this morning, bracing for bargain hunters. >> it's a bonus round for shorps today, beginning in just a few hours. one of the top shopping days of the whole year. and presidential politics. the continues begin returning to iowa. new questions over rick perry's security costs. texas tax payers picking up the tab. and the accused robber regrets his holdup after getting cold-cocked by the clerk. all of it caught on tape. good morning. i'm sunny hostin. >> and i'm rob nelson. welcome to a megamonday. retailers are hoping for

jam-packed stores again today. >> the national retail chains are welcoming bargain hunters this morning. both at 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. most macy's, sears, and target stores open at 7:00 a.m. >> this day after christmas is critical for retailers. t.j. winick explains. >> my pillow pet. >> i'm a woman with hats. >> i'm here to get great toys and great deals. >> reporter: it's the day after christmas. for many, that means returning to the malls. >> there's going to be a loft people exchanging stuff. that's more complicated than a regular purchase, i think. >> reporter: traditionally, the week after christmas is for up to 10% of holiday sales. those looking for bargains can expect big discounts op home

goods and degree rations. target says they'll cut by 50%. >> that's great time for shoppers to get out and get bargains. >> reporter: it was a better than expected season for retailers. sales are expected to jump nearly 4% this year. >> we estimate that online sales will bup is a%. we're seeing the numbers come through. >> i bought some beautiful nail polish. >> can i show you? >> no rkts i'll show him. >> reporter: a welcome surprise during a tough economy, t.j. winick, abc news, new york. experts are predicting incredible deals. to presidential politics now. with the iowa caucuses a week from tomorrow, candidates are flooding the state. mitt romney and newt gingrich

hit the cities. ron paul who may win the state, resumes campaigning there on wednesday. also this morning, new questions about rick perry's campaign. the texas public safety department spent nearly $1.5 million on the governor's out-of-state security. all that money was spent on air fair, baggage fees, food, fuel, and lodging. the first family celebrated a traditional christmas while vacationing in the president's home state of hawaii. yunji de nies is traveling with the president. >> reporter: good morning. so far, the president has had a relaxing vacation with plenty of the hawaiian sunshine. he called members of the military on christmas eve to thank them for their service. early christmas morning, the obama's exchanged gifts.

late ter afterneed, the president and the first lady spent time visiting with families on a nearby base. one boy got close with the president, sticking his fingers inside the president's mouth. the first family ended the day with a dinner at their lovely vacation rental on the beach. the president has no public appearances scheduled from now until the end of the year, leaving him plenty of time to enjoy paradise. the white house is calling the series of christmas day bombings in nigeria senseless. more than 40 people were killed on the steps of a catholic church while the worshippers left mass. the white house promised to help nigeria find those responsible. heart breaking news. a christmas morning fire at the

home of a top new york advertising executive killed five people. donna badger and male con pannon escaped. firefighters could not reach her parents or three young children. >> our heart goes out to them. a horrible tragedy. it's christmas day. there probably has not been a worst christmas day in city of stamford. >> the million dollar waterfront home had been undergoing ren vigss. seven family members have died in a suburb of ft. worth. all the bodies found still around the christmas tree. the victims, four women and three men ranged in ainge from 18 to 60. britain's royal family is

celebrating boxing day. prince philip is still in the hospital. he had complained of chest pains on friday. he's in good spirits. good for him. now for a look at weather. it will be a rainy start to the week from houston to new orleans and in memphis and little rock. st. louis could see the rain by the afternoon. see at m and portland, a few sprinkles. temperatures 20 degrees warmer than normal in the midwest. it's warmer on the east coast. miami and honolulu are the warm spots on the map in the lower 80s. >> oh, let's take a flight there now. i'm so jealous of them this time of year. coming up after the break, looking into the link of powdered baby formula and the death of an infant.

and what could be apple's next greatest invex. zbrmpblts the latest polar bear cub to capture hearts around the world. th

the security think tank's strategic forecasting says its website has been hacked. the hackers claim they stole credit card accounts and other private information about the clients. it includes employees of defense

and law enforcement agencies. some are reporting unauthorized transactions. u.s. markets are closed today for the holiday, so are hong kong's hang seng and london's ftse. tokyo's nikkei average was up today. thanks to good news from japanese exporters. and the makers of enfamil formula say another round of tests show there are no links to their formula and the death of baby in missouri. walmart, walgreens, and kroger pulled a batch of the formula from their shelves as a precaution. apple's next great invention could be around the corner. a superbattery. it may allow iphones, ipads, and mac books to run a week or more

without recharging. it would make them lighter and be environmentally friendly. hydro general fuel cells leave just one thing behind. it's gooe good old fashioned water. tom cruise's "ghost protocol" seek well owned. sherlock holmes was second and chipwrecked was third. zbhi don't think tom is starving either way. >> that's true. up next, the nba season finally and officially under way. and a robbery suspect's regret. on the receiving end of a knuckle sandwich. could this be the football highlight of the year. you won't believe, bam, how that play ended. we'll be right back.

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christmas day was a beach day in southern california. sun-seeks descended on shorelines like the one here in santa monica as the mercury reached the mid 70s. >> i'm jealous of them too. that dry weather, though is not everywhere. drivers can expect wet conditions on i-10 from houston to mobile. and on i-20 from shreveport to atlanta. portland will be damp. i-70 from kansas city to indianapolis will be wet. airport delays possible in memb memphis and new orleans. a dad in wisconsin has had his christmas dream come true. he's reunited with his daughter after a year-long case. >> the girl was taken to japan by her mother back in to 08.

the dad has been fighting to get her back ever since. japan has refused to sign a treaty to keep international abduction from happening. a soldier was trying to break up a fight at party when he was shot. doctors believe he'll be paralyzed from the neck down. they can't operate yet. he survived a suicide bombing in kandahar last year and was state side to recover. the party was to celebrate his christmas homecoming. an armed robbery suspect is supporting a black eye this morning. he came face to face with a fed up store clerk. the employee knocked the robber unconscious. emma wright has the story. >> reporter: it's a quick cash business. something to free at we buy gold

on spartanburg highway. >> he had his hand on the waist. a hoodie on his head. he was telling me, get the money, get the money, give me the money. >> reporter: on friday night, an armed robber thought he would grab and go. >> i got up, through my hands up, i said, take the money if you want it. >> reporter: but there's though getting rich quick. he got the money and a lot more when derek mothers took matters into his own hands. >> he had a bag. instead of putting it in a bag, i handed it to him, i said, take it take it. he took it, when he took it, i kind of just came in and hit him. >> reporter: yeah, let's watch that again. >> if he wants money, get a job, work, like everybody else in the world. >> reporter: he knocked the robber unconscious. >> i was scared about the gun. i made my mind up, i thought, i gotta hit him with everything i

got. >> reporter: the robber is no stranger for police. >> he came in and did what he did last time. >> reporter: in the store video, you can see him hold down the robber as he calls 911. >> he started bleeding pretty bad. i grabbed a roll of paper towels and made him start cleaning it up. i was laughing the whole time. >> nice punch, dude. he said he was tired of hearing about robberies. he wanted this guy to know, you can't just come in here and take whatever you want. consider that a lesson learned. >> that's right. in sports, a present for basketball fans. the nba season is finally under way. here's espn news with the christmas day action on the hart court. >> good morning, my name is jorge andres. this is your espn news update. the nba is back. dirk nowitzki and the mav vix raising the banner. before taking on lebron james and the heat. heat up 32-21, d wade.

miami up 17. d. wade blocking nowitzki. there's another dunk. heat are up by 19. to the third quarter now. miami up 82. odom down the lane, running into james for the charge. odom complaining after the whistle gets hit with a double technical and is ejected. go home early to khloe. miami on to win this one, 105-94. and how about kobe bryant and the larks. off the dribble. spin, hits it with a two. the lakers lead, 87-81. 20 seconds to play. bryant, in the inbound. deng comes up with the steal.

and rose. off the dribble, i said rose, off the dribble. putting up the floater for two. pulls leadings 88-87. rose, 22 points in the game. h.8 left to play. bryant attacked. deng blocked the shot. the bulls win, 88-87. that's your espn news update. i'm jorge andres. for more, tune in to espn news. >> oh, good games yesterday. welcome back, nba, welcome back. it's perhaps the biggest highlight to come out of this weekend's nfl matchups. >> jerome simpson tries some aerial acrobat ix, jumping and somersaulting up and over and arizona defender, and yet, he sticks the landing. nice dismount, dude. it helped the bengals win on saturday. the video has been viewed millions of times on youtube. up and td. >> are we watches gymnastics or

football? i love it. >> well done. >> i love it. oh, my goodness. that's sheer athleticism. up next, divorce drama in hollywood. mel gibson writes a nine-figure check to his ex-wife. and cute and cuddly. the polar bear cub and his human caregivers. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis

and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. [ male announcer ] it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. ♪ that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. ♪ with your help, we can reach 20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. [ female announcer ] get 0 percent apr financing on select models for thirty-six months and we'll donate two-hundred and fifty dollars to your choice of five charities. now through january 3rd.

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time now to check "the pulse" of pop culture and big news out of hollywood this morning. >> yes, james franco may be playing "playboy" founder hugh hefner. it's part of a new movie called "lovelace." >> amanda seyfried is the title character. >> i like scarsgard. >> should be an interesting movie. mel gibson is a lot poorer this morning. his ex-wife is now getting half his fortune, estimated at, get this, $850 million. that is thought to be the biggest divorce payout in the history of hollywood. they split after almost 30 years and seven children. >> there was no prenup.

she's entitled to half of everything he earned since the second "mad max" movie. she's one wealthy lady. >> no prenup. >> they had seven children together. >> exactly. hope you're listening, kobe. baby polar bear is now a foster child and thriving. he was not getting enough mill frk his mother so the zoo coopers adopted him. he was moaning and behaving badly. >> he weighed three pounds at birth. seven pounds now. the case reminded many people of knute. he became a big star of the zoo world. the new cub's name means "ice" by the way. >> for some of you, your local news coming up next. and for everyone else, a

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we'll take you to the mall and show you the post christmas sales. >> toddler in good condition with only bumps and bruises after being thrown from a second story window. >> meteorologist frances dinglasan will have the forecast. >> cool temperatures, no freeze warning in effect this morning. partly cloudy and i'll tell what to expect, updating today's top stories. shoppers are expected to be out in force today for many stores, it's actually the second busiest shopping day of the year.

some stores will open at 5:00 a.m. investigators are trying to figure out what caused a deadly fire at a connecticut home. five family members, two grandparents and their three grandchildren died in the blaze. the president continues his low-key family vacation in hawaii. no public events on his schedule today. a pleasant day on the east coast. much warmer than usual in the midwest. showers from houston to new orleans. finally as we wrap up the christmas holiday and head toward a brand snu year. a reminder of what the season is all about. >> it comes from a young woman facing some serious hardships of her own. here's abc's barbara pinto. >> reporter: emmanuel lowe has been blind for all of her 12 years. the meaning of christmas is totally clear. ♪ silent night holy night all

the calm all is bright as we gather round the tree ♪ >> reporter: she wrote this song at the age of 3. ♪ let the love and praises ring ♪ >> there is hope and peace and love and joy and light. that especially comes out on christmas. >> reporter: the song caught the ear of neighbor, who passed it on to grammy award winning producer doug nelson. what did you think? >> just warm fuzz zis like you can't imagine. >> reporter: though she, her parents, and five siblings live modestly in this two-bedroom cottage. she balance to donate the earnings from her song to poor children to get music lessons. >> i feel music can be healing.

it's healing to me. >> reporter: this christmas, a little girl without sight shares her vision of the true spirit of the season. ♪ on this holy night >> reporter: barbara pinto, abc news, new buffalo, michigan. ♪ >> talented, talented young lady. >> beautiful, beautiful. >> it's been a pleasure to work with you. i'll be on vacation until the end of the week. then you'll be leaving us. it's been fun. >> it's been my pleasure. >> i respect your stamina staying on this shift with kids at home. >> you make it easy. that's what's making news in america this morning. ab thanks for watching, america this morning. ab thanks for watching, closed captioning by closed captioning services,inc shopper