one building, saying they are 100% certain no one could have survived. >> among those assumed dead are ten students from japan. but crews are still hoping for more miracles amidst the rubble. a rare success story since monday's devastating quake. a woman rescued after 24 hours in the rubble. relieved firefighters found her in the twisted metal and concrete of her office building. >> that moment of connection and relief was just palpable. the sun came out at the same moment as they removed dan from that building. >> the magnitude 6.3 quake monday afternoon killed dozens. turning new zealand eakes second-largest city into a disaster zone. this man's home reduced to rubble. >> i have to say, it's quite tragic. >> reporter: the landmarks of this city are shattered. this 19th century christchurch cathedral, before the quake and now.

its steeple rubble in the nearby square. this hotel, on the verge of collapse. >> we'll have to see what happens in the next few hours and see if it does collapse. >> reporter: senator evan bayh and his wife are in the city for a meeting. the weakened billings, one reason that a strict curfew is in place. but it's more waiting and wondering about the hundreds still missing. and rescue teams around the world are now arriving in new zealand to help for the search for survivors. the u.s. is spening a specialized earthquake response team. that includes 70 members of the los angeles urban search and rescue team. and their tons of specialized equipment. the other big story on this wednesday morning, of course, is the growing crisis in libya. >> moammar gadhafi has appeared on television again. this time, vowing to fight until the last drop of blood. >> emily schmidt joins us now

from washington with what is being done to get u.s. citizens out of harm's way. hi, emily. >> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning to you. the u.s. plans to evacuate its citizen by ferry today, a sign of the growing violence in the country and the mountingtry and pressure to get americans out. when mo mar gadhafi talked about the nation of libyans rising up against him, he blamed foreigners for encouraging the violence. to those who love gadhafi, go out of your homes and go after the rats, he said. he vowed to fight until the last drop of his blood. there was proof of much more extensive bloodshed along the libyan border, as people fled into egypt. one man said there was shooting everywhere. so, we ran for our lives. a human rights group estimated that gadhafi's forces have killed 300 people so far. the u.n. security council and

the u.s. state department condemns the crackdown on the protesters. >> this bloodshed is completely unacceptable. it is the responsibility of the government of libya to respect the universal rights of their own people, including their right to free expression and assembly. >> reporter: airports in the region are packed with people evacuating libya. >> kind of chaotic at the airport. other than that, we got through. we're just thankful to be here. >> reporter: and outside the white house last night, dozens of protesters showed support for people risking their lives to change libya. >> we're so proud of them that they finally, you know, stepped up and said this isn't going to work for us anymore. >> reporter: the u.s. economy is certainly feeling the effects of all the uncertainty in libya. for example, yesterday, oil saw its biggest one-day jump in three years. while the dow dropped 178 points. rob and peggy? >> emily schmidt, in washington, thank you. reform efforts are playing out differently in bahrain. the king agreed to pardon dozens

of prisoners. at least 50 prisoners have already walked free. opposition leaders say they will sit down and talk, but not until all prisoners are let go. also, the u.s. is denouncing the killing of four americans by somali pirates and urging international cooperation for a crackdown on piracy in east africa. the americans were shot to death after pirates took them hostage on friday. one of the pirates told "the los angeles times" they had no intention of killing the hostages. it claims that u.s. forces fires on them first. former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel, has his dream job, mayor of chicago. he cruised to a decisive victory in last night's election. we'll have much more, including reaction from emanuel himself, later in this half hour. in other news, wisconsin's governor is warning that layoffs could begin as early as july, if

his budget bill which strips rights for union workers will pass. angry protesters inside and outside the capitol are in their ninth-straight day of demonstrating, insisting they are not going anywhere. and another batch of heavy snow is hitting the cascades today, on top of more than a foot that's already on the ground. the passes are already so slippery that drivers in washington state struggled to stay on the road. a number of cars and trucks got struck while others slid into ditches. and as for the rest of this morning's weather, even seattle will be covered in white today, as rain changes over to snow. that extends to portland, as well as the coast. up to two feet of snow across the northern rockies. slight snow from fargo to the twin cities and northern wisconsin. scattered showers from tempe to texas. >> 64 in atlanta. and 6 42 here in new york. 40s from detroit to minneapolis. 20 in billings. 40 in boise.

phoenix climbs to 65. sacramento, 56. coming up next, new details about the new ipad. a release date, sooner than you think. plus, what cell phones do to the brain. findings that made one researcher literally change her phone habits. plus, facebook's mark zuckerberg comic book hero? we've got the scoop. @b@b@b@b@b@b

welcome back, everybody. emily schmidt mentioned earlier in the broadcast, the unrest in libya has set off a strong stock slide.

the dow, yesterday, suffered its biggest drop since the middle of last november. meanwhile, oil prices are surging. they rose to a nearly three-year high. nearly $96 a barrel this morning in asian trading. overseas, stocks are still feeling the pain, though. tokyo's nikkei average slipped nearly 86 points today. hong kong's hang seng was lower in late trading. and in london, the ftse opened lower. here in the u.s., the dow slid 178 points yesterday. and the nasdaq index lost more than 77 points. all right. more bad news. a new study suggests that home prices are plummeting in most major american cities. the new standard and poor's index says the prices have fallen to their lowest point since the housing bubble burst. the reason, not many people are buying, unemployment, strict lending rules and the concerns that prices have further to fall. and the nation's major airlines seem to be sticking together to increase fares. united, continental, u.s. airways and delta have all

increased round-trip tickets up to $60 this week. the hikes hit some first class and economy seats and walk-up fares. apple appears ready to unveil its new ipad. reports say it will be introduced a week from today at an event in san francisco. the so-called ipad 2 is expected to be thinner and lighter than the current version. no word yet on whether apple ceo, steve jobs, who is on medical leave, there attend. facebook founder mark zuckerberg has been immortalized in film. now, he's coming to a newsstand near you. a comic book about the billionaire is coming out today. it's said to offer a more balanced view than the cold and detached zuckerberg that was portrayed in "the social network." the writer says he tried to give context to a complex figure. still can't get over that. 26-year-old billionaire. >> ain't a bad life. >> pretty amazing. next on this wednesday morning, sarah palin's secret facebook page. plus, chicago's first new mayor in decades, celebrating victory this morning. and she once dabbled in

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squeezed into each carton of tropicana pure premium and absolutely no space for added sugar, water or preservatives. tropicana -- we put the good in morning. take a look at that. kids in la crosse, wisconsin, are not letting the wintry weather keep them from enjoying the great outdoors, thanks to a shipment of snowshoes. the second graders have been adventuring out on hikes, described as exciting and challenging. teachers say the goal is to explore nature and stay active. those snowshoes will actually come in handy in the northwest this morning. i-5 will be snow-covered from seattle to eugene, oregon. also snowy on i-84 and 90 in the rockies. slick spots on i-94 from fargo to minneapolis. wet on i-40 and 30 from little rock to memphis and dallas. >> and if you're flying today, expect weather-related airport delays only in seattle and memphis. president obama gave a

shoutout to his former chief of staff, rahm emanuel, last night, offering congratulations on winning the chicago mayors race. >> emanuel becomes the city's first new mayor since 1989, replacing the retiring richard daley. chris bury reports from chicago. >> reporter: after posting a clear and commanding lead, winning a clear majority to avoid a runoff election in april. >> you sure know how to make a guy feel at home. >> reporter: rahm emanuel bested a crowded field, including former senator carol moseley braun, and long-time official, gary chico, in a hotly-contested race. he fended off numerous challenges to his residency. but from the beginning, emanuel enjoyed clear advantages. including the implicit backing of president obama. and a national fund-raising effort that raked in at least $13 million. >> if you want the windy city to

have a gale force of leadership, rahm emanuel is your leader. >> reporter: emanuel takes over in may, replacing richard m. daley, who has been mayor for 22 years. longer than anyone, including his famous father, the last of america's big-city bosses. emanuel faces daunting challenges, including a crippling budget crisis that will require painful cuts and possibly new taxes. but the former congressman and washington insider has always said, being mayor of chicago is his dream job. and now, his dream is realized. chris bury, abc news, chicago. there's been an arrest in the shooting of a florida police officer. officials in st. petersburg say a 16-year-old has now confessed to the killing. the 25-year veteran, david crawford, was gunned down monday night, responding to a call about a prowler. he now becomes the third st. petersburg officer to die in the line of duty in less than a month. the u.s. marshal service

released new mug shots of tucson shooting suspect jared loughner. they show a slightly tamer picture of loughner than the wild-eyed picture of the shooting. loughner is now facing charges in the january shooting spree that left six people dead and dozens of others wounded. an arizona border activist now faces the death penalty for the murder of a father and his young daughter. shawna forde was the leader of the minutemen american defense, a small border watch group. prosecutors say she planned the operations.lp fund its forde becomes the third woman on arizona's death row. sarah palin is responding to allegations that she set up a fake facebook account that routinely praises comments on her official page. in a post last night, palin said, pay no attention to the account and the messages. but she didn't categorically deny setting up that secret page. well, another tea party favorite could be cha-cha-chaing

her way into the spotlight. christine o'donnell says she has been asked to be on abc's "dancing with the stars." she lost the delaware senate race last year. but she grabbed headlines in that campaign over past statements about her dabbling in witchcraft. the new "dancing with the stars" cast will be announced next week. well, it could be the first real step in exposing possible dangers of extended cell phone use. a new study found radiation, after just 50 minutes on a mobile phone, triggers increased brain activity in the area closest to the antenna. researchers say it's too soon to tell if it's actually harmful to your health. they're now calling for more research on what the repeated stimulation might lead to after years of cell phone use. in sports now, the nation's longest conference losing streak is over. the cal tech's men's basketball team beat their rival last night by just a point, to snap a losing streak that started, get this, way back in 1986. that's 310-consecutive conference losses. congrats to them.

and their patience. here's espn news, now, with more from the hardcourt. >> good morning. i'm max bretos. here's your espn news update. the miami heat won 10 of 11 games heading into the all-star game. heading out, they want to pick up where they left off. hosting the lowly teams that have lost seven of eight. heat already up 12. lebron on the break. the lay-in and the foul. he would finish with 31 points and 8 boards. fourth quarter, dwyane wade. and the circus is in town. look at jamarcus cousins. looking the wrong way. and wade, the no-look finish over his own arm. wade, 23 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists. the heat cruise, win by 20. ohio state coming off a weekend loss at purdue. looking to bounce back against illinois, who certainly could use a big road win to help their resume. but they ran into jared sullinger and the buckeyes. up 12.

and david lighty. the steal and the dunk. ohio state up lucky 13. one freshman, aaron craft, to another, jared sullinger. ohio state win it, 89-70. how about some bonus big south action? unc ashville, taking on cliff ellis and coastal carolina. 2.8 seconds left to go. tied at 58-58. a terrific inbounds pass. matt dickey intercepts it and wins it for the bulldogs from 30 feet. another look. dickey, gets the shot off. and unc ashville looking forward to the big south tournament, beating the number one seed. this has been your espn news update. back to you in new york. all right. if you're hungry, you're going to like this story. it's a tall order in honor of new york's newest knick. but it might take the entire team to finish it off. or at least one or two of the guys. >> no kidding.

>> new york's famed carnegie deli has added the melo sandwich to its menu. it is a massive -- look at that thing. a massive mountain of meat. pastrami, corned beef. salami, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, on top of all that, russian dressing. all piled between two pieces of rye bread. >> that's breakfast, lunch and dinner in one place. coming up next, the stories set to make news today, including return to the courtroom for one hollywood star. there she is. >> guess who. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arths, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide our relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function

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welcome back, everyone. taking a look at the stories we'll be watching on this wednesday. u.s. citizens in libya are being evacuated from that country, as the violent crackdown on protesters continues. thousands of foreigners have converged on the libyan airports, trying to get out. and we'll be watching the markets' reaction to the unrest in libya. overseas markets followed wall street's lead this morning, already posting big losses. oil prices are up to three-year highs. rescuers in new zealand are searching for survivors of that massive earthquake that hit christchurch. at least one victim has been pulled alive from the wreckage, after being trapped for more than a day. president obama visits troops recovering from war injuries at the naval medical center today. that visit will be private. and the paparazzi, likely lined up already outside of the los angeles superior court this morning, awaiting the arrival of lindsay lohan. she is due to appear for a

preliminary hearing on the charge of grand theft. she is accused of taking a $2,500 necklace from a jewelry store in venice. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, getting ready for the big weekend event, the annual academy awards. she's presenting the solar system. hey, i've got just the wholegrain fiber to keep her full so she can stay focused. um, you rock. she'll be ready to rock. [ female announcer ] make your kids big days, mini-wheats days. packed with 100% whole grain fiber, kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal has what it takes to help keep your kids full so they can stay focused on the days that matter most. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. that can take so much out of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you,

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the countdown is on, now, to the most glams you night in hollywood. >> we are just four days away from the oscars and finding out who will be this year's biggest winner. george pennacchio gives us a glimpse of all the last-minute preparation. >> reporter: hollywood boulevard, between highland and orange is now closed, so workers can get things ready for oscar sunday. signage is already up. and bleachers are now up along the future red carpet. there is some space left for the street performers. we found one of the stars of a best picture nominee, posing withed a mirrors. is buzz lightyear, trying to take your thunder. >> he's in vegas right now. he doesn't care. >> reporter: human fans are also looking forward to the academy awards. >> natalie portman. love her. >> beautiful. >> a lot of people come on out. have a good time. see some of the stars. see some of the would-bes, could-bes and try-to-bes.

♪ with the band playing >> reporter: down the street, famous friends are helping the legendary carol channing celebrate her 90th birthday. she took the stage wearing her "hello dolly" dress, for the role that won her a tony. for her 1938 role she got an oscar nomination. and she remembers that red carpet moment well. >> it's thrilling. but you keep being -- you know? >> reporter: for this year's oscars, the kodak theeter will be stocked with stars and expensive gowns. and even more expensive jewelry. >> nobody ever looked bad in diamonds. >> everybody loves oscar weekend. >> it es true. we were talking about best picture, who you think is going to take it. i think "black swan" may be the front-runner. >> that's your vote.

i'm going with the facebook movie. "the social network." >> not "the king's speech." >> i'm bucking the trend. >> good time to watch that. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> get more news anytime at abcnews.com. >> have a great wednesday. ♪ good morning, everyone. i'm jenelle wang live in the news room. in the headlines, tears of joy and tears of sadness as rescuers find survivors and bodies from the massive earthquake. >> this morning the mount diablo school board tells a packed meeting it will not close anymore schools this year. >> here's a live look from downtown san francisco. pretty quiet this morning but by this time tomorrow we'll be tracking snow on live doppler 7 hd. >> here's a live shot oe