On lobbying. 288 members of congress have an arating from the nra for opposing new gun laws. In fact, gun rights were expanded in president obamas first term, as carrying firearms was made legal in National Parks and on amtrak. And since the Connecticut School shooting, the nra has added 100,000 new members. In a written statement, the nra said it was disappointed with the biden meeting, adding, we will not allow lawabiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals. All the talk of new restrictions has sparked a run on gun sales. Karen travers, abc news, washington. Not a shocker there. The white house and nra do not see eye to eye on the issue. Now a battle is shaping up in congress. Keep in mind, when they passed the assault weapons ban in 1994, democrats controlled the house and it still passed by that mump. Now its a republican controlled house, so no matter what they put on the table come tuesday, this thing has miles to go and its going to be an uphill battle. I think thats right. But if there were ever a time for this to pass, i think now is the time. And whats clear is the white house has indicated that the newtown families will be given a chance to share their views. I suspect that when these congresswomen and men hear from the families themselves about their children being riddled with bullets, perhaps that will move the conversation forward. We will see. It will be some high drama on capitol hill. Other news, the pentagon is getting ready for drastic cuts that could come in march if congress does not act. Defense secretary leon panetta outlined contingency cuts, including freezing civilian hiring and curtailing maintenance. But promises combat troops and military families would not be shortchanged. New details are emerging about the secret Service Prostitution scandal ahead of president obamas visit to colombia last year. A report found three Drug EnforcementAdministration Agents stationed there had paid for Sexual Services for themselves and two of those agents hired a prostitute for a visiting secret service supervisor. They used their government issued blackberries to arrange those encounters and tried to delete the information. Major League Baseball players are facing an increased number of tests for illegal drugs. A deal between management and the players means Human Growth Hormone testing will be conducted throughout the season instead of just spring training. Urine and blood tests will be admin sterd and every player will be tested at least once. Another big weekend of nfl playoff football is starting with conference title games at stake. It starts tomorrow afternoon with baltimore visiting denver. Then the packers face san francisco. And on sunday, its seattle at atlanta, followed by the texans taking on new england. A lot going on. Who are the giants playing . Doesnt really matter. The giants will be victorious. Rub it in, willis. Got two giants fans right here. Next year, next year. Heres your friday forecast. Mountain snow in the cascades. Heavy snow from Salt Lake City to jackson, wyoming. Freezing rain in the twin cities and duluth. Thunderstorms across the south. Showers from knoxville to the eastern seaboard. Forts in the northeast. 50s from the middle of the country. 30s from seattle to boise. Passengers taking off from australia were caught up in what looked like a hollywood movie, but this was actually all too real. Thats right. A few minutes into a flight yesterday morning, passengers, get this, notice a huge snake dangling from the wing of the plane. And it turned out to be a tenfoot long scrub python, the longest species of snake in australia. The snake managed to hang on for the entire flight, but it. How did it get there . Where is samuel l. Jackson when you need him . I am tire of these snakes on this plane. Ive got to say, i actually watched that movie. Thats sad. And i was entertained by that. Snakes on a plane, another oscar snub. An orca whales stuck in an icy predicament. While their lives may still be on the line. Youre watching world news now. Im only in my 60s. Ive got a nice long life ahead. Big plans. So when i found out medicare doesnt pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you thousands in outofpocket costs. To me, relationships matter. Ive been with my doctor for 12 years. Now i know ill be able to stick with him. 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And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. [ sneezes ] [ sniffles ] [ female announcer ] for everything your face has to face. Face it with puffs facial tissues. Puffs has airfluffed pillows for 40 more cushiony thickness. Face every day with puffs softness. This morning, theres new concern about those whales we showed you yesterday that broke free from ice in canada. After those whales swam away, they still were faced with the same conditions. They may need to swim under ice for miles and miles or wait for warmer weather to melt it all. A search plane found no signs of the whales anywhere. Abcs Neal Karlinsky reports on the dangers ahead. Reporter theyre a family fighting for survival, taking turns to breathe, doing whats called spy hopping, literally peeking out above the water line. This pod of killer whales was trapped in the ice of canadas hudson baby a cruel turn in the weather. Temperatures in the bay had been unusually warm, luring the family in search of food. But as the temperature dropped, the bay iced over. There was no way out. With only one hole to share for those precious breaths, they were running out of time. With no real escape route from hudson bay, they just moved from one little breathing area to the next. Reporter a killer whale can go about 20 minutes on one breath, swimming a little more than a mile before needing air. The nearest opening in the ice, an impossible six miles. Several dramatic rescues were considered but abandoned. Canadas ice breaking ship was days away, but experts feared the noise would frighten the whales. They could have tried to use a helicopter to airlift them, but too costly and too time consuming. But the winds shifted the ice, creating air pockets. The killer whale is the social predator of the marine environment. They have the biggest brain to body weight ratio. These guys are no dummies. Reporter orcas are led by the females, who live up to 80 years. In this case, its believed the grandmother found an opening and led them out. It will be up to her to keep them alive. Navigating a patch work of ice for hundreds of miles in search of the open sea. Neal karlinsky, abc news, seattle. Hundreds of miles, but they can only travel one mile without and then they need a breath. So how does that work out . Im no marine biologist, but the odds dont sound good they can survive, unless that ice melts more quickly than people are expecting right now. So you dont know how many of them there are or what other holes they can find or ice thin enough to pop through and get air. But the eyes of the world are watching that situation there. Hopefully theyre okay. But that plane flew over and no sign. So well keep you posted on that. Coming up, the high profile snub at the oscars. But first, sizzling success for a cool industry, cashing in on a climate meltdown. Youre watching world news now. Now to a topic near and dear to my heart, the sun. Earlier this week, we told you that 2012 was the hottest year on record. But experts say there are solutions and this one might seem a little unlikely, using the suns power to create conditions that would actually cool the planet. Reporter massive drought in the west. Theyre praying for rain. 26 states with heat warnings or advisories. Reporter record ice melt in the arctic. This storm is monster size. Thats a patient taken out of the hospital. Reporter a socalled super storm. Atlantic city looks like that and there is water absolutely everywhere. Reporter reshaping the new jersey shoreline. Recent extreme weather events are raising more questions about Climate Change. Whats causing it . Whos most at risk and how bad can it get . Easy questions with not so easy answers. But there is one thing nearly every scientist agrees on, Climate Change is man made and we need to reduce our Greenhouse Gases from our cars, power plants and homes. In response to that need, an entirely new industry is exploding. What you see in front of you i can see it for about four years. Reporter solar harnessing the suns rays and converting it into electricity. Here in the nevada and california desserts, massive Solar Projects are being built, the first ever on government land. 2008 i saw a big difference. I saw something that looked like it could be permanent and i wanted to make a difference. Reporter Mike Hatfield is the man behind many of these plants. It goes to power the major businesses, the hotels, casinos. Even some of the slot machines. Reporter here in the west, a 100 mile by 100 mile solar installation could meet the entire countrys energy needs. The government has set aside enough land to supply solar power to 7 million homes. Opponents argue its still too costly and theres no cheap way to store energy. If you could solve storage and make panels cheaply, you could have not just the technology that the u. S. Would use, but that everyone would use. Reporter despite those arguments, theres been a 5,000 increase in installation this year alone. An interesting stat. Nationwide, the Solar Industry has created about 120,000 with a growth rate of 13 . So youre beginning to see kind of it take off slowly but its getting there. Its getting there. Creating jobs. Not bad. And saving the earth, maybe. Well be back. And good luck using that cleaner. Excuse me, miss . Hes right. Those are tough hard water stains, and that cleaners not gonna cut it. Truth is, 85 of us have hard water and many dont even know it. You need limeaway. Limeaway is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. Its 4 times more effective at removing lime scale than the leading bathroom cleaner. See the limeaway difference or your money back. It sparks a movement. Look no ugly spots and see that shine youve got to try finish. Because once they try finish, they cant keep it to themselves. Im switching for good. Wow awesome finish is seriously good. Cannot believe how great it works. Incredible shine. I wont use anything else. Love, love, love finish so far over a million neighbors, friends, and family have switched to finish. Join the finish revolution. Recommended by more dishwasher brands worldwide. In the middle of the night it can be frustrating. Its hard to turn off and go back to sleep. Intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you cant get back to sleep. Its an effective sleep medicine you dont take before bedtime. Take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. Do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. Allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. Intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. Do not drive or operate machinery until at least 4 hours after taking intermezzo and youre fully awake. Driving, eating, or engaging in other activities while not fully awake without remembering the event the next day have been reported. Abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. Alcohol or taking other medicines that make you sleepy may increase these risks. In depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. Intermezzo, like most sleep medicines, has some risk of dependency. Common side effects are headache, nausea, and fatigue. So if you suffer from middleofthenight insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. Edition of insomniac theater and the time of year when we realize, at least i do, how many good movies we still havent seen yet. Ive seen a lot of them. Abcs david wright reports on oscar fever and the nomination surprises. Reporter in hollywood, theyre already practicing their acceptance speeches. Great to hear your name, i have to say. I was certain by the way it wouldnt happen. Reporter adele tweeted, oh, my god, i feel like meryl streep. Ann hathaway was thrilled to hear she was nominated for her singing role in les mis. Lincoln led with 12 nominations. The other major contender, silver liningss playbook nominated in all the big categories. First time thats happened since raging bull. The first film in three decades to get nominations in picture, director and all four acting categories. Reporter the biggest snubs, ben affleck passed over for argo. The best actress Category Features the oldest and the youngest nominees ever. 86yearold emanuel liva and 9yearold quvenzhane wallis. On the phone with cnn, she was giddy as a schoolgirl. Do you know what a big deal that is . Do i ever. Reporter she is a schoolgirl, and her first role now up for best actress. David wright, abc news, hollywood. I saw it. That actress you just heard, quvenzhane wallis, shes already a winner. She accepted the best actress award on stage at the 18th apyule critics Choice Awards just last night. Im surprised that ben affleck was not nominated in argo. He acted and directed it and it was a terrific movie. And also the director for zero dark thirty question. But some people saying the controversy politically may have hurt the chances. Always snubs and surprises. Well be back. This morning on world news now, wild blast. Arctic air is sending snow across Southern California and making a mess all the way to the middle of the country. Its all part of a powerful system unleashing mudslides, tornadoes and more. Its friday, january 11. From abc news, this is world news now. Good friday morning, everybody. Im rob nelson. And im sunny hostin in for paula faris. Winter watches and warnings are posted in about a dozen states this morning. Accuweather has the latest and well go over that. Just unbelievable. And then a pilot flying a new chopper becomes the story. Well show the high drama on the high seas as the pilot races to the rescue. Look at that. Oh, yes. News chopper. Always some drama with that. Also ahead, lessons in the legacy of junior seau. The nfl great did have a brain disease when he killed himself and his family is now speaking out about a lifetime of hard hits. Later, bottoms up for a good cause. Helping sandy survivors, one cold beer at a time. It doesnt get better than that. Its our favorite story of the day. Perfect favorite story of the day for a friday. But first, the nasty arctic blast blowing from coast to coast is bringing snow and freezing rain to a huge section of the country. Winter weather advisories and warnings are posted from california to michigan, setting the stage for just a miserable weekend. Our coverage begins with abcs michael bar. Reporter the arctic blast is dumping snow on Southern California, shutting down interstate 5 north of los angeles. Roads in Higher Elevations quickly turned icy. Its very, very icy up there. Kind of dangerous road. Reporter along with snow and ice, the snowstorm is bringing 45 to 60mileanhour winds to the west. The gusty blustery weather triggered mudslides near seattle. As wet snow fell on highways, slowing down commuters. Its part of a giant cold sending a chill from the rockies to the middle of the country. Storm survivors cleaning up from tornadoes in louisiana would notice that chill more common in summer. Our patio chair is over here and we walked out to this. Reporter but this weeks storm damage is bad enough for louisianas governor to declare a statewide emergency. More rain is expected this weekend. Michael bar, abc news. And theres near record warmth here in the east and california farmers cover up their crops. Our coverage of the weather continues with meteorologist jim dicky at accuweather. Good morning. Were tracking a developing winter storm here. An area of low pressure that will drift out of the rockies, bringing strong, gusty winds across colorado and new mexico, moving north and east. Heavy snow across the dakotas. Blizzard conditions potentially overnight across much of north dakota. As this snow winds down saturday morning, many spots up around here into minnesota. Now, the pattern setting up for the weekend, while frigid air surges into the west, well be warm across the east. The jet stream northward into canada. Temperatures challenging record highs. Rob and sunny, back to you. Thanks, jim. Heres the rest of your friday forecast. Windy with scattered thunderstorms from new orleans to atlanta. Showers around knoxville,t charleston and pittsburgh. Up to 20 degrees colder in the midsection and southern plains. 70s from atlanta to dallas and just 12 degrees in billings. Now we turn to australia, where a news helicopter just happened to be in the right place at the right time to help avert a tragedy. The pilot was flying over the waters when he spotted a boat spinning out of control. You see it right there. The owner of the boat was struggling to stay afloat nearby. The pilot threw the man a life jacket and called rescuers who pulled him to safety. Federal investigators announced their review into a fire that broke out in a Japan Airlines 787 dream liner. That review will reportedly focus on the power system boeing created especially for boeings brand new sumer jumbo jet. The faa is aware of this incident and others. But united airlines, which operates six dream liners, has no plans to ground those planes. A colorado judge has given the green light for james holmes to stand trial. The ruling was no surprise. During three case of hearings, prosecutors presented a mountain of evidence and testimony to connect holmes to the massacre that killed 12 people and injured 70. He will be charged today in court, but his lawyers say they are not ready to enter a plea. A judge is expected to rule within a week on whether Jerry Sandusky should have another trial. The former penn state assistant football coach was in court yesterday. His attorneys argued they did not have enough time to prepare for his trial on child molestation charges. Sandusky was convicted last june and serving the equivalent of a life sentence. His attorneys say if their motion is denied, they will appeal. All right, counselor, i assume chances are slim for a new trial. But any credence to the argument there was too much information, we didnt have enough time. I was worried when those rulings were coming down, i was worried for the prosecution, because it was be issue number one, no question about it. You have a significant case when you think about it. Ten accusers, overwhelming evidence. But you need to give the defense time to prepare. And they did get a lot of information pretty late in the day. So i think it has real merit. But its not going to result in a new trial. You dont think the judge, even with the time situation, will be swayed by that . No. She seems pretty confident, folks. As many of you know, this has been a tough week for fighting the flu, with the number of cases spiking. Public Health Experts in oklahoma say the number of flurelated hospitalizations doubled this week and on top of that, six people died. One town outside of tulsa canceled classes today because a quarter of the students are sick. Professional cleaner also be in the classrooms disinfecting everything. One School System in suburban cleveland is way ahead. Once a week they disinfect all schools with high power sprayers that leave a fine mist everywhere. Its similar to that used in hospital operating rooms. The machines cost several thousand dollars each but School Attendance is pretty high. Boston is in full scale disaster mode. Robocalls have gone out to 45,000 people reminding them to get a flu shot. Hospitals are swamped with flu patients. Some of them also falling victim to a nasty stomach bug called noravirus. If you feel sick, should you go to the hospital . Reporter you need to watch for the signs. If you have any difficulty breathing, any shortness of breath, you may have chest pain, that could mean pneumonia, doesiness or confusion could mean youre dehydrated. That was abcs dr. Richard besser. Supplies of the flu vaccine are running flow. 128 million doses have been distributed. But clinics are struggling to keep up with the demand. In boston, theyre handing some out for free, saying come get it. The other part of what dr. Besser said is that a fever in and of itself is not enough to go to the hospital. You need to have one of those other symptoms to warrant a trip to the hospital. A lot of cities now, the e. R. S are packed with coughing, sneezing. I hope people will just get the flu shot. I know theres that urban legend around if you get the flu shot it makes you more susceptible to getting the flu. Its just not true. So hopefully people will go, or at least for the elderly and the chirp. Some people have an egg allergy, and would have something far worse if they got the flu. Youre going to get your flu shot. When i see you again monday, i will be here, i will be all shotted up. Well check on him. Youve heard of drivein movies and drive through banking, but from lincoln, nebraska, drive right into the pizza shop. Yes, it happened on wednesday. An elderly mans foot got stuck on the gas pedal and he drove right through if front door of valentinos pizza shot. While he was stuck in the car, he ordered a pie for himself. Luckily no one else was hurt. But that driver did not get that pie before being taken to the hospital to be checked out. So you have to wonder what the First Responders thought when this guy crashed through the store and had the whatever to ord ear order a pizza. Was it a joke or . I dont know. Lets hope. Maybe some confusion. I dont know. Who knows what it was . Luckily no injuries and no major structural damage to the building either. Coming up next, the astoumdzing amount of food thrown out worldwide every single day. And the beer thats brewing up something extra special for people who survived hurricane sandy. Youre watching world news now. Have given way to sleeping. Tossing and turning where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. And lunesta® eszopiclone can help you get there. Like it has for so many people before. When taking lunesta, dont drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. Walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. Lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. Abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. In depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. Alcohol may increase these risks. Allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. Side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. Ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. Then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta. Com. Theres a land of restful sleep. We can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. Sadly, this is becoming an all too familiar story. We learned yesterday that former pro Football Player junior seau who killed himself did in fact have degenerative brain disease. Cte is found in people that have suffered repetitive head trauma. Abcs jim avila has more. Reporter junior seau, who made an estimated 1850 bruising tackles, most of them head first. June jior seau. Reporter and in medical documents obtained by abc news and espn and confirmed in an exclusive interview with his family, we learned for the first time that this monster of the middle, who killed himself last year, suffered severe brain damage from repeated wl eed blo the head. At the end of the game, is it really worth it . Reporter his family donated his brain to science, the National Institutes of health found evidence of hardened brain cells like these. Telltale signs of chronic traumatic disease. All concurred with the diagnosis of cte. Reporter chronic blows to the head, including concussions, can cause cte. The symptoms include dementia, mood swings and depression severe enough to lead to suicide. The combination of depression and lack of impulse control probably contributes to the suicide we see. Reporter researchers have documented 50 Football Players stricken by cte, 35 nfl players, 6 high school players. Cte is not being seen in individuals without repetitive head injury. Reporter this revelation has summoned the nfl, their own health. At times i do forget things, the sleepless nights you may have, you start to wonder are you down that path towards cte . Reporter the seau family noticed his change in personality in the last years of his life. From outgoing, hard charging family leader, to withdrawn loner who ended it all by shooting himself in the chest, leaving this three word on a text to his children and exwife. What did he say . Just three words, i love you. That was the last we heard. Reporter none of his Children Play football anymore. And thats fine with their mother. I think its a gamble. If you want to play the sport, know what you could be in for. Its not worth it for me to not have a dad. So to me, its not worth it. Reporter the nfl says it will continue to finance research into cte and acknowledges it has more work to do and promises to do it. Jim avila, abc news, new york. So far the nfl has set aside about 100 million for research into this issue. But now theyre facing more than 4,000 lawsuits from retired players who are wondering what the impact on their brain has been. And they think could i be on the path of cte . This is really scary stuff for them. In february 2011, dave dorisen, a former Chicago Bears player, he too shot himself in the chest. He wanted his brain donated for research. Doctors determined he had cte. Its a new era for the nfl. Player safety is a top concern. Thats why theyve changed the rules about helmet to helmet contact. Were in a new era where were learning the effects of these hits on their bodies. Still ahead, lets lighten the mood a little bit here. Time to raise a glass for a good cause. We will introduce you to a new beer and youll want to toast the guys brewing it. Youre watching world news now. What is a better way to spend this weekend than drinking, but for a great cause. For a great cause. Is there any other reason to make this one our favorite story of the day . Believe it or not, there is. Theres some breweries that are creating a new beer and the proceeds go to survivors of super storm sandy. Heres wabcs kristen thorn. Reporter its not too often you can say that youre drinking beer for charity. But now you can. Its called surge protector, sandy relief ale. Its a true collaboration. Reporter eight breweries came together and created the ipa with one goal to raise money for those on the island still recovering from super storm sandy. One of those is one of their own, Barrier Brewing Company in oceanside that was wiped out by the storm. We are stronger together than we are separate. This is a good demonstration of that. Reporter the eight breweries donated all the ingredients. The main ingredients of barley and hopps were all contributed. It has the citrus and pine flavors of the hopps. Reporter it was brewed, bottled and labeled at blue point brewing company. The buzz is definitely starting to build and i think people will be psyched when it does finally come out. Reporter all the beer will be given to a distributor here on long island who will sell the beer to local beer stores. All the money that the distributor collects will be given to barrier brewing and long island cares. Keep an eye out for the beer in Stores Beginning january 22. Very cool story. There was already a plan under way to do a documentary about this flourering beer business on long island. But after the storm, the mission changed. Ill have some. Sunny is such a good sport. Look at you. [ washer and dryer sounds ] for the things you cant wash, freshen them with febreze. Because febreze doesnt just cover up odors. It penetrates deep into fabrics to eliminate odors and leaves a light, fresh scent. Just another way febreze helps you breathe happy. And leaves a light, fresh scent. Have given way to sleeping. Tossing and turning where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. And lunesta® eszopiclone can help you get there. Like it has for so many people before. When taking lunesta, dont drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. Walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. Lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. Abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. In depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. Alcohol may increase these risks. Allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. Side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. Ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. Then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta. Com. Theres a land of restful sleep. We can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. Um, hello. These ugly stains are ruining my good looks and style. And good luck using that cleaner. Excuse me, miss . Hes right. Those are tough hard water stains, and that cleaners not gonna cut it. Truth is, 85 of us have hard water and many dont even know it. You need limeaway. Limeaway is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. Its 4 times more effective at removing lime scale than the leading bathroom cleaner. See the limeaway difference or your money back. Now its time for the mix. Theres a new report coming out today that outlines the Staggering Amount of food that we just waste. Apparently, out of 4. 4 billion up thes produced each year, 50 goes to waste. They sort of blame it on a variety of factors, including overly strict sell by dates. Sometimes crops are rejected by supermarkets because they fail to meet this cosmetic appearance standard. Its just really something that so many people are starving, yet we waste so much. Half, thats crazy. Check this story out. North California Police bust into a home to bust this guy for marijuana. But look what he had protecting his weed. He was protecting about 300,000 worth of marijuana. And guess what . Mr. Teeth died on wednesday. It was very sick when it got there. Maybe it had too many special brownies. We dont know. But heres your polka. Politics and foreign wars all the weather, all the scores thats the world news now polka tapes that roll in way too slow thats the world news now its late at night, youre wide awake so grab your world news now mug and everybody dance have some fun and be a pal, every anchor, every gal, do the world news now polka the world news now polka thats the world news now polka they make us work the graveyard shift thats why we go for broke so why dont you tune into abc and play a little joke five whole days every week we are here tongue and cheek do the world news now polka i said, now do the world news now polka thank you, thank you very much. Thorning now, double trouble. Its not just the flu now. There is another virus making americans sick. As hospitals scramble to treat everyone, at least one School District is shutting down today for safetys sake. Its friday, january 11. From abc news, this is world news now. We thought just the flu stuff was scary. Now another critter is out there making people sick. The news keeps getting better. Welcome to your weekend, everybody. Happy friday and good morning. Im rob nelson. And im sunny hostin in for paula faris. Well explain why that second virus on top of the flu should really be taken seriously. Also this morning, taking Mother Nature seriously. A winter blast is blowing from coast to coast after the gulf region recovers from january tornadoes. Accuweather will bring us up to date. Messy times for a large swath of the country. Also later this half hour, when prescription sleeping pills do more harm than good. Well, the government is calling for changes to these remedies. An important topic for all of you insomniacs out there. Thats right. Ive never been a big what is it called . The ambien stuff, but ill pop a tylenol p. M. So weve got to take those things a little more carefully. And then in the skinny, kelly ripka wants to make a huge change in her life and its part of a multimillion dollar decision. Well bring you the scoop. Get a little glimpse into how miss ripka is living. Its fascinating. It is pretty cool. Before all of that, this years fierce outbreak of the flu is forcing even more communities to take action. Outside of tulsa, oklahoma, no one is going to school today because a quarter of the students are already sick. The extreme measures are keeping big City Hospitals busy. As abcs linsey davis reports. Reporter all day long, dr. Ron walls is rushing down the hall. A squirt of Hand Sanitizer and hes off to battle more flu. Its going to take you two or three weeks to feel really good again. Reporter hes wearing a face mask because he cant afford to be sick. Not now as many hospitals are overrun with flu cases. This patient has been battling the flu for ten days now. Youve been coughing a lot . Yes. What are you bringing up with the cough . Reporter while we were there, the cases mounted. So much so, the hospital sounded an all hands on deck code amber alert. Its basically a disaster notification that we use when we have a large number of things to deal with. Reporter at Holy Name Hospital in new jersey, dr. Randy tarticoff is battling against the tide. Were all a little overwhelmed, not only the practitioners, but the caregivers in general. Reporter numbers are so great, he isnt even administering flu tests but handing out treatment. A lot of what we do is simple supportive care, making them feel better. Reporter the most vulnerable patients, children and the elderly. But this flu can also have deadly consequences for healthy adults. Strong immune systems can sometimes overreact and destroy healthy tissues along with the flu itself. This year, theres a double threat. Not only is flu ram pant, so is a nasty stomach call called the noravirus. Now widespread throughout the country. Its also very contagious, and another serious concern for hospitals. A perfect storm of sickness, which is why 45,000 people in boston got an automated call from the city. Residents who have not been vaccinated against the flu this year are urged to get vaccinated. Reporter dr. Walls for one is hoping people listen. He knows better than anyone the flu isnt hasnt hit its peak yet. So far this season, this hospital has treated 280 confirmed flu cases. In all of last year, they only had 63. Yet this is another hospital where doctors say theyre getting beyond the point of testing every patient. At this point, the focus is treating them. Linsey davis, abc news, boston. To show you how serious this is getting, the Roman Catholic churches in the boston area are taking precautions to limit how this thing is spreading because its spreading so fast. So the communion wine, not going to share that anymore. Theyre telling the parishioners to bow instead of shaking hands. Telling the priests as you put the wafer in the persons mouth, be careful not to touch their tongue. I never thought the chalice should be shared. I was always sort of freaked out by that. But you precautions. Its a virus. You can get it by touching things. Something has to be done. It really is affecting so many people and children and the elderly and people are dying. Its scary. And you think about the number of things we touch all day, whether its the handle on the microwave, the doorknob to the bathroom, whatever youre touching it could all be there. And you can go out and infect as many as three to five people without knowing you have it. Exactly. It is strange. Everyone just be careful and get the shot. Which i promise you i will do this weekend. Please. I promise. Youve been coughing a little bit. I know. Might as well read the next one. Late last night, a colorado judge decided that there is enough evidence for accused Movie Theater gunman james holmes to stand trial. The decision follows a threeday hearing during which prosecutors laid out their case. Holmes faces 166 felony counts. Hes accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70 last july. He will be in court today, but his lawyers say theyre not ready to enter a plea. Former penn state assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is in a new legal fight. He was in court yesterday, where his attorneys opened their battle for a new trial. They claim they did not have enough time to prepare for his trial on child molestation charges. Our position was you cant take 6,400, 6,500 pages and give them to a lawyer and say okay, now, were start the trial real soon. The information that were talking about that was turned over to the defense in may, a month before the trial, largely had nothing to do with these victims. As you remember, sandusky was convicted last june and sentenced to at least 30 years. The judge is expected to issue a ruling about a new trial next week. Sanduskys Attorney Says if their motion is denied, they will appeal in pennsylvanias superior court. The son of former nfl star junior seau says hes not surprised his father suffered from a brain disease before committing suicide last may. A study by the National Institutes of health found seau suffered from a degenerative disease often associated with repeated blows to the head. He joins a list of several dozen former players who were found to have that disease. When major League Baseball players get back to work, they will be facing an increased number of tests for illegal drugs. A deal between management and the players means Human Growth Hormone testing will be conducted throughout the season instead of just spring training. Urine and blood tests will be administered and each player will be tested at least once. And with that hall of fame news, no one got in. So Interesting Times for major League Baseball. In other news this morning, Stormy Weather is finally moving out of southern louisiana after days of drenching rain and violent storms there. Surveillance video captured a tornado yesterday morning as it descended on a Chemical Plant near baton rouge. The twister damaged the roof but thankfully no one was injured. Some towns got more than 11 inches of rain in just 24 hours. With more rain expected this weekend, some rivers and streams are now approaching flood stage. And a wave of arctic air and snow hovering over Southern California has forced the shutdown of a major highway. As snow came down, interstate 5 was closed just north of l. A. The cold weather is expected to continue through the weekend and the coastal areas could see 60mileanhour winds and high tides of more than seven feet. You dont think about that kind of weather when you think of west coast life out there in cali. That storm out west is moving across the country, putting an end to springlike conditions. And meteorologist jim dicky is tracking the winter blast. Good morning, jim. Good morning. A mess on our hands here today across the upper midwest and the northern plains. The front range of the rockies, area of low pressure moves north and east, an icy mix in minnesota with winddriven snow in the dakotas, here. Blizzard conditions tonight, travel conditions will be dangerous, if not impossible. The pattern for this weekend, we keep it cold and wintery across the west. Quite warm into the east. Many spots challenging record highs saturday and sunday. Rob and sunny, back to you. Thanks, jim. Now for the friday morning edition of stupid human tricks. Check out the guy with the most trust in his fellow man. This Youtube Video shows him Walking Around telling people on the beach or the sidewalk that he trusts them. That trust is misplaced as he continuously falls to the ground. But finally a guy on the beach catches him and they share a congratulatory hand shake and then its just more of the same. Yeah. Everyone has one of those like orientation for work and people play that trust game . I do not like the trust game. I dont like that. Most of the times they catch you. Ive been asked to play it and i said no, thank you. Smart. Definitely dont play it in this building. No, thank you. Coming up, the Career Opportunity that is bringing back always a favorite actor, michael j. Fox. And the prescription sleeping pills that are so popular among insomniacs. The serious safety concerns and whos making changes. Youre watching world news now. Ews now. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. Its hard to turn off and go back to sleep. Intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you cant get back to sleep. Its an effective sleep medicine you dont take before bedtime. Take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. Do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. Allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. Intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. Do not drive or operate machinery until at least 4 hours after taking intermezzo and youre fully awake. Driving, eating, or engaging in other activities while not fully awake without remembering the event the next day have been reported. Abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. Alcohol or taking other medicines that make you sleepy may increase these risks. In depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. Intermezzo, like most sleep medicines, has some risk of dependency. Common side effects are headache, nausea, and fatigue. So if you suffer from middleofthenight insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. Until they see this. The oralb prohealth clinical brush. Its proflex sides adjust to teeth and gums for a better clean. The prohealth clinical brush from oralb. Before the tissue, help defend with a wipe. Before the cold flu season, help prevent with lysol. Because when you have 10 times more protection with each hand wash. And kill 99. 9 of germs around the house with each spray. Those Healthy Habits start to add up. This season, a good offense is the best defense and lysol has your family covered because thats our mission for health. Well, if youre awake with us right now, you know sleep can be so tough to come by. And sleeping pills can really help. But one of the most popular, ambien, can cause drowsiness, even after sleeping a full night. As abcs lisa stark reports, its now being recommended that some people actually take a lower dose. Reporter we showed you how dangerous it is to drive under the influence of ambien. Here i am in a driving simulator, 30 minutes after taking the pill. Am i on the wrong side of the road . 90 minutes after downing the medication. I fell asleep for a second. And at four hours, still obviously impaired. Now it turns out, even those who wait the recommended eight hours after taking ambien and its generic versions may still be too impaired to drive. Its especially true for women, who for some unknown reason do not clear the medicine as quickly. New studies show that after taking a regular ten milligram ambien or its generic, 15 of women will still be impaired eight hours later. And after taking the extended released version, a whopping 33 wont be alert enough for things like driving. So the fda says the new recommended dose for women, half of what it is now. But first check with your doctor. Those relying on other sleeping medications shouldnt rest easy. The fda is examining those as well. Lowering the dose will help ensure women are alert for the morning drive and it will also help reduce this. That was close. Dangerous cases of sleep driving. Lisa stark, abc news, washington. Scary. It really is. Listen to this, too. According to ims, a Health Care Information technology company, 60 million prescriptions were dispensed back in 2011 for this stuff. So theres a significant insomnia crowd. While we appreciate the job security, please monitor your health. Weve heard Horror Stories for people that get hooked on that stuff. And literally, cant sleep without it or do crazy things when youre on it. Weve heard stories even here on our show. Its the overnight crew. Theres a lot of ambien folks Walking Around here. I get why they do it. We all have our weird sleep patterns on this shift. But theres a downside to everything. As always. As always. Be careful. Coming up next, when a celebrity tries to sell something for 24 million, the public usually takes notice. And turning a weathermans bathroom accident into song and dance. Well explain that next in the skinny. Skinny, so skinny skinny in the house yes, it is time for the skinny. And kelly ripka, who you know i just love, is putting her new york penthouse on the in fact. She purchased it in 2005 for 9. 1 million. However, shes selling it for 24. 5 million. Its in soho but it is remarkable. Two floors, five bathrooms, two home offices, a media room, a 2500 square foot outdoor space, hot tub, outdoor kitchen and the living room has a central staircase, two dishwashers, two refrigerators, home gym, powder room, library and roof deck. And you can have that for 24. 5 million. And get this, rob, the apartment is being sold by two brokers, one of which is raphael de niro, son of robert de niro. So its just all celebrity, celebrity, celebrity. Ever think sometimes we got the wrong job in television . I think about it often. Nice investment there. Oh, man. Well see if she gets it. You can ask for anything. Its new york. You never know. She could get it tomorrow. Also you cant be a fan of tv sitcoms and not love michael j. Fox. We remember him from family ties and we all know that hes been battling parkinsons for several years. But hes gotten the condition under control. 12 years after leaving spin city after retiring because of the illness, hes coming back. Hes now 51 years old. Hes coming back in a sitcom on nbc, set to play a busy husband and father of three who juggles his family, career and who is also battling parkinsons. So its a little hes borrowing from his real life battles with the disease, as well. So hes looking forward to going back to his own show. We all love this guy. So welcome back. That should premiere in the fall of this year. So welcome back to tv, mr. Michael j. Fox. Well be watching. Al roker, who we do watch, hes the weatherman on nbc. Remember he sort of said that after gastric bypass he had a little poop accident at the white house. He had to go commando because he thought he was passing gas and he passed a little bit more, which rob says it happens to a lot of people. Ive never heard of that before. But theyve now made a song out of it. Take a listen. On youtube. I was panicky i was panicky you popped in your pants . I pooped in my pants. Come on, everybody, do the dukie dance you pooped in your pants, you pooped in your pants. Break it down, al, break it down. Real quick here, Justin Bieber is going to host saturday night live february 9 and hes told the writers that have as much fun as you want because hes been spotted enjoying a little of the green stuff, shall we say. Just being high on life. So hes saying no holds barred, have fun with my penchant for a little mary jane. So should be an entertaining show for the young biebs. Can help you get there. Iclone like it has for so many people before. When taking lunesta, dont drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. Walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. Lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. Abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. In depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. Alcohol may increase these risks. Allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. Side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. Ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. Then find out how to get lunesta for as low as fifteen dollars at lunesta. Com. Theres a land of restful sleep. We can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. [ male announcer ] why do more emergency workers everywhere trust duracell. . . Duralock power preserve. Locks in power for up to 10 years in storage. Duracell with duralock. Trusted everywhere. Duracell with duralock. Until its completely clean. Lysol toilet bowl cleaner gives you maximum coverage from the rim down to the water line to kill 99. 9 of germs. And removes stains better than clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. So if you want to do the whole job, lysols got you covered. Lysol. Mission for health. And for an incredibly clean and fresh bowl with every flush, try the no mess automatic toilet bowl cleaner. But kate still looks like. Kate. Nicen easy with Colorblend Technology gives expert highlights and lowlights. For color thats true to you. I dont know how she does it. With nicen easy, all they see is you. Lets get it on oh, baby lets get it on that sets the mood for the weekend, does it not . You feeling good, willis . Thats the mood, baby. As always, another very busy week in the news. There were some new beginnings and happy returns. But it was the return of a very unwelcome outbreak that tops our friday rewind. Its been an epidemic. Its been huge and there have been a lot of admissions from the flu, more than ever. One minute, im 1,000 degrees, sweating to death. The next minute im 4 degrees, freezing to death, wishing i was dead. He would be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of defense. One of the few secretaries wounded in war. The first vietnam veteran to lead the department. I will always do my best. I will do my best for our country, for those i represent at the pentagon, and for all our citizens. Chuck hagel bucked the Republican Party establishment opposing the war in iraq. This is an in your face nomination by the president to all of us who are supportive of israel. He literally built and then led the National Counterterrorism center. Leading the agency in which i served for 25 years would be the greatest privilege, as well as the greatest responsibility of my professional life. Its like you almost have to face the devil, you know . As opposed to saying i dont want to know. You have a gun . Yes. You still have a glock . Yes. Were both gun owners. We are strong supporters of the second amendment. Welcome back to work. Thank you, matt. I have to say, matt, i missed you all. I wouldnt say that under normal circumstances. Why would you do this to my new desk . What is wrong with you . Its out with the old, in with the new. Were going with 11 30. But this is this is the this was the new desk. Jimmy had a very good week. Also coming up this weekend, the global no pants subway day. So folks will be on the subway here in new york without their pants on. Yesterday, 4,000 people took place. No, no. Be careful where you sit on the subway. And it is national hot tottie day. For all you flu sufferers out there. Nice. So bottoms up. Enjoy. More from abc next