making news in america this morning, another tragedy. >> the extended kennedy family, once again, dealing with heartbreak, following the death of mary richardson kennedy, the estranged wife of rfk jr. closing arguments set for today in the john edwards trial. his defense attorneys rested their case after just two days. a major change in childbirth in the u.s. it's being called an important landmark when it comes to ethnic and racial diversity. and unfair fight. man versus gator. you can guess who got the worst of it. and good thursday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm diana perez. paula faris is on assignment. some say mary richardson kennedy had seemed sad and worried during the final days of her

life. >> she had battled drugs and alcohol and was in the middle of a very public divorce from robert kennedy jr. and now, it appears she took her own life. abc's tahman bradley reports from washington. >> reporter: tragedy has once again struck the kennedy family. 52-year-old mary richardson kennedy, robert f. kennedy jr.'s estranged second wife, was found dead in bedford, new york. an autopsy is expected today. multiple sources tell abc news, she hanged herself. >> astounded. shocked. couldn't believe the news. >> reporter: in a statement, kennedy's family said, we deeply regret the death of our beloved sister, mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her. an architect and designer, mary richardson married into the wealthy and powerful kennedy clan in 1994. she and rfk jr. had four children. kennedy had trouble with drugs and alcohol.

around her time she filed for her divorce from rfk jr. in 2010, she had two high-profile arrests, one while driving while intoxicated. the loss is another sad chapter for the kennedys. bringing to mind the assassination of robert kennedy, and his brother john f. kennedy in the 1960s, and several other tragedies in the family since then. shortly after jfk's son died in a plane crash in 1999, historian, david mccullough, reflected on talk that the immensely powerful family is cursed. >> well, they don't have everything. and one of the things they don't have is control over their own destiny, anymore than anybody else does. >> reporter: mary kennedy's family described her as a genius at friendship, a gentle soul and a generous spirit. tahman bradley, abc news. closing arguments are set for today in the john edwards trial, after the defense rested its case after just two days. jurors did not hear from any of the high-profile witnesses that the defense hinted it might call. instead, lawyers argued that the former presidential candidate tried to hide his affair to

spare his wife humiliation and not to spare his campaign. >> i was a bit stunned. and i think the courtroom was stunned when the defense announced it was going to rest its case. the defense did a good job redirecting the jury's attention to the campaign finance laws. and that's what the case is about. >> jurors are expected to begin their deliberations tomorrow. edwards could get 30 years if he's convicted. and a sniper targeting schoolchildren may be on the loose in the atlanta area. a man was spotted in clayton county earlier this week, pointing a rifle at a school bus filled with children. he dropped the rifle when two passersby chased him away. and he also left behind a notebook with a list of bus numbers. police are now escorting school busses and guarding students at bus stops. new census figures show a change in the racial makeup. for the first time ever, racial and ethnic minorities make up 50.4%, or more than half of the babies born in a 12-month period that ended last july.

that's compared to just 37% back in 1990. one census analyst says it's proof that this generation is growing up much more used to diversity than its elders. and now, to some health headlines this morning. some good news for those of us who need an extra jolt of java to make it through the night or the early morning. coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. >> oh, man. i'm living to 110. all right. and it's not the caffeine. it's because regular and decaf drinkers both had similar results. now, experts say they don't know what the link is, exactly, since coffee contains literally a thousand different things, all which can affect your health. good news for everyone on this shift. >> oh, yes. and nearly every entree sold at the top chain restaurants fails federal nutrition guidelines. ouch. the usda says 96% exceed the daily limits for calories, sodium, fat, and saturated fat. appetizers tend to be even less healthy than the entrees. here's a surprise, too.

family restaurants were worse than fast food ones. the restaurant industry says, hey, they're trying to do better. capitol hill police are baffled by a series of burglaries in the house of representatives. investigators say no sensitive material has the been taken, at least not so far. but lawmakers have some serious concerns. most of the missing items have significant street value, like cash, computers, cameras, memorabilia, and even alcohol. they also say that there is some evidence indicating the break-ins may be an inside job. and an invasion of a different kind had people at the pentagon scattering, well, like bugs. >> a swarm of about 10,000 honey bees set up shop next to the entrance of the headquarters. experts lobbed off the branch occupied by the buzzing bees. >> god bless those beekeepers. they're pretty brave, even with those suits on. also at the pentagon yesterday, this time inside. they showed off the once-classified model of osama

bin laden's former compound. >> it was built using satellite imagery and was used in planning the navy s.e.a.l. raid that killed the former al qaeda leader. >> the detail is stunning, especially when seeing video of the compound itself, as it looked in the days right after the historic raid. particularly noticeable was the main house, in which bin laden was ultimately taken down. well, hundreds of arizona residents who have been ignoring evacuation orders have now left their homes as those flames come dangerously close. >> a wildfire threatening their historic mining town nearly tripled in size in just 24 hours. abc's ryan owens has the latest on the fire and the others burning across the state. >> reporter: the smoke can be seen from phoenix, nearly 100 miles away. the so-called sunflower fire has already burned nine square miles. and it's just one of four fires burning in arizona. >> the next days are critical in fire weather, as far as the

winds that are coming through. we have a lot of concerns as to how the fire's going to move and what's going to happen. >> reporter: the gladiator fire in central arizona is the most dangerous. it's consumed more than 2,000 acres and has forced the evacuation of the historic mining town of crown king. >> it's getting kind of close. and so, we don't even know if we can go back yet. >> reporter: with the blaze just a mile from about a dozen homes, officials believe the last of the 350 residents evacuated. >> you just can't trust fire. >> reporter: lori learned at a community meeting that the wind was now pushing the fire near her home. >> what you're predicting it kind of drops straight over our house. >> possibility is, it's going to get there. >> reporter: she and her family left everything behind. >> i was pretty convinced that it was going to go the other way. >> reporter: about 400 firefighters are trying to contain the blaze. and officials say the fire is unusually dangerous. it's not just the smoke and heat. the area is known for rattlesnakes and abandoned mines.

>> we have some wildlife and reptiles out there that they need to be careful with. and the mines. a lot of unknown mines out there. >> reporter: ryan owens, abc news, yavapai county, arizona. >> thoughts own prayers for the folks in the path of those flames. let's take a look, now, at the weather from across the country on this thursday morning. more red flag fire warnings in the southwest. showers, meanwhile, from northern california to boise and helena. rainy around the twin cities to green bay and the upper peninsula of michigan. and some thunderstorms from florida up into the carolinas. a beautiful day, meanwhile, in the northeast. >> that's right. it doesn't get better. 75 degrees here in new york. 85 in atlanta. and 88 in new orleans. 83 in kansas city. and 72 in chicago. another triple day in phoenix, unfortunately. 77 in sacramento. and 81 in salt lake city. and coming up next after the break, mounting losses for jpmorgan chase. think the letter "b" again. that grand tally getting worse. >> that's right.

and the new numbers about foreclosures across the country. business news is next. plus, what's that horse doing so far offshore? that and more, when we come right back. @a@a@a@a@a@a@a@a@a@aa

there's mixed news on foreclosures this morning. nationally, fewer homes were seized by banks last month. down 7% from the previous month and 26% from a year ago. but in about half of the states where a judge has to approve foreclosure action, there were big increases.

another big story this morning, the losses suffered by jpmorgan chase on those trades gone bad reportedly, now, are growing. the total is up to $3 billion. that's because other investors are taking advantage of the dire situation. meanwhile, some shareholders are suing the nation's biggest bank over the mistake. they simply say jpmorgan took excessive risk. it's also being reported that the trader at the center of the scandal, a man known as the london whale, will leave the company. but it's not clear exactly when. overseas markets remain unsettled over greece's crisis. tokyo's nikkei average gained 75 points today. hong kong's hang seng was off 71. in london, the ftse opened lower. and on wall street, the dow lost 33 points yesterday. the nasdaq index gave up 20. the federal trade commission says wearing skechers finance shoes don't help you get in shape. the company is paying for

misleading advertising, although it denies the allegations. those that purchased the shoes may get a refund eventually. >> don't believe everything. and finally, volkswagen may have been the victim of a fiat prank. google street view shows a fiat 500 right there, parked in front. >> it's likely to stay there on google until the next update, which is months from now. fiat, though, they're not admitting anything. >> if they're behind it, smart, guys. smart. like your style. when we come back this morning, more trouble for an already troubled family. a guilty verdict in the case of steven powell. and what to do when the penalty box door just won't open. we'll show you when we come back. [ male announcer ] they were born to climb... born to leap, born to stalk, and born to pounce. to understand why, we journeyed to africa, where their wild ancestor was born.

there we discovered that cats, no matter where they are... are born to be cats. and shouldn't your cat be who he was born to be? discover your cat's true nature. purina one. a deep, throbbing, persistent ache. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness,

weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning.. you can feel. introducing the all new cadillac xts, available with the patented safety alert seat. when there is danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all new cadillac xts has arrived. and it's bringing the future forward. an arabian showhorse is back on solid ground after a dramatic rescue near santa barbara.

the stallion named william was spooked during a photo shoot on the beach. glamorous horse. he jumped into the water and swam nearly three miles. that's a long way. harbor control managed to car roll william and get him back to shore. he was exhausted but otherwise just okay. >> poor baby. now, we're going to take a look at the morning road conditions. rain soaks i-95, from the carolinas to miami. also wet on i-10, from jacksonville to pensacola. and i-20, through south carolina. slick on parts of i-15, and 84 in the northern rockies. >> and if you're flying today, short list. expect some weather-related airport delays only in the city of miami. president obama has no public events today, as he prepares for back-to-back high-level meetings starting tomorrow. first up, the top world leaders meet at camp david to talk world economics. then, it's on to chicago, where protesters are already gathering ahead of the nato summit. the meeting will focus on global security. staff members are sleeping over

at the aquarium to take care of the animals because the facility will have to be closed down while the leaders are in town. residents of missing utah mom susan powell are cheering a washington verdict of convicting her father-in-law of voyerism. they're hoping the idea of prison will get him to speak up. powell was caught with photos of two young neighbor girls using the bathroom. his son, josh, was a personal of interest until earlier this year. that's when he killed himself, as well as the couple's two, young children. here's a match-up that few want to face. gator versus human. we're going to give you one guess at who won. >> what do you think? >> a north carolina aquarium scientist learned his lesson, trying to corral a wayward gator and move him from a ditch. but nothing doing. this beast was angry. almost took the man's arm off, in fact. the scientist, meanwhile, he's

nursing his wounds and probably a little bit of injured pride, as well. sometimes you have to leave nature alone. >> bad idea. some scary moments during another match-up. this one between the red sox and the rays last night in tampa. >> in the eighth inning, second baseman, rhymes was hit by a pitch on his left elbow. he took a couple of steps and collapsed. the rays' front office says he fainted. but he's fine now. he didn't need to go to the hospital. a scary moment. but all ended well. >> that's right. and now, last night's nba playoff highlights. we get those from espn. >> good morning. i'm todd grisham. and this is your "sportscenter" update. the lakers got blown out in game one against oklahoma city. game two, much, much closer. fourth quarter, lakers up. and they go up by even more. steve blake makes it a five-point game. later, kobe bryant, pullup jumper, right in the face of

harper. harden, rather. that's james harden. under two minutes left to play. thunder down five. durant steals the pass from kobe. throws it down. thunder down by only three. 25 seconds left in the game. off another kobe bryant missed shot. it's durant, the floater, baseline. yes, thunder lead it by one. six seconds to go. who do the lakers go to for the game-sinning shot. steve blake. he misses. lakers blow a seven-point lead with two minutes to go and lose a heartbreaker on the road, 77-75. a much less dramatic game. the celtics and the 76ers. thaddeus young to allen for the two-handed jam. it's 71-54. rondo, behind the back. fancy. rondo had 14 assists to go with 23 points. then, it's kevin garnett, with the jumper. he had 27 and 13. it's 101-76. and just goes from bad to worse.

that's paul pierce. celtics win it, going away, 107-91. the nba playoffs continue tonight. heat and pacers at 7:00. clippers and spurs at 9:30. you can see it on espn and espn3. all right. now, check out what happened last night at the devils -- as the devils defeated the rangers in their nhl playoff series. >> one of the devils took a penalty. but the penalty box door, yeah, it wouldn't open. they got all high-tech, though, trying to kick the door in. but nothing seemed to work. come on, dude. put some force into it. >> so, travis zajac went into the rangers' penalty box. eventually, they got the door opened and spent the time in the devils' sin bin instead. that's just embarrassing. coming up next, "the pulse." how well-read is your city? and brainpower. an amazing advance that might just help some people do what so many of us take for granted.

i was pushing my kids in a stroller

when i had my heart event. and i've been on a bayer aspirin regimen ever since. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i know if i take my bayer aspirin i have a better chance of living a healthy life. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪

apply online or at a bank of america near you. when it comes to toilet paper, there's no such thing as too soft. i know what i like. i like feeling both clean and pampered. why should i compromise? quilted northern ultra plush®, now with the innerlux layer. for a comfortable, confident clean, or your money back. so i get claritin clear. this is all bayberry. bayberry pollen. very allergenic. non-drowsy claritin relieves my worst symptoms only claritin is proven to keep me as alert and focused as someone without allergies. live claritin clear. time to check "the pulse" this morning, the stories you'll be talking about. let's start with amazing advances in brain wave science. using only her thoughts, only her thoughts, this paralyzed woman directed a motorized arm, to pick up a bottle of cope and bring it to her lips. >> it's all done with a sensor

implanted in her brain. she has been unable to move her arms for the past 15 years, following that stroke. >> miracle of medicine. unbelievable there. well, amazon.com is out with its list of the nation's most well-read cities. >> here we go. number one on the list. alexandria, virginia. amazon says residents there bought the most books, magazines and newspapers per capita, in the last year. >> number two, cambridge, massachusetts. >> number three, berkeley, colorado. >> then, comes ann arbor, michigan. and number five, boulder, colorado. >> not bad. >> not bad. keep reading. tyra banks says she's too fat to model for "vogue" these days. but she's applauding to the new commitment to healthier images of its models. >> her weight used to dictate her career when she grew from a size 4 to a size 6. she was chastised and deemed unhirable. >> that's when she sat down with her mom, over pizza no less, and decided to make her curves work for her rather than against her. i'd say she's done well with that career decision. >> not bad. >> don't see nothing wrong.

"no," "wait, save 400 bucks right here." with so many places offering so much buck-saving, where do you start? well, esurance was born online, raised by technology, and majors in efficiency. so they're actually built to save you money... and time... and whiplash. esurance. insurance for the modern world. click or call. like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. kraft natural cheese with flavorful spices and breadcrumbs. all to help you make something amazing. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've ♪ ♪ found

it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain.

coming up next, do red light cameras make intersections safer? >> the daring overnight rescue of a man who jumped 30 feet from an pass he says to escape from a carjacker. >> mike has the forecast. cloudy and mild start. cooler weather even with more sunshine this afternoon. >> frances dinglasan has our here's your weather for today. a gorgeous day in the northeast. thunderstorms from miami to the carolinas. finally from us this morning, hollywood hot shots. the latest ranking, of the biggest and wealthiest stars on the planet.

"forbes" just came out with its new list of powerhouse celebrities. >> and this is not just about the money. and you may be surprised to see who's on top and who's not. here's abc's t.j. winick. ♪ ♪ baby i was born this way >> reporter: last year, the "forbes" celebrity 100, was topped by lady gaga. the hottest, most unusual performer in pop music. her new album, "born this way," sold a million copies in its first week. the entertainer pulling in an impressive $90 million in 2011. but it turns out 2012 isn't as goo goo for gaga. the new number one on the block is jenny from the block. ♪ i have a lot >> reporter: because the "forbes" list is not just about money. it's about everything that makes someone famous these days. social media, tv endorsements and internet traffic. j. lo's on top because she has 6 million followers on twitter and 12 million fans on facebook. in second place, 2010's number one, oprah winfrey. the queen of talk is still the

number one earner on the list, with $165 million. thanks to her empire of her spin-off shows, her magazines and her satellite radio deal. number three is the youngest on the "forbes" list. ♪ baby, baby, baby oh >> reporter: you guessed it, 18-year-old heartthrob, justin bieber. this year, two of the three kardashians made the cut. say what you will. kris jenner's girl, kim, knows how to stay relevant. and earn millions while doing it. and that infamous wedding was quite the moneymaker, as was the publicity she earned from the more infamous divorce a few months later. that's why kim ranked seventh on the list with $18 million. being famous for just being famous doesn't just pay, it pays well. i'm t.j. winick in new york. >> not a bad life, no matter where you fall on that list, huh? that's what's making news in america this morning. >> s