>> authorities said they were investigating dozens of suspicious fires centered mostly in the hollywood area. in other news this morning, an active duty soldier in federal custody this morning accused of trying to board a commercial plane while carrying explosives. sergeant first-class trey atwater going through a checkpoint in midland international airport in texas wh when a screener spotted suspicious material in military grade wrapping. set for arraignment tomorrow. to new security concerns in the middle east. iran said it test fired a medium range surface-to-air missile during a drill in international waters near the strait of hormuz. 20% of the world's oil exports travel through that waterway. iran threat tuned block passage itch it is hit with more sanctions. >> another source of tension between our country and theirs, yet again. turning now to politics -- a big week ahead of us. one day ahead of the critical republican vote in iowa. mitt romney looks like the man to beat. >> yes he does. at least two candidates are making a strong showing. abc's karen travers is joining us this morning from des moines with more. karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, paula. the republican candidates are sprinting to the finish line trying to reach as many as they can. and the clock is ticking. it's been a roller coaster race for the republican nomination and it is going down to the wire. a new poll from "the des moines register" has mitt romney clinging to a slight lead. ron paul is right on his heels. in third place, a soaring rick santorum. santorum's 11th hour surge is legitimate and may be growing stronger. the register poll was conducted over three days. but take a look act the data from just the last two days. santorum actually in second place. >> still got a ways to go. we are the one on the move. nobody else its. that's pretty exciting. >> reporter: there may be hope for the candidates who have seen their stock and poll numbers plummet. the register poll found that 41% of likely caucus goers say they could change their mind before tuesday. michele bachmann said her recent 99 county barn storming trip across iowa gives her reason to be confident. >> this isn't about polling. this is what we are seeing in reality. i think tuesday night people are going to see a miracle. >> reporter: newt gingrich pummelled on television in iowa. millions in dollars of inning tiff ads running against him from supporters of mitt romney. yesterday he lashed out at romney for the assault. mitt romney made a quick get away for new hampshire but was back in iowa for sunday playing for the win. rick santorum spent more time and effort than any other republican candidate to win over iowa voters. and with just two days to go before the caucus he's may be peaking at exactly the right time. rob, paula. >> thanks a lot, karen. amazing the twists and turns the gop race. at one point or another, each candidate has been the belle of the ball. now rick santorum could be making a threat. >> interesting to see the dive of newt gingrich. 45% of all ad ver tiesing was mudslinging against ging gingrich. >> the poor folks in iowa. they hold a lot of sway has got to be cool. they get inundated with the visits, the media, tv ad. kind off mazing. countdown is on. we'll know tuesday night what it is up. after the iowa caucuses. the focus will gift to new hampshire. be sure to watch abc news debate in new hampshire moderated again by diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos. tune in saturday, 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific. prince phillip stepped out with the royal family for their traditional new year's day church services his first public appearance since undergoing a heart stint procedure before christmas. appeared to be in pretty good form. nasa has kicked off the new year with one of the most important moon missions since the apollo days. twin probes the size of washing machines are orbiting the moon. one arriving saturday. the other just yesterday. they will spiral to the surface over the next two months and study the inside of the moon from crust to core. deja vu in arkansas for the second year in a row. a small arkansas town has ushered in the new year in eerie fashion. before the stroke of midnight,ing the streets were littered with dead black bird that mysteriously rained down from above. matt johnson reports from beebe, arkansas. >> i didn't believe it. but now i do. >> reporter: charles moore never thought he would see the -- [ no audio ] well for the second year una row a small arkansas town has ushered in the new year in eerie fashion before the stroke of midnight. the streets were littered with dead black birds that mysteriously rained down from above. katv's matt johnson reports from beebe, arkansas. >> the bird were brought down, you know, by, by fireworks this year. i didn't believe it. but now i do. >> reporter: charles moore never thought he would see the sequel to what he considered the greatest unsolved mystery of 2011. >> this morning when i came out, i had seven birds. mostly red winged black bird dead in the yard which is quite a surprise. >> instead of near thely 4,000 that plummeted to the ground exactly a year ago, a modest 200 littered the streets of beebe in 2012. >> there were some fireworks that shot off early last night. we did see the bird leaving their roost and falling out of their air. >> reporter: this time they were targeted. arkansas game and fish said fireworks were set off right next to the roost saturday night, even with the fireworks ban in place. soon the bird will be under the city's cross hairs. >> there's construction we hope that is going to take place during the year to eliminate the roosting areas. >> reporter: the small town likely has more bird living there than people. and when they're not falling out of the sky, they're falling out of favor with some of the locals. >> many people have not liked them. the mess, and actually the smell. >> reporter: for now he is taking in the spectacle before all the bird are taken away for good. >> the time is growing near that the bird will be leaving. so i am going to be a little sad about that. >> reporter: matt johnson, abc news. >> well parent, listen up. every new year brings laws. california is keeping children in car booster seats for an additional two years. >> kids must stay in the safety seats until they're 8 years old or as abc's clayton sandell tells us their parents will face stiff fines. >> reporter: at l.a.'s griffith park you can ride the big ponies if you are 7 years old. but in a car you will be back in a booster seat. >> i can't believe it. >> reporter: california which has more drivers than any other state is raising the car seat cutoff age from 6 to 8. >> i'm not happy about it. >> reporter: creating crisis in millions of families with 6 and 7-year-olds who thought they left car seat days behind. brenda got rid of her twins' car seats when they turned 6. >> sold them at a yard sale. now time to go buy some. >> reporter: most parents understand it is all about safety. ben here is helping us demonstrate that though he is 6 this seatbelt is the wrong fichlt fit, across the neck and soft parts of the belly. the booster lifts him up. the golden state helps drive trend in auto safety. and this new law might help ramp up pressure for a nationwide car seat standard. >> we need to have a federal standard. when parents go to buy a booster seat, there is no guarantee that that booster seat is going to provide good belt fit in all kind of different vehicles. >> reporter: in our completely unscientific kid poll, we found 2/3 against newt law. but there is an incentive to enforce it. break the law and mom or dad get a $475 ticket. clayton sandell, abc news, los angeles. >> beside the $475 fine they can get negative points on their driving records for each child, that's in violation. so crazy. your mom of two young kids, 2, 4, what do you think? >> i don't have a problem with it. if it keeps my kids safer. i understand a lot of parents are inconvenienced given up their car seats. car seats aren't cheap. $475 might buy two car seats. i understand that it inconve inconveniences a lot of parents. probably a lot of research. don't have a big problem with it. if my kids are safe. mom is happy. kids are safe, everybody is happy. >> on your first night. brag about your kids. tell us about your young ones here. >> jj is 2. carolyn is 4. jj you might see him on the pga tour in 20 years. telling you. >> that good. >> the kid sleeps with his golf club. destroyed our plasma tv. >> took a swing at it. >> that will cost more than $475. >> that's all right though. we know the direction that he's going to be going in. caroline loves to sing, off key. >> rich golf pro. off the shift earlier than you thing. >> not for another 20 years. >> you're the best for hanging around. >> won't be going away too soon. >> good to know. coming up in your first ever "the skinny," everybody's favorite part of the show. a proposal and a new year for lebron james. >> how dennis rodman is bouncing back into basketball, you got to hear this next in "the skinny." ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny >> you will soon hear that song in your sleep. but this is a big moment for you. your first "the skinny." >> my virgin "the skinny." >> the first time is always the most special. >> it is. >> as you found this first story. very wild story. >> if you were a woman and luck to go topless and were 5'10", this would be for you. dennis rodman, get this, the worm, making his way back into basketball. he is going to be coaching a women's topless basketball team. >> amen! >> seriously. what, what woman really wants to run up and down the court without a sports bra on? >> i am not surprised that rodman is linked to something kind of crazy and, you know, off the mark a little bit. i didn't know there are topless basketball teams here in new york. >> first of all he is going to be challenging, the topless team to a charity game. right. rodman says i don't know too many men that don't like a good looking woman running up and down the court. here's the pram terarameters. auditions at the jiggle joint. you don't have to have too much experience. you just have to know how to throw the ball into the hole. >> words he has lived by. hello, dennis. dennis is crazy. makes sense he'll be the coach of a topless women's team. >> are you going to the tryouts? >> staying on the air. going to go cover it thoroughly. >> sacrificing for "world news now." >> i'm a journalist. what i am talking about. naked basketball, a lot of double dribbles. >> what? >> don't worry about it. >> hello. >> welcome to the overnights. more basketball, more basketball news here. there we go in english. >> proud of you. >> lebron james, is engaged finally. got a ring. >> yes, he did. >> he and his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, they got engaged at a new year's eve party. one of the owners congratulations to you both. this follows, michael jordan getting engaged to his girlfriend, who is 16 years younger, a cuban model. >> she is. >> had that on the show. all the ballers deciding to put a ring on it. >> lebron, his high school sweetheart akron. dropping a little ohio knowledge. >> a midwester on the show. >> lebron, see what is going on with kobe. two words for you, prenup. all i'm saying. >> that's one word hive natd. two syllables. >> sorry, paula. if you are wondering why katie perry and russell brand got divorced and wondering why he filed the papers. >> stung. >> you know she comes from a evangelical christian family. >> you can tell by her outfits. >> no. she wanted him to file the papers because, she didn't want her parents to be disappointed. but get this, he is, a recovering sex addict and heroin addict and had apparently changed his ways. >> sure the parents love that. >> a lot of their arguments according to tmz, brand didn't enjoy the scene. she was going out and drinking. going to bars, and boozing. you know what if you are a spouse and you know your husband has struggles in this area. come on. you can't do that. >> seems like a weird call on her part. she was the one going out, in the scene doing the party thing. he is the former sex/drug addict. i want to chill at hope. she was going out. couldn't make it work. >> if you novembknow one thing s y -- tements you. awe call on, katie, girl. >> katie. i don't get that. that's sad. that they were going to make it last longer. >> 14 months. >> that's it. >> longer than 72 days. longer than any of your co-anch co-anchors. >> for darn sure. kelly clarkson, caused a controversy when she endorsed ron paul for president. endorsements are good for business. get this, her album stronger climbed from 38 to 7. on amazon sales list between thursday, when she threw her support behind paul and friday afternoon. the album inched up further saturday to 2 on amazon and 10 on apple itune charts. people that love ron paul. bought the album in droves. >> ron paul supporters well educated inform and support the heck out of ron paul. wouldn't be surprised if this was -- the album to spike. >> if ron paul fans had taste in music. they'd be good. >> did you buy her album? >> no. we'll be back. frequent heartbun by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. we've done a good job caring for our mouths. that's why there's a rinse like crest pro-health multi-protection. it helps you get a better dental check-up. so be ready for your next dental check-up. try any crest pro-health rinse. covergirl trublend has skin twin technology. other makeup can sit on your skin, so it looks like...makeup. but trublend has skin twin technology to actually merge with yur skin. how easy breezy beautiful is tha? trublend...from covergirl. ♪ hey hey ♪ no one else could ever do ♪ >> showing you love, paula. found a song with your name in it. so good. >> i never heard that before. >> really. going to learn all kinds of wonderful things. includ it's time for our. boom there it is favorite story of the day. paula's arrival here on "world news now" is our favorite story of the day. tell us about this, odyssey to new york that you got done with. >> i drive a honda odyssey. i am a minivanner. i'm not cool. 1,400 miles. left three weeks ago. >> from chicago. >> moved, stayed with a couple friend in chicago. look at our van. >> packed up. >> there is the family. >> my mom, dad. my dad, little marines hat on, michigan jacket. big michigan fan. jackson, michigan. >> you are from michigan. >> from michigan. went to school in ohio. worked in ohio. went to illinois. this is where we were deliberating go to new york, do we go to youngstown. >> very similar cities. >> on the road. >> fork in the road. >> arrived in new york last tuesday. >> a few days. >> and the view from the 34th floor of our building. >> it is an awesome city. >> frug trying to keep my daugh off the pole. not possible if you are in new york on the subway. >> she's on the pole. maybe play for dennis rodman one day. >> there's the kids. future golfer, jj. in indiana. the day after i got pulled over twice within three hours. >> twice by the cops. >> neither of the offenses were for speeding. >> sitting next to a felon. uh- uh-oh. >> insanity. toys "r" us times square. >> epicenter of insanity. >> i will never do that again to myself. or my children. >> order it on line. it was over-stim. i started shaking. my kids were shaking. >> did they get good gifts? >> barbies that are already destroyed. >> they're 2 and 4. >> 2 and 4. >> you'll be babysitting soon. >> we'll have my son potty trained. >> had an experience with peggy's kids. >> i'm a good babysitter. i can diet. >> you think? >> you were a big time sports anchor. you are a sports nut, junkie. >> i love, love, love sports. one of my big passions. i grew up, jackson, michigan. just down the road from michigan stadium. jim harbaugh my first imaginary boyfriend. >> very nice. >> i have always loved spofrments asports. >> i played in highle school. softball. ran track and field before that. i wasn't going to set the sports world on fire. >> decided to cover it. >> i love the action. and the frenetic pace. >> we do a lot of sports on the show. you and i will be going back and forth. >> better watch out. you're going down. >> bring it. more from abc next. >> you're goin this morning on "world news now" -- close race. the iowa caucuses are finally tomorrow. and there is no clear front-runner as we begin this big political year. >> but all eyes are on ron paul who could emerge as the surprising leader in iowa. good morning, it's monday, january 2nd. >> good morning, everybody. a new year, and a new chapter begins here on "world news now." this morning, the lovely, talented, paula faris from the great city of chicago, our new permanent co-anchor. welcome to the family. here we go. >> i am very disappointed in you though. you have never bun to chicago. >> already. >> i love chicago. i hear great things. i have never been. i don't like cold weather. never had a reason. >> you live in new york it's cold. >> not chicago cold. >> it's all right. we can get you a nice fur coat. fur hat. a good look. >> peta, write her. >> fact fur. that's what i meant. >> nice save. kind of. how does it feel? you are here. >> finally. >> months in the making. >> a long time coming. >> the big debut. feels good to be here. kind of surreal. or maybe that's just the sleep deprivation kick in right now. >> you have no idea. >> feel look you are crawling through a fog right now. got to get used to the shift. if you have any advice, send it to our twitter account. send it to facebook account as well. >> sure a lot of folks. especially in chicago would love to welcome you here to the national stage to the overnights here. pleasure to finally have some body. thank all the previous anchors of the show. all 1,800 i have worked with. permanent. going steady. >> 1,900. >> welcome to the crazy, dysfunctional, sleep deprived family. >> evan here has been welcoming, abc news, "world news now," good to be here. what are you drink snk aing? >> vod catch. don't tell anyone. our top story, the razor thin lead mitt romney has the one day before the iowa caucuses and the surge of ron paul, the first gop contest of the big political year is as unpredictable as ever. by tomorrow night we could see if there is in fact a game changer. >> also ahead the new prescription painkiller that could be 10 times more potent than vicodin. who is concerned about the powerful pill. >> strong stuff, scary. later this half-hour with the regular sea son of the nfl now wrapped up. we have a were in in our "world news now" picks competition. who is taking the title, who is buying us all breakfast? you can tell i am thrilled by the results. if only dal lalgs hlas had beat giants. >> just wait until i can participate in this. >> big bears fan. >> you are going to be buying me a lot of breakfast, lot of meals. >> wait till my saints get to the super bowl. first count down to the caucuses. republican voters in iowa have one last day to make up their mind. >> polls show most favor mitt rom nech romney. a lot are undecided. abc's karen travers joins us from des moines with more. hi, karen. >> reporter: good morning. the republican candidates are sprinting to the finish line trying to reach as many voters as they can. and the clock is ticking. it's been a roller coaster race for the republican nomination. and it's going down to the wire. >> i want to make america the best place in the world. >> reporter: a new poll from "the des moines register" has romney clinging to a slight lead. ron paul right on his heels. in third place, a soaring rick santorum. santorum's 11th hour surge is legitimate and may be growing stronger. the register poll conducted over three days, but taking the data from the last two days san tore up is actually in second place. >> has got a ways to go. we're the one on the move. nobody else its. that's pretty exciting. >> reporter: there may be hope for the candidates who have seen their stock and poll numbers plummet. the register poll found that 41% of likely caucus goers could change their mind before tuesday. michele bachmann said her recent 99 county barn storming trip across iowa gives her reason to be con fi devenlt. >> this isn't just about polling this is what we are seeing in reality. i think tuesday night people are going to see a miracle. >> newt gingrich has been crushed on tv here in iowa by millions in dollars of negative ads by supporters of mitt romney. >> this is an election however that is not being driven by money raised. it's driven by message. connection with the voters. debates. and experience. >> reporter: rick santorum spent more time and effort than any other republican candidates to win over iowa voters. and with just two days to go before the caucus he's may be peaking at exactly the right time. rob, paula. >> of course when you peak there comes the bulls eye on your back. romney taking a few swipes. >> that's the knife in your back. >> get that thing out of there. took a few swipes. another career politician. i'm the business guy. economy in a bad spot. elect me. kind of more proof that santorum is rising. >> going after his record. he has been able to fly under the radar a long time. really do the caucuses matter that much. remember who won in 2008, do you? dig back? >> mike huckabee. >> i don't know if any of you remembered. it was. >> he didn't win. >> no. >> iowa is big but not everything. just days now, the political focus will shift from iowa to new hampshire. in five days abc news will host the gop new hampshire debate. which will again be moderated by diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos. tune in saturday night. investigators in los angeles may have gotten a major break in that string of arsons they believe a man seen leaving the scene of a burned out car might be responsible for setting those fires. they are asking residents for help in identifying the suspect seen in this video. there have been more than 40 fires since last week. >> we have incendiary intentional fires that have resulted in auto fires that resulted in to the direct e exposure of apartments. >> it was done while people were sleeping. that's the scary part. >> that is frightening. thankfully no one has been hurt in any of the fires which have been centered in the hollywood area. in washington state police are hunting for an armed suspect wanted in the deadly shooting of a park ranger there. benjamin colton barnes, a 24-year-old believed to have survivalist skills was a strong person of interest in the murder of margaret anderson. an fbi swat team was working to remove anderson's body from the park as colleagues mourned her loss. >> just a very nice person. a very, very nice person. just a very, very friendly, amenable, great with visitors, great person, great co-worker. margaret has been here, outstanding employee and ranger. >> reporter: margaret anderson was married to a park ranger. beside her husband she leaves behind two daughters. special forces soldier unfederal custody this morning, charged with frying to bring explosives on to a commercial airplane. sergeant first-class trey atwater going through a security checkpoint at midland international airport in texas when a screener spotted suspicious material in military grade wrapping. atwater is set for arraignment tomorrow. in other news this morning, iran is wrapping up a ten-day naval exercise today in the strait of hormuz, it's raising serious new concerns around the world about its nuclear program. >> reporter: iran flexed its military muscle test firing a missile in the strait of hormuz. 20% of the world's oil exports travel through here. iran threat tuned block the waters if it is hit with more sanctions. that could force up gas prices. even more worrying, iran says it is one step closer to becoming a nuclear nation. claiming it tested its first iranian made nuclear fuel rod. technology no country has been allowed to sell to iran. so, why is that important? the u.s. and its allies believe iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. but it lacks the know-how to make the fuel rod on its own. the fear is that iran's nuclear program is now farther along than expected. meaning a showdown over it may be closer than many thought. iran denies it has the a weapons program. still president obama is ratcheting up pressure and signed a bill this weekend to put the economic squeeze on iran if the nuclear program is not shut down in six months. across the pond, britain's prince phillip is back on his feet after his prechristmas heart scare. the queen's 90-year-old hubby stepped out with the royal family for their new year's day church services. his first public appearance since undergoing a heart stint procedure and seemed to be in good form, waving at well wishes. three utah children trapped inside a submerging car are alive this morning. the driver lost control on a slick road near salt lake city. the car then plunged into the logan river. the man did escape. the children were stuck inside. one of the rescuers used his handgun to shoot out a car window. two children had passed out but were revived after emergency cpr. this morning they're recovering from hypothermia. for the second straight year, a tiny town in arkansas looked like the set of a science fiction movie. dozens of birds fell to their deaths saturday night. far fewer however than the thousand that died the year before. but just as mysterious. now, authorities believe the bird were spooked by fireworks and became disoriented. they say this time someone deliberately set off fireworks near the roost >> strange story. in serious news this morning. one of the most abused drugs in america may soon become available in its purest form. some doctors say a godsend for those who actually suffer with serious pain. addiction specialists say it is not worth the risk. with more on this. here is abc's ron claiborne. >> reporter: the powerful painkiller aimed at people like kelly omsbracher who suffers from intense migraine headaches. >> throbbing, pulsating. feeling like spears are coming through my eyes. >> reporter: undergoing testing in patients, it contains hydrocordone, ten times stronger than vicodin. one of four companies developing the drugs told abc news zohydro represents a potentially safer option because the it does not contain acetaminophen. but critics say zohydro would add a powerful unnecessary drug to the nation's abundant supply of painkillers. >> do you believe zohydro is a dangerous painkiller, dangerous to the public. >> when you pack this much are nottic into a single pill it is easy to overdose and die from it. >> reporter: also the potential for addiction. >> terrific business model if medication like this gets prescribed to a patient many people will be on this medication for the rest of their life. >> reporter: an estimated 15,000 people die each year from overdosing on prescription painkillers. according to centers for disease control. and law enforcement link painkiller use and abous to waves of violent crime and a surge in pharmacy break ins. offduty federal tobacco and firearms agent was killed on long island new york. the robber wuas killed. but zohydro could be a crucial weapon against chronic pain. critics say the is one painkiller the nation's medicine cabinets don't need. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. >> on the one hand you see people, chronic pain sufferers could use this. addiction problem in this country is mind blowing. the drug could be approved some time in the next year. class ii medication which means more closely monitored.ddictadds what it could mean. >> class ii means the doctor has to rewrite the prescription every month. ti this time just to monitor it. potentially, ten times. can you imagine that? >> used vicodin when i got my wisdom teeth out. >> loopy. i can't imagine. >> scary thought. more tightly regulated. >> imagine addiction problems out of that. >> scary stuff. something lighter this morning about a little weather news. a blustery, snowy start to the new year in parts of the upper midwest. snow, blanketed southeastern wisconsin making it dangerous for drivers to get around. but the storm was followed by plummeting temperatures, also severe winds. they were fierce enough to even bring down some light poles and even some trees. of course, none of that a big deal coming from chicago. normal spring day. >> when we visit chicago, bring you to chicago, see a bulls game or something, take you up north to the region. >> i like the bulls. a michael jordan fan. want to settle the age old problem. who makes better pizza, chicago or new york. >> a tough one. >> ever had cheese kurds. >> turds? >> kurds, that is blaspheme. something else take you to wisconsin. >> cheese kurds. thank you. >> gusty wind. chilly air, midwest to new england. rain from seattle to portland. snow in the cascade. >> 40s from seattle to salt lake city. phoenix, warms up to 80. 10 degrees in fargo. 40s from boston to atlanta. 57 in my beloved city new or leans. >> new orleans. couple daredevils kicked off the new year in spectacular fashion. setting world records for the longest snowmobile and motorcycle jumps. >> levi, can't say the name. yeah, whatever. flew 412 feet. 6 in. s on his snowmobile. robbie madison took his bike 378 feet, 9 inches breaking his certified world record of 351 feet, 3 inches. those guys are braver than i will ever be. whoo. more "world news now" coming up right after this. >> stop talking fireman bob, this is live tv. practically everything, the president of the united states does, is recorded of course by news photographers. we see the pictures everywhere. >> but we are now getting a glimpse from inside the white house of some things that we didn't see this past year. abc's david muir has the story. >> reporter: ground zero on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. former president george w. bush, former first lady, laura bush with president obama and the first lady as they greet families of the victims. and there was this, the president about to present a wounded warrior with a purple heart walking into a hospital at walter reed wearing scrubs. this photograph, above the rose garden, a state dinner. the funeral for former first lady betty ford. there for the service, three former first lady. nancy reagan, hillary clinton, rosalynn carter joining michelle obama. the president and first lady bidding farewell to the queen and prince phillip following a dinner in london to honor the queen. this smile, the president filling in as basketball coach for his daughter sasha. and as this nation prepares for a toughly fought presidential race, we noted the children in this picture behind the president, video gapes far more pressing. and bo with a view from inside the presidential motorcade en route to petsmart we are told to get his christmas gift. david muir, abc news, new york. >> i think bo lives a better life than most humans. the dog is living high on the hog. >> yes, he is. notice cheering on his daughter's basketball team, the president. >> yeah. >> from chicago. >> right. the president. yes indeed. >> big white sox fan. >> yes. >> loves the chicago teams. >> you will love all things chicago. pump up chicago. >> third largest market in america. >> the windy city. >> one of the more iconic photos. everyone remembers the shot, the war room, the night -- was that successful. what a picture. what an image. so. coming up next, we'll lighten the mood a little bit. it is the final weekend of the nfl regular season. and all the playoffs. >> he didn't do so well. we're going to see how our football fanatic did. we know he kind of tanked. monday morning quarterbacking when we come back. it's all right. there's always next year. >> welcome back, everybody. final weekend of the nfl season. the final weekend for tanya rivero whose reign as pigskin. >> prognosticator. >> tanya going out a winner for the regular season. i will take her spot for the nfl playoffs. i thoroughly expect to cut your butt. >> and fireman bob's. >> trash talking, bob. let's start the final regular season highlights with indianapolis at jacksonville. maurice drew, broke the jaguars rushing record, handoff and breaking a tackle. 56 yards. jacksonville, 19-13. by losing the colts get the number one pick in the draft. >> and next, san diego/oakland. the raiders needed this within to make the playoffs. closed to within five. then the chargers, phillip rivers, hit malcolm floyd, touchdown. 38-26. san diego. >> out to the desert. arizona cardinals took it into overtime this week. cards set an nfl record for overtime wins, when jay feely connected on the third field goal. 2 yards. airs on top. 23-20 over seattle. >> sunday night game had cowboys at the giants, the winner going to the playoffs, and the loser going home. thanks to eli manning, victor cruz. they win the nfc east. >> needed dallas to win that. "world news now" picks competition end of the regular season. have a brand new competition for the playoffs you will take tanya rivero's spot. the fun does not end here. for the regular season, former co-anch co-anchor, tanya rivero is the winner. >> good job, tanya. can i give her five? >> yeah. three and one. finishing 44-24. rob, commissioner jack, me, jack sheehan, fireman bob, 2-2. 42-26. three way tie for second place. producer david meyer picked one right. >> ooh, david. >> you're this year's. ♪ loser >> 39-27. you sting, dude. >> does that make you feel better. >> david was the bottom. >> he's not here to defend himself. >> he is some where in the building. >> the sign of insecurity if you will kick somebody down or not here. >> talk to my therapist. >> we have plenty to talk about as the regular season ends. fireman bob and his cardboard friend, join us at the desk this morning. way to go. >> congratulations, tanya. >> can i high five her stuff. >> represent the girls and estrogen on the show. >> tanya's secret of success was picking the team from the city she would rather visit. no sports expertise. >> that's how march madness works. >> if you believe that i got land in the everglades i could sell you too? >> you do? really. okay. >> congratulations. you are second place, three way tie with me. and jack. >> at least i don't have to buy breakfast. >> we won some grub. last place person has to buy grub for the staff. david meyer: >> will you buy me grub. >> i will. awe make you a separate bet. playoffs competition. >> clean slate. >> me and paula need a side bet. >> alcohol. >> first thing you think is booze. >> i want you to buy me a new and improved like swanky eye patch, mask. $4 at the pharmacy. >> got you. >> you have been kissing her butt this morning. i want to say welcome to paula. >> do you want to kiss my butt or look at my feet? >> you heard about the feet thing? oh, my god. >> rex ryan in the house. >> congratulations, tanya. >> all about the fashion in here. fadeproof, waterproof, totally ignore-proof! oh yes! intense shadowblast from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. by marie claire as one of the 25 beauty products that will change your life because it whitens by removing up to 80% of surface stains. see how it can change your life. crest 3d white. life opens up when you do. >> indeed, you had your first "the skinny," now time to do your first morning papers. >> everything is new. >> i don't have a password. i couldn't get in the bidding. welcome. >> abc, orientation program. >> i have a mug and hat. >> so this story, children's health care of atlanta is taking some heat for its campaign. you got to look at some of the images. they're trying to put an end to -- the major issues with, childhood obesity down in atlanta. where they say across georgia it ranks second nationally for childhood obesity. warning it is hard to be a little girl if you are not. drawing criticism for this. but, you know they want to put an end to this epidemic. another, warning, fat prevention begins at hope. and the buffet line. >> these can be kind of, controversial ads here. >> childhood obesity, startlingly high. high blood pressure. kids 8 years old with cholesterol problems. maybe this can do the trick. ad some times for smoking. pretty graphic hammer home the point. >> absolutely. >> see if it makes a difference. hot-lanta. new year, tips on how to save money in the new year. interesting items. meet for drinks at some one's house and go out to eat to avoid big ticket alcoholic drinks. >> pregaming. >> $20 for a martini. >> ain't cheap here. check your memberships, for discounts on various items. not a bad tip. buy in season fruits and vegetables. they're cheaper. buy generic drugs or 90 day supplies through the mail. buy items that do not require dry cleaning or special handling. go cheap. some of the clothes. move outside of high rent districts with good mass transit options. everyone from manhattan. >> leave new york. >> yes, leave new york. welcome, but get out. >> this out of lexington. a man was charged with trying to give a wal-mart cashier a $1 million bill. >> $1 million bill. >> i don't believe they exist do they? >> no, the highest that was in circulation was $10,000. then $1 t now the highest is $100. >> he was going to get away with this. >> didn't though. idiot. >> moron criminal of the day. you know how it is. yes. i have a fun story here. apparently. >> i luke fike fun. >> "chicago tribune." two people facing charges after pulling up at a mcdonald's drive-through completely nude. naked. >> no bun on the burger. >> no bun on that this morning on "world news now" -- new clues in one of the worst cases of serial arson ever in the state of california. >> investigators hope a surveillance video could show a person of interest leaving the scene of one of the fires. it's monday, january 2nd. good morning, everybody. on the first monday of this new year, i'm rob nelson. and those of you who have been long time viewers of the show, know i have had the pleasure over the last 18 months to sit next to beautiful, smart, charming, charismatic women. the list gets longer by one today. joining us our permanent, permanent, permanent, permanent anchor of "world news now." >> settle down. >> so excited. going to say it like oprah. everybody welcome paula faris to "world news now"! >> wow, thank you. welcome aboard. >> so welcoming. everyone has been welcoming. want to thank everybody at abc news. want to give a shout out to all my family and friend in the midwest. midwest, born and bred. headed to the big apple. i know my mom and dad, back in jackson, michigan, got tevo and dvr so they could watch. >> good mom and dad. >> they're great. >> right now looking at their baby girl doing her thing. let me give you the official welcome gifts here. you are our new permanent anchor. >> mugs. this is the best porcelain money can buy. >> i have something to pour in here. >> little monster. i an trying to get acclimated to the third shift. this is going to go over. >> boom. don't call that caffeine. vitamin water. >> mug. >> put this on now? >> do it later. a bad look. >> don't want you to mess up your hair. all the good work. welcome. so god to have you. we'll have fun. >> what it is about. >> you ready to rock. >> cheers. >> let's do the news. welcome to 2012, our top story on monday morning. that intense search for a serial arsonist who has been torching cars out in l.a. more than 100 investigators are on the case. two police helicopters are trying to stop him. >> also ahead this morning. the soldier accused of trying to board an airline flight with some powerful explosives in his carry on bag. was this an honest mistake made by a member of the military special forces. >> have to wonder what was going on, to get on the plane with that material. little strange to say the least. later this half-hour, we'll have a look back at "world news now" co-anchors of the recent past. and the long wait we have had for this day. of course, paula faris's big debut this morning. believe it or not. venetta left the show last february. >> little roulette. >> speed dating for 11 months. got one bring home to ma. >> we're going steady for a while. >> long haul. >> you can pin me. >> give you my varsity letter. indeed, captain of the chess team. first, before all that, a possible break in the string of arsons that hit l.a. in the past week. >> investigators are releasing video of a possible suspect in the case. a man seen leaving the scene of a torched car. abc's abbie boudreau has the latest from los angeles. >> reporter: police announcing a possible break in the case. surveillance video of a person of interest. as the investigators search for the serial arsonist responsible for a string of fires set throughout hollywood. >> over the last 72 hours in the communities have kept the public safety professionals up at night. >> reporter: being called the worst wave of arson in 20 years in l.a. fortunately, no one has been injured. >> i could have died with my children. >> reporter: even as fire fighters and police officers doubled and tripled their manpower throughout the city, the increased surveillance was not enough to stop a serial arsonist from striking again. seven more fires. investigators say most of the fires began as car fires. but the flames quickly spread to nearby structures and apartment buildings. >> by the time i got out there the whole car port was engulfed. >> reporter: arson investigators are searching for clues and building a psychological profile of the arsonist. >> they do it for recognition or fame. often times we see that they do it out of spite out of anger. >> reporter: experts say many serial arsonists act alone. typically white males with below average i.q.s. >> it would appear the primary motive may not be killing people. the primary motive may be attention. >> reporter: until investigators solve this case it looks like another restless night for fire fighters. experts say that many serial arsonists find pleasure in coming back to the scene of the fire so they can watch as fire fighters try to battle the blaze. investigators say any one who sees anything suspicious should contact them right away. abbie boudreau, abc news, los angeles. >> what a bizarre scene playing out west there. >> frightening. >> really is weird. not sure it is a direct link. a lot of the cars targeted have been foreign made cars. mainly, or almost entirely foreign cars. a spree out there in los angeles. >> there are police choppers hovering trying to figure who the perpetrator. hopefully get it rectified. this is touching close to homes. and you thing, could have potential deaths, kids in the home. let's get it taken care of. >> hopefully they'll find the guy very soon. switching gears in washington state. an ongoing manhunt there for an armed gunman wanted in the shooting death of a park ranger. police looking for this guy, benjamin colton barnes, 24-year-old, iraqi war vet. they say he killed mt. rainier ranger, margaret anderson during a routine stop yesterday morning. anderson's law enforcement colleagues are mourning her loss. >> just a very nice person. very, very nice person. just a -- a very, friendly a. m -- amenable. great with co-workers. outstanding employee. outstanding ranger. >> the park has been closed as 150 law officers search for the gunman. visitors inside the park are ordered to hunker down until day break. federal authorities are trying to figure out why an active duty special forces soldier would fry to go through an airport security checkpoint with explosives in his carry-on bag. abc's cecelia vega has details. >> reporter: the man accused of trying to board a new year's eve flight with explosives in his carry on, hardly fits the profile of a terrorist. the suspect, trey scott atwear it, a 30-year-old soldier traveling with his family headed back to his north carolina military base after visiting relatives in texas. during an x-ray screening at the midland airport that the tsa agent spotted the bag and suspicious item, the kind of ex-mroep sieves used for the military for demolitions like this. this was atwater's return flight, raising questions if he managed to fly with the c-4 explosives during the first leg of his trip and what he planned to dupe with them. >> there is no indication at this point he wanted to do anything malicious. it is in his carry-on bag. >> authorities say there was no detonator and therefore no threat to passengers. law enforcement forces tell us this looks more like a dumb move rather than an act of terror. atwater is now facing federal charges for trying to bring ex-mroep sievex explosives on an airplane. >> imagine the inconvenience. terminal shut down. >> think a military guy would no better to violate blatantly. in court tomorrow. formally be arraigned then. see how it turns out. interesting to hear how he defends himself. >> maybe he was sleep deprived. we never do anything stupid or idiotic when you are sleep deprived. >> what would we know. give me monster drink. as many as ten good samaritans jumped into an icy utah river to save three children in inside a singing car. the driver lost control the car plunged into the river. he did escape. the children were stuck inside. one of the rescuers used his handgun to shoot out a car window. two of the children had passed out but were revived after emergency cpr. this morning they're recovering from hypothermia. good samaritans. as 2012 approached. black bird started falling from the sky in arkansas for the second year in a row. this time they were about 100 dead bird, far fewer than the 5,000 that fell to the ground last new year's eve. authorities believe the bird were spooked by fireworks and then they became disoriented. they also believe that this time, someone set off fireworks near the roost. not nice. >> weird hitchcock movie. so strange. turning now to politics. a big, big week. republican presidential candidates were making one last pitch in iowa today ahead of tomorrow's critical caucuses. mitt romney four stops planned. ron paul has five. then there is the candidate who is catching up pretty fast. abc's john carl has the more now from des moines. >> reporter: iowa is putting on the map. former senator rick santorum. campaigning in iowa city. >> this is your chance, heartland. this is your chance, heartland of america to speak out. >> reporter: until recently santorum was ignored by opponents and virtually invisible in the polls. now nobody is rising faster. within striking distance of winning the iowa caucuses. he has done it the old-fashioned way. spend morgue time traveling around the state and talking to voters than anybody else. we met up with him in marshaltown, iowa. >> i am very confident we are going to do well and surprise a lot of people. >> santorum helped by the collapse of newt gingrich who spent the past week complaining about inning tiff adnegative ad. gingrich lashed out at mitt romney accusing him of trying to buy the election. >> he would buy an election if he could. >> is he trying to buy this one? >> $3.5 million in negative ads. you tell me. >> later, accusing him of lying in his negative ads. >> some one that will lie to you to get to be president. >> reporter: romney stayed above the fray as he campaigned in atlantic, iowa. >> i want to restore the principles. >> reporter: michele bachmann born in iowa and won the big straw poll here in august. >> i wane the white house. >> reporter: is languishing at the back of the pack. she toad us she expects divine help on tuesday. >> i'm believing in a miracle. we know, i know the one who gives miracles. >> if you don't come in first, second or third, can you continue? >> i am going to be the next president of the united states of america. >> reporter: newt gingrich tried to make a virtue of the fact that he didn't run any negative ads here in iowa. but made it clear after the iowa caucuses all bets are off. you can expect to see a feistier gingrich not afraid to use his television advertisements to savage his opponents especially mitt romney. jonathan carl, abc news, des moines. >> thank you, john for that report. the political year is heating up big time after tomorrow's iowa caucuses it's time to get ready for the next one in new hampshire. abc news is hosting a republican candidates debate in five days with diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos. moderating once again. tune in saturday night, 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific. twist and turns of the gop hot debate in new hampshire. awe mudslinging. >> not good but fun. >> fun to watch. >> your monday forecast now, everybody. some of the coldest air of the season for the eastern half of the country. up to a foot and a half of lake effect know sfrum grand rapids. cleveland, buffalo. don't want to hear that. snow in the appalachians. rain from seattle to portland. snow in the cass dade. >> 42, salt lake city. 62,sacramento. warm some where. 80 in phoenix. 10 in fargo. 16, minneapolis 2, 2, my whoeld stomping ground, chicago. all my peeps back there. 40s boston to atlanta. >> may not seem that bad coming from the windy city. chicago knows cold like nobody else knows cold. >> you have rivers here. we have this huge body of water lake michigan. so cold. literally have off to lean into the wind some times. a great city. one of the greatest cities in all of the world. >> chicago is proud of you. a new year's eve dip in the chilly north sea, a long stand tradition for, for some hardy dutch folks. >> this year the event drew a record turnout. 10,000, thanks to slightly less than frigid temperatures in the high 40s. the crowd danced in the new year at a beach side party before making a mad dash to the water. most of those who took the plunge say they wouldn't start the new year any other way. i can only imagine how cold that walter was. >> nothing like a little shrinkage in 2012. you go, guys. >> had to go there didn't you. >> welcome, sweetheart. welcome. we'll be back with more "world news now" after this. ♪ baby you know [ male announcer ] little owen wanted to play, but his nose was raw and sore. achoo! [ male announcer ] and common tissue made it burn even more. ♪ puffs plus lotion is more soothing than common tissue, and it delivers our most soothing lotion for every nose issue. a nose in need deserves puffs plus lotion indeed. to give your cold a comforting scent, try puffs plus lotion with the scent of vicks. kids make stains i use tide boost to super charge our detergent. boom. clothes look amazing, and daddy's a hero. daddy, can we play ponies? right after we do foldies. tide boost is my tide. what's yours? ♪ should old acquaintance be forgot auld lang syne ♪ >> dance a little bit. >> i didn't know we were on. hey, happy new year. just three words. but it means different things to different people. >> we asked you to tell us which three words deskrcribe a happy w year. for you. we heard high hopes and expectation for newt ye the new ahead. ♪ ♪ let go control run through my mind ♪ ♪ standing ready ♪ >> possibilities! >> are! >> endless! ♪ don't be 20 more minutes ♪ ♪ got all the thoughts in my head ♪ >> happy new year! ♪ there's no time for bitterness ♪ ♪ we'll make time for forgiveness ♪ the best. ♪ the best is yet to be done ♪ because the best is yet to come ♪ ♪ yeah >> oh, very cool to see all the high hopes for 2012. our three word campaign. cool to see all that. we have to do our three word. >> what are yours? >> welcome paula faris. look at that. >> here is my three words. >> who am i? >> you'd look to work with ron burgundy. >> why not you worked with everybody else, right? >> fields like it. a new year at "world news now," with a new co-anchor. this day as you long time viewers know. a long time coming. we talk a look back at all my co-anchors who kept this seat warm for ms. paula. coming up. stay with us. ♪ hey hey paula ♪ >> we have the best music department in awful television. well done. >> if you want to marry me i am off the market. somebody else put a ring on it. >> i'm out of here. >> my first day here at "world news now." the first type rob, has had a permanent co-anchor in 300 years. 11 months. >> 11 months. a lot of lovely lady. talented news will tine my left during the past few months. take a look back. >> thank you so much for making this good-bye so i am speechless and honored and so thankful to have got tine be a part of this legacy that is "world news now." >> absolutely. >> i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm rob nelson. let me extend a warm welcome to a new face on "world news now," joining our crazy overnight family, peggy. >> appreciate it. thank you. >> been here a short type. everybody has been soap fantastic. can't imagine working with nicer people. thank you so much for being so great to work with. >> absolutely. going to miss you. thank you so much. >> i am going to miss you too, mr. nelson. >> and having so much fun. makes such a huge difference on the show. >> ready. >> ah! >> ha-ha-ha! >> good morning, everyone, i'm tanya rivero. >> i'm rob nelson. welcome back to the -- the fun times here at "world news now." >> great to be back. >> i just want to say this has been so awesome hanging out on the overnight shift. rob, you have been so much fun. i want to say, people write in, what's with the rotating anchors. and you know -- >> nature of the biz. >> nature of the biz. not that we don't love each other. other things happen. >> good monday morning. i'm rob nelson. a new partner in crime for the week. ms. diana alvear, all the way from l.a. >> good to be here. >> caffeinated. still awake. a good sign. >> i'm awake. yes, i am. >> half the battle. >> good morning, i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm yunji de nies. >> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm cecelia vega. >> welcome on board. >> good to have you here. >> good morning, i'm -- >> smiling. her final day on "world news now." before he goes to l.a. good friday. >> good morning, i'm rob nelson. a new partner in crime. sitting in for a few weeks. well cup, sunny. >> thank you, thank you, so happy to be here. >> it is your last day. everyone. >> oh! my goodness! >> you are going to make me cry. >> there you go. >> sunny's last day. >> oh. thank you. i have had so much fun on this show. the crew is just amazing. dan, you are amazing. rob has been a pleasure to work with. you guys are going to make me cry. >> we put -- >> did you scare the lovely ladies away? >> scared them all off. >> hopefully you stick. take a stroll down memory lane out in the field doing your thing. >> here in new york city. couple years ago. for the all-star game. >> you came to us from chicago. another cool town. >> that's me had to put spanx on. >> glam shot. >> air brushed. not air brushed. >> ha-ha. >> i was 9 weeks pregnant with my first child in that photo. >> proud mama. welcome aboard again. more from abc next. . ♪ ♪ >> now that we are done with all the girls i loved before segment. we move on to insomniac theater. as you just saw nothing is impossible for mission impossible. back in the top spot at the box office. >> meryl streep's latest film "iron lady" had an impressive opening this weekend. at four theaters in new york and los angeles. our digital news associate, jace henderson, known as our dna. >> rest assured this movie will be open, everywhere, this coming weekend. everyone will get a chance to see it. then after that everyone can start making their bets about who they think are going to be the top winners for the academy award. i personally think that meryl streep will win best actress for this film. absolutely awesome, her acting was superb. >> she was that good? >> really, she treated this role very personally. she portrayed the first and only woman to become prime minister of the united kingdom. and during a time in england was starving for a new voice to lead them, reclaimed britain's name, entitled herself as one of the century's most influential women. known for her conservative views in parliament, given the name "the iron lady" some believe that meryl streep didn't convey enough of that tone. let's see if movie-goers agree or disagreed. >> i think they did a wonderful job of portraying how everything happened. and tied it in so personally with her life. i loved the part where she was so broken hearted over the young men lost at war and felt so obligated so driven to contact the families. and write letters to the moms. >> every single aspect of the performance was very believable. >> the first 10, 15 minutes. unnecessarily spent time on her old age. >> and so, stemming off what he was just saying. the one thing about this film i didn't really like it actually tells the story from thatcher's life later on when she is something of from dimentia. it's sort of disheartening. such an influential woman, you were empowered by the movie and what was going on. then there are flashbacks to her, in, you today's world, where she is suffering from this illness. >> hate to see her as a powerful woman. >> beside that i gave this film four out of five stars. >> ooh. >> think a great film for everyone to see. excellent depiction of history at that time. >> oscar gold prediction? >> yets, i am. >> large buttered popcorn. what it is all about. this morning on "world news now" -- intense manhunt. a suspected gunman wanted for shooting and killing a park ranger is still on the loose. >> while police try to capture him, everyone staying at mt. rainier national park has been ordered into a shelter because of the danger. it's monday, january 2nd. good morning, everybody. happy monday. happy new year. it is certainly a happy new year on our show. this is the start of a new chapter here at "world news now." our new permanent, permanent, co-anchor, paula faris in the house today. >> promise it will be a long chapter. i know you are not used to those. o owe -- okay? >> so many women in and out of my life. finally i'm going steady. my mom would be so proud. >> would she. you going to bring me home to your mom. >> if your husband doesn't mind. i will -- >> we're co-workers. >> i won't cross that line, i'm a sorry. >> rob is trying to get me acclimated. if you have tips. send them to facebook. twitter. i don't know how to sleep during the day. i got this. >> that is a very good first step. >> can i put this on you, later. >> absolutely. >> there you go. >> does it work? does it block out the light? >> you have to do the whole half-hour. >> you will have to read through it right now. >> i can do it. we have done stranger things on the show. welcome aboard. from the great city of chicago. are you excited? are you caffeinated? >> i'm caffeinated. got my monster drink poured into my welcoming, welcome gift. >> brand new. >> just got them. >> a hat too. >> you are ready. sporting it out. >> i am ready to go. >> feeling good. middle of the night. you're feeling all right? >> it's the middle of the night really. the wonder of caffeine. i had no idea what time it is. >> it will catch up to you. welcome aboard. great to have you here. new blood, injection of life for the show. happy to have you. >> what i am here for. >> there we go. >> let's do the news. shall we? >> let's blow it up. >> boom, there we go. >> our top story, the half-hour, the search for a suspect wanted for two shootings in washington state including a park ranger at mt. rainier. especially scary situation for overnight visitors in the park. >> also this morning, the mystery in a small town outside little rock, arkansas. black birds dropping dead on new year's. were they spooked by fireworks or is something else driving them to their deaths? >> we have seen this two years in a row. a weird scene with the bird. later, the rules for drivers with children. a mother of two. listen to this. rules changed in california. why children as old as 8 years old must ride in booster seats who is pushing for a national guideline for kids in cars. 8 years old in california in the booster seat. >> do they remain in the booster seats at all times. like they can't -- kidding. baby sitting. >> they go to college, they get out. crazy. >> we begin with the manhunt for a murder suspect in the rugged terrain of mount rainier national park. >> police believe that the armed gunman, benjamin colton barnes was also involved in another shooting sunday in a seattle neighborhood. komo's john humbert reports. >> they believe benjamin colton barns was involved in another shooting sunday in a seattle neighborhood. >> reporter: park rangers tell us barns is a military veteran and pierce county said he has had issues with law enforcement in the past. rangers say his vehicle was recovered with survival gear, weapons, body armor but will not go all the way to say he is a suspect yet for this shooting. we are told by the sources again, barnes is a suspect for the shootings in skyway. a ranger in the park tried stopping a driver that man sped away to be stopped by park ranger mark rhegaret anderson. the shooter opened fire and hit her. she later died. >> margaret has been here, been an outstanding employee, ranger. >> reporter: the man escaped on foot but took shots at the officers as they tried to recover anderson. because of the danger, rangers are backing off their plans to bring stranded visitors off the mountain. >> what his condition is, we are erring on the side of safety keeping people there at jackson visitor center. >> reporter: there has been a steady stream of officers, tactical, material, and other issues going back and forth out of the mountain ranges. the key to all of this is this gate. we are told by park rangers. right now there are 70 inches of snow in parts of the back country. essentially from their perspective because of lack of survival gear when it comes to being on foot in the snow there is really only one way out of the mountain pass for this man who ever this suspect may be. it may by barnes, it may be another individual. whoever that person is, the only way out is through this area. an entire legion of officers waiting at the base. john humbert, abc news. >> this guy has survival skills and could make it out there quite some time in rugged terrain. police are doing all they can. using special dogs, radars. really are conducting an intense manhunt for this gift. >> hopefully it snows. because that could really -- hopefully it doesn't snow, because that could really slow down the search. condolences go out to her family. >> mother of two. two young daughters. she had been a ranger for four years. sad. >> the victims in the earlier shooting. seven hours before, in the other thing. four people were injured. scary guy. hope again. >> they get him. yep. well in los angeles, police are releasing surveillance video of a man they believe may be behind as many as 40 arson attacks. the man seen saturday emerging on foot from an underground parking structure on hollywood boulevard the scene of a car fire. meanwhile experts are putting together a profile of the likely arsonist. >> they do it for recognition or fame. and often times, we see that they do it out of spite out of anger. >> it would appear that the primary motive may not be killing people, the primary motive may be attention. because he is -- he/she, are setting fires to vehicles that are not apparently occupied. >> authorities said they were investigating dozens of suspicious fires centered mostly in the hollywood area. in other news this morning, an active duty soldier in federal custody this morning accused of trying to board a commercial plane while carrying explosives. sergeant first-class trey atwater going through a checkpoint in midland international airport in texas when a screener spotted suspicious material in military grade wrapping. atwater is now set for arraignment tomorrow. to new security concerns in the middle east. iran said it test fired a medium range surface-to-air missile during a drill in international waters near the strait of hormuz. 20% of the world's oil exports travel through that waterway. iran has threatened to block passage if it is hit with more sanctions. >> another source of tension between our country and theirs, yet again. turning now to politics -- a big week ahead of us. one day ahead of the critical republican vote in iowa. mitt romney looks like the man to beat. >> yes he does. at least two candidates are making a strong showing. abc's karen travers is joining us this morning from des moines with more. karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, paula. the republican candidates are sprinting to the finish line trying to reach as many voters as they can. and the clock is ticking. it's been a roller coaster race for the republican nomination and it is going down to the wire. a new poll from "the des moines register" has mitt romney clinging to a slight lead. ron paul is right on his heels. in third place, a soaring rick santorum. santorum's 11th hour surge is legitimate and may be growing stronger. the register poll was conducted over three days. but take a look at the data from just the last two days. santorum actually in second place. >> still got a ways to go. we are the one on the move. nobody else its. that's pretty exciting. >> reporter: there may be hope for the candidates who have seen their stock and poll numbers plummet. the register poll found that 41% of likely caucus goers say they could change their mind before tuesday. michele bachmann said her recent 99 county barn storming trip across iowa gives her reason to be confident. >> this isn't about polling. this is what we are seeing in reality. i think tuesday night people are going to see a miracle. >> reporter: newt gingrich has been pummeled on television in iowa. millions of dollars of ads have been running against him from supporters of mitt romney. yesterday he lashed out at romney for the assault. >> he would buy an election if he could. mitt romney made a quick get away for new hampshire but was back in iowa for sunday playing for the win. rick santorum spent more time and effort than any other republican candidate to win over iowa voters. and with just two days to go before the caucuses, he may be peaking at exactly the right time. rob, paula. >> thanks a lot, karen. amazing the twists and turns the gop race. at one point or another, each candidate has been the belle of the ball. now here we are hours away from the vote and now rick santorum could be making a threat. >> interesting to see the dive of newt gingrich 45% of all television advertising in iowa was mudslinging and negative ads against gingrich. >> the poor folks in iowa. what they deal with every four years. sure they like the attention -- they hold a lot of sway has got to be cool. they get inundated with the visits, the media, tv ad. kind of amazing. countdown is on. we'll know tuesday night what it is up. after the iowa caucuses. the focus will then shift to new hampshire. be sure to watch abc news debate in new hampshire moderated again by diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos. tune in saturday, 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific. >> won't miss it. prince phillip stepped out with the royal family for their traditional new year's day church services his first public appearance since undergoing a heart stint procedure before christmas. the queen's 90-year-old husband appeared to be in pretty good form. waving at well wishers in front of sandingham church. nasa has kicked off the new year with one of the most important moon missions since the apollo days. twin probes the size of washing machines are orbiting the moon. one arriving saturday. the other just yesterday. they will spiral to the surface over the next two months and study the inside of the moon from crust to core. for the second year in a row, a small arkansas town has ushered in the new year in eerie fashion. before the strike of midnight the streets were littered with dead black birds that mysteriously rained down from above. >> reporter: charles moore never thought he would seat seek what to what he kidded the greatest unsolved mystery of 2011. >> this morning when i came out. i had seven bird. mostly red winged black bird dead in the yard. which is quite a surprise. >> reporter: instead of the nearly 4,000 that plummeted to the ground exactly a year ago, a modest 200 littered the streets of beebe in 2012. >> there were some fireworks that shot off early last night. we did see the bird leaving their roost and falling out of their air. >> reporter: this time they were targeted. arkansas game and fish said fireworks were set off right next to the roost saturday night, even with the fireworks ban in place. soon the bird will be under the city's cross hairs. >> there's construction we hope that is going to take place during the year to eliminate the roosting areas. >> reporter: the small town likely has more bird living there than people. and when they're not falling out of the sky, they're falling out of favor with some of the locals. >> many people have not liked them. the mess, and actually the smell. >> reporter: for now he is taking in the spectacle before all the birds are taken away for good. >> the time is growing near that the birds will be leaving. so i am going to be a little sad about that. >> reporter: matt johnson, abc news. a look now at your weather. temperatures plummet from the northern plains to the east coast. blizzard warnings in northern michigan. up to 18 inch us of lake-effect snow, grand rapid. buffalo. rain, mountain snow in the northwest. >> 48 in boise. 52, albuquerque. fargo, 10 degrees. 20s from omaha to indianapolis. >> chicago girl, used to the weather. you like the cold? >> no. >> everybody knows about the new year's eve ball drop here. >> maybe the folks in south carolina have a better idea that if counted down to 2012 by dropping giant flip-flops made from two pieces of plywood. 8 feet tall decorated with garland and lights. organizers hop to make the flip-flop drop an annual evening tradition. flip-flop drop. say that ten times. >> i like it. ♪ i'm waiting for the other shoe to drop ♪ >> well parents, listen up. every new year brings laws. this year is no different. california is keeping children in car booster seats for an additional two years. >> kids must stay in the safety seats until they're 8 years old or as abc's clayton sandell tells us their parents will face stiff fines. >> reporter: at l.a.'s griffith park you can ride the big ponies if you are 7 years old. but in a car you will be back in a booster seat. >> i can't believe it. >> reporter: california which has more drivers than any other state is raising the car seat cutoff age from 6 to 8. >> i'm not happy about it. >> reporter: creating crisis in millions of families with 6 and 7-year-olds who thought they left car seat days behind. brenda got rid of her twins' car seats when they turned 6. >> sold them at a yard sale. and now it's tomb time to go buy some. >> reporter: most parents understand it is all about safety. ben here is helping us demonstrate that though he is 6 this seatbelt is the wrong fit, it comes right across the neck and soft parts of the belly. the booster lifts him up. putting belt where it should by across the boney parts of his chest and hips. the golden state helps drive trend in auto safety. and this new law might help ramp up pressure for a nationwide car seat standard. >> we need to have a federal standard. when parents go to buy a booster seat, there is no guarantee that that booster seat is going to provide good belt fit in all kinds of different vehicles. >> reporter: in our completely unscientific kid poll, we found 2/3 against the new law. but there is an incentive to enforce it. break the law and mom or dad get a $475 ticket. clayton sandell, abc news, los angeles. >> beside the $475 fine they can get negative points on their driving records for each child, that's in violation. so crazy. your mom of two young kids, 2, 4, what do you think? >> i don't have a problem with it. i have car seats. understand the inconvenience for parents that got rid of the car seats. you don't have kids yet, that you know of >> good. i look you already. stay with us "the skinny" the ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny >> you will soon hear that song in your sleep. but this is a big moment for you. your first "the skinny." >> my virgin "the skinny." >> the first time is always the most special. >> it is. >> as you found this first story. very wild story. >> if you were a woman and luck to go topless and were 5'10", this would be for you. dennis rodman, get this, the worm, making his way back into basketball. he is going to be coaching a women's topless basketball team. >> amen! >> seriously. what, what woman really wants to run up and down the court without a sports bra on? >> i am not surprised that rodman is linked to something kind of crazy and, you know, off the mark a little bit. i didn't know there are topless basketball teams here in new york. >> first of all he is going to be challenging, the topless team to a charity game. right. rodman says i don't know too many men that don't like a good looking woman running up and down the court. here's the parameters. >> beautiful. auditions at the jiggle joint. no lie. you have to be 5'10" or taller. he says, you don't have to have too much experience. you just have to know how to throw the ball into the hole. >> words he has lived by. hello, dennis. dennis is crazy. that's what he does. makes sense he'll be the coach of a topless women's team. >> are you going to the tryouts? >> story for this show about that. stating it on the air. going to go cover it thoroughly. >> sacrificing for "world news now." >> that's it. >> i'm a journalist. what i am talking about. naked basketball, a lot of double dribbles. funny. >> what? >> don't worry about it. >> hello. >> hello. >> welcome to the overnights. more basketball, more basketball news here. there we go in english. >> proud of you. >> lebron james, is engaged finally. got a ring. >> yes, he did. >> he and his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, they got engaged at a new year's eve party. down in miami. one of the owners tweeted out -- congratulations to you both. how the news got out there. this follows, michael jordan getting engaged to his girlfriend, who is 16 years younger, a cuban model. >> she is. >> had that on the show. all the ballers deciding to put a ring on it. >> yes, they are. >> lebron, his high school sweetheart from akron st. vincent/st. mary. how about that? dropping a little ohio knowledge. >> a midwester on the show. >> lebron, see what is going on with kobe. two words for you, prenup. all i'm saying. >> that's one word hyphenated. two syllables. >> sorry, paula. if you are wondering why katie perry and russell brand got divorced and wondering why he filed the papers. >> stunning. >> you know she comes from a evangelical christian family. >> you can tell by her outfits. >> no. she wanted him to file the papers because, she didn't want her parents to be disappointed. but get this, he is, a recovering sex addict and heroin addict and had apparently changed his ways. >> sure the parents love that. >> a lot of their arguments according to tmz, brand didn't enjoy the scene. she was going out and drinking. going to bars, and boozing. you know what if you are a spouse and you know your husband has struggles in this area. come on. you can't do that. >> seems like a weird call on her part. >> yeah, it does. she was the one going out, in the scene doing the party thing. though he is the former sex/drug addict. >> he didn't want to do that. he didn't want to do that. i want to chill at hope. she was going out. couldn't make it work. >> if you know one thing tempts you. the last thing you don't want to go to the bar. you want to support your man. >> come on, katie, girl. >> katie. i don't get that. that's sad. that they were going to make it last longer. >> 14 months. >> that's it. >> longer than 72 days. longer than any of your co-anchors. lately. >> for darn sure. last note here -- kelly clarkson, caused a controversy when she endorsed ron paul for president. but apparently you, know what -- endorsements are good for business. get this, her album stronger climbed from 38 to 7. on amazon sales list between thursday, when she threw her support behind paul and friday afternoon. the album inched up further saturday to 2 on amazon and 10 on apple itune charts. some people who love ron paul, love that she endorsed him went out and bought the album in droves. >> ron paul supporters well educated inform and support the heck out of ron paul. wouldn't be surprised if this was -- them alone. causing the album to spike. >> if ron paul fans had taste in music. they'd be good. >> did you buy her album? >> no. we'll be back. we'll be back. frequent heartbun by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. we've done a good job caring for our mouths. that's why there's a rinse like crest pro-health multi-protection. it helps you get a better dental check-up. so be ready for your next dental check-up. try any crest pro-health rinse. covergirl trublend has skin twin technology. other makeup can sit on your skin, so it looks like...makeup. but trublend has skin twin technology to actually merge with yur skin. how easy breezy beautiful is tha? trublend...from covergirl. ♪ hey hey ♪ no one else could ever do ♪ >> showing you love, paula. found a song with your name in it. everything. so good. >> i never heard that before. >> really. going to learn all kinds of wonderful things. here on the overnights. including this trick. it's time for our. boom there it is favorite story of the day. paula's arrival here on "world news now" is our favorite story of the day. tell us about this, odyssey to new york that you got done with. >> i drive a honda odyssey. i am a minivanner. i'm not cool. 1,400 miles. left three weeks ago. >> from chicago. >> moved, stayed with a couple friend in chicago. look at our van. >> packed up. >> there is the family. >> my mom, dad. my dad, little marines hat on, michigan jacket. big michigan fan. jackson, michigan. j-town as i call it. >> you are from michigan. >> from michigan. went to school in ohio. worked in ohio. went to illinois. this is where we were deliberating go to new york, do we go to youngstown. >> very similar cities. >> on the road. >> fork in the road. >> arrived in new york last tuesday. >> a few days. >> and the view from the 34th floor of our building. >> it is an awesome city. >> trying to keep my daughter off the pole. not possible if you are in new york on the subway. >> she's on the pole. maybe play for dennis rodman one day. >> there's the kids. jj. in indiana. the day after i got pulled over twice within three hours. >> twice by the cops. >> neither of the offenses were for speeding. >> sitting next to a felon uh-oh. >> insanity. toys "r" us times square. >> epicenter of insanity. >> i will never do that again to myself. or my children. >> order it on line. it was over-stim. i started shaking. my kids were shaking. >> did they get good gifts? >> barbies that are already destroyed. >> they're 2 and 4. >> 2 and 4. >> you'll be babysitting soon. >> we'll have my son potty trained. so you won't hatch to chain -- have to change diapers. >> had an experience with peggy's kids. >> i'm a good babysitter. i can diet. >> you think? >> you were a big time sports anchor. you are a sports nut, junkie. >> i love, love, love sports. one of my big passions. i grew up, jackson, michigan. just down the road from michigan stadium. jim harbaugh my first imaginary boyfriend. >> very nice. >> i have always loved sports. >> i played in high school. softball. ran track and field before that. i wasn't going to set the sports world on fire. >> decided to cover it. >> i love the action. and the frenetic pace. >> we do a lot of sports on the show. you and i will be going back and forth. >> better watch out. you're going down.