making news this morning -- crunch time. >> the most watched debate of the campaign still weighing on the mines of voters. that $10,000 bet. gingrich's firm front-runner status. and all this just three weeks before voting finally begins. it's a big week in the penn state sex scandal. now a new twist. is a key witness changing his story? also this morning, the kitty who's sitting pretty. worth 13 million bucks. good morning, i'm sunny hostin. >> and i'm rob nelson. millions watched the abc presidential debate over the weekend. >> it has mitt romney still

explaining this morning. >> tahman bradley is live in washington with the details. and some new reaction from the president. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, rob and sunny. the mitt romney campaign is in overdrive. trying to slow newt gingrich's momentum. they're destrakted at trying to explain comments, a bet that mitt romney made during saturday's debate. made during saturday's debate. unable to land a knockout blow, he's scrambling to stop newt gingrich's surge. first he faces fallout from a wager made at saturday's abc news/yahoo! debate. >> i read your first book, it said in there your mandate, in massachusetts, which should be the model for the country -- >> you know what, you have raised that before. you're still wrong. i'll tell you what, 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet? >> reporter: twitter exploded with outrage. $so,000 is more than two months'

income for the average iowa family. gingrich starts the week leading in polls in several early debates. he did not back off his comment that the palestinians are an invented people. >> it's time for somebody to have the guts to stand up and say, enough lying about the middle east. >> reporter: those comments have some republicans worried about him winning the nomination. >> i saw the damage he did to the republican party and to the congress. >> reporter: the man that has the job the gop candidates want discussed the race in a "60 minutes" interview last night. he said gingrich is good in debates. and romney is good at politics. >> it doesn't matter who the nominee is going to be. the core philosophy that they're expressing is the same. >> reporter: new polls show gingrich leading romney by double digits in south carolina and florida, the next two states to vote after iowa and new hampshire. rob and sunny? >> three weeks and counting. tahman bradley, thanks for that report. despite the poll numbers, not everyone is happy with the prospect of gingrich as the nominee. there's major criticism from some of the top leaders in the

republican party. they say gingrich is simply not presidential material. with that part of the story, here's david kerley. >> i'm proud of trying to -- >> reporter: with that decent debate performance, many republicans are worried about newt gingrich. and they're going public with their concerns. representative peter king, a republican from new york. >> i saw the damage he did. to the republican parent and to the congress. i owe it to my constituents and the country not to allow that to happen again. if he did that as speaker, i'm concerned with what he could do as our nominee for president. >> reporter: it's not just one former colleague. many have been speaking out over the past couple of days. tom david served and was promoted by gingrich but won't give him his endorsement. some republicans have told me, listen, this is a guy that couldn't run the house of representatives? how will he ruin the country? >> you can say a lot of things about newt. you can't say he was a bad speaker. he was a change speaker, who took the republicans to the

promised land after 40 years out of power. >> reporter: the complaints? he had a million ideas but many were a distraction. he lacked discipline and put himself ahead of the party. some republicans were fed up. lindsey graham led a coup that failed in the late 1990s. he says gingrich has matured but he still won't give him his endorsement. >> i think he's leveled out as a person. all of us, even his worst critics would say that newt is a guy that can hold a room. >> reporter: i spoke to many republicans critical of gingrich, but they won't go on camera. why? they believe he could win the nomination and then seek retaliation. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> and we won't have to wait too long to see him debate again. newt gingrich and jon huntsman will face off in a lincoln-douglas-tile debate tonight. it's the 15th of the campaign so far. down, but not out. the occupy protesters in several cities are gearing up for a big day. in seattle, they'll likely be forced from their encampment.

and occupy protesters from los angeles to vancouver are threatening to close down ports on the west coast. they were successful shutting down the port of oakland last month. two new york lawmakers are trying to get airports to hire passenger advocates. at every airport after three elderly people were searched by screeners. an 85-year-old florida woman says she missed her flight after she was told to take off her clothes and was then searched. and scary moments on a united airlines flight heading from denver to l.a. the jet didn't get far before its right engine shut down. they made an emergency landing. touching down safely, which, as you can imagine, sparked a big round of applause from the 125 folks on board. the first family got into the holiday spirit with the

annual christmas in washington concert last night. sasha and malia were the envy of millions of girls as justin bieber sang his hit, "mistletoe." the annual concert benefits the children's national medical center. it airs this friday on tnt. >> bieber fever for the holidays, right? time for the weather across the country. a stormy day in the southwest. up to a foot of snow in the southern california mountains and rockies. some rain from l.a. and san diego to phoenix and albuquerque. downpours across texas. they need the rain. showers from florida into savannah, georgia. freezing rain in the twin cities. madison, and the upper peninsula of michigan. >> 38 in detroit. 44 in chicago. 40s from boston to atlanta. a beautiful 81 in miami. 64 in new orleans. a foggy 39 in seattle and 27 in billings. well, as we said, this is a crucial week in the penn state sex scandal.

new developments about a key witness in the case. with all that hang over him like a black cloud, former head coach joe paterno faces a health scare over the weekend. and the shocking video. man's phone records him being shot. made more shocking by who is accused of actually pulling the trigger. accused of pulling the

welcome back, everybody. there are questions this morning about whether the euro euphoria will actually continue. markets were up on friday.

after the historic agreement for deeper economic integration in europe. many problems still remain. analysts say it may be just matter of time before investors realize that. we're starting to see some of that on the overseas market this morning. tokyo's nikkei average rose 117 points today. hong kong's hang seng fell 11 points. in london, the ftse opened higher but then turned lower. on wall street, the dow gained 165 points. the second straight positive five week, in fact. the nasdaq index picked up 20 points. today is known as green monday because there's always a lot of spending online. it's not just because of the deals. this is the last week to use the free shipping offers and still getdy livery by christmas day. after friday, you'll need to pay for faster service. internet sales are up 15% this year. $25 billion so far. and the artificial christmas tree industry says a plastic, prelit tree is cheaper over a decade than a live tree each year. the group says you can save 70%

over ten years. on the other hand, you have more room to negotiate on a live tree. you can save even more by waiting until the last minute. >> love a plastic tree. i love to hear that. i've been doing it right all these years. what is shaping up as a disappointing season in hollywood. despite the opening of the star-studded "new year's eve" flick, it was actually the worst weekend of the year for the movie industry. "new year's eve" took first place with less than 14 million bucks. "the sitter" broke in at second at $10 million. and sunny's favorite, "breaking dawn" was in third. with $8 million. >> till making money. >> it is. going strong. up next, a new sex scandal involving youth athletics. >> here we go again. and the remarkable teen that outsmarted terrorists who had kept him captive for months. and tim tebow pulls off another miracle finish. [ brian ] free shipping is like my little gift on top of a gift.

and this time of year, i send out a lot of gifts. sweater for mom, free shipping from brian. i'm brian andrews. i ship the gifts that last. the holidays are made here at l.l.bean.

and now for a look at your monday morning road conditions. wet and icy on i-5, 10, and 15 in southern california. and i-40 fromstaff to flagstaff albuquerque. slick on i-20 and 35 in south texas. also some freezing rain makes for a slippery ride on i-90 and 94 from minnesota to wisconsin. if you're flying, airport delays are possible in phoenix los angeles and minneapolis. we now turn to the latest in the penn state sex abuse scandal. claims by the assistant coach that first blew the whistle are being challenged by a family friend. >> coach mike mcqueary said he witnessed the abuse in a shower. he reportedly told a friend a different story. he claims mcqueary said he only heard what was going on in the shower but did not see anything

sexual. if the report is accurate, it could hurt the case against sandusky. sandusky will be in court tomorrow. one of those fired officials, legendary football coach joe paterno is now recovering after fracturing his pelvis because of a fall he took at home. a family friend says he will not need surgery. he initially injured his pelvis back in august. he's also undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for a treatable form of lung cancer. paterno will turn 85 years old next week. one of the largest sports organization is facing child sex abuse allegations. the amateur athletic union is reviewing its policies after two former basketball players accused its ex-president of assaulting them. ralph west says bobby dodd abused him. dodd has denied the allegations. which are now under

investigation. >> yet another case. the holidays are looking happier for one teenager in virginia. he was vacationing in the philippines in july. when armed islamic militants storm his resort and literally snatched him away. after five months in captivity, he pulled a fast one and managed to get away. here's abc's kelly cobiella. >> reporter: these are the first pictures of kevin in five months. smiling and safe in the philippines. the 14-year-old from virginia outwitted his armed kidnappers friday, telling them he was going to wash up in a stream, then running. he says he wandered in the jungle for two days. >> it was a tough time. months. i only know he is a hero. and i'm so happy he escaped. >> reporter: villagers found him on an island about 25 miles from where he, his mother, and a cousin were kidnapped in july. they were on vacation when more than a dozen armed men stormed the resort in the middle of the night. kevin's mother was released in october.

after a ransom was paid. his cousin escaped in november. kevin's mother stayed in the philippines after she was released. the two were reunited. kevin is in good health. kelly cobiella, abc news, london. >> a truly incredible story here. a resourceful south florida man had a feeling he might run into trouble when he picked up his son for a court-ordered visit, so he made sure that his iphone camera was recording when his ex-mother-in-law greeted him with a gun. [ screaming ] >> i can't believe you did that! i can't believe you did that! >> wow. the mother-in-law fired three shots, wounding him in the rib cage and the shoulder. she now faces charges of first degree attempted murder. eight college basketball players have been suspended after a violent bench-clearing brawl. just nine seconds were left in a game between cross-town rivals cincinnati and xavier when fists started flying and blood started

gushing. a post-game press conference made things worse when instead of apologizing, xavier players trash talked their opponents. and tonight on monday night football. seahawks and the rams. nfl fans got a treat yesterday with another miracle by the broncos savior, tim tebow. here's espn news. good morning. cole wright here with your espn news update. once again. week after week. it was tebow time in denver. we pick it up in the fourth frame. denver down a ten spot. tebow drops back and finds demarius thomas for a ten-yard touch crown strike. 10-7. later in the drive, denver with the last chance to tie, matt prater from 59 yards away. muy bueno. denver notching to ten. champ bailey all pumped up. and with good reason. this one would go to free football known as overtime on the streets. barber gets the handoff and spits out the seed. fumbles the football.

denver, they would pounce on it. it's first down broncos. ensuing possession, fourth and three. prater, from 51 yards away. count that. the broncos, they win this one, 13-10, on 13 unanswered points. tony romo and the boys hosting the g-men. in dallas on "sunday night football." fourth frame, boys up five. they blow the coverage. they leave dez bryant wide open. romo, ten points and a 50-yard touchdown strike. the fourth touchdown of the night. less than 2:00 to burn, giants down. eli manning hits jake ballard. the pride of ohio state for an 18-yard pickup. down at the dallas 1 yard line. brandon jacobs, he would punch it in two plays later. the cowboys with a chance to tie late in the game. bailey blocked by jason pierre-paul. giants win this one, 37-34. that will do it for your espn news update. but don't forget. for the latest on the sports scene, tune in to the highlight express. coming up next, the sexiest

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welcome back, everybody. time to check "the pulse." the stories you'll be talking about today. and in the jen versus angie debate, "men's health" readers come down in favor of jen. in fact, they named jennifer

aniston as the sexiest woman of all time. >> of all time. the editors say funny is sexy. when asked who she thinks is the sexiest, though, aniston says it's a tie between bridget bardot and gloria steinem. which was shocking to me. >> i have a crush on jen, so i'm in favor of that. she beat out some interesting names on that list. they liked her down-home persona. and her funniness. >> i like jen as well. but sexiest of all time? that's too far. how about salma hayek and halle berry. you have the sex symbols of our time. >> i'd be happy just to meet any of them, know what i mean? >> well, this is an interesting one. an italian cat is one of the richest creatures on the planet. he was a stray who was taken in by an elderly woman with no other family. she died last month at age 94 and left tomaso $16 million. >> italian law does not allow

cats to inherit money, actually. a friend who had nursed the elderly woman this her last days is now entrusted with the cat and the kitty's fortune. >> he's not the richest animal. >> there are two other animals. one worth like, $130 million and the chimp is worth $60 million. i want to come back in my other life as one of them. here's a pet that probably will not be inheriting much from its owner. he's really in the dog house this morning. >> a florida man was out hunting when his bulldog bumped into a loaded rifle. it fired, hitting the man in the leg. he's in critical but stable condition. >> the hunter becomes the hunted. the story may sound familiar. it's the second time in recent weeks that a hunter has been shot by his own dog. >> unfortunate. >> it's sad. oh, man. bow wow. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. for everyone else, 70 years after a silent film won an oscar, the new one getting oscar buzz.

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next, preparing for a day long battle at the port. occupy protesters vowing to close every port on the we have coast. how oakland leaders are hoping to change the mines of the protesters. >> support group becomes latest target of a growing scam at lucky supermarkets. scattered showers not going to last all day. and finally from us this half hour. major buzz about the silent treatment. a new film that is the sleeper hit of the movie season. >> it has no special effects. it has no conversation at all. here's t.j. winick.

>> reporter: when charlie chaplin was box office champ, the only peep or whisper was in the audience. fast forward to 2011.e hollywooa roller coaster ride of i-max, 3-d, and surround sound. a quiet day at the multiplex? unheard of. until now. ♪ there's no need to adjust your volume. "the artist" is a 2011, black and white silent film about silent films. the romantic comedy is also a tribute to some of our greatest movie moments, like "singing in the rain." it's won all sorts of awards. several critics are expecting a best picture nod come oscar time. >> i looked at "the artist" and i thought, we're missing something now. where everything is just shoved

in our faces. >> reporter: it's been a hit with older audiences. but younger ones, too. maybe because our world today is filled with so many noises. they practically have their own sound track. >> i think we're now overdoing it a little bit with all the stimulation. there's a wave that kind of washes over us. >> reporter: we took this sociologist to one of the loudest places on the planet -- times square. >> you interact in an old fashioned way. >> and the oscar goes to -- >> reporter: so, if "the artist" does, in fact, have the last word at february's academy awards, don't be surprised if the roar of the crowd is downright deafening. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. >> and old genre coming back. kind of cool. >> i'm looking forward to seeing that. >> that's what's making news in america this morning.