church in secrecy. >> everybody but the cardinals, out of here. we'll see the doors close. no cameras inside. that's an opportunity for all the church to begin praying and to ask the holy spirit to help guide these men in the selection. >> reporter: it's a selection based on so many factors. beliefs, background, age, and alliances. there's no clear front-runner, the same names keep coming up as top contenders. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: cardinal scherer, of sao paolo who would be the first pope from latin american. cardinal scola, of milan, reported by at least one italian newspaper going into the conclave with 40 votes of the 77 needed. >> they said let's do two collections. we do it in new york. >> reporter: and there is still the lingering possibility of an american church. >> let us pray that the holy spirit will move the church to choose a new pope who will confirm us in our faith. >> reporter: faith in an historic process and an election just one day from beginning.

and after today's general congregation meeting, the conclave staff, they are the only ones allowed in the conclave other than the cardinals, they'll gather at the vatican to swear an oath of secrecy. rob and diana, back to you. >> hey, marcy, a question. what will be the process starting tomorrow? >> reporter: okay, so, tomorrow morning, there will be mass celebrated in the basilica here. and then from there, the cardinals will file into the sistine chapel. there will be just one round of voting tomorrow. and it's expected that the conclave will last several days. no big announcement expected tomorrow. >> all right, abc's marcy gonzalez in rome for us this morning. thank you. and much more from rome is coming up on "good morning america." josh elliott is there, as is diane sawyer for tonight's "world news." in other news this morning, tensions continue to heat up right now on the korean peninsula. south korea and the u.s. began annual military drills today. despite threats from the north to void the armistice that ended

the korean war. pyongyang apparently made good on it vow to cut the communication channel with seoul. two calls from a hotline in south korea went unanswered. today marks two years since japan was hit by the devastating earthquake, then tsunami, and then the nuclear disaster. here's a look at the sunrise over one of the hard-hit coastal communities. memorial services are being held for the nearly 19,000 people who were killed. queen elizabeth is taking an historic stand against discrimination. the queen is signing a new charter today that includes her strongest statement ever about women's rights. and it's her first show of support for gay rights. she'll talk about the equal rights legislation that opposes discrimination of any kind. on to afghanistan now where chuck hagel denies that the u.s.

and the taliban are working together to increase violence in the country. that was a charge made by afghan president hamid karzai ahead of a meeting with hagel. they were supposed to talk at a news conference afterwards but it had to be canceled because of a security threat. a big movie star is shaking things up in a solidly red state. actress ashley judd is on the verge of announcing her bid to become the next u.s. senator from the state of kentucky. that means she'll have the tough task of unseating one of the most powerful republicans in the country. more now from abc's devin dwyer. >> reporter: she's a hollywood star, no stranger to the spotlight or sticky situations. >> somebody help me. >> reporter: now, actress ashley judd has her sights set on capitol hill. and the sfat senate seat of republican mitch mcconnell. >> she's seriously considering a race for the united states senate. >> reporter: sources tell abc news judd, a loyal obama supporter and international humanitarian, is eager to take her activism to a new level, challenging one of the country's most powerful senators. in the reliably red state of kentucky. >> i actually can wear the t-shirt that says, i do my own stunts.

>> reporter: stunt or not, republicans say they'll take a judd candidacy in stride. >> the left is fully engaged down here in kentucky. they would love to take down the republican leader of the senate. we'll be ready for them. >> reporter: if she does run, she'll have advantages. name recognition, plenty of cash, and a reputation as a die hard university of kentucky basketball fan. >> in a celebrity-driven culture, a celebrity can occasionally eclipse a lifetime legislator. >> reporter: her views on the coal sfri, major kentucky employer, could hurt her. ads point out a potentially bigger hurdle. judd doesn't even live in the state she wants to represent. >> and it just clicked, tennessee is home. and it just clicked -- >> kentucky. >> -- is home. >> reporter: the election is still 20 months away, plenty of time for judd to make up her mind and move to kentucky. rob and diana? >> could be interesting. devin dwyer, in washington,

thanks a lot. to the weather across the nation. rain in the ohio valley to the florida panhandle. just a dusting for chicago and minneapolis. des moines will get heavy snow. after a mostly dry day, seattle will get rain around dinner time. >> another spring-like day along the east and cities inland could hit 60 degrees. warm in the southwest, phoenix in the mid 70s. ten degrees colder than usual in the upper midwest. fargo, about 25 degrees today. looking good, as always, in miami and honolulu. they will be close to 80 degrees. coming up, good news when it comes to gas prices. your monday business news is next. and the new use for aspirin. a new study released overnight on the effectiveness of battling a deadly form of cancer. and the epic 100-yard fall caught on helmet cam. this climber's message when his ordeal was finally over.

welcome back, everybody. we are seeing a reversal at the pump. gas prices are actually coming down. they dropped five cent gals lon many the last week, the first decrease since december. the reason behind it all, crude oil prices are falling and k street begins the week in new territory this morning. the dow opens at nearly 14,400. boasted by last week's positive reports about jobs.

the index is up 10% since the first of the year. the bull market began the run upward four weeks ago. and "oz the great and powerful" really was great and powerful. almost double the other films in the top ten combined for the biggest debut of the year so tar. like abc, oz is part of the disney family. the film took in over 08 million bucks over the weekend. "jack the giant slayer," $10 million. and "identity thief" was in third. the search jingt is giving adidas sneakers a computer. they can advise you on finance. they don't plan to sell you the shoes. they just show you what is possible. >> the joys and sometimes the completely needless items that technology gives us. next on this monday, proof

of the danger firefighters encounter every day. some of them signed this violent building explosion. plus, tiger woods, he's on a roll. ♪ [ jen garner ] what skincare brand is so effective... so trusted... so clinically proven dermatologists recommend it twice as much

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they are digging out in parts of the midwest after yet another winter wallop. blizzard conditions made driving nearly impossible in parts of minnesota. stranded drives took shelter in red cross shelters. that snow will make driving a challenge around des moines. it will be wet on the roadways from the ohio valley to the florida panhandle. if you're flying rkts airport delays possible in three major city, including detroit, atlanta, and new orleans. it was a close call for

crews battles a massive fire in new jersey. the dramatic moments on camera. >> they were take bin surprise when that happened. a sudden blast. it blew up right in their faces. a back draft trirged an explosion that shattered windows, throwing firefighters into the air and sending broken glass everywhere. five firefighters were hurt. none of their injuries were life-threatening. grief counselors will be at an ohio school this monday after six students were killed. five of them were trapped in the suv when it was stuck in water and the sixth person was found underneath the suv. these people were rescued by the coast guard after a sailboat broke apart during a race on

friday night. a sixth man, craig williams did not survive. he leaves behind a pregnant wife and young daughter. what caused a small plane to crash into a house in seattle. it happened while the teenage son of the home owners and a friend were happeninging out in home. >> i feel very lucky, because if that, if it hadn't hit where it did, if it hit ten feet up, i would have been done. >> the pilot was killed and his nephew was badly hurt. another close brush with serious injury. a mountain climber's helmet cam was recording while he was climbing in wales. he was knocked offbans by a falling chunk of ice. the camera kept on rolling as he slid down the mountainside out of control. he suffered a broken ankle and was rescued about half hour

later. a daily aspirin may reduce the risk of developing a deadly form of skin cancer. women who took the drug appeared to cut their risk by 20%. the longer they took it, the better it helped. aspirin is an anti-inflammatory. a scary tori about oscar pistorius. a documentary airing tonight quotes a friend saying pistorius is a broken man on the verge of suicide. he constantly mentions steenkamp. the lawyers are appealing the bail imposed on him. five men's college basketball teams have secured automatic bids to march madness. for the other morning highlight,

we turn to our friends over at espn news. >> good morning, and welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm zubin mehenti. less than a month from the masters, tiger clicking on all cylinders. he took a four shot lead into the final round. with that lead, he's not about to relinquish it. he had 27 birdies on the week. that one moving him to 19 under. par 3 4th. look at this. his seventh win at this event. shots like that are going to make it a reality. birdie could move him to 20 under. on 18 with a three-shot lead -- this to make it official. and he does. finishes at 19 under, a two-stroke win over steve strirk. his 76th career pga tour victory. >> you always have to believe in yourself. whether i was ranked outside the top 50 or just come out on the tour, you gotta have this inner

believe that you are the best. i teed up with every intention to win every tournament. i don't see why that should change. the heat have won 17 in a row. taking on the pacers. the only name haven't beaten. dwyane wade, the strip, the score, pacers won the first do two games by double digits. the heat took a double-digit lead to the half. wade back the other way. stepping into the passing lane. miami won 18 in a row, tied for the sixth longer winning streak in the league. and that is your "sportscenter" update. i'm zubin mehenti, have a great week. another example proving you never know what you'll see at a european soccer match. >> game in swirts land was interrupted when an otter-like animal called a martin ran on the field. >> one player tried to capture

it and was bitten on the finger. the man was eventually caught by a goalie and handed off. the goalie caught it. that's perfect. >> goal! oh, man, coming up next this morning, "the pulse." we'll meet the country's luckiest couple. justin timberlake getting rave reviews for his latest gig, hosting "saturday night live." we're vampires after all. but then we tried new nutri-grain fruit crunch bar. it's so crunchy. crunchy granola, mmmm... made with real fruit, 20 grams of whole grains. now, we love mornings. it's amazing what we're getting done. ♪ [ laughs ] whoa. slow down, boy. mornings. who knew? new kellogg's nutri-grain fruit crunch. love the morning.

bikes and balloons, wholesome noodles on spoons. a kite, a breeze, a dunk of grilled cheese. catches and throws, and spaghettio's. that's what happy kids are made of. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. that's what happy kids are made of. we know the value of your at ueducation of phoenix is where it can take you. [now arriving: city hospital] which is why we're proud to help connect our students with leading employers across the nation. [next stop financial center]

i use bounce outdoor fresh sheets because they're just that much fresher and they help keep static off in the cold so my clothes will never embarrass me. mommy, i dressed the snowman! how do you get your bounce? less static year-round. ♪ you're the lucky one ♪ tell you now you're the lucky one ♪ welcome back, everybody. time to check "the pulse" this morning. a lucky couple of folks, for sure.

diane and kerry carmichael of arizona. >> in 1995, they won a $2.5 million lottery. they refused the lump sum and have received 125 grand cash money every year since. now they've just won another million. just in time because their payouts from the first one are all about done after next year. >> start today a little bit of jealousy folks. man. two times. >> drinking the hater-ade early. reviews for justin timberlake's gig on "saturday night live." >> he included a not so subtle dig against kanye west. >> he was inducted into "snl's" club of five-time hosts. >> this is fantastic. but -- oh my god. [ cheers and applause ]

paul simon. >> welcome to the club. >> mr. simon, the honor is mine. >> i think it is. >> hmm. justin timberlake and paul simon there. now the other five-timers in their smoking jackets, steve martin, chevy chase, tom hanks, alec baldwin, and candace bergen. dan aykroyd and martin short appeared as a waiter. a massachusetts dad gets an "a" for creativity. >> every day, he spices up his children's lunch by drawing eye-catching cartoons on the sandwich bags. he's been doodling on the bags for about five years now. >> so far, the dad has come up with more than 1,000 different drawings. his talents don't end there.

he makes the sandwiches, too. g. it's a labor of love. it's a lot of labor and it's a lot of love. i don't need to go to the gym. my job is my workout. you're shoveling ice all day long. it's rough on the back. it's rough on the shoulders. i get muscle aches all over. advil® is great. pain and soreness is just out of the picture. [ male announcer ] make the switch. take action. take advil®. and for sinus congestion, now you can get advil® combined with a proven decongestant. breathe easier with advil® congestion relief.

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good monday morning at 4:28. >> you have not been here for about nine days. but who is counting? >> who is counting? i am eric thomas. >> welcome back. >> i am kira klapper here for kristen sze. >> nice to see you. >> thank you very much. we will check in with sue hall and traffic. >> welcome back. it is light right now. we have fog at the golden gate bridge. it is spilling over to the northern portion of the bridge. as you come off the waldo it is limited visibility. otherwise, no road work this morning. traffic is flowing nicely into san francisco. now over to fremont, north 680, several lanes are blocked between south mission and north mission until 6:00 this morning. elsewhere in the oakland area,

north 880 from 66 to high you will find cones blocking the lane. >> thank you very much. 4:29. we have developing news from san francisco where police are investigating a grizzly accident in an elevator shaft at a bart station. you saw the story first right here on abc7 news. our reporter, amy hollyfield, is live at the park with the very latest on this bizarre situation. amy? >> firefighters are now saying it appears the man was sleeping on top of the elevator and they found personal belongings including bedding. last night it was at 9:35 a man was taking the elevator from the muni platform to the concourse level on market street and he says he heard a scream and a crunching sound. firefighters found the man in the elevator shaft. he was dead. he was smashed to death. they don't know how he got in

there or how long he was sleeping in there. they will investigate that later today. it didn't cause any delay on the trains. there were no delays last night or this morning. it was focused on the elevator hours. it took several hours for investigators to trying how -- to try to figure out how to get him out of there and how to prevent it in the future. >> a main highway in contra costa county was closed after a deadly crash closed the flood two hours after a pedestrian was killed on eastbound state highway 4 in discovery bay. the victim, whose name and age is not made public died at the scene. the driver stopped and is coordinating. >> the man hired to help oakland comply with court-order reforms

will report to duty. the new compliance director will take on the task of reforming the way the police document and investigate themselves. he is a former baltimore police commissioner who served on the san jose police force. he will have sweeping powers, including the authority to cut the city spending and oversee top commanders of the department. he will have the power to oust the chief and demote deputies, if necessary. >> chez panisse will be back on its feet after a devastating fire. this morning, the restaurant will begin taking new reservations. they canceled reservations through march 23 because of a fire on friday morning. the abc7 news morning news was live on the scene all morning. the fire damaged the front porch, the entry way, and downstairs dining room. repairs are underwait on friday, the owner said on twitter she hopes to re-open the undamaged upstairs