'm not russian. >> you guys are both gross. >> that is so unusual. i got family there. and that's huge. there's huge crowds of them. and huge crowds of tourists look at the sea lions. >> we love those animals. >> we love them? all right. time, now, for weather. and jeff smith for wabc is in for sam champion. jeff, the whole nation is pleasing this morning. >> oh, yeah. the deep freeze coming south. and the wind is a big deal. we head to woburn, massachusetts, in the boston area. wind with wet ground causing trees to come down. winds gusting 45 miles per hour to 55 miles per hour, in and around boston. upwards to 60 miles per hour around cape cod. 21 in new york city. you reverse those digits and get your temperature in boston right now. the goose egg in burlington, vermont. the wind is calming down a little bit. watching a storm system along the gulf coast, spreading moderate to heavy rain. light snows in the ohio valley. heavier snows moves into parts of the rocky mountains. dan, we're going to send it back over to you. >> thanks, jeff. there's a new twist this morning in the international tug-of-war over 9-year-old sean goldman. the boy's father brought his son home from brazil to new jersey just days ago. now, their reunion is in jeopardy. david muir has the story this morning. >> reporter: good morning. here's what happened. the brazilian family is asking that the boy himself be brought to a court, to offer his own wishes before a judge. it's something the brazilian court had initially turned down. meanwhile, this morning, sean goldman's biological father talks about bringing his son home. david goldman reunited with his son since christmas eve, spoke of pulling back into the neighborhood where they once lived together. >> we're coming home. he said, where's our home? just to hear him say, our home. i waited five years for that. >> reporter: but now comes word the brazilian family ordered to return 9-year-old sean goldman to his father here in the u.s., plans to keep fighting. pushing forward with its request, that the boy's wishes be known, back to a brazilian court. the initial request for this was denied. but how likely is it that any court would bring the boy back? >> realistically, it's just not going to happen. i cannot imagine any judge or any judicial system in the united states sending this boy back. >> reporter: last night, the boy's brazilian grandmother told us, she's not giving up. sean did not have his most basic right respected, she told us. which was to be listened to by the brazilian justice system. it was just last week, that the brazilian supreme court ordered the boy be returned to his father. the chaos was surrounding the reunion. >> it was awful to be in that crowd. it was completely unnecessary. he is afraid of cameras. and that was so unnecessary. >> reporter: as the case plays out in front of the cameras, even some inside the goldman home, some questions about how too much exposure can be harmful. >> the media can only be a negative for any child. but particularly a child who just is in a very sensitive period of their lives. >> reporter: goldman, says his son hasn't called him dad yet. but he'll wait. >> after five years, i know my son is safe, is sound asleep in his bed. it's a gift from god. >> reporter: he spoke about showing his son his own room. the room he hasn't seen in years. he said it all came back to him. a moment that the father waited for, of course. there's been a lot of concern about the boy. you heard that. the father said the boy hasn't cried or showed any anguish. they've been playing wii, dan. and i'm told the boy has been beating his dad. >> a lot of experts predicted this would be a tough and emotional time for the boy. >> reporter: he's still young. >> it looks like he will be staying in new jersey. >> reporter: yeah. i think it would be very hard for a brazilian court to get him back. >> david, thanks. now, to the economic fallout from the tiger woods sex scandal. it's hit his sponsors hard. and for the first time, we're seeing how hard, with a look at the actual dollars lost. abc's david kerley has the story. >> reporter: it's been more than a month now since we've seen tiger woods. two weeks since his wife, elin, was seen out with their children. but you may be seeing the effects of this scandal in your pocketbook. a study by two economics professors at u.c. davis, said tiger woods' sponsors saw their stocks drop after the weeks that tiger wrecked his car. how much? a cumulative loss of $12 billion. staggering numbers, considering woods' sponsorship deals with not worth billions. but the trend was obvious. >> seven out of the eight firms last value relative to the benchmarks that we use after the accident. that's something that's fairly unlikely to happen just by chance. >> reporter: in fact, when they added up all the numbers, the sponsors in that two-week period, lost between 2% and 3% of their total value, while the dow jones industrial average lost almost nothing. that's why woods has not been completely abandoned business hi sponsors. >> they don't know what's going to happen next. america loves a comeback story. and marketers know this. and a lot of them are betting on it right now. >> reporter: a bet they hope doesn't cost them or you anymore money. for "good morning americ> comi miracle. mother and child come back to life after dying in the delivery room. the family joins us live for an exclusive interview. 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(announcer) store to home. there's more ways to shop your way at sears. life. well spent. >> good morning. it's 7:24. 20 degrees right now under mostly cloudy skies. clouds are lowering and thickening. locked in the teens in western pennsylvania. 30 in norfolk. clouds are moving in. flurries back to the west. we will continue to watch that. our computer models are indicating the system that we were expecting to come together around new year's is coming at us in two parts. that means a better scenario for less wintry weather around baltimore. if you don't want a winter storm, this is the best. we have a chance of a wintry mix tomorrow morning then during the day in downtown baltimore. chilly rain tomorrow. ice, sleet, snow, freezing rain mixed up near the p.a. line and up to new york as well. a few pieces of energy, mostly rain showers and a chilly rain through midnight. watching the second piece off the carolina coast will wrap back the cold air. that is a chance of going back to a wintry mix and snow showers. plan for a chance of wintry mix after midnight and toward daybreak tomorrow. matt has traffic. >> unfortunately the big problem is with us, 295. accident scene is northbound north of 32. everything is shut down northbound on 295. your last chance to exit is 32 but delays back to the county line or slowing on southbound 295 stretch. if you can, bypass that altogether. stick with 95. minor problem northbound at the fort mchenry has been cleared. good morning. several families at a montgomery county apartment complex were forced out of their homes into the cold. fire crews were called out to this four-alarm fire. officials say at least 14 units were damaged there. the red cross had to step in to find shelter for the displaced families. no injuries were reported. a young boy remains in the hospital this morning after a tree fell on top of him at a nature camp in carroll county. there were about 60 children at this camp, north of westminister. as they prepared to head out for a nature hike, the winds pick up and a spokesman said the gusts reached 60 miles per hour and a hickory tree crashed down. a 10-year old girl was treated and released from the local hospital. a 9-year-old boy is still at hopkins with serious injuries. police need your help to find this person. they say he jumped on a city bus armed with a shovel and attacked a fellow rider. it happened a couple of weeks ago on the number 44 line. police say an argument broke out and the shovel wielding man started swinging. he has not been seen since. anyone that knows who the man is should call police, 410-454- 7720. the five jurors who became friends on facebook during mayor sheila dickson's trial will appear in court on january 6th for a hearing on a motion for a new trial. defense attorneys say the jurors disregarded the judge's instructions not to discuss the case outside of the courthouse during the course of deliberations. mayor dickson was found guilty of misappropriating more than half a million dollars in gift cards on december 1st. she could be thrown out of office after sentencing. have a great morning. ah, this is times square. and day before the biggest party in the world. trust me. tomorrow this time, there will be lots of people already lining up. more than 1 million revelers will flock to the cross woroadsf the world, to usher in the new year. this year, we get a preview from the host of the party, ryan seacrest. good morning, america. i'm elizabeth vargas. here with dan harris. robin and george are off this morning. we're in the thick of the holiday travel season. and we're dealing with a new slew of security measures at the airports. how can you make your trip safe and smooth? we'll ask two frequent flyers for tips. >> i'm looking forward to hearing what that is. first, what might be a true christmas miracle. a colorado mother died during childbirth on christmas eve. she had no heartbeat. so, doctors decided to deliver the baby. delivering him by cesarean sections. but he, too, wasn't breathing. then, the remarkable happens. mother and son come back to life. triscy hermanstorfer thought chris maz had some early. she was in labor. all was well until tracy was overcome with exhaustion. she closed her eyes. and suddenly -- she went into cardiac arrest. her heart stopped beating. a code blue emergency call rang out. dr. stephanie martin ran in to assist. >> she was dead. she had no heartbeat. no breathing. >> reporter: for more than four minutes, doctors tried to revive tracy, to no avail. mike looked on in shock. >> i sat there with my wife's hand, in mine. ice cold. she was completely and totally blue. >> reporter: doctors were forced to make a painful choice. let the mother go and save the baby. dr. martin performed an emergency c-section in the delivery room. but the baby was also in trouble. he wasn't breathing. as doctors feverishly worked to save the newborn, a miracle. tracy's pulse suddenly came back. and she was rushed into the o.r. moments later, a second gift. their newborn baby took a breath. both mother and baby survived. and that night, baby coltyn was fast asleep in his mother's arms. and here to tell us their remarkable story are tracy and mike hermanstorfer, along with their son, coltyn, and dr. stephanie martin. good morning to you all. tracy, how are you and the baby doing? >> oh, we're doing good. i'm ready to show the world. >> i can't believe he was 7 weeks premature. he's a big, little boy. >> yeah. >> you have given birth twice before, tracy, to two other healthy babies. but you said, even from the start this, labor and delivery was different. how? >> i felt a little different in this pregnancy. after they started, i felt a little weird. and the pains were a lot harder than i can remember. we decided to go ahead and do the epidural for the first time. >> mike, you were holding her hand as tracy got the epidural. you have to lie down when you get an epidural, because your legs stop working. when did you start noticing that a problem was occurring? >> they had her sit up after the epidural. and it wasn't until afterwards that she layed down, saying she was tired. that's when the whole nightmare started. >> what happened? >> she started going numb, and everything, in her legs, like you said. she layed down to close her eyes and take a nap. we were in for a long day. and she wasn't making up. >> when did you notice her breathing was shallow or her color was blue? >> when i felt her hand -- i was holding her hand. and it started getting cold. and i looked at her fingertips. and her fingertips were blue. and one of the nurses noticed that her face -- the color on her face was completely gone. she was as gray as a ghost. >> a code blue was declared. a scary thing in any hospital. dr. martin, you're not actually tracy's doctor. but you heard the code blue and ran in the room to try to help. when you got there, what did you see? what was the situation? >> you're right. tracy and i got to meet on that day. and mike i met after the whole thing was over. after i ran in the room, the anesthesiologist had started breathing for tracy. there were preparations being made to start the resuscitation should her heart stop. about 25 seconds after i got in the room, her heart did stop. and we started making preparations to do an emergency cesarean delivery in the room, in the event we were not successful in bringing tracy back. unfortunately, in most of these situations, despite the best efforts of the team, mom is not often able to be revived. we anticipated that possibility. and when it became clear that tracy was not responding to the work the team was doing on her, we made the decision to do cesarean section. primarily to give coltyn the best chance of survival. and hoping it would allow us to do a more effective resuscitation on tracy. fortunately, she cooperated. and we got a heartbeat back immediately after delivering coltyn. >> you only have four or five minutes when a mother's heart stops beating to get that baby out of her. you had to move quickly. you did that c-section, without anesthesia. at this point, tracy's heart wasn't beating and she's not breathing. so, there was no need for anesthesia. once you got the baby out, tell me what his condition was. >> everything you said is exactly right. the longer you wait to do the delivery, the greater the chance that the newborn will suffer some sort of permanent, neurologic injury that can be life-altering. it sounds contrary to do a cesarean section or any other major surgery on a mom that's clearly as unstable as tracy was. but it's the only opportunity for the baby. when i delivered him, he was limp and appeared lifeless. he was quite heavy. i did not check for a heartbeat. i handed him off to the neonatal team. and the neonatal team was able to resuscitate him. he was in another room. i was completely unaware of what was happening with coltyn as we worked on tracy. >> you worked on tracy. and all of a sudden, her heart begins to beat again. what explanation do you have for that? how long had she been with her heart not beating and her own body not breathing? >> somewhere between four to five minutes, she had been without a heart rate. she had stopped breathing a minute or two prior to her heart rate stopping. i don't have a great explanation. the only theories that i can offer are primarily, the emptying the uterus relieves the body of a responsibility to try and feed that baby in that uterus. perhaps that stress relief offered some ability for the heart to recover. and it also unblocks the abinstruction of the blood flow to and from the heart. that can be quite large and can block the blood flow when they're laying flat like that. but most of the time, the mom does not have such an incredible turnaround. we may notice an improvement in their blood pressure, for example, or in their response. but very, very unusual to have this type of immediate recovery because as soon as she got her heart rate back, tracy continued to get better and better. by the time she was in the icu, about an hour and a half later, she decided she didn't care to be intubated anymore. and tell us his name was coltyn. >> fantastic. mike, i can't imagine the emotional rollercoaster you went through. you thought for a few moments you lost your wife and your child. only then to find out that they both inexplicably, miraculously recover. what are you two going to tell coltyn one day about the day he was born? >> i don't even know yet. i have not figured out how we're going to place this to him. we've got so many media -- so much media involved in this. he's got a library that's going to be started of everything that's been done about him. and we may not have to explain much at all. >> well, it is a true christmas miracle. tracy, we're glad to see you and coltyn looking happy and healthy and robust. and wish you many, many blessings for the new year. thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> all right. time, now, for the weather and jeff smith from wabc, in for sam champion. jeff? >> we've been talking about the cold invading much of the country. with the cold, there's some snowfall in places that doesn't typically receive snowfall. we're going to head to weatherford, texas. about one to two inches of snow in that area. dallas got two inches of snow yesterday. that was a record for the date. they never received snowfall on that day in recorded history. that same system moving to the east. it's eventually going to be moving up the east coast. too little too late for a major storm in the big cities, from philadelphia to boston. but the ski resorts in upper new england, will love this. maybe up to a foot of snow in those areas. chicago, behind the storm. the big story will be the cold. 32 today. that's the warm time of the week. we're down to 17 for a high saturday. 15 for a high on sunday. this weather report, brought do you by cadillac. elizabeth, back to you. >> thanks so much. coming up, how to deal with the new airport security measures. we have tips from some really frequent flyers. research shows that dancing is good for your heart. so is fish oil. nature made fish oil protects your heart so you can dance great and live great every day. nature made. fuel your greatness. rheumatoid arthritis going? 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(woman) ask your rheumatologist about simponi.™ just one dose, once a month. it is crazy at the airport these days. with all the new security changes, we thought we'd get some advice from some very frequent business travelers. our two guests have thrown nor than miles apiece this year. joining us from denver, is michael boyd. and in chicago, we have terrell margolis, who is the ceo of smart women traveler. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> michael, let me pick on you first. what are your tips for getting through the security line quickly? >> well, recognize what the situation is. your job is to get from the front door of the terminal, to the front door of the airplane, as quickly as possible. and you have an ally in process, called the tsa screeners. they know you're not a terrorist. you know you're not a terrorist. so, set yourself up to make their job as easy as possible. so, they can both prove to their boss that the kabuki theater we're going through, that you're not a terrorist. pack your bag properly. be in line with everything you need. and make sure your bag is in such a matter they can do it quickly. >> in terms of navigating the kabuki theater, carol, what are your thoughts? >> i look for the shortest line. or the line with the most business travelers in it. i avoid any line that has a lot of families. and, older people, as well. i want to get through that line as quick as i can. >> michael, what about the clear plastic carriers that you put in shampoo and things like that. are you careful with your liquids and jells and that stuff? >> the last thing i want the world to know is that i use grecian formula. you want to put that on the top of your bag. so, they can look at and find out. a lot of guys, like me, we'll buy it at the other end. if you're carrying that stuff, make sure it's at the top. >> buy it at the other end. that's an interesting idea. another interesting idea you mentioned is fedexing your luggage ahead? >> absolutely. we were just up in vail skiing. and most people send their luggage ahead. boot bags. why go through the brain damage of getting a boot bag through security or check it. get it out of the way as quickly as possible for everybody. on the other hand, if you're going to carry something through, make sure it's packed in a matter that will show the tsa that there's nothing shaky about it. and it's packed if they do have to paw through it, they can do it quickly and easily. that's in your best interest and there theirs. >> it can be cheaper to use fedex. carol, you have trips for travelers. >> use as many liquids as possible. i want to get through tsa easily. i carry brown sugar packets with me. they make great facial scrubs. body scrub with the hotel body lotion. a wonderful way to feel good and avoid the tsa process. >> and you have tea bags -- use of hotel tea bags, as well. >> i do. as soon as i get off the plane with puffy eyes, you heat up the tea bags, and cool them down. >> thank you for the information we can use. have a great morning. and safe travels in the future. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> you can go to abcnews.com, and click on "gma," for mr. tips from those two. coming up next, it was billed as the world's best job. but the guy who got it may now be second-guessing his career choice. keep it here. [ female announcer ] we were flattered when regenerist beat flabbergasted when we creamed the $700 cream! hydrates better than 32 of the world's most expensive creams. fantastic. phenomenal. ♪ i come from a land down under ♪ sometimes, the things you want most in life, end up and bite you in the rear. that's exactly what happened, literally, to this british man named ben salpal. he was the winner of the contest of the best job of the year. the best job of the year was running this island. hamilton island. he won this to be a caretaker. he did this for six months. he's supposed to come in. he submitted this amazing video, via youtube. he was running this island. having an amazing time. >> what happened? >> he got bitten by a jellyfish. a deadly jellyfish. >> a deadly jellyfish. >> yeah. and he's taking the blame. saying he wasn't wearing the proper clothing. >> there's a lesson here. >> there you go. >> i would be willing to spend a year doing that job to get stung by a jellyfish. i would. >> elizabeth is clearly fearless. she's also wearing footwear -- >> i like the airline slippers. they're good. >> jellyfish-resistant. >> we'll be right back. while i was building my friendships, my family, while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. find out more about slowing the buildup of plaque at crestor.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. what's going on? we ordered a gift online and we really need to do something with it... i'm just not sure what... what is it? oh just return it. returning gifts is easier than ever with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. plus i can pick it up for free. perfect because we have to get that outta this house. c'mon, it's not that... gahh, oh yeah that's gotta go... priority mail flat rate shipping starts at $4.95 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship and return. good morning, it's 7:56 in holiday mode we have a empty parking lot here. i want to show you the shallow cloud deck to give us a purple sunrise. we have the clouds thickening up. winds calm. that's a good thing compared to yesterday. we have flurries in the valley. and this is part of a storm system to come at us in two pieces. piece number one is through the southern great lakes. mostly snow with that. southern piece with rain in it out of eastern texas. that will past to the south and redevelop on new year's day. new year's eve we get ice. and part two comes out new year's and new year's day. we have rain that could end with snow and minor accumulation. the two part system, really not incision the -- as big as the one we thought. tomorrow we have a chilly rain and around the bay. some icy stuff still on the north side. now let's attack that traffic. justin, unfortunately, no good news in the southwest. we're still looking at the closure. northbound on 295. you can see everything shutdown on the northbound side. if you can stay away from 295, even southbound at least in from a 100. 95 a better bet from baltimore and d.c.. and we're checking into a problem northbound on 95 at keith avenue. looks like the right lane partial blocked. and it's at a and eagle boulevard in anne arundel county. minor congestion on the west side towards liberty road and baltimore national pike. for the most part a light pace all morning long. back with news after this. ♪ notorious ah. they may be the most notorious fame-seekers of 2009. amazing us all with how far they went for their 15 minutes of fame. but what does our fascination with them say about us? do they act out because we watch? or do we watch because they act out? which comes first? the chicken or the egg? a provocative discussion, coming up. good morning, america. i'm elizabeth vargas. we're with the crowd here. and dan harris. they're planning to be in times square for the big new year's celebration. we've warned them to bundle up. >> yeah. it takes a lot of bravery. >> it does. >> and perhaps antifreeze to stand out there on new year's eve. >> it does. this is wednesday, december 30th. robin and george have the day off. and we have something coming up that half of us will experience in our lives. fainting. and what you should do if it happens to someone close to you. outside of our doors, the world is getting ready for new year's on times square. and ryan seacrest is here. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> nice to see you. >> i'm curious. do you have resolutions? do you make resolutions? >> i use ed to. but i don't stick to them, like everybody else. >> what are the highlights for the celebration this year? >> we have live performances. jennifer lopez. dick clark. fergie will be co-hosting on the westside. so, a lot of activity. >> did you buy heavy-duty long underwear and stuff like that? >> look at me. i have heavy-duty nothing. >> the only guy that will be comfortable. >> i think it will be nice for the broadcast. >> really? >> it's supposed to clear up. >> you know something that we don't know? >> yes. the five-day. it's clear just for the broadcast. >> nice. >> a great celebration. we're looking forward to it. you're going to have a huge, huge crowd. not only here in times square. but around the world. >> we'll talk to you more in a few minutes. >> absolutely. first, let's go to bianna golodryga in for juju chang. >> good morning, everyone at home. we begin overnight developments surrounding the failed christmas terror attack. there's word this morning that the cia knew about the suspect weeks before that attack. our senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, joins us with more from washington. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: we learned that weeks before the attack, the u.s. government had intelligence that, quote, a nigerian was in yemen, possibly preparing an act of terrorism. this is critical because that information should have been linked to the fact that the suspect's father later came to u.s. officials warning that his son was associated with radicals in yemen. >> what are we learning about the suspect's time spent in london? >> reporter: british authorities are all over it. they've searched his apartment. they're also investigating whether his alleged ties to al qaeda began there. of great interest are seminars and associates who may have stoked his radical views. authorities in london want to make sure there's not a cell there that supported this suspect. >> all right, pierre. thank you for the latest report. >> thank you. meantime, we know the suspect was on a flight from am amsterd amsterdam. and authorities will start using full-body scanners in the next few weeks. president obama is calling it an unacceptable systemic failure by the intelligence community. in other news this morning, two suicide attacks have killed at least 23 people in western iraq this morning, the worst violence in that region in months. the bombers targeted police and a government compound, raising concern about increasing violence ahead of the march elections. in medical news this morning, millions of people take the herbal supplement, ginko biloba. but a new study shows it does nothing to help memory or mental functioning in older adults. the study tracked more than 3,000 adults over 6 years. sad news to tell you. the last meal of one of the most famous restaurants in the world is taking place tomorrow. tavern on the green is shutting down after 75 years, after first opening on the edge of central park. the luxury landmark was once the country's highest-grossing restaurant. and the tavern on the green name, get this, has been appraised at $19 million. that's definitely an iconic restaurant here in the city. they have the best shrimp cocktail i've ever had. jeff smith, what do you think? >> i would say so. that's an iconic place on the upper west side of manhattan. we found out today that lego's are our best friend here at "good morning america." look at this endorsement. where are you from? >> pennsylvania. >> what's your name? >> billy fish. >> and we have this young man getting vacation time. how old are you today? >> i'm 21. >> okay. let's head over to the boards right now. actually start with video in portland, oregon, which normally averages two inches of snow per season. last night, they got two inches during the evening commute. that wasn't a good time for them, as they had some problems in that area, and eventually changed over to rainfall. you can see that snow spreading to the raocky mountains spreadig know between salt lake city and denver. also, light snowfall amounts in the ohio valley. less windy in if northeast. but prov more weather coming up next half hour. elizabeth, back over to you. >> thanks so much, jeff. we look back at 2009. now in some ways, you could call it the year of behaving badly. we witnessed some outrageous stunts pulled by people looking for their 15 minutes of fame. abc's david wright looks at just how far some people were willing to go. >> reporter: it's the kind of thing that shimmers like a silvery balloon. and rises so fast -- >> widely feared -- >> reporter: you can't help but watch. >> i really, really want to thank the local police department. >> reporter: but then all-too quickly, it suddenly comes crashing down to earth. >> we did this for a show. >> reporter: for the balloon boy's parents, richard and mayuni heene. >> falcon, are you okay? >> reporter: and the gosselins turned their family into a modern "brady bunch." and for five seasons, they succeeded. but the gosselins got their 15 minutes of game because of the meltdown behind the scenes. >> please don't squish the cereal in your anger. >> i'm not squishing anything. >> will you come here? >> why? >> because. >> i can't sit on the sofa because of that woman. i can't sit next to someone that right now despise. >> reporter: there other plus eight. nadia sulejman, better known as the octomom. her 15 minutes of fame didn't last long enough to cash in. in 2009, "desperate housewives" gave way to real housewives. ordinary people. on jersey shore, there was the turn in the hot tub. followed by a controversial punchup from a new jersey bar fly. meanwhile, the real housewives of new jersey flipped tables opinion and the real housewives of d.c. upended protocol. >> mr. and mrs. salahi. >> reporter: gate crashing at the white house. much to the embarrassment of the obama administration. in most cases, 15 minutes of fame seems more than generous. the exception, look to "britain's got talent." ♪ i dreamed a dream of time gone by ♪ >> reporter: for susan boyle, 15 minutes of fame was a dream come true. for "good morning america," david wright, abc news, washington. >> and for susan boyle, i'd like to see more than 15 minutes. joining me now in times square, is jessica shaw, senior writer at "entertainment weekly" magazine. and in our washington bureau, matea gold. ladies, good morning. these people wouldn't be doing the outrageous things if we didn't watch the reality shows that they're on or trying to get on. is it our fault they're behaving badly? >> i think clearly, part of the appeal of these programs is the vicarious thrill of watching other people behaving badly. and so, seeing outlandish behavior by reality television contestants isn't new. i think what we're seeing is a reappraisal from the industry, about whether they bear responsibility in giving these people a platform. in the wake of a lot of the incidents, there's been a quiet discussion going on whether vetting procedures need to be tightened. whether there needs to be stricter background checks. and i think because of the proliferation of these shows in the last decade, people have been casting a wider net to get outrageous personalities on the air. and we're seeing the fruit of that. >> jessica, why do so many people want to be famous for no reason? >> we're a culture obsessed with fame. as viewers, we love watching people's loss of dignity. but viewers want to see this. and the networks can make these shows for relatively cheap. and they do really well. you can understand why it's happening. >> is it also the media's fault for covering this? for covering the salahis when they crash the white house? for covering -- the balloon boy story was a legitimate news story. we felt for a few hours there was a 6-year-old child floating in this balloon. we were talking about this. and i couldn't watch it was so upsetting. >> it was riveting. i was sitting in my office, thinking what must these parents be going through? it was horrifying. >> afterward, when people found out it was a hoax, unlike the other reality bad behavior, there was a lot of anger at the family. the heene family. >> interestingly, with their sentencing, which each parent will do jail time in january, part of the sentencing is they can't capitalize, they can't cash in on their story for four years. if these people try to get a reality show in four years and one day -- if someone gives them a reality show, there's something wrong with our culture. >> do you think the industry's taking a quiet look at itself and how it vets these people. is there a quiet examination into who we choose, if it's not a criminal background. but you look at the heene family. they were on "wife swap," a show that aired here on abc. is there an examination as to the kind of people we want to cast? and the people we want to watch? >> absolutely. i talked to mark burnett, who produces "survivor." he says one of the things he's careful about is not picking anyone who says me, me, me. i want to be famous. that doesn't make good television. and second of all, it's a disturbing impulse. and there's so many opportunities to get real fame from these shows, a lot of people have a very realistic notion that if i behave outrageously, i can get attention because we've seen that happen. so, a lot of producers now who are producing what they like to term responsible reality, are talking about the need to emphasize kind of best practices in the industry. there's even going to be a panel on this here in washington next -- in a couple months. and i think there's a real reassessment about the fact that the bar has been set pretty low about who gets to come on these programs. >> when you talk about the me, me, me, we were just showing the salahis, as they crashed the white house state dinner. i can't -- a lot of people couldn't believe the level of shamelessness. i would be mortified if i was told i wasn't invited to the party and have to leave. it's amazing they are willing to put themselves in this position. >> it is. and i think what we've seen is behavior in the past would have been regarded as shameful and something to be embarrassed by, is now something that just gets you your 15 minutes. we saw with the latest story, regarding tiger woods, all of his mistresses coming forward to claim, yes, i was involved with him, as well. it's no longer something that people hang their heads in shame about. i think that's given a lot of people pause. but it's interesting. as much as there's been a lot of chastising of the salahis and the heenes, as you both said, we've been riveted by it. it's almost as if the drama around reality shows and the casting has been its own reality show. >> and bottom line, you think anytime children is involved, that's the time it's most egregious. >> or even the octomom. time and again. to me, the heenes, when you're telling your child, go in the attic and stay quiet because we're making a reality show out of this, problem. problem. >> thank you so much, jessica shaw, and matea gold, for joining us on this morning. coming up next, ryan seacrest and a preview of the world's most famous new year's eve party. 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(announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you. ♪ i got a feeling this is an amazing statistic. literally billions of people around the world will watch dick clark's new year's rockin' eve with ryan seacrest. the show is now in its 38th year. and with us this morning, right there on the jumbotron and next to me, is ryan seacrest himself. good morning. >> good morning. great to see you. >> so, run it down for me. who do you have on the show? >> everybody. >> everybody. >> everybody that's popular. we have jennifer lopez, and about 12 dancers, performing live out here in times square. daughtry and his band. chris daughtry from "american idol." >> you broke him. >> he was broke and he was kicked off the show. he's proven to do very well, by not winning the program. fergie. dick clark, of course, will be back in times square. >> how is dick clark doing? >> he's excited. he's doing well. he's excited about new year's eve. i think this is what he looks forward to each year, to be on the air and counting us. it's in his deal. in his contract. he gets ten, nine, eight -- >> he gets that? >> i get 25 to 20. he gets ten to midnights. >> i can only imagine the negotiations over there. you also will be spending a lot of time out in freezing cold. how do you deal with that? what kind of precautions do you take? >> you know better than i. but you can put those things in your boots. rocks? heaters. >> this is a guy that lives in l.a. we don't put rocks in our boots. >> i put rocks in my boot. and it keeps my toes warm. >> more you can learn from ryan seacrest. >> it's not supposed to be too bad for the ball drop. it will be clear, not too cold, fortunately. >> you're expecting a million people, roughly, for this. >> a million people, here in times square. with millions watching. it's one of those things that you've got to try to experience live, if you can. and if you can't be here, obviously, we bring the party to you at home. >> i have to ask you about "american idol," now that we have you here. ellen degeneres is coming on the show. and there's rumors about simon cowell departing. true or false? >> as far as i know, those are just rumors. >> that's a careful answer. >> as far as i know now, sir. he has a successful show in the u.k. and i'm sure he hopes to have it here at some point. but we're gearing up for the next season of "idol," with simon and ellen and everybody else, january 12th. >> as of right now, simon cowell on the show? >> as of right now, he's on "american idol." >> i hear that you just turned 35. >> yeah. and you were shocked by that. >> i was shocked. >> you're thinking 20-something. >> i was thinking 21. >> how was my first beer? is that the question? >> i want you to know i made you a cake. >> thank you. >> for real. i made you a cake. >> that's awkward. >> well -- yeah. wow. i didn't see that coming. we made you a cake. it's right there. bring it in. and we also have -- [ cheers and applause ] and we have rocks for your boots. >> i'm not kidding. there's rocks in there. >> these are toe warmers. >> open those up and have them later. this is very nice. thank you very much. >> it's a pleasure. >> what kind of cake did you bake? >> i'll tell you later. i forgot what i made. very quickly, before we get you go. you brought a coat with you for our warm hearts campaign. >> i did. >> can you donate that? >> i sure can. make sure there's no frequent flyer or ticket stubs, receipts. there you go. >> excellent. great to meet you. good luck on the show. >> thank you very much. >> dick clark's new year's rockin' eve, with ryan seacrest, begins 10:00, 9:00 central, on abc. we'll be back. you can get a cc, tiguan or fuel-efficient jetta for practically just your signature. you can get schedud maintenance at no st. there's gotta be more to it tn that. 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[ female announcer ] we'll take over your computer and your problems. get 24/7 geek squad online support. only from best buy. 8:25 and temperatures just trying to keep up another notch up here to 21 degrees under a cloudy sky. we have 21 in east tonight and fairly uniform chill. but at least we're without at wind that we had yesterday. and you'll see some spec - some blue. the second part of this is coming out of east texas and the gulf coast. both systems will reach us. but instead of reaching us together it will come in two pieces. the first one will bring us the wintry mix by tomorrow morning and tomorrow night and new year's day we'll get the second part and any mixture of rain back to snow. 37 today with an increasing clouds and we'll get some sleet and freezing rain tomorrow morning and then 28. tomorrow morning chilly rain and baltimore bit bay with some of the wintry mix to the north side. and the high temperature tomorrow around 40. we're still looking at the problem on 295. the accident scene is northbound on 295 smack dab in the middle between 32 and the exit. the ambulance has left the scene. so 95 will save you a lot of time as you head between baltimore and washington d.c. once you're on the dc beltway, we're looking at two crashes. a few fender-benders to keep an eye on. and in the city st. clair at frankfort and dealing with a crash along mountain road at katherine. you can see on the west side, a little bit volume but not too much of a delay between liberty and 795 and the inner loop and the west side a little heavy as you head to baltimore national pike. all and all not too bad. back with the news in a minute. new information this morning on the death of an 11- year-old girl in salsbury. the sheriff's department says that they will seek the death penalty any murder of sarah fox well. she was taken on tuesday and they fund her body and christmas day. thomas lakes junior who has convictions for sexual phoneses in maryland and delaware is charged with the girl's kidnapping. authorities say that the autopsy results showed that she died of multiple injuries and her death has been ruled a homicide. authorities say that he will face additional charges. baltimore county police are investigating an accident that killed a woman. it happened around 9:00 last night at the intersection of weis and midway avenues. the woman that is believed to be in her 70s was taken to bayview hospital where she was pronounced dead. no worth whether the driver will face charges. the police are still investigating this. a young boy remains in the hospital this morning after a tree fell on him. there were about 06 kids at this camp at this environmental center north of westminster. as they prepared to head out for a nature hike, the wind bath to pick up and gusts reached about 35 miles an hour and a 60-foot hickory tree came down. most of the kids were able to escape safely. two of them did not. >> they have kids out there in the weather during the school year. they have kids in the snow. it's and he had indication -- and outdoor education center. so they'll be here in all conditions to see how the environment changes. >> a ten-year-old girl was released but another boy is still in the hospital. we'll see you in a half hour for good morning maryland at 9:00. ♪ ♪ all the single ladies all the single ladies ♪ ♪ all the single ladies oh, yeah. it seems every, single baby had their own version of beyonce's hit, "single ladies." one of the virus trends that made us smile in 2009. this morning, we're going to look back at all of the things we found this year. >> i could sit and watch this until 2010. >> aw. adorable. >> now, that can't be real. >> what? >> talented babies. >> this is my favorite, right here. a minibeyonce. >> and look at that. that is impressive. >> those were her backup dancers. >> good morning, america. i'm elizabeth vargas, with dan harris. george stephanopoulos and robin roberts are off today. and bianna golodryga joining us, as well. and coming up this morning, something that will happen to half of all americans, fainting. dr. richard besser is here with answers. >> it's a scary thing when you see that happen. scarier if it happens to you. scarier if you're wearing the wrong bling on new year's eve, as well. what you need to add a little bling to your new year's outfit. all under 30 bucks. first, we want to visit with the girl and boy scouts from williamsburg. they're here with the business of collecting coats. they're here with 80 coats for our warm coats and warm hearts drive. good morning. how are you? >> good morning. >> let me start with you. this little girl's name is teressa. tell me about collecting coats. how was it? >> it was great because the people, you got to donate coats to the people who really need them in the winter. >> did you enjoy it? >> yes. >> where did you find the coats? did you gather your own coats? did you get people to give you coats? >> i gathered my own coats. >> fantastic. >> what was your sales pitch? how did you get people to donate? >> i asked. >> just asked nicely? there's a lesson there. >> there is. this is a great success story for your troop, isn't it? >> it was. every year, we get coats. and this year, our sixth year of collecting coats. and about 700 coats we've collected over the years. >> thank you so much. congratulations. really, really great job. this is a huge pile. >> thank you, teressa, as well. good job. now, let's check the weather with jeff smith from wabc. jeff? >> hello, elizabeth. surrounded by some of the warmest hearts in the country right here. give an applause for yourselves. from williamsburg, brooklyn, here in new york city. we're going to check out chicago right now. it is snowing. this is a live shot. but the snow's not quite reaching the ground. i think it will by later this morning. you might get an inch or two in the chicago area. some of that heading into the ohio valley. l.a. getting up to about 61. some marine moving up the west coast. rainfall along the gulf coast. big story in the southeast, less windy out there today. even though it's cold, it will feel less harsh. new year's eve, boston, 34. 44 atlanta. and ryan seacrest gave you a preview of the new year's eve ball drop in times square. might be a this weather brought to you by volkswagen. dan, back over to you. >> thanks, jeff. appreciate it. now, the dangers of fainting. this is something that will happen to half of all americans. that's an incredible statistic. and this temporary loss of consciousness can be caused by anything from a simple, sudden scare, to a serious heart problem. take a look. it happened to marie osmond. >> all right, we're going to take a commercial break. >> reporter: janet reno. and even this young spelling champ. it's so common that nearly half of all people will faint at some point in their lives. and while the internet is littered with videos of fainters, unexplained fainting can be serious or deadly, if left untreated. >> what's going on? mark? mark? >> reporter: forest finch, a 42-year-old paramedic, was driving on a highway in st. louis. his partner in back with a patient. >> i yelled out his name a couple times, see if maybe he dozed off. which has never happened. i was able to crawl forward, into the cab of the ambulance. and took the gear shift and threw it into park. >> i felt fine the whole day. i was driving the ambulance. and next thing i knew, i woke up in a ditch, asking my partner what happened? >> reporter: known medically as syncope, fainting is a total loss of consciousness. happening when the brain is deprived of blood, oxygen or glucose. in forrest's case, there was no reason why he blacked out. >> i was concerned about what was happening and why it happened. >> reporter: doctors installed a monitoring device under his skin. while a normal heartbeats 60 to 100 times a minute -- >> they found out i had 400 episodes of my heart rate dropping below 40. >> reporter: he had a condition known as brady cardia, meaning his heart was slowing to dangerous levels. fainting was the first sign that something was seriously wrong. cardiologists estimate that up to 25% of unexplained fainting episodes may be due to serious heart ailments. >> i passed out for a reason. didn't know exactly why. this is eye-opening to imagine what could have happened. >> reporter: now, equipped with a pacemaker, forrest is back in his ambulance, saving lives. >> i enjoy being a paramedic. that's my passion. wouldn't trade it for the world. >> reporter: and he hopes his example will lead to even more lives saved. so, why do we faint? and how can we help when it happens to someone else? our senior health and medical editor, dr. richard besser, is here to explain. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> what's the difference between fainting when you see blood or get scared? or some more serious underlying health issue? >> basically, you faint when your not getting enough blood or glucose or oxygen to your brain. and that can be for a number of reasons. here's why forrest fainted. here's his heart beating normally. and his heart slowed down. it wasn't getting blood to his brain. it didn't get the oxygen, the glucose it needed. and he fainted. that's a heart reason for fainting. one of the more common reasons if you're scared or you stand up quickly, blood pools in your body in your legs or your abdomen. and that doesn't give enough blood to your brain. you faint, you fall down. the blood goes up to your head. and you get up again. the fainting itself isn't what harms you. falling down, hitting your head, those are the things that can be dangerous. >> it's amazing to watch the people fainting in real-time. what do you do if you're standing next to somebody who has fainted? are there tips? >> first, if you feel like you're going to faint, lie down. or sit down, put your head between your legs so you don't fall and hurt yourself. if you see someone faint, you go over. you check and see, are they breathing? do they have a pulse? sometimes someone who looks like they're fainting has had a heart attack. if they're not breathing or have a pulse, you call 911 right away. if they're breathing, you raise their legs. and that will help the blood flow back into their head. >> are there danger signs we can look for? >> fainting in children is very common, in adolescence. especially the fainting where you stand up and get the light-headed feeling and you faint. >> it happens to all of us. >> it does. but the danger signs, the things that point to more of a heart reason, if you paint when you have exercise. that's something to worry about. if you faint when you're lying down. if there's a family history of sudden death. that would indicate you have an arrhythmia. that's dangerous. if you have underlying heart disease. that's something to worry about. those are danger signs that would say okay, this isn't simple fainting. you should see your doctor. >> one last correction here. my doctor, the wife is going to kill me. it's syncopy. i'm going to stick with fainting. you can get more expert advice at abcnews.com. well, if there's one night when ever woman wants to sparkle, of course, it's new year's eve. but you don't have to spend a lot of money to get some high-wattage looks. we have tia williams here. a style expert at essence.com. all the accessories, under 30 bucks. >> absolutely. >> i'm thinking 2008. i have the belt thing. and i'm not seeing much belts. >> the belt is happening. but for new year's eve, it's all about statement jewelry. it's like a statement necklace. a big cocktail ring. >> you mentioned ring. we're going to start with colleen. she's going to show us her beautiful cocktail ring. it's stunning. this is my the limited, correct? >> yes. >> $26.50. and is there a certain rule? can you wear only one ring? can you wear multiple rings? >> you can pile them on. but the whole point is 20 keep it as artful as you can. stick with a theme. right here, we're doing a vintage moment. it's all about delicate details. lacing, beading, beads. we have the lace clutch from target, under $30. a beautiful ribbon braceless from house of darion. all of if accessories are under $30. you can get the chic look without breaking the bank. >> you don't have to have a statement piece of jewelry. she has two bracelets on. it works. >> that's the key. you have to keep up with the theme. as long as you have a theme going, you can pile it on. >> the next thing i love, it's funny i'm not wearing one today. necklaces. i'm very big into necklaces. we have dana wearing a necklace that's stunning. and color is in, too. >> absolutely. anything that sparkles is amazing for new year's. and this statement necklace, a huge trend. under $30 from macy's. what you want to do when you have a statement necklace, is to keep the rest of your outfit pretty simple. >> right. the strapless dress. and i like the ribbon. i know a lot of j. crew jewelry has been ribbon, as well. >> absolutely. >> we also have brooches. these aren't your grandma's brooches. brooch. >> brooches look better when you put more than one on. it pushes the theme through. right here, this is kind of -- we call it our gold rush moment. we piled on fabulous, gold accessories. both of these bangle sets are each $30 at macy's. and we have a fabulous detail here, with the flower brooch, from iman hsn. it comes with a chain. you with wear it as a necklace. >> you can't do anything wrong. you want to pile it on. there are certain rules. >> there is a little bit of a rule here. when you're wearing a lot of accessories, the important thing is to pick a theme. and make sure that the theme is running through the accessories. >> and that's the focal point. >> that's the focal point. if you're wearing gold jewelry, pick golds that complement each other. >> last but not least, earrings. can't forget the earrings. >> so important. >> what's the theme with earrings this year? >> this look is all about feminine hardware. the dress is flirty. but it has the gromets. >> we're talking about zippers. so, the zipper earrings from macy's are perfect with this dress. we loaded on the hardware bracelets. >> the theme, i guess, is that you can wear whatever type of jewelry you want, as long as you know what look you're going after. >> exactly. >> we love it all. the best thing, it's all under 30 bucks. ladies, you look beautiful. thanks for joining us. happy new year, everyone. and thank you for joining us. it's holiday time, and no fruit is as versatile as our ocean spray cranberries. you can decorate with them, bake with them, even make holiday drinks, like our cranberry punch we call the festive sparkler. mm! festive. for all these reasons, we declare the ocean spray cranberry... the unofficial official fruit of the holidays. we'll probably get flak from the dates and figs. but no one can tell them apart, anyway. [ snickering ] for holiday tips and recipes, go to oceanspray.com. from c from cats to kanye, their the guilty pleasures the world couldn't stop watching. joining us now, via skype her home in california, the hottest viral videos, and some you may have missed, is "gma" contributor, becky worley. becky, good morning. >> good morning to you. >> what are the most-viewed videos? what were the most popular videos viewed online in 2009? >> this might surprise you. number one was the "twilight: new moon" movie trailer. you would have thought it was other things. >> i would have thought susan boyle. >> wedding dancing. david goes to the dentist. but this trailer got 413 million views when measured across sites. it shows that teenagers are driving this trend online. >> no kidding. obviously this, year, we had the tragic death of michael jackson. and that led to another new trend. >> yeah. news stories getting a second life through video online. and michael jackson's death spurred one in particular. there were a lot of tribute videos. but one in particular was amazing. a kid who used some editing tricks to create a nine-part harmony a cappella video, with just one performer. take a look. ♪ i'm starting with the man in the mirror ♪ ♪ i'm asking him to change his ways ♪ ♪ no message could have been any clearer ♪ ♪ if you want to make the world a better place take a look ♪ >> if ryan seacrest sees that, that kid could be on "american idol." >> that was done by one guy. just amazing. >> that is incredible. and we, of course, have what we were referring to earlier, as the cuteness videos. we showed them in the open of the 8:30 half hour. >> you take the beyonce megahit. combine that with cute babies. and i'm sure it can be scientifically proven, that this combination lights up all of the pleasure centers in our brain. this goes from the addictive to i could watch this all day. to help, i've been watching this all day. >> do we know how many babies are online dancing to the song? >> it's incredible. there's compilations that have been made. individual videos that gained prominence. this wasearnestly cute. i have to transition from the cute kids to the cute cats. we needed some real fluff this year. and we got it in the form of surprised kitty. take a look. can we just utter the collective aw. the news and the economy it stunk this year. we needed this, right? >> right. and from cats to kanye. that's another video that got a lot of play. >> and interestingly enough, there was a crossover here. i'll explain the cat part first. there was keyboard kitty. as you're watching this feline play, there was an internet joke where it was cropped with other videos. and it came to represent -- keyboard kitty represented the concept of playing off the bad acts. and my favorite example is keyboard kitty playing off of kanye west, interrupting taylor swift. >> taylor, i'm happy for you. i'm going to let you finish. but beyonce had one of the best videos of all-time. one of the best videos of all-time. ♪ >> don't you just wish that keyboard cat could have played kanye off live? >> you have no idea how much it would have saved everybody a lot of pain and heartbreak. >> he's going to play us off the show today. >> becky worley, thanks so much. happy new year. >> same to you. >> go to abcnews.com and click on "gma" to see all of those videos. >> if you do, you're getting (announcer) let's say you need a little advice sears personal shopper, can i help you? hi, i want a wii game that will make me sweat. do you like to dance? duh, uh uh... probably not boxing? only when provoked sword fighting ching, pah! chaa... oh yea. i've got the perfect one for you. there's even a light sword. ooooowwww... ship it. (announcer) chat, email, or phone. personal shopper, another way to shop your way at sears. life. well spent. [ sighs ] whoo-hoo! remember when your friend kelly said she liked your hair color? oh. she lied. [ clang ] ugh! whoops! whoo! okay, one-tone hair color -- totally washing you out. pbht! let's get your right color! nice'n easy with color-blend technology. in 1 simple step, get a blend of 3 tones. highlights, lowlights, and shine. it makes a fresh, light-filled frame for your pretty face. why settle for flat hair color when you can get that hair color? with nice'n easy. your right color. tomorrow on "good morning america," we'll count down the last hours of 2009, your new year's eve party starts right here. >> see you tomorrow morning. good morning at 8:56. we have the clouds rolling in. and northeast, 22 and 23 here and lagging behind and it is still a cold morning but without the fighting and biting wind. it is a better with unto take than yesterday. light snow breaking out. we want to show you our forecast model. it looks like it comes at us in two pieces. and icy mixture could develop across baltimore with rain central southern portions of the bay. it movess up a chilly rain for us but the northern tier, caroll county could hang on to freezing rain. pulses of showers will come through on new year's eve day. a low and back at us off the coast wrapping in colder air and snow showers on friday. today 37 with a thickening cloud and tonight after midnight through day break a wintry mix. we have traffic. and justin, thanks. we're working the problem. it will be with us for a time. northbound on 295 the parkway up to 32 and 175. at this point the northbound side is shut down. there was a med vac operation and the investigation will continue for some time so through columbia stick with 95, however be aware of debris in the roadway. the right lane is taken out. not too bad on the beltway from liberty to 795. minor congestion on that west side down from liberty. blat ówówbwuw