we begin with breaking news on this tuesday morning. >> a deadly chopper crash overnight in the pacific northwest, involving army service members. details still coming in. also, face-to-face. jersey sandusky will see his accusers in person today. as many as ten alleged victims prepare to tell their stories of alleged abuse. and take two. is the palin family gearing up for another reality show? good morning. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm sunny hostin. we begin with breaking news with breaking news from washington state. >> four army aviators have been involved in a crash south of tacoma. >> the soldiers were on a training mission last night in two helicopters. it's not yet clear if the

helicopters collided. investigators have been combing the crash site all night. >> the aircraft were oh-57 observation helicopters, which have been used by the army since the late '60s. four dead in a chopper crash in washington state. we'll keep on top of this breaking story throughout the day. and the other big story of the morning, it's set to be a pivotal day in the penn state sex abuse scandal. the preliminary hearing from jerry sandusky begins in just hours. >> it will likely take most of the day, as several young men, as many as ten, face their alleged accuser. all this happening in the small town of bellefont. abc's tahman bradley has details. >> reporter: in court today, for the first time, former pen stated assistant coach jersey sandusky faces his accusers. in a pretrial hearing, some of his accusers will explain under oath how sandusky

molested them. ben andreozzi says his client is eager to take the stand. but the large number of press in attendance will not make it easy. >> i know it's going to be uncomfortable. but he's ready to go forward. >> any victim that goes forward with these types of cases is incredibly brave. but they still have to face the person they're accusing. >> reporter: in what could be a setback for the prosecution, one of the key witnesses in the case, penn state assistant coach mike mcqueary's testimony is being called into question. mcqueary says he witnessed sandusky raping a 10-year-old boy in the team showers back in 2002. and that he told head coach, joe paterno, and penn state officials about it. now, a mcqueary family friend told the grand jury that he spoke with mcqueary on the night of the de. and mcqueerly told him he never actually saw any sex. only an encounter that seemed suspicious. >> mcqueary is the only witness, as far as we know.

>> reporter: sandusky's wife of 45 years, dottie, is accused of being in the couple's home while her husband allegedly molested boys. mrs. sandusky, like her husband, denies the allegations. the attorney general has not said how many of the alleged victims will testify today and what evidence will be presented. rob and sunny? >> tahman, many people are asking whether or not jerry sandusky will testify at the pretrial hearing tomorrow. what are you hearing? >> reporter: sandusky, it's not clear. as you know, at a pretrial hearing, the prosecution is trying to present the minimal amount of evidence. just trying to show that a crime was committed and the defendant probably committed that crime. that's far less than proving beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant is guilty, which is what is needed at trial. sunny? >> tahman bradley, thank you. switching gears now. it is exactly three weeks before republican voters in iowa have their big say. and that battle between mitt romney and newt gingrich is getting more personal, despite a new pledge from gingrich to run a positive campaign.

here's abc's jake tapper. >> reporter: even mitt romney's wife wasn't crazy about his proposed $10,000 bet with rick perry. >> i'll tell you what. 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet? >> reporter: democrats and his republican opponents are using the wager to depict romney as out of touch with regular folks. >> that wouldn't be a number i would throw out. >> reporter: romney's number one rival suggested romney's not only touch with the economic realities of regular americans, he's out of touch with governors. >> i was startled just because i know rick perry pretty well. i can't imagine he can cover a bet like that. he's been a public servant all his career. >> reporter: after all, putting $10,000 on the table? that's more than 10% of the average american's net worth. though, it's only 0.004% of romney's estimated $250 million net worth. this moment could not have come at a worse time for romney. in the midst of the newt gingrich surge.

and an attempt to change the conversation. romney said gingrich should return the $1.6 million he was paid by mortgage giant freddie mac. >> one of the things that i think people recognize in washington, is that people go there to serve the people. and then, they stay there to serve themselves. >> reporter: but in gingrich, romney has an opponent who is smart, hungry and willing to counterpunch, hard. taking on romney's career buying and selling companies. >> governor romney would like to give back all of the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years, then i would be glad to listen to him. and i'll bet you $10, not $10,000, that he won't take the offer. >> reporter: jake tapper, abc news, washington. well, police clash with occupy protesters on the west coast, as they tried to shut down three major ports in oakland, portland and seattle. demonstrators who blocked terminal entrances at the port of seattle were met by officers with pepper spray, and stun

grenades and handcuffs. they managed to briefly disrupt traffic but didn't appear to make much of an economic impact. much of the same was taking place in texas, where about 100 protesters linked arms at the port of houston. they forced cars and trucks to stop, before police arrested 20 people. the coordinated effort was billed as shutdown wall street on the waterfront. organizers say they're sending a message that their movement is not over.iran's pre iran's president is taking his usual defiant stance over that u.s. drone. earlier in the day, the white house officially asked for that aircraft to be returned. but mahmoud ahmadinejad later claimed that iranian experts were close to recovering data from the drone's intelligence gathering systems. and says that plane is not going anywhere. let's look at weather across the nation on this tuesday morning. up to 2 1/2 feet of mountain snow in the southern rockies. morning showers in southern california. all-day rain around phoenix and albuquerque. and from dallas to oklahoma city, kansas city and des moines. a wintry mix from denver to sioux falls and duluth. and some morning fog in the

pacific northwest. >> 37 in seattle. 54 in sacramento. and near 60 in phoenix. mostly 40s around the nation's midsection and northeast. baltimore gets up to 52. atlanta, 61. and miami, 80. well, it's shaping up to be another uneasy day for the stock markets. we'll check the latest numbers, just coming in. and the jewels of hollywood royalty on the auction block today. set to bring in millions of bucks. and new developments overnight in that bizarre shooting. the gunman randomly firing in the middle of a hollywood street.

most overseas markets are down, following warnings from the major credit ratings services. moot di's, standard & poor's and fitch all say last friday's european debt crisis deal didn't go far enough. moodys says it will review the ratings of all european countries. that has investors worried. tokyo's nikkei average fell 101 points today. in london, the ftse opened lower, then turned higher. on wall street, the dow lost 163 points yesterday. the nasdaq index dropped 35. the worries about europe are also affecting the commodities markets, especially gold, which is now at its lowest level in seven weeks, after its biggest one-day decline in three months. one reason is that gold is priced in dollars. and the dollar is doing pretty well right now. also, the justice

department's antitrust suit over the proposed at&t merger with t-mobile is now on hold. the wireless carrier's asked for time to rethink the deal. the justice department and a federal judge agreed. meanwhile, dish network has expressed some interest in buying t-mobile if at&t does not. the video game modern warfare three has set another record. $1 billion in sales. and it took just 16 days to do it. modern warfare 3 is the latest in the call of duty series, which has been played by about 30 million people since it began in 2003. and sales of champagne are bubbling, as we go into the holidays. just two years ago, sales were flat, pun totally intended, thanks to the global economic downturn. but the industry now appears headed to a vintage year. other markets are seeing a similar upturn. and elizabeth taylor's fabulous jewelry goes on sale today. the christie's auction is being held in new york.

it includes jewelry given to the actress from richard burton and close friend, michael jackson. taylor died in march at the age of 79. the jewels could fetch $30 million. >> i assume your husband will be there today bidding on things for you. >> i sure hope so, if he's watching. next on this tuesday, should the students in this bench-clearing brawl now face some criminal charges? and a lopsided outcome. rams/seahawks, on "monday night football."

a powerful storm that slammed southern california is finally tapering off this morning. but, by the time it is all over, there will be a foot of snow blanketing the mountains around los angeles. roads are so slick, in fact, drivers need to pull out the chains to get through many of the passes. and it was a huge mess on a

rain-slicked freeway in los angeles. more than a dozen big rigs collided in a tunnel on interstate 5 last night. a gas tanker truck started leaking fuel. and traffic was backed up for miles. at least three people were injured. and traffic in l.a. is tough on a good day. >> exactly. this morning is also slick on i-5, from l.a. to san diego and i-10, from l.a. to san antonio. ice and snow on i-40, from flagstaff to albuquerque. and i-25, from new mexico to denver. wet on i-70, from colorado to kansas city. and i-35, from dallas to des moines. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in los angeles, phoenix and kansas city. a music executive shot by a crazed gunman at a hollywood intersection has died. >> 40-year-old john atterberry, worked with michael jackson, christina aguilera, the spice girls and many other. he was a former v.p. as desp re records. he was shot in the neck in the

middle of friday's rampage. two others were wounded before the gunman was shot and killed by police. a texas middle school student is clinging to life this morning, after being shot while trying out for the basketball team. police in the small town of edinberg, have taken in three hunters. the school is located near hunting grounds. but officials have not been able to determine if the shooting was accident or intentional. and three florida a&m band members have been arrested in connection with an alleged hazing ritual. police say they beat a woman so badly they broke her leg. this apparently occurred just three weeks before a band member was killed in another hazing attack. that measure led the band member to be suspended indefinitely. and college officials are considering measures. four players have been

suspended. officials from both universities have apologized for the fight. >> sad scene on all sides of that thing. time, now, for some sports. and a rather lopsided outcome between the rams and seahawks. here's espn news. >> good morning. my name is todd grisham. and this is your espn news update. it's tuesday morning. so, let's show you "monday night football." seahawks, hosting the rams. wide receiver, doug balden, blocking the rams punt. returns 17 yards for the touchdown. third quarter, rams down 10-3. bradford, who made his triumphant return. or tried to make his triumphant return. picked off by brandon browner. marshawn lynch gets the carry. and watch marshawn go. he really is amazing. marshawn. a 12-yard gain. boy, was it fancy.

spinning, juking, jiving, all those words. seahawks would kick a field goal. 13-3. later in the third quarter, seahawks up 13-6, facing third and 11. jackson, finds baldwin, the guy that blocked that punt. getting the first down. on the next play, jackson, to the same guy. do what you do when you did what you did to me. and this time, baldwin's in. seahawks up 20-6. fourth quarter, now 23-13. marshawn lynch. amazing. he scores. and makes it rain. skittles, which is his favorite snack. 23 carries, 115 yards, as the seahawks win. for all your highlights and sports news, you know where to go, espn news. my name is todd grisham. please, have a good day. >> i love the skittles.

>> that was terrific. the first lady can add world record holder to her many accomplishments. her october bid to break the record for the most people doing jumping jacks for a 24-hour period. 300,250 people participated, shattering the old record. >> congrats to all them. tis the season to spread some holiday cheer. and a little boy in oregon is doing just that. >> instead of enjoying his presents himself. he decided to become a little santa of sorts. cade is giving away all of his gifts to kids in need, donating them directly to toys for tots. >> i -- the toys that they don't have any. >> the kids have loved the idea. they have responded really well. they brought great gifts, huge gifts. some of them are crazy, to give up your own presents. >> cade's mom says she's learning from his lesson and generosity. and she believes others will learn from him, as well.

>> to be that young and that selfless. what a great little kid. that's the spirit of the season. i like that. coming up next, "the pulse" this morning. and one of the most awkward holiday photos we have seen in a while. plus, after the run of sarah palin's alaska, could the palin family be ready for another attempt at reality tv? details, coming up. my name is robin. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it.

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time, now, to check "the pulse," the stories you'll be talking about today. and we had not heard much from sarah palin lately. but that could soon change. the former alaska governor is pitching a new reality show, based on her husband's championship snowmobile racing. >> her old show, "sarah palin's alaska," went for $1 million an episode. but so far, no network has expressed interest in this latest venture. >> they said in time, they would go for a second season. but the ratings were good enough to justify a second season. >> not at $1 million an episode. next up in "the pulse," 'tis is time of year for cute family photos. but this one from a mayor in puerto rico is a bit puzzling. >> it shows san juan mayor jorge san teeny, in front of a tax determineny scene.

the photo ended up on one of our favorite websites, awkwardfamilyphotos.com. >> my family's from puerto rico and san juan. i didn't understand it, either. mayor santini said he was promoting a wildlife museum. >> there has to be a less gruesome way to do it. and last up in "the pulse," this morning, a happier animal story. the pup sickles. >> how would you not smile on this one. a wiener dog race on ice. a dozen dachshunds began the race. >> some just ran around in circles, basically. the good news, proceeds went to an animal rescue group. my girlfriend loves dachshunds. she would love that. >> that's a cute one. >> she would love that. >> you need a dog. you need a dog. >> we'll see. don't hold your breath. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, cheap ideas for the techy on your gift list. why shop at walgreens for your stocking stuffers?

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. next, truck fulls of evidence why a convicted thief will be taking it home also victims come forward. >> declaring victory occupiers extend their strike to keep the port of oakland shutdown overnight. what workers can expect this morning. mike will have the forecast. >> a little concern with freezing fog for your commute and a small chance of showers thursday. updating today's top stories now, jerry sandusky appears in a pennsylvania courtroom this morning, facing his accusers for the first time since the penn

state sex scandal broke. >> and investigators are on the scene of a fatal accident on a military base not far from seattle. four army aviators were killed when two helicopters crashed on a training mission last night. police at the port of seattle squared off with occupy protesters trying to block a main terminal there. officers used pepper spray and stun grenades to break up the crowd. they also made numerous arrests. a look at today's weather, a cool, dry day for the east coast, with rain moving into des moines. >> showers around milwaukee. and around albuquerque. now, last-minute help for the gift-challenged. >> right here. all these great ideas, get this, cost less than 25 bucks. here's abc's gadget elf, becky worley. >> reporter: holiday gifts should be fun. thoughtful. and not too expensive. these are my top picks for gifts. most of them, under $25.

first, gloves you don't have to take off when you want to use the phone. the prices on these have come way down. i found this pair for just $20. another item that's dropped way down in price, wireless keyboards to use with an ipad. this one is from h.p., just $25. it's a great way to pile on the accessories for someone who is getting an ipad from santa. if you want a cover and a stand, this one from brookstone is just $59. the cocoon, is a great way to keep together all of your gifts. it's better than the froth i get from my fancy exexpress sew machine it really works. and also, cool headphones. my faves are from urbanears. they snap togr