making news on this wednesday, december 1st. >> global manhunt. the shadowy founder of wikileaks, now on the run. landing on a criminal most-wanted list. scrooged. when they need it most, most americans stop getting jobless benefits today. will congress give them a lifeline? and a national treasure tagged. the search is now on to find out who did it. good morning. wikileaks founder, julian assange, is now one of the world's most-wanted men. the international police force or interpol has put out its highest alert for his arrest. >> this all follows an arrest

warrant issued in sweden, where he's accused of sexual assault. assange, meanwhile, has denied the charges, but has stayed out of sight since his website published the latest cache of secret u.s. documents. still, he continues to provoke. in a new interview from an undisclosed location, assange is calling for secretary of state hillary clinton to resign. secretary clinton, meanwhile, is at a european security meeting this morning with some of the diplomats mentioned in the leaked cables. she has been speaking privately with dozens of foreign leaders to stem the damage. and with thousands more documents still to be published, mrs. clinton has her work cut out for her. back in washington, some of the president's top legislative priorities are in jeopardy this morning. republicans in the senate say they will block almost all democratic measures during this lame duck session of congress. >> the gop has already blocked one major piece of legislation, the extension of long-term unemployment benefits. emily schmidt is joining us now from washington with more on that story. good morning, emily. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning to you.

24 days, now, until christmas. and many americans now face a much grimmer deadline. 1.6 million people will lose their weekly unemployment checks by the holiday. millions more will feel the impact. >> pass it now. >> reporter: these were the last-ditch hopes that congress would pass last-minute unemployment benefit extensions, for people like melody hart. >> i don't want to be on unemployment. none of us do. what we want is to get a job. and that unemployment at least gives us food. >> reporter: now, her small bit of security is more limited. congress failed to agree on a plan. >> 2 million americans, this december, will stop receiving benefits. and several hundred thousands unemployed workers will lose their benefits every month, culminating up to 6 million losing benefits by the end of 2011. >> reporter: the bill would have cost $12 billion. republicans argued other cuts should make up for the increased spending. >> we have to start focusing on jobs. that's what we have to do to

start getting this economy moving. >> reporter: the average weekly unemployment check is about $300. and the congressional budget office says every $1 in that check generates about $1.90 in economic growth. >> it means that i'm keeping the lights on. and i'm keeping food in the house. sometimes just barely. but i'm able to do that. >> reporter: social services are preparing for what happens when the checks stop. new shelter beds added in atlanta. food shelves stocked in iowa. in fact, a food bank network estimates that 2 million people will immediately need help putting food on the table when their benefits expire. that's a possibility that became much more likely when that deadline has passed at midnight. rob and vinita? >> emily schmidt reporting. thanks, emily. the president and top gop leaders wrapped up their white house meeting by promising to work together.

one senate democrat seemed skeptical. an open microphone caught colorado's michael bennet griping that the system is broken. >> it's whole rigged. the conversation is rigged. the fact that we don't get a discussion before the break about what we're going to do in the lame duck is just rigged. this stuff's rigged. >> a spokesman later defended bennet's remarks, saying he was only telling the truth. another major issue that republicans could block, efforts to repeal the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, against gays in the military. a long-awaited pentagon study about how servicemen and women feel about serving with gays and lesbians has now been released. jon karl has more on its findings. >> reporter: the clear message from the pentagon leadership, don't ask, don't tell, should be repealed. >> this can be done and should be done, without posing a serious risk to military readiness. >> reporter: the pentagon surveyed 115,000 service members.

and found 69% believe they have already served with somebody that is gay or lesbian. and 92% of them said the impact on their unit was very good, good or didn't have much of an effect at all. the findings don't surprise army medic seargent anthony bustos, who was featured in a story about openly-gay service members, and who came out in an interview with bob woodruff, in may. >> i know none of my guys could have traded me for another medic, whether that medic be straight, gay, lesbian or whatever. >> reporter: but the survey predicted, quote, some limited and isolated disruption to unit cohesion, if the ban on gays and lesbians is lifted. and found some real pockets of opposition in the military. 48% of those in army combat units and 58% in marine combat units said repealing don't ask, don't tell, would have a negative impact. and concern was highest among military chaplains. secretary gates acknowledged those concerns. but he urged congress to pass the repeal, promising that the pentagon would implement the

changes slowly. in other words, even if congress were to act now on this, it could be many months, even more than a year, before the ban is actually lifted. jonathan karl, abc news, capitol hill. government efforts to make the skies safer have reached a major milestone. all 197 airlines that fly to the u.s. are now collecting names, genders and birth dates of passengers. that way the government can check the terror watchlist before allowing any of the passengers to board a plane. parts of the south are recovering from a severe weather outbreak that spawned up to a dozen tornadoes. one of those twisters is being blamed to damaging at least ten homes in atlanta. it ripped through a subdivision there, toppling trees, ripping off roofs and blowing out walls and windows. heavy snow is causing problems out west. a tractor-trailer jackknifed on a mountain pass in the cascades. and a number of cars slid off those icy roads. more than a foot of snow has fallen since monday. and more of the same is expected today.

and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. that heavy snow in the cascades also stretches into the northern rockies. rain in northern california and the pacific northwest. lake-effect snow from upper michigan to pennsylvania. windy, with heavy downpours from new england to washington, d.c. and some showers in south florida. >> miami warms up to 82. just 44 in atlanta. and mild, in the 50s, from boston to baltimore. just 14 in fargo. 24 in the twin cities. 36 in detroit. mostly 40s from seattle to salt lake city. and nearly 70 out in phoenix. and when we come back, those students held hostage by an armed classmate talk about their five hours of fear. and a landmark defaced. ancient indian artwork covered now in graffiti.

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and then, congress must decide if it will actually vote on the recommendations. general motors and chrysler are hiring against. both plan to add 1,000 engineers and researchers. gm will add workers over the next two years to work on the next generation of electric vehicles. chrysler will hire during the next four months to handle global growth and expand its lineup of small and mid-sized vehicles. companies appear to be much more willing to party this year. 68% surveyed say they will hold a holiday party this year, up from 62% last year. more than half will be in the office. and fewer companies plan to serve alcohol this year. well, now that it's december, it is time for all of the popular end of the year lists. and yahoo!'s out this morning with its annual list of the most popular searches. the bp oil spill ranked number one. the first time since 2004, that a celebrity didn't top the list. soccer's world cup finished in second place. followed by celebs miley cyrus, kim kardashian, and lady gaga.

>> kind of a blast from the past. a lot of people were searching for the vuvuzelas. i had almost forgotten about those. >> oh, no kidding. wow. coming up, a grim update in the search for three, missing brothers from michigan. on top of that, a high school athlete punished for doing this, sparking some new debate. at purina one, we want your dog to be as healthy as possible. so, we set out to discover the science in some of nature's best ingredients. we created purina one with smartblend. new, delicious shredded morsels and crunchy bites, with real meat, wholesome grains and antioxidants, for strong muscles, vital energy, a healthy immune system, and a real difference in your dog. purina one improved with smartblend. discover what one can do. took some foolish risks as a teenager. but i was still taking a foolish risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol

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wet on i-5, from seattle to northern california. and snow-covered on i-15, in the northern rockies. >> if you are flying today, you can expect airport delays in seattle, boston, new york, philly, d.c. and miami. the wisconsin social studies teacher praised for keeping her school and saving her students during that classroom hostage drama is releasing a statement today. >> valerie burd and two dozen students walked away unharmed. the 15-year-old gunman died after turning the gun on himself. wisn's colleen henry reports from marinette, wisconsin. >> i never would have thought that he would do something like that. maybe right out of a book or something. but i don't know. >> reporter: kelsey leisner rode the bus to school with sam hangle on tuesday morning. she has known him since preschool. the hengels blocked a their driveway with a no trespassing sign.

but they released a statement. unfortunately, we may never know the answer to the question why, because there were no indicators to make us think that something is wrong. even though we are devastated and heartbroken over the loss of our son, we're extremely thankful there were no other injuries in this incident. as investigators work to unravel a motive, the kids who were in the classroom, worked through with counselors. >> i'm sure he snapped. but everybody wants to snap. he didn't hurt anybody. you can tell that. he's all crazy. he wanted attention. wanted to talk. something. more than likely, just wanted to talk. >> reporter: karen leisner said that sam was a quiet kid, who must have kept his torment to himself. >> i can't even imagine why he would have done something like this. the heartache that that poor boy must have been going through alone, without anybody realizing that something was this wrong with him, that he had to cry out this way. i can't even imagine what he was feeling alone. >> reporter: the district attorney here in marinette

county says the investigation into what triggered monday's incident, could take well over a month. but students return to class here on wednesday morning. cool colleen henry, for abc news, marinette, wisconsin. police say now that those three, little boys missing in michigan likely won't be found alive. their father, john skelton, has been charged with kidnapping in the case. police say skelton was lying when he told investigators he turned the boys over to a female friend. andrew, alexander and tenor skelton have not been seen since thanksgiving day, in their father's backyard. the elizabeth smart kidnapping trial was halted when defendant brian david mitchell apparently suffered a seizure. he was then taken to the hospital. jurors were outside of the courtroom when the incident happened. so, they saw nothing. the trial will resume later this morning. archaeologists are blasting the senseless vandalism of prehistoric rock drawings in nevada's red rock canyon. hikers first reported the maroon and blue graffiti spray-painted over the 1,000-year-old images.

conservationists say the fragile artworks can be restored. but it will take time and about $10,000 to do it. the search is on for the culprits who now face five years in prison and a fine of $100,000. a new accolade for your nfl quarterback this morning, rob. drew brees has been named "sports illustrated's" sportsman of the year for his super bowl championship and his charity work off the field. he is the fifth qb to receive the honor. there was no football last night. but plenty of basketball. we get the highlights from espn news. >> good morning. i'm don bell with your espn news update. a big night in the nba. tim duncan and the spurs taking on the warriors. second quarter, spurs up by nine. duncan, hits the tough shot off the glass. gets the foul and the bucket. spurs up by 12 after the free throw. second quarter, spurs up by ten. duncan, grabs the rebound. ginobili, nice fake. and then, drains the three. spurs up by 13. later in the quarter, spurs up

by 14. duncan, with the toss to richard jefferson. the alley-oop was good. but david lee doesn't like richard jefferson hanging on the rim. the spurs win 118-98. duncan with a triple-double. kobe bryant and the lakers taking on the grizzlies. under a minute to play. lakers down by four. bryant going strong to the rack. the offbalance layup is good. lakers cut the lead to two. ensuing possession for the grizzlies. conley, he turns it over. so, bryant, he gets the ball with under ten seconds, looking for a shot. middle of the lane, has to toss it over to ron artest. and he can't get the shot off. the lakers lose 98-96. the lakers have lost three in a row. and also, some college basketball action for you. georgetown and missouri. second half, under a minute to play. marcus denmon, with the layup in transition. missouri up by four. under ten seconds to go. hoyas down by three. hollis thompson, misses the

three. kim english with the save. jason clark, over to chris wright. and he drains the three. game tied at 94-94. and we're headed to overtime. under 1:30 left in the extra session. clark, open for three, drains it. he had 26. georgetown wins, 111-102. that is your espn news update. i'm don bell. back to you in the studio. a controversial call for a high school football player near olympia, washington. a referee penalized runningback, ronnie hasty, for excessive celebration, after he scored a touchdown, got down on one knee, and then pointed to the heavens. the born-again christian said the gesture was meant to call attention to jesus, not to himself. >> i've done that every time i've got in the end zone. and no one's ever said anything about it. so, it's something i've done. that's tradition. >> athletic officials say players are required to give him the ball immediately.

hastie says next time he'll wait until he gets off the field. coming up next, why you may be seeing red today. and an update on our top story this morning. an arrest warrant for the founder of wikileaks. the global search now for julian assange. ♪ [ slap! ] [ slap! slap! slap! slap! ] ow, ow! [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds.

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founder, julian assange. interpol has placed him on its most-wanted list, in connection with a rape investigation in sweden. assange claims the accusations are politically motivated. the co-chairmen of president obama's deficit commission unveil their final proposal. the new version makes minor changes to the one unveiled last month. and calls for unpopular benefit cuts and tax hikes. today is world aids day. and a giant, red bow now hangs between columns at the white house, where president obama will hold a special commemoration this afternoon. sundown marks the beginning of hanukkah, where millions of jews around the world will light the menorah. the festival of lights lasts eight days. and out in hollywood today, academy award winner reese witherspoon will be honored. she is getting her own star on the hollywood walk of fame. coming up later on "good morning america," we will take you inside the hasselhoff mansion, where patriarch, david hasselhoff, says they're a loving, kind, normal, american family with morals. it's part of a kickoff for their new reality show. for some of you, local news is next.

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well, it's the season, of course, for americans to splurge at the stores. >> big-ticket tech items are

expected to fly off the shelves. so, if you can't do without the latest gizmos and gadgets, becky worley fills us in on the best deals. >> reporter: you may call it the holidays. but for the tech industry, it's gadget-buying season. more tvs, ipods and cameras are sold in this quarter than any other. but finding the best deals, that can be a bit of a challenge. let's start with flat-screen tvs. deal sites are prodistricting budget prices on the biggest of the big screens. 45 to 56-inch models. a 55-inch tv can go for $755. that's a steal. but my advice on 3-d tvs, don't buy yet. the prices are still high. but technology is evolving. some hope for 3-d tvs without the goofy glasses someday. and there isn't a ton of compelling content out there yet. one product that is compelling is the kinect for x-box 360.

camera with a depth and motion sensor that puts you in the game, without controllers or buttons you have to push. it costs $149 if you already have an x-box. or $300 for the kinect plus x-box. there aren't a ton of games out yet. microsoft promises 17 by the end of the year. but this will be a hot item for holiday. get them while they last. as for smaller gifts like stocking stuffers, i've got some ideas. for the kindle, this cover hooks into the e-reader's battery and gives you a night light. for the flip cam, they've introduced a wide-angle lens. it magnetically attaches to the camera and lets you capture a wider view of the action. and for talkaholics, this bluetooth ear piece. the sound is great. and the controls are easy to understand. for abc news, becky worley, san francisco. >> becky will have more ideas coming up on "good mng