out of all the co-anchors i worked with in my career you were the only person who made me feel like on day one we had been friends forever. your kindness, warmth really comes across on camera and you are ridiculously funny and you know it. i am never going to forget our christmas together last year, shared eggnog, wore hideous christmas sweaters and had santa visit. a memory i will keep. i am so excited for you. and i hope this means you finally get some sleep, my friend. congratulations. >> rob nelson, congratulations. i really enjoyed the bro show we did that one time. remember the meteorite that came crashing on the set you. will be great in the next phase, correspondent phase. poor son of gun has to fill your shoes, a tough act to follow. all the best, rob. >> rob, my friend, congratulations on your move to the daytime. what can i say? it was super fun. the highlight would have had to be the nfl picks that i won. do you remember that? uh-huh. yes, i know you do. anyway, looking forward to seeing you in the sunshine. >> hey, rob, your former co-anchor, peggy bunker sending you farewell wishes when you get off the overnights. when i think back to our time together on the overnights there is no other man i would rather be up all night with. that did not come out right. rob, remember that one time it was like 3:00 a.m., like the middle of the night -- wait. and you know, rob, i was one of your first female co-anchors and since then you have had a lot. is jenny going to see this? rob, i am trying to say, you are awesome, hysterical and will be missed on the overnights. sending you hugs and kisses. >> hey, caught me, rob, sorry. you got to admit i come into your office. i miss you. like to try on your hat and necklaces. and thirsty. in fact, i think this is mine. i left this in your fridge. but so excited for you to come todayside. i have been told your first three assignments are kate middleton, kim kardashian and dog rescues cat from the drain. totally up your alley. to get you right in on everything you will be doing dayside. i bought you for favorite rag mag, a year subscription to this. you can thank me later for that. but really excited for you to clean this mess of a desk. i don't know how many trees you killed. it is actually kind of beautiful. looks like an art project. clean your desk up. and get rid of the oranges, been in your office for god knows how long, probably since last christmas. can't wait to see you in the day side, before i go, see you soon. >> 16, a crazy number. i have been lucky to work with incredibly talented, funny, smart, sexy, engaging, cool people. including diana, my present company here. i wish you all the luck in the world in the next chapter. i can't wait. >> but there was someone missing. >> uh-oh. >> who was missing? she is here now. come on out. >> who? a surprise! >> sunny. >> sunshine! sunshine! >> yes, indeed! >> good to see you. >> good to see you. >> i am not up at this time anymore. >> i am jealous. >> i brought you a little scotch now. i think you are ready for it. >> i am ready. blue lid. she got the expensive stuff. >> of course. >> thank you, baby. >> heard about these. >> favorite. favorite gum. ice cube. let me tell you. after i drink this bottle today i am going to need the gum to hide it from the bosses here. but, this has been fantastic too. and all of these great folks here. can't say enough about incredible folks i had a chance to work with. i am the wilt chamberlain of the overnight show. leaving the set to go to the free clinic. stay tuned, everybody. we'll be back. it has been fun! >> announcer: "world news now" continues after th ♪ i'm gonna knock you out >> getting ready to knock you out with everything that is on here. >> ll cool j. mm, mm, mm, ll, mm, mm. that chapstick. ll cool j. thank you kindly. >> what's a party without some snacks and a bar? before we get to tim. a look back at our favorite food moments. >> uh-oh. >> i was going to say cake balls, that's not right. cake puffs. >> here you go. >> little chilly in here. >> you like them? >> i'm a popsicle. why don't you try the corn dog. >> i'm not putting that thing in my mouth. >> heck no. >> just the tip. >> that devolved quickly. [ laughter ] >> whoo. >> the fun continues. and we have all kind of things going on. we have drinks. we have food. get us started. >> we have it all. i wanted to start with rob's one of his favorite dishes from new orleans, the muffalata. take an italian loaf. cut it in half. hollow out the top. we will load it up with goodies. you need extra space. hollow it out. it starts out with a little bit of olive tapinade from new orleans, good stuff. >> muffalata. >> put some extra on there. >> yes, i do. >> and a little surprise, little italian sausage here. >> little bit of sausage. >> provolone. on there. more of that on there. get that going. >> nice an easy to make. >> absolutely. >> good stuff. >> this is great stuff. >> a little layer. more provalone. little more. and this is what you do. little bit more olive tapinade. >> make it juicy now! >> what we do. turn it over. you press it down. >> press it down. >> oh. >> and then give this a good cut in half. oh, yeah. i know you like things on a stick. so when you eat these things -- when you eat these you get all messy. >> i got it. getting messy now. >> little bites, put it on a stick. so it won't run all over you. these are a mess. cut them up, party favors. dunk it in sauces. >> you know what i love about this whole thing. food from my favorite city, new orleans, made by my favorite guest on the overnight. thank you, tim. >> absolutely. >> a man of many talents. we will look back at major breaking news stories you have covered throughout the years. this guy can actually be serious, if you can believe it. >> we did do some news now and then. >> we're going to keep partying. there is a whole lot going on here we have to take advantage. >> come on back! advantage. >> come on back! ♪ [ female announcer ] for everything your face has to face. face it with puffs ultra soft & strong. puffs has soft, air-fluffed pillows for 40% more cushiony thickness. face every day with puffs softness. with grease and lime scale. use finish dishwasher cleaner every month to keep your machine in sparkling health. for shining results, finish dishwasher cleaner. challenge that with olay facial hair removal duos for fine or coarse hair. first a pre-treatment balm then the effective cream. for gentle hair removal at far less than salon prices. there's no place like home. ♪ what a man what a man what a mighty good man ♪ part of the reason we journalists do what we do is to share incredible stories with all of you. >> elections, disasters and national tragedies. some of stories unfolding during the early morning hours. rob here has been there for some of the big ones. >> rescue finally over. 33 chilean miners spent 69 days underground. the miners range in age, 19 to 63, some fathers, some husbands, one a former soccer star. >> an 8.8, 8.9 magnitude quake struck at 2:46 local time in japan. do you get a sense people are heeding the warnings, a movement of people in the country trying to get out of the way with more tsunamis. >> this is the largest quake i have seen in the time that i lived here. >> in custody, zorngeorge zimme, the gunman accused in the death of trayvon martin is in jail. >> it was important it became an issue of credibility. if he lied about the money why would he not lie about details of what happened that night. >> good morning, everybody, rob nelson and paula faris here at abc headquarters in new york. we want to bring you details on a breaking story out of aurora, colorado this morning. a very scary situation, suburban denver movie theater, there has been a mass shooting. >> coastal community flooded. sandy has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. it hit with full hurricane force wind showing us the true power of mother nature. >> four more years, president barack obama is re-elected. >> the headline tonight, the president, how well he did and defied expectations and pundits nobody expected the electoral gap to be as wide as it was. >> apparently the gunman first entered a kindergarten classroom, younger kids. it was empty. thought it was empty. the kids were in a bathroom area. after he thought the room was empty went into the 1st grade classroom where he proceeded to kill 15 of 16 students in the classroom. now that the inaugural song and dance is over. president obama has a big agenda for this second term. >> some folks said it seemed more like a state of the union address than it did, an inaugural. he had so many policy, use, whether it was climate change, gay rights issue, equal pay for equal work, immigration reform. >> the world welcomes a new pope. a man by all accounts humble and holy whose very name marks a new beginning. so there is going to be a real devotion to the poor. you wonder how the devotion will play out how he carries out and what he makes a priority as pope. >> uh-huh. >> fun is the charm of the show. news is still its mission. we'll be back. hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! ♪ wow. [ buzz ] delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? bee happy. bee healthy. with clusters of flakes and o's. oh, ho ho... it's the honey sweetness. i...i mean, you...love. this morning on "world news now" -- stocks soar. >> it has been a banner week for the dow. all eyes will watch the numbers again today to see if the wall street can extend its winning streak. it's friday, march 15th. good morning, i'm diana perez. >> i'm rob nelson. happy friday, everybody. we will have more on wall street's winning week and our other top stories coming up in just a second. >> first, a bittersweet day here at "world news now." it is rob's last day which makes all of us really, really sad. but we are having a party. and that makes us really, really happy. our chief entertainment officer tim is mixing the cocktails and whipping up serious snacks over there. timmy, thank you. >> yes! >> love to do it. a special robarita coming up. >> my friend, tim lehr, left a cruise working early to get here and do this. tim, i am forever grateful. >> i wouldn't miss this for the world. you are good people. so is willis. he came out of retirement for the tenth time to come here and be at the bar. sunny hostin, one of my loves. absolutely fantastic. yes, cannot wait to have the robarita coming up. a little side note, guess what? i will share this quick. the first suit and tie that i wore on this show july 12th, 2010. and i wore it again tonight because my, my, my thought on life is no matter where you end up never forget where you started. >> look at you. >> i wanted to come full circle tonight. we are doing it going back to the beginning. >> it still fits. >> it's been tailored a little bit. >> you gained 800 pounds on this shift. >> you will see. you will see. >> all right, we got to get to some news. start with the running of the bulls, wall street hitting a record high and a milestone. >> stocks soared yesterday, 14,539. one reason is encouraging news on jobless claims and new numbers show fewer americans are seeking unemployment than expected. over the last four weeks the lowest since march 2008 just before the recession began. pope francis kicked off his tenure as leader of the catholic church. in his signature no frills style. celebrated his first public mass delivering his off the cuff homily in italian rather than traditional latin and wore a simple white cassock instead of the fancy red cape worn by pope benedict at his first mass. cardinal timothy dolan says humility is what this pontiff is all about. >> it was a great sense of joy and peace and resignation. just sort of a sense of boy, god got us through this and provides for his church. >> in another no nonsense move, pope francis stopped by the hotel where he had been staying, picked up his own luggage and paid his own bill. a dramatic scene in south dakota. emergency workers in sioux falls are searching for a man and woman who rescued a boy who fell into a river there. the pair managed to save the 6-year-old, but then they were swept away. the water is covered with thick sea foam making it difficult very much so for rescuers to find the two. the boy is back with his mother. it is not clear if the missing people knew him. more trouble for carnival cruise lines this morning. its ship "legend" is having technical difficulties affecting sailing speed forcing cancellation of tomorrow's schedule visit to grand cayman. and a power problem on board "dream" forcing passengers to fly back to florida rather than sail. carnival insisted there was no power outage just an issue with the ship's backup generator. you may recall just last month the carnival ship "triumph" was stranded for five days at sea without power. or working toilets. testimony resumes in ohio in the trial of two football players accused of raping a 16-year-old girl. conflicting text messages show the issue facing the judge in this case. the defendants texted about having a mutual good time with the girl. the girl texted to a friend that she remembered almost nothing about what happened. prosecutors say the girl was too drunk to consent. the two boys insist they did nothing wrong. scammers from overseas are duping thousands of senior citizens out of their hard earned life earnings. >> these hustlers are impersonating employees of prize companies. the victims have lost hundreds of thousand of bucks as well as their sense of security. abc's pierre thomas investigates. >> reporter: we all know the ads. >> wouldn't it be great to win $5,000 a week for life? >> reporter: now jamaican scammers are using the good name of publisher's clearinghouse and other major prize companies to dupe thousands of senior citizens out of their life savings. kim nichols says her 77-year-old father was ripped off. >> he received a phone call from someone saying they were from publisher's clearinghouse. they said he won a mercedes, a nice car and over $1 million. >> reporter: publisher's clearinghouse had nothing to do with this and doesn't notify winners on the phone. kim's father started getting a flood of phone calls from jamaica's 876 area code with crooks impersonating government officials demanding tax money before he could get the prize. how much money did your father end up giving? >> he lost $85,000. >> reporter: $85,000. >> $85,000. it is devastating. >> reporter: listen to this a sad exchange between a scammer and woman named bea who shelled out more than $60,000. >> you have to pay the tax on the check before the check could be cashed. >> you keep asking for more money, more money. last night i went to bed crying. i don't have no money. the bills are coming. i don't have any oil. i'm freezing here. it's getting cold now. >> you'll have to take care of the final payment, bea. just keep your trust in us now. >> reporter: if the victims don't pay, the scammers are not above threats. >> there is nothing that these scammers won't do. they are absolutely despicable. >> we want to put out the red flags of warning. >> reporter: how to protect yourself? if prize officials call and tell you to pay taxes before they give you the money, it is a scam. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. big business news this morning, samsung already sells more smartphones than apple and ratcheting up the competition another notch. the company introduced galaxy s 4 blocks from an apple store. in fact, you can operate the phone without touching it. its best feature may be that it has a bigger screen than the iphone and runs on android operating system. scientists using an underground atom smasher believe they discovered a crucial building block of the university, the so-called god particle. it is an elusive subatomic particle that gives mass to all other particles in the universe. geneva based researchers say the particle closely resembles the one predicted in 1964 to help explain the creation of the universe. a quick thinking air traffic controller saved the life of a private pilot flying from dallas to michigan. she noticed he was slurring his words sounding kind of like this -- [ indiscernible ] >> controllers knew it wasn't alcohol, that the pilot was actually suffering from a lack of oxygen. the plane was in crowded airspace at 27,000 feet. she told him to fly at a lower altitude which did the trick. >> you're sounding a little better. >> hollingsworth gets goose bumps thinking what could have happened. she received an award last week for saving the pilot's life. quick thinking. >> wow. all right, still ahead. you probably already know this. this is rob's last day. go on. you know you want to go. >> all right. >> and sending him off in style and with alcohol of course. there he goes. off to the bar. and the party is just getting started. you are watching "world news now." >> whoa! >> what? what? yeah! >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by finish quantum powerball. quantum powerball. it's happening now. people are switching to finish... ... and it's spreading all across america. quantum with new power gel delivers amazing clean and shine, even in the hardest water, which cascade just can't do. so take the finish shine challenge and see what it can do for you. there's a lot i had to do... watch my diet. stay active. start insulin... today, i learned there's something i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said that with novolog® flexpen, i don't have to use a syringe and a vial or carry a cooler. flexpen® comes prefilled with fast-acting insulin used to help control high blood sugar when you eat. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. no drawing from a vial. you should eat a meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injecting novolog® (insulin aspart [rdna origin] injection). do not use if your blood sugar is too low, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating 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then we're going to do the finish rough. >> talk to me, baby girl. ♪ rolling >> lord have mercy. ♪ rolling on the river again. ♪ say rolling ♪ rolling on the >> i am going to have the theme. this became the theme of the show. i started doing tina turner. tina said we never, ever, do a farewell show nice and easy. we always do a farewell show nice and rough. ooh! that's how we do it! >> whoa! >> nice and rough! and rough. and rough. >> and rough! >> whoo, yes. that's how we roll. >> we like to laugh on this show. that is another reason why it has been so hard to see our rob here leave us. a little levity really does go a long way in the middle of the night. there has been plenty of that since rob got here in the form of jokes, imitations, even some sweet, sweet dancing. here now some of rob's most amusing and we think, we are sure he doesn't think, embarrassing moments. >> rough! ♪ >> spokane, right? >> spokane. >> oh, man. >> i'll read you interpret. about predicting the election. >> ha-ha! >> see, there you go. >> yeah, yeah. oh, whoa! get on it. get away. >> be good. two minutes. ♪ should have put a ring on it >> working on a situation. come on, girl don't leave me. >> another day at the office. now it's on! >> oh! >> why don't you try the corn dog. come on, try the corn dog. just the tip. >> heck no. >> getting kind of rough in here. oh! >> let me just -- >> so lovely. oh, that's not the mike. that sound good. >> enjoy. >> time's flying. >> willis is eating. >> that's where all our props went. >> the whole thing, man. >> that's what i am talking about. >> there we go. >> oh. photo shop, maybe. >> and if you like breast milk put your hands up. let me hear you! >> everybody -- >> his liveliness, sweat, smoking, sleeping, breathing. >> rob, rob, rob. >> this has been the "world news now" after school special. practice safe sex. >> we have so much fun. >> drinking too much on the first date is a definite misstep. >> you are so pretty. you are so pretty, darla. i love you so much. >> it's diana. ♪ >> what we do at the "world news now" internship program. >> this is -- >> mike, mike is, mike is upset. and i didn't get -- >> i feel the urge to go to the bathroom. >> not the kitchen. >> come on. you have got to get into it. >> bust out. uh. it's friday. >> time to find a new anchor. >> 1-900-hot-anchor. how can i be of assistance? >> we are looking for a nice new, hot, co-anchor for "world news now." >> i feel it! >> whoo! >> whoo! just pray for that boy! >> praise him! praise him! amen! >> thank you. >> there is something missing. >> there is something missing. from that? >> i haven't seen your pole dance. >> you want me to do the pole dance? the pole dance? >> i need some '70s music. ♪ bow-wow-wow >> oh, lord, that's what i am talking about. >> there is a complete look at rob. >> announcer: "world news now" rob. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our ♪ first you fill it up then you drink it down ♪ ♪ first you fill it up then you drink it down ♪ ♪ everybody rocking, having a good time ♪ welcome back, everybody. >> i like that intro. one of the pictures i look like o.j. on the cover of "time." we'll let that one slide. it's like, uh-huh. >> during my time here at "world news now," some of the best parts are getting to do segments with guys just like tim, my favorite. not just because tim brings great food, drink and recipes. >> we pulled out all the stops for your final morning, rob. we asked him to bring some favorite deserts and special drinks as well. what do you have for us? >> couple fun things rob likes. grew up in new jersey. had to have a new jersey pizza on a stick. which you can take, dunk it in marinara sauce, butter and garlic sauce. that is for the bread pudding. that ought to be interesting. >> whoa. >> let's see. >> i did the wrong sauce. that will mess up your weekend quick. >> dipped into the wrong sauce there. i'm telling you. >> the garlic butter, recipe on your facebook page. the new orleans bread pudding with the bourbon sauce. will taste better. this will taste great, robarita. made this for you. and signature. here it is, the robarita. easy to make. starts with two parts of lemonade. boom, goes right in. and then about one part of pomegranate juice, to give a nice little color, flavor, savoriness. and then -- >> 30 second. >> tequila, name means rested. maybe you can get rest. and 1 1/2 parts. 1/2 part southern comfort from new orleans. >> ooh. yeah! oh. let's double up. come on, rob! let's double it up. >> don't be foolish! good thing i uncovered head & shoulders damage rescue. it rescued my scalp, and saved my hair. with seven benefits, damage rescue relieves dry scalp and removes flakes, while helping to repair damaged hair. now i use it every day, because the camera never blinks. no flakes, no scalp or hair worries. the proof? see it tonight, at eleven. head & shoulders damage rescue. live flake free. the proof? see it tonight, at eleven. given way to sleeping. tossing and turning have where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep, and lunesta eszopiclone can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. do not take lunesta if you are allergic to anything in it. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. 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 $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta. ♪ let's get it on ♪ oh ♪ let's get it on ♪ let's get it on >> all hot and bothered on a friday. yes, indeed! >> yes, sir! whoa! whoa! whoa! >> i'm trying to put my kid through school. >> you have never gotten paid for all that you do for us, rob. you have never, ever. >> i am underpaid. i know that. uh-huh. >> never. there we go. well, rob here hasn't always been this polished network correspondent that our bosses think he is. here is a look back at how far rob has come. starting three years ago in new orleans, oh, yeah. >> it is not easy to leave new orleans. i love this city. i love this job. an amazing ten years in this city. >> come over here. the new face of "world news now." >> this is rob nelson. welcome aboard. >> new world cup champions and a new face. >> great to be here. hard to believe it is here. >> crews in the gulf are working 'round-the-clock to stop the gushing oil well deep under sea. an 8.8 possible earthquake striking japan, 2:46. local time. >> we have extensive coverage of whitney houston's death. this half-hour. >> a former rutger's student will be sentenced today for hate crimes. >> president obama called mitt romney to congratulate him on clinching the republican nomination. >> there was a mix of terror and technology inside that building yesterday. >> hurricane sandy our only story. >> rob nelson is on the story. good morning. >> good morning, guys. amazing story. >> rob is with us on the desk. >> rob nelson is here with the story. could not believe this one. >> this is a wild one. >> perhaps the headline -- >> the "boston globe" says it all. back in the town he terrorized. >> we did get word. today that he did return to the new york apartment. >> in the fourth quarter of every game in the finals lebron james has choked. right when it mattered most. >> expect to see versace's mini-me creations by december. >> even schooling a tv reporter on his driveway court. this room is steeped in history. gunman accused of killing trayvon martin is back behind bars. we want to bring you a breaking story out of aurora, colorado, this morning. >> it happens too much in this country. rob nelson. thank you very much. >> so glad to have you. >> thank you very much. >> you are wonderful. and he is -- too. >> oh, what an awesome look back. i told you i had the same suit on the first night i started. coming full circle tonight. that's amazing. obviously not an easy decision this morning on "world news now" -- a new era begins in the catholic church. >> pope francis begins his tenure by setting a new tone with prayer and humility. it's friday, march 15th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good friday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm diana perez. >> we will have more on the new beginning for the church coming up in just a moment. we'll tell you how pope francis demonstrated his commitment to leading with a common touch. >> first, this is a bittersweet day for us here at "world news now," as we say good-bye to our dear friend and colleague, rob. it is his last day with us. boo to that! >> hard to believe, 2 years, 8 months, 3 days. not that i am counting. it's been a wonderful day so far. a great party before the show started. >> the party continues. >> sunny being here. willis. it is incredible. >> before you shed too many tears we are planning on sending him off the same way he spent his time here, lots of laughter and of course, as we have been saying, a good old-fashioned party. >> no better way to go out than a party. first the news, of course. >> pope francis gets down to leading the world's 1 billion catholics in a decidedly down to earth fashion. >> dressed in an every day white papal cassock, pope francis, started his mass preaching in italian, rather than the more formal latin, and his message to cardinals build the church on simple solid foundations. >> in keeping with his familiar style, the pope picked up his own luggage from the hotel he has been staying, and paid his own bill rather than sending an assistant. we are learning more about the life of pope francis before he became pope francis. to a large extent that life was one of service. >> abc's matt guttman traveled to argentina to get a sense of the man and the nation. >> reporter: we retrace the pope's path with the help of an old friend. father gustavo hakim. you wept? >> yes. i wept. >> reporter: he has known pope francis for nearly 30 years. i asked him if the new pope would ever wear the famous red shoes. not from prada? >> no, not from prada, no. >> reporter: pope francis wore down his old shoes along the trash strewn sidewalks of this slum. where there are 50,000 packed inside these pastel squares. latin america is home to 40% of the world's catholics nearly twice as many as in europe. many of them desperate for hope living in places like this, crime crippled slum. father gustavo carrere had to guide us in. is it dangerous? yes it is he told me. so dangerous that national guardsman corralled us. we didn't ask for this, there is security around us. the people are protecting us. the pope would walk around coming from the subway or bus alone. for techdecades his footsteps would take him to the neediest where this woman who told them the cardinal refused to buy new shoes bent down and washed her feet. she says, i was shocked, why me? why would he pick me? it is unusual for a cardinal to clean the feet of a drug addict. the pope was the north star of the universe here funding this school. the only school around. i asked juan carlo if he liked school. you bet, he said. matt guttman, abc news. two people are missing in sioux falls, south dakota after jumping into a river to save a child. the adults managed to save the 6-year-old boy before they were swept away by strong currents. the search made more difficult because of the frigid waters covered by ice and thick foam. the boy is recovering with his mother. on capitol hill a testy exchange over proposed gun safety rules. senator ted cruz of texas challenged the bill's sponsor, dianne feinstein about her views. she came back at him. take a listen. >> would she think the 4th amendment protection against searches and seizures could properly apply only to the following specified individuals and not to the individuals that congress has deemed outside the protection. >> it is fine you want to lecture me on the constitution. i appreciate it. just know i have been here a long time. i have passed on a number of bills. i studied the constitution myself. i am reasonably well educated. and i thank you for the lecture. >> ooh. dianne feinstein said it would cut down on firearms and magazines used in mass shootings and also cut down on the destruction they leave behind. opponents say they would violate the right to bear arms. >> an 11-year-old kicked off her football team because she was a girl will be allowed to play after all. carolyn plow attracted national attention when she lost her place on a team run by the catholic youth organization in pennsylvania. but the archbishop of philadelphia ruled that co-ed football will be allowed at least for now. carolyn says her fight to play was not just about her. >> i know there have been girls wanting to play cya football, and there are girls that want to play in the future and i just really want them and me to be able to play. >> the ruling applies only to the 2013 season. the archdiocese says it will be reviewed and revised in coming seasons. the boxing gloves are out once again with social media competitors facebook and twitter. this time battle of the hash tag. hash tags allow tweeters to group many stories about the same topic and keeps people on the site longer to view more ads. well "the wall street journal" reports that facebook wants to get in on the hash tag action too, but its rollout is likely months away. and with that we take a look at your friday forecast, everybody. snow showers for upstate new york, northern new england. wintery mix, chicago, detroit, milwaukee. a few inches of snow around the twin cities. grand rapids, fargo. rain and snow in the pacific northwest. record highs in the southwest. >> 91 in phoenix. 82 in colorado springs. 60s in the northern rockies. 34 in minneapolis. 48 here in new york city. well, much more ahead on "world news now," not that i know what it is. that's because my co-workers have been keeping the details of this last show of mine under wraps. >> that's right. rest assured our good old friend rob involves an open bar. >> thank you. >> we are just now getting this party started. that's coming up next! go on, rob, go on to your open bar. belly up to your bar. >> baby! >> yes! >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by hotwire.com. we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep, and lunesta eszopiclone can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. do not take lunesta if you are allergic to anything in it. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. 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 $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta. ♪ if you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change ♪ ♪ i'm starting with the man in the mirror oh, yeah ♪ >> oh. ♪ change >> oh. don't get me started on man in the mirror. having some church in here. >> there are a million people watching this show. if you can believe it. so you think after three years people in the street might know who rob nelson is. but as our producers found out, that's just not the case. they took a full sized cutout of rob out into new york city to find out just how many people know who you are, rob. >> oh, lord. >> do you guys know who this is? >> no. >> he looks familiar. not entirely sure. >> he is actually a famous salsa dancer. >> congratulations, rob, i hope to see you salsa dancing your way to fame and fortune. >> yeah, yeah, rob. do you know who this guy is here? >> back off a little. >> yeah, yeah, yeah, no problem. >> do you know who this guy is? >> i'm looking. his eyes look familiar. >> so this is rob nelson. a professional babysitter trying to set a world record for babysitting the most kids at once. so right now he is up to 30. and next weekend trying to go for 55. do you want to give him any congratulations? >> no. >> no? why not? >> because i don't think one person should be taking care of 30 children. children need a lot of personal attention. he can't possibly give it. that's what's wrong with our system of schools in new york. >> do you know who this guy is? >> the tv bank guy. >> the tv bank guy. that's who he is. >> i know. everybody knows me. >> that's me. you can't see, handsomeness. >> a professional ballet dancer. right now trying out for the main role in the "the nutcracker" next christmas. do you want to say congratulations to him? anything you want to say? >> congratulations! >> you have a permit. >> for the cutout. >> a permit. >> the police don't know who you are. >> all right, he is a professional wrestler. and he is going up to the next round of wrestling and we are making a congratulations video for him. you guys want to say anything to rob nelson here. what do you want to say to rob nelson? >> you rock. >> he tackles bears. >> a bear tackling suits. >> he is going to start tackling snakes pretty soon. >> excuse me, does anybody know who this guy is, just shout it out? you don't know his name? >> i almost never watch television. i don't know. >> my boyfriend. yeah. yeah. this is -- this is pretty much the only guy i can get these days. seriously get off the pole we're in public, rob. you can do this on the overnight show. you cannot do this during the daytime. get off the pole, rob. >> who is he? >> he's the president. >> he's the president. >> yeah, that's really close though. that's really close. good job. high-five. can you give rob a high-five too. give him a high-five. thank you. good job. yeah, probably one of his biggest fans. i have this poster in my bedroom at home in scotland. i'm all hot under the collar. >> does anybody know who this guy is? >> bryant gumbel. that's correct! >> oh, amanda. man, look at that. >> anybody, amanda. >> not one person? >> not one person. bryant gumbel. citibank guy. and president obama. >> i'll take it. >> see if you are the same height? >> if this guy is taller? he is taller. that is a shame. amanda that was funny. as you know it. that was good stuff. >> good stuff. >> proof of the power and reach of this show. we literally touch dozens and dozens of people every show. >> every show. >> we touch dozens of people. oh, man. bigger and better things. look at this. >> put this of in your house aren't you? look at it every day. >> did y'all get one of kim kardashian, so i can get freaky later? >> in the lounge. extra, extra special. oh, boy. >> ready, take him to your lounge. >> we are going to the bar. we are going to the bar. >> more of this. >> that's it! >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc ♪ closing time last call for alcohol ♪ so finish your whiskey and beer ♪ >> love that song. ♪ closing time >> all right. so earlier today the staff gave you a sending off. a nice party. last night, with our rob here, a couple of old faces. couple of new faces. and the one face that we are never going to forget, yours, rob. there you are. >> special thank you to joanie, organized the party. many, many thanks. >> yes, awesome. awesome. really. >> joanie! >> 16 people have shared the anchor desk with mr. nelson here. not sure what that says about rob. unequalled by two decade history of this show. to mark that record, we have a couple of gifts for you. yes. yes, the first one. let's see. ah! >> wow. oh, wow. >> this is actually a plaque just for you. in recognition, rob nelson informing insomniacs longer than any other anchor. >> oh, wow. that is awesome. that is awesome. look at that. that will be in the office, you know, so, dozens and dozens of fans can come by and take a peek at this. and, this is really cool though. it doesn't seem like it has been as long as it has. i have had fun. this is awesome. thank you, very much, wow, wow, wow. >> we have more gifts for you. absolutely. >> i know what this is. our hijinx book. a look at every single one of the graphics that we have ever put together on this show, including rob. there you are. a little bit of everything. you on the moon. you next to famous people. the people on the show. there it is. >> we have been through some things. we have an incredible graphics department. a standard traditional gift for every anchor who departs the show i must say mine is thicker than others. i don't say that often. >> willis. you're cut off. that's it. >> that was good! >> this is a keepsake. i will look back on this thing for years and remember the incredible fun we had as a staff, all the co-anchors and all the changes in my 2 years and 8 months. and graphics, thank you, guys, absolutely awesome. plaque and book. you are sending me off right. i am touched. >> there are tears in the people behind us. >> don't lie. >> look at donna right here. >> donna does my hair. absolute sweetheart. >> and a jellybean. >> and tim we know you want to give a toast. >> absolutely, i do, rob. what a fantastic job. congratulations. again, champagne, down the road, love you, rob. >> back at you. >> your team does too. >> to everyone and the whole crew, "world news now," to rob! >> rob! >> yes! >> no better way to celebrate than champagne. that's all. i have plenty of time. never hear that. how much time, tell me, how much time, suzanne? 2:30. that's plenty. we can have a whole. i will say on the air what i said to the guys earlier, in the staff meeting, say the on air, means a lot. this staff does 10 hours of live tv a week as much as any other show at abc. we do it without the respect or recognition some times or resources that we deserve. we still do great television. we found this way to mix the fun and irreverence and wackiness still doing news. you have seen that throughout the show today. for a kid who never expected to get into tv, never expected to get to new york, the network or a run on the show like the one i have can't tell you what it has meant to be a part of this. it not just a staff, it is a family. i said before, the anchors, we get the big good-bye show. we are not the most important part of the show, just most conspicuous. dozens of people on the staff do 1,000 thankless things to make the show possible and make the anchors look good. we have the easy job. the guys behind me do the heavy lifting and hard work. i tip my hat. give you love and respect for that. because it is so much, a team, a collective effort not just about one or two people on that desk. anchors come and go. some of y'all have been here for years including the guys in the control booth made this happen. give you the same love and respect you have shown me not just tonight but for the past 2 1/2 years. it has been the highlight of my career so far to be a part of this staff. its 21 year history. longest serving anchor in the history of the show. no matter what will happen down the road, i will look back at this part of my career, laugh, smile, be happy, that i have the chance to be in absolutely great company. you have been a pleasure to work with. i just love you more than i could ever put into words. thank you enough for a great send-off. and a great time. not the big shows but the every day stuff. >> yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! >> thank you. >> the best way he knows how. telling it like it is. always. that's rob's style. >> like it is. like it is. don't toast me. i toast you. i raise my glass to you. and i thank you all. >> this day is about you, rob. and we made a cake especially for you. wearing your new orlean's garb, hat, mardi gras, the picture on it. we got it done. we will dig into that as soon as we can. rob, a pleasure to work with you in the little bit of time we had together. i am so excited i was able to share this time with you. we will be right back. >> thank you, guys. thank you. >> yeah! thank you. 6. >> yeah! like it has for so many people before. do not take lunesta if you are allergic to anything in it. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. 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 $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta. that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. 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just in the past few days but in the past 2 1/2 years you have written me on facebook, you have tweeted me, you have shared some of the kindest, most generous, most warm hearted things i can imagine. and the amazing thing to me about this tv business is the connection you make with viewers out there. it is astounding. and i can't tell you how much it has meant, the love and the support and the loyalty, encouragement, the embrace you have shown me. particularly some of the hundreds and hundreds messages over the past few days, the news over the past few days, the news came out i was going to dayside here. sometimes when the politics of the business and rat race of the business messes with your head and rattles your confidence a little bit that embrace that i felt from y'all has given me an incredible level of hope and optimism and energy to keep going and to keep being me. and that connection with you guys and the support you all have shown in many various ways, e-mails, cards, gifts, e-mails, tweets, that's the real measure of success in this business. not the other stuff but the connection that you and i have had. and what you have, you have taken the time to share that with me. i think whenever you close out a personal or professional part of your career, the best part is to leave with good work, good friends and good memories. i'm blessed to leave with all three. thanks to the staff, and all of you out there. i am grateful. god bless and many, many thanks. >> all right, but now you are not leaving without being inducted into something very special on this show. our hall of fame. this is a look back at all of the anchors who have ever graced their presence on this desk. some of the many, many faces along the way. you may recognize, there is anderson cooper, by the way, liz cho, david muir, and the list continues and goes on and on. the many faces that you, some of them you know, some of them you have worked with. one of them you replaced. these are the people who have been your predecessor. that is your very last co-anchor, paula faris. and this is it! >> yea! [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you. >> announcer: more americans choose abc news to see the w this morning on "world news now" a new beginning. >> pope francis opens his papacy with prayer. this morning, we're getting a sense of who he is and what his priorities as pope might be. it's friday, march 15th. >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now." >> good morning, everybody, on my final day, this final friday of the show. hard to believe it is slowly, i think, sinking in. i'm rob nelson. >> how long has it been? >> 2 years, 8 months and 3 days. not that i am counting. >> 4 hours, 3 minutes, 22 seconds. >> all of it i have loved. >> that's right. we have a whole lot in store. stick with us. >> absolutely. >> rob. >> no idea what is coming on. bring it on. let's go. >> i'm diana perez. we'll have much more on the pope's first day. and what may lie ahead. and first a look at the other stories this morning. a bittersweet ending to a dramatic rescue, two people pull a boy out of a raging river then they disappear underneath the water. widespread opposition is not stopping the head of the tsa from allowing knives back on planes why he says he is not worried and what he says worries him even more. >> also like we said a very special morning here at "world news now." today, we say good-bye to rob. we are sending you off with a party. >> a party. i would have it no other way. i like it. i like it. i am ready. they refuse to let me see the scripts for tonight. i have no idea other than the news what is coming which is a little nerve racking, but i am ready. >> that's the way we like it. we know what is going on. you are in good hand tonight. don't you worry. >> in your hands, let's role. first, of course, the news before all the fun this morning. and some signs that simplicity and humility will define the tenure of pope francis. >> that's right. he is now the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion catholics. but the pope picked up his own luggage from the hotel where he was staying and paid his own bill rather than sending an assistant. pope watchers say that down to earth trait is a sign of what's to come. >> he is going to be a simple person. he is not going to speak in grand theological terms, he is going to try to say things simply and do things simply. >> simplicity marked the first mass, delivering a homily in italian rather than latin. perhaps the first big test in public will come tomorrow when he plans to address the media. a frantic search is under way in sioux falls, south dakota, for two people who jumped into a river to rescue a child. a man and woman managed to get the 6-year-old boy out safely before vanishing in frigid waters under thick foam. emergency crews are searching downstream from the waterfall, but the foam is making it tough to see anything. they're facing a strong current and ice pack. a jumbotron screen collapsed in miami injuring several workers. it happened last night while a crew was setting up a stage for a music festival for the weekend. four people on stage at the time. two were trapped under the equipment and suffered critical injuries. >> came down on two of them. one narrowly missed it being caught by the debris. one guy who witness the whole thing was traumatized. >> we have seen that kind of thing before. the stage was 90% complete at the time. structural engineers will check all stages at that venue. carnival cruise lines is facing pr nightmares this morning. the ship "legend" having technical difficulties affecting sailing speed forcing the cancellation to grand cayman. power problems on board "dream" is forcing passengers to fly from st. maarten to florida. carnival insists there was no power outage and an issue with the ship's backup generator. you may recall just last month the carnival ship "triumph" was stranded for five days at sea without power or working toilets. scathing new report from a senate subcommittee on the massive trading losses at jp morgan chase. the report says the bank, which is the nation's biggest ignored controls and manipulated documents. lawmakers accuse the bank's ceo jamie dimon of withholding information from regulators. the bad bets cost the bank $6 billion. later today members of the senate plan to question bank executives about the blunder. president obama has revealed that iran is about a year away from developing a nuclear weapon. the president made the remarks during an interview with israeli tv. mr. obama said the u.s. will likely not wait for the weapon to be developed before taking action. he prefers diplomacy over force but all options remain open. >> if we can resolve it diplomatically that is a more lasting solution. but if not, i continue to keep all options on the table. >> iran has repeatedly said it is not building a bomb, that its nuclear problem is for energy and medical use. the head of the tsa is not backing down telling lawmakers he stands by decisions to allow pocketknives on airplanes. john pistole says he is unaware of a threatening incident involving those knives and screeners spend far too much time confiscating them. what is far mr. dangerous is items that appear perfectly ordinary. >> it is those nonmetallic devices, bombs that are very small, they're concealable, and they are well designed. >> critics including lawmakers, airline workers, unions and federal marshalls are opposed to the plan insisting knives are weapons and simply don't belong on airplanes. >> an understandable controversy. you can't take more than 3 ounces, but no, come on in. interesting debate. all right, well for seasoned skydiver, craig stapleton, a recent dive could have been his final three minutes on earth. >> on sunday afternoon, stapleton attempted a stunt with parachuting partner, katie, above central california. after jumping from 8,000 feet both of his parachutes failed and he went into a 3-minute tailspin. >> at some point you just say, this is where i am going to land. this is how i am going to land. i have got to do the best i can to brace for that impact. and hope to god i survive. >> amazingly, after hitting the ground at 30 miles an hour he survived. with just minor injuries. >> you know what, the type of person, i am sure. every time one of the stories runs you ask them, would you do it again? i would go back up there. sure. >> the adrenaline rush. go. >> no, thank you. >> i'm good on the lazy boy. >> that is just about it for the serious stuff for this half-hour. to be honest, like i said, i have no idea. my chair is a lot shorter than i thought. i look like emmanuel lewis. >> go all the way up. >> you have the chair. >> you get to go up. >> no, no. >> we know exactly what is happening. we are getting the party started for rob's last day. lots of surprises in store and the bar is open. >> oh, yes, indeed! my favorite guest of all time. tim lehr over there running the bar. you will want to stay with us. straight ahead. you are watching "world news now"! ♪ my friend >> announcer: 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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 $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta. all across america. quantum with new power gel delivers brilliant shine, which cascade can't do. take the finish shine challenge and see what it can do for you. ♪ i'll be there ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ just call my name ♪ and i'll be there >> welcome back, everybody. as you know this is rob's last day. but we are getting the party started. as you can tell we have got the bar going. drinks are going to start flowing in a second. thanks to our friend tim. willis is in the house. belly up to the bar. >> came back out of retirement to be at the bar. the staff knows me well. they know me well. anchoring the news with someone is like being married. that is very true. you spend hours in close proximity with little chance of having sex. >> you have no idea this is the stuff he is going to be reading. >> sorry. and smelling. that's disgusting. it takes patience, you have to learn another person's personality. their likes, dislikes their sense of humor. >> i like it rough. >> and you have to do it all on live television. for the past 32 months this guy here has 16 of me. 16 co-anchors and substitutes. >> i'm into the group thing. >> despite having to work with him and shenanigans, some of them still wanted to wish their good wishes. >> congratulations, rob. i am so excited for you. and i have to say, i am just thrilled that i got to be your 14th, no, we did the math, 15th female co-anchor over the years on "world news now." and america this morning. the first time i met you on set out of all the co-anchors i worked with in my career you were the only person who made me feel like on day one we had been friends forever. your kindness, warmth really comes across on camera and you are ridiculously funny and you know it. i am never going to forget our christmas together last year, shared eggnog, wore hideous christmas sweaters and had santa visit. a memory i will keep. i am so excited for you. and i hope this means you finally get some sleep, my friend. congratulations. >> rob nelson, congratulations. i really enjoyed the bro show we did that one time. remember the meteorite that came crashing on the set you. will be great in the next phase, correspondent phase. poor son of gun has to fill your shoes, a tough act to follow. all the best, rob. >> rob, my friend, congratulations on your move to the daytime. what can i say? it was super fun. the highlight would have had to be the nfl picks that i won. do you remember that? uh-huh. yes, i know you do. anyway, looking forward to seeing you in the sunshine. >> hey, rob, your former co-anchor, peggy bunker sending you farewell wishes when you get off the overnights. when i think back to our time together on the overnights there is no other man i would rather be up all night with. that did not come out right. rob, remember that one time it was like 3:00 a.m., like the middle of the night -- wait. and you know, rob, i was one of your first female co-anchors and since then you have had a lot. is jenny going to see this? rob, i am trying to say, you are awesome, hysterical and will be missed on the overnights. sending you hugs and kisses. >> hey, caught me, rob, sorry. you got to admit i come into your office. i miss you. like to try on your hat and necklaces. and thirsty. in fact, i think this is mine. i left this in your fridge. but so excited for you to come day side. i have been told your first three assignments are kate middleton, kim kardashian and dog rescues cat from the drain. totally up your alley. to get you right in on everything you will be doing dayside. i bought you your favorite rag mag, a year subscription to this. you can thank me later for that. but really excited for you to clean this mess of a desk. i don't know how many trees you killed. it is actually kind of beautiful. looks like an art project. clean your desk up. and get rid of the oranges, been in your office for god knows how long, probably since last christmas. can't wait to see you in the day side, before i go, see you soon. >> 16, a crazy number. i have been lucky to work with incredibly talented, funny, smart, sexy, engaging, cool people. including diana, my present company here. i wish you all the luck in the world in the next chapter. i can't wait. >> but there was someone missing. >> uh-oh. >> who was missing? she is here now. come on out. >> who? a surprise! >> sunny. >> sunshine! sunshine! >> yes, indeed! >> good to see you. >> good to see you. >> i am not up at this time anymore. >> i am jealous. >> i brought you a little scotch now. i think you are ready for it. >> i am ready. blue lid. she got the expensive stuff. >> of course. >> thank you, baby. >> heard about these. >> favorite. favorite gum. ice cube. let me tell you. after i drink this bottle today i am going to need the gum to hide it from the bosses here. but, this has been fantastic too. and all of these great folks here. can't say enough about incredible folks i had a chance to work with. i am the wilt chamberlain of the overnight show. leaving the set to go to the free clinic. stay tuned, everybody. we'll be back. it has been fun! ♪ i'm gonna knock you out >> getting ready to knock you out with everything that is on here. >> ll cool j. mm, mm, mm, ll, mm, mm. that chapstick. ll cool j. thank you kindly. >> what's a party without some snacks and a bar? before we get to tim. a look back at our favorite food moments. >> uh-oh. >> i was going to say cake balls, that's not right. cake puffs. what are they called? >> here you go. >> little chilly in here. >> you like them? >> i'm a popsicle. why don't you try the corn dog. >> i'm not putting that thing in my mouth. >> come on. >> heck no. >> just the tip. >> that devolved quickly. >> words to live by. >> whoo. >> the fun continues. tim you are here and we have all kinds of things going on. we have drinks. we have food. get us started. >> we have it all. i wanted to start with rob's one of his favorite dishes from new orleans, the muffalata. we love that. show you how to make that real quickly. take an italian loaf. cut it in half. hollow out the top. we will load it up with goodies. you need extra space. hollow it out. it starts out with a little bit of olive tapinade from new orleans, good stuff. >> muffalata. >> put some extra on there. >> yes, i do. >> and a little surprise, little italian sausage here. >> little bit of sausage. >> provolone. on there. more of that on there. get that going. >> nice an easy to make. >> absolutely. >> good stuff. >> this is great stuff. >> a little layer. more provalone. little more. and this is what you do. little bit more olive tapinade. >> make it juicy now! >> what we do. turn it over. you press it down. >> press it down. >> oh. >> and then give this a good cut in half. oh, yeah. i know you like things on a stick. so when you eat these things -- when you eat these you get all messy. >> i got it. getting messy now. >> little bites, put it on a stick. so it won't run all over you. these are a mess. cut them up, party favors. dunk it in sauces. >> you know what i love about this whole thing. food from my favorite city, new orleans, made by my favorite guest on the overnight. thank you, tim. >> absolutely. >> a man of many talents. we will look back at major breaking news stories you have covered throughout the years. this guy can actually be serious, if you can believe it. >> we did do some news now and then. >> we're going to keep partying. there is a whole lot going on here we have to take advantage. >> come on back! advantage. >> come on back! ♪ [ female announcer ] for everything your face has to face. face it with puffs ultra soft & strong. puffs has soft, air-fluffed pillows for 40% more cushiony thickness. face every day with puffs softness. with grease and lime scale. use finish dishwasher cleaner every month to keep your machine in sparkling health. for shining results, finish dishwasher cleaner. challenge that with olay facial hair removal duos for fine or coarse hair. first a pre-treatment balm then the effective cream. for gentle hair removal at far less than salon prices. there's no place like home. ♪ what a man what a man what a mighty good man ♪ part of the reason we journalists do what we do is to share incredible stories with all of you. >> elections, disasters and national tragedies. some of the stories unfolding during the early morning hours. rob here has been there for some of the big ones. >> rescue finally over. 33 chilean miners spent 69 days underground. the miners range in age, 19 to 63, some fathers, some husbands, one a former soccer star. >> an 8.8, 8.9 magnitude quake struck at 2:46 local time in japan. so you get a sense people are heeding the warnings, a movement of people in the country trying to get out of the way with more tsunamis. >> this is the largest quake i have seen in the time that i lived here. >> in custody, george zimmerman, the gunman accused in the death of trayvon martin is in jail. >> it was important it became an issue of credibility. if he lied about the money why would he not lie about details of what happened that night. >> good morning, everybody, rob nelson and paula faris here at abc headquarters in new york. we want to bring you details on a breaking story out of aurora, colorado, this morning. a very scary situation, suburban denver movie theater, there has been a mass shooting. >> coastal community flooded. millions without power and roads, bridges and trains all shut down. sandy has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. it hit with full hurricane force wind showing us the true power of mother nature. >> four more years, president barack obama is re-elected. >> the headline tonight, the president, how well he did and defied expectations and pundits nobody expected the electoral gap to be as wide as it was. >> apparently the gunman first entered a kindergarten classroom, younger kids. it was empty. thought it was empty. the kids were in a bathroom area. after he thought the room was empty went into the 1st grade classroom where he proceeded to kill 15 of 16 students in the classroom. now that the inaugural song and dance is over. president obama has a big agenda for this second term. >> some folks said it seemed more like a state of the union address than it did, an inaugural. he had so many policy change, whether it was climate change, gay rights issue, equal pay for equal work, immigration reform. >> the world welcomes a new pope. a man by all accounts humble and holy whose very name marks a new beginning. so there is going to be a real devotion to the poor. you wonder how the devotion will play out how he carries out and what he makes a priority as pope. >> uh-huh. >> fun is the charm of the show. news i this morning on "world news now" -- stocks soar. >> it has been a banner week for the dow. all eyes will watch the numbers again today to see if the wall street can extend its winning streak. it's friday, march 15th. good morning, i'm diana perez. >> i'm rob nelson. happy friday, everybody. we will have more on wall street's winning week and our other top stories coming up in just a second. >> first, a bittersweet day here at "world news now." it is rob's last day which makes all of us really, really sad. but we are having a party. and that makes us really, really happy. our chief entertainment officer tim is mixing the cocktails and whipping up serious snacks over there. timmy, thank you. >> yes! >> love to do it. a special robarita coming up. >> my friend, tim lehr, left a cruise where he's working early to get here to do this. tim, i am forever grateful. >> i wouldn't miss this for the world. you are good people. so is willis. he came out of retirement for the tenth time to come here and be at the bar. sunny hostin, one of my loves. absolutely fantastic. yes, cannot wait to have the robarita coming up. a little side note, guess what? i will share this quick. the first suit and tie that i wore on this show july 12th, 2010. and i wore it again tonight because my, my, my thought on life is no matter where you end up never forget where you started. >> look at you. >> i wanted to come full circle tonight. we are doing it going back to the beginning. >> it still fits. >> it's been tailored a little bit. >> you gained 800 pounds on this shift. >> you will see. you will see. >> all right, we got to get to some news. start with the running of the bulls, wall street hitting a record high and a milestone. >> stocks soared 83 points yesterday, the longest winning streak since way back in '96. one reason is encouraging news on jobless claims and new numbers show fewer americans are seeking unemployment than expected. over the last four weeks the lowest since march 2008 just before the recession began. pope francis kicked off his tenure as leader of the catholic church. in his signature no frills style. celebrated his first public mass delivering his off the cuff homily in italian rather than traditional latin and wore a simple white cassock instead of the fancy red cape worn by pope benedict at his first mass. cardinal timothy dolan says humility is what this pontiff is all about. >> it was a great sense of joy and peace and resignation. just sort of a sense of boy, god got us through this and provides for his church. >> in another no nonsense move, pope francis stopped by the hotel where he had been staying, picked up his own luggage and paid his own bill. a dramatic scene in south dakota. emergency workers in sioux falls are searching for a man and woman who rescued a boy who fell into a river there. the pair managed to save the 6-year-old, but then they were swept away. the water is covered with thick sea foam making it difficult very much so for rescuers to find the two. the boy is back with his mother. it is not clear if the missing people knew him. more trouble for carnival cruise lines this morning. its ship "legend" is having technical difficulties affecting sailing speed forcing cancellation of tomorrow's schedule visit to grand cayman. in st. maarten a power problem aonboard "dream" forcing passengers to fly back to florida rather than sail. carnival insisted there was no power outage just an issue with the ship's backup generator. you may recall just last month the carnival ship "triumph" was stranded for five days at sea without power. or working toilets. testimony resumes in ohio in the trial of two football players accused of raping a 16-year-old girl. conflicting text messages show the issue facing the judge in this case. the defendants texted about having a mutual good time with the girl. the girl texted to a friend that she remembered almost nothing about what happened. prosecutors say the girl was too drunk to consent. the two boys insist they did nothing wrong. scammers from overseas are duping thousands of senior citizens out of their hard earned life earnings. >> these hustlers are impersonating employees of prize companies. the victims have lost hundreds of thousands of bucks as well as their sense of security. abc's pierre thomas investigates. >> reporter: we all know the ads. >> wouldn't it be great to win $5,000 a week for life? >> reporter: now jamaican scammers are using the good name of publisher's clearinghouse and other major prize companies to dupe thousands of senior citizens out of their life savings. kim nichols says her 77-year-old father was ripped off. >> he received a phone call from someone saying they were from publisher's clearinghouse. they said he won a mercedes, a nice car and over $1 million. >> reporter: publisher's clearinghouse had nothing to do with this and doesn't notify winners on the phone. kim's father started getting a flood of phone calls from jamaica's 876 area code with crooks impersonating government officials demanding tax money before he could get the prize. how much money did your father end up giving? >> he lost $85,000. >> reporter: $85,000. >> $85,000. it is devastating. >> reporter: listen to this a sad exchange between a scammer and woman named bea who shelled out more than $60,000. >> you have to pay the tax on the check before the check could be cashed. >> you keep asking for more money, more money. last night i went to bed crying. i don't have no money. the bills are coming. i don't have any oil. i'm freezing here. it's getting cold now. >> you'll have to take care of the final payment, bea. just keep your trust in us now. >> reporter: if the victims don't pay, the scammers are not above threats. >> there is nothing that these scammers won't do. they are absolutely despicable. >> we want to put out the red flags of warning. >> reporter: how to protect yourself? if prize officials call and tell you to pay taxes before they give you the money, it is a scam. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. big business news this morning, samsung already sells more smartphones than apple and ratcheting up the competition another notch. the company introduced galaxy s 4 blocks from an apple store. in fact, you can operate the phone without touching it. its best feature may be that it has a bigger screen than the iphone and runs on android operating system. scientists using an underground atom smasher believe they discovered a crucial building block of the university, the so-called god particle. it is an elusive subatomic particle that gives mass to all other particles in the universe. geneva based researchers say the particle closely resembles the one predicted in 1964 to help explain the creation of the universe. a quick thinking air traffic controller saved the life of a private pilot flying from dallas to michigan. she noticed he was slurring his words sounding kind of like this -- [ indiscernible ] >> controllers knew it wasn't alcohol, that the pilot was actually suffering from a lack of oxygen. the plane was in crowded airspace at 27,000 feet. she told him to fly at a lower altitude which did the trick. >> get the oxygen, try that. >> papa mike, you're sounding a little better. >> thanks for the help. >> hollingsworth gets goose bumps thinking what could have happened. she received an award last week for saving the pilot's life. quick thinking. >> wow. all right, still ahead. you probably already know this. this is rob's last day. go on. you know you want to go. >> all right. >> and sending him off in style and with alcohol of course. there he goes. off to the bar. and the party is just getting started. you are watching "world news now." >> whoa! >> what? what? yeah! >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by finish quantum powerball. quantum powerball. it's happening now. people are switching to finish... ... and it's spreading all across america. quantum with new power gel delivers amazing clean and shine, even in the hardest water, which cascade just can't do. so take the finish shine challenge and see what it can do for you. there's a lot i had to do... watch my diet. stay active. start insulin... today, i learned there's something i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said that with novolog® flexpen, i don't have to use a syringe and a vial or carry a cooler. flexpen® comes prefilled with fast-acting insulin used to help control high blood sugar when you eat. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. no drawing from a vial. you should eat a meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injecting novolog® (insulin aspart [rdna 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city ♪ >> i'd like to do that for you. but we, never, ever, do nothing nice and easy. we always do it nice and rough. we're going to take the beginning of this song and we're going to do it, you say, easy. but then we're going to do the finish rough. >> talk to me, baby girl. ♪ rolling >> lord have mercy. ♪ rolling on the river again. ♪ say rolling ♪ rolling on the >> i am going to have the theme. this became the theme of the show. i started doing tina turner. tina said we never, ever, do a farewell show nice and easy. we always do a farewell show nice and rough. ooh! that's how we do it! >> whoa! >> nice and rough! and rough. and rough. >> and rough! >> whoo, yes. that's how we roll. >> we like to laugh on this show. that is another reason why it has been so hard to see our rob here leave us. a little levity really does go a long way in the middle of the night. there has been plenty of that since rob got here in the form of jokes, imitations, even some sweet, sweet dancing. here now some of rob's most amusing and we think, we are sure he doesn't think, embarrassing moments. >> rough! ♪ >> spokane, right? >> spokane. >> oh, man. >> i'll read you interpret. about predicting the election. >> ha-ha! >> see, there you go. >> yeah, yeah. oh, whoa! get on it. get away. >> be good. two minutes. ♪ should have put a ring on it >> working on a situation. come on, girl don't leave me. >> another day at the office. now it's on! >> oh! >> why don't you try the corn dog. come on, try the corn dog. >> i'm not putting that thing in my mouth on national tv. just the tip. >> heck no. >> getting kind of rough in here. oh! >> let me just -- >> so lovely. oh, that's not the mike. that sound good. >> enjoy. >> time's flying. >> willis is eating. >> that's where all our props went. >> the whole thing, man. >> that's what i am talking about. >> there we go. >> oh. photo shop, maybe. >> and if you like breast milk put your hands up. let me hear you! >> everybody -- >> his liveliness, sweat, smoking, sleeping, breathing. >> rob, rob, rob. >> this has been the "world news now" after school special. practice safe sex. >> we have so much fun. >> drinking too much on the first date is a definite misstep. >> you are so pretty. you are so pretty, darla. i love you so much. >> it's diana. ♪ >> what we do at the "world news now" internship program. >> this is -- >> mike, mike is, mike is upset. and i didn't get -- >> i feel the urge to go to the bathroom. >> not the kitchen. >> come on. you have got to get into it. >> bust out. uh. it's friday. >> time to find a new anchor. >> 1-900-hot-anchor. how can i be of assistance? >> we are looking for a nice new, hot, co-anchor for "world news now." >> i feel it! >> whoo! >> whoo! just pray for that boy! >> praise him! praise him! amen! >> thank you. >> there is something missing. >> there is something missing. from that? >> i haven't seen your pole dance. >> you want me to do the pole dance? the pole dance? >> i need some '70s music. >> oh, lord, that's what i am talking about. >> there is a complete look at rob. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our ♪ first you fill it up then you drink it down ♪ ♪ first you fill it up then you drink it down ♪ ♪ everybody rocking, having a good time ♪ welcome back, everybody. >> i like that intro. one of the pictures i look like o.j. on the cover of "time." we'll let that one slide. it's like, uh-huh. >> during my time here at "world news now," some of the best parts are getting to do segments with guys just like tim, my favorite. not just because tim brings great food, drink and recipes. >> we pulled out all the stops for your final morning, rob. we asked him to bring some favorite deserts and special drinks as well. what do you have for us? >> couple fun things rob likes. grew up in new jersey. had to have a new jersey pizza on a stick. which you can take, dunk it in marinara sauce, butter and garlic sauce. that is for the bread pudding. that ought to be interesting. >> whoa. >> let's see. >> i did the wrong sauce. that will mess up your weekend quick. >> dipped into the wrong sauce there. i'm telling you. >> the garlic butter, recipe on your facebook page. the new orleans bread pudding with the bourbon sauce. will taste better. this will taste great, robarita. made this for you. and signature. here it is, the robarita. easy to make. starts with two parts of lemonade. boom, goes right in. and then about one part of pomegranate juice, to give a nice little color, flavor, savoriness. and then -- >> you have 30 seconds. >> tequila, name means rested. maybe you can get rest. and 1 1/2 parts. 1/2 part southern comfort from new orleans. >> ooh. yeah! oh. let's double up. come on, rob! let's double it up. >> don't be foolish! up. >> don't be foolish! good thing i uncovered head & shoulders damage rescue. it rescued my scalp, and saved my hair. with seven benefits, damage rescue relieves dry scalp and removes flakes, while helping to repair damaged hair. now i use it every day, because the camera never blinks. no flakes, no scalp or hair worries. the proof? see it tonight, at eleven. head & shoulders damage rescue. live flake free. the proof? see it tonight, at eleven. given way to sleeping. tossing and turning have where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep, and lunesta eszopiclone can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. do not take lunesta if you are allergic to anything in it. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. 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 $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta. ♪ let's get it on ♪ oh ♪ let's get it on ♪ let's get it on >> all hot and bothered on a friday. yes, indeed! >> yes, sir! whoa! whoa! whoa! >> i'm trying to put my kid through school. >> you have never gotten paid for all that you do for us, rob. you have never, ever. >> i am underpaid. i know that. uh-huh. >> never. there we go. well, rob here hasn't always been this polished network correspondent that our bosses think he is. here is a look back at how far rob has come. starting three years ago in new orleans, oh, yeah. >> it is not easy to leave new orleans. i love this city. i love this job. an amazing ten years in this city. >> come over here. the new face of "world news now." >> this is rob nelson. welcome aboard. >> new world cup champions and a new face. >> great to be here. hard to believe it is here. >> crews in the gulf are working 'round-the-clock to stop the gushing oil well deep under sea. an 8.8 possible earthquake striking japan, 2:46. local time. >> we have extensive coverage of whitney houston's death. this half-hour. >> a former rutger's student will be sentenced today for hate crimes. >> president obama called mitt romney to congratulate him on clinching the republican nomination. >> there was a mix of terror and technology inside that building yesterday. >> hurricane sandy onl story. >> rob nelson is on the story. good morning. >> good morning, guys. amazing story. >> rob isth u >> rob nelson is try. k iterr >> we dword