top of your mind that i am going to do something that will not just affect my life but the life of the world. >> reporter: the eyes of the world's 1.2 billion catholics will soon here on on the chimney of the sistine chapel waiting for white smoke signaling a new pope has been elected. there are no clear front-runners, only speculation and favorites among those gathering in st. peter's square today. >> i love the priest that comes from boston. >> reporter: but this is a decision left only to the cardinals who today will enter the sistine chapel, write one name on a ballot, those ballots then counted and burned, a process repeated up to four times a day until someone gets two-thirds of the vote. the secretive selection of one cardinal entering the conclave today not knowing he'll eventually step out on to this balcony as the new leader of the roman catholic church. >> there's cardinals that came from america, from brazil, from

all the way from the philippines, as soon as they -- if one of them is elected pope, they don't go home, okay. they don't go home and pack up. and then come back to the vatican. it's done. they're here. >> reporter: and the conclave will begin this afternoon. they'll do just one round of voting today, and then we expect that the smoke signaling if a pope has been elected by somewhere between 1:00 and 3:00 eastern. rob and diana, back to you. > all right, marci gonzalez live in rome for us, thank you. and count on abc news for complete coverage of the conclave. diane sawyer anchors a special report live from rome at 11:30 eastern time this morning as the conclave begins. and we also have breaking news from overnight. a deadly chopper crash involving u.s. forces in southern afghanistan. a black hawk helicopter went down outside of kandahar overnight killing five american troops on board. hostile fire, though, does not appear to be the cause. initial reports indicate that weather may have been a factor. and that crash followed a

deadly insider attack in the eastern part of the country. two american troops were killed yesterday when an afghan police officer opened fire at a military base. president hamid karzai had given u.s. special forces troops until yesterday to withdraw from that province. all right. back here at home and the looming budget battle on capitol hill. republicans and democrats reveal their spending plans later on today. >> and then there's the presidential push to get both sides to agree to a deficit reduction deal. abc's devin dwyer is joining us from washington with more. hi, devin. >> reporter: good morning, rob and diana. after months of partisan gridlock over how to fund the government, there is hope both sides have actually turned the page. it's a budget battle blitz. president obama making the first of three rare trips to capitol hill to meet with rank and file lawmakers. today it's senate democrats, tomorrow, house republicans. on thursday the president's back again for meetings with house democrats and senate republicans. >> our focus now is on working

with congress in regular order on the budget process and through that process hopefully produce a bipartisan agreement on deficit reduction. >> reporter: so will mr. obama bring his overdue budget blueprint along? >> well, i don't have a date certain for you on the president's budget. it will -- you know, it's being worked on. >> reporter: president obama has been on a face time offensive. he hosted a swanky dinner with top republican senators and huddled with key players at the white house. among them house budget chief paul ryan, who today will unveil his latest proposal, a plan potentially more controversial than his last. >> we think we owe the american people a balanced budget. it's a means to an end and the means is to get to a good, growing economy to create jobs and opportunity. >> reporter: the ryan plan to cut the deficit is entirely spending cuts leaving the sequester in place turning medicare into a voucher-like program and -- >> yes, our budget does promote repealing obama care and

replacing it with a better system. >> reporter: now, those ideas are all nonstarters with senate democrats who want to a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. tomorrow they'll unveil their first budget plan in four years, rob and diana. >> all right. devin dwyer live for us in washington, thank you. and switching gears now, take a look at weather from across the country on this tuesday morning. it'll be rainy along the east coast from boston to savannah. central florida could see thunderstorms. meanwhile, fargo, des moines and omaha could see a few flurries out there today. a new storm, though, brings rain to seattle and portland and snow to the mountains. >> the southwest is warmer than usual with phoenix above 80. warmer too in the northwest with new york and boston in the 50s but the upper midwest is still colder than usual with chicago in the mid-30s, albuquerque, dallas and new orleans are all in the 60s. and coming up after the break, the average cost of a wedding, no shocker here, going up again. we'll reveal the cheapest state to get hitched.

>> aha. plus, the secret financial files of a-list stars and politicians allegedly leaked online. more celebrities hacked overnight. and creating a doughnut store drive-through where one never even existed.

and welcome back. new york city's controversial ban on big sugary drinks will not go into effect today. a judge says the 16-ounce limit on such beverages didn't fairly apply to all sugar sweetened drinks and to all the places that sell them. it's a victory for the beverage and restaurant industries. the city says big servings of sugary drinks are a major cause

of obesity and it will appeal the ruling. the stock market has now gone up seven days in a row. the dow added 50 points yesterday to close at another new high. the other major indices also were up. the dow has now gained more than 10% this year. and taxpayers no longer own as much of the automaker once known as government motors. last month the treasury department sold almost half a billion dollars worth of gm stock. the government has now recovered about 3/5 of its $50 billion bailout, but it is unlikely to break even with the remaining shares until gm stock doubles in price. well, you may not like what your likes on facebook say about you. british researchers say those clicks can reveal your age, sexual orientation, how you vote and even whether you abuse drugs. last year there were almost 3 billion likes on facebook. now for some reason the study also found that people who like curly fries have high intelligence and in other news say what? >> that means i'm brilliant.

love a curly fry. the cost of a wedding is getting back up there begin. newlyweds and their families last year spent an average of 28,000 bucks of that's the most, though, since the start of the recession. almost half was the cost of the venue. now the most expensive place to hold a wedding, no shocker here, manhattan here in new york, $77,000. alaska was the cheapest at $15,500. >> wow. >> i don't know why people don't take that money and spend it on the first home as opposed to the wedding. a party for other people to drink? me, that's just me, though. i'm married. you're not. >> that's true. got to keep you all happy. i didn't say that. coming up next on this tuesday, the nfl gets serious about studying concussions. and the video that is pretty tough to watch. a toddler smoking from a drug pipe. police, as you can imagine, taking quick action against the mom.

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you are looking at live pictures from the vatican this morning as the conclave gets under way. 115 cardinals meet in ultra secrecy inside the sistine chapel, and then, of course, we all await the smoke signal, black, of course, means no pope has been chosen. white means there is a new pope. we will have coverage throughout the day including a special report at 11:30 a.m. eastern. and now for a look at the morning road conditions. wet on i-95 along the east coast. it could get stormy in central florida. slippery roadways around seattle and portland. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in charlotte, d.c., philly, new york and beantown. all right, we have some breaking news to tell you about that happened overnight. the justice department is now investigating an elaborate hacking scandal targeting some of the biggest names in hollywood and in politics.

>> a-listers here. a website has posted what appears to be private financial information from a long list of stars including ashton kutcher, kim kardashian, beyonce and jay-z. it allegedly also includes michelle obama's credit report and on top of that, personal information on vice president biden, hillary clinton, even the director of the fbi. >> what makes it even worse is that it's financial information that was stolen, not simply a login and password to a social media site or twitter account. this is very serious stuff. >> it's still not clear if the social security numbers, phone numbers and banking information are legitimate or just a huge hoax. one more shocking, gun violence out of chicago. a 6-month-old baby girl is now fighting for her life after being shot five times. jonylah watkins' dad was changing her diaper in a parked van when a man walked up to them and opened fire. after five hours in surgery, the little girl remains in critical

condition. her father, who was also shot several times, is also in the hospital, and the gunman did get away. in colorado now, the accused shooter in the aurora movie massacre is due in court today. james holmes is widely expected to plead not guilty for reasons of insanity. it left 12 people dead and 70 people injured. if holmes enters that plea the judge says he can be given truth serum, drugs designed to lower inhibitions during interviews. a washington state mom is in trouble after cell phone video shows her toddler smoking pot. take a look at this. man, all right, the 22-month-old little boy is shown with a lit bong held right there to his mouth. now, his mother says it all started out as a joke, which didn't turn out to be that funny, yeah, the little boy is now in protective care. mom is behind bars. and watch this frightening incident from philadelphia. a car in reverse drives right into a dunkin' donuts.

a man who had just been served his coffee was knocked to the floor by the impact. the woman driving said her foot got caught on that gas pedal and also blamed an existing medical condition. thankfully and amazingly no one was seriously hurt. medical news now. in a new study which finds most women with ovarian cancer don't get the right treatment, researchers found only one-third of those diagnosed get the kind of care which relieves suffering and could prolong life. they say it's because women don't seek out experienced doctors who know how to treat this disease. the nfl is teaming up with ge to speed up research into concussions. commissioner roger goodell announced the $60 million effort which will also work to develop new helmet designs to help protect the brain from traumatic injury. critics say it's just, though, another nfl attempt to show it's doing more to protect its players. the league is being sued by thousands of retired players who say it hasn't done that for decades. and now some basketball and more march madness.

automatic bids being handed out. we get the highlights now from our friends over at espn. welcome into your "sportscenter" update. i'm chris hassel. number one gonzaga tried to knock off st. mary's in the wcc championship game and possibly earn a one seed in the tournament. kelly olynyk following up a miss with a dunk. 42-18 gonzaga would outscore the gaels in the paint. st. mary's needing a win to ensure an ncaa tournament berth. olin nick, 21 points, 12 rebounds. gonzaga by eight. second half, zags up by 17. david stockton to olynyk for a filthy one-handed stuff. 15th straight tournament appearance for the zags. in the nba, thunder, spurs, a win by ok krchc would tie them for first in the conference with san antonio. leonard behind the back and dunk. 35-18, the spurs would outscore okc in in the second. third quarter, spurs up by 6.

danny green, the steal and dunk. san antonio by 8. later, okc down 5. westbrook shot it 27 times. kevin durant would only shoot 13 times. later, westbrook pulling up knocking it down. he only made 11 of those 27 shots. fourth quarter, spurs up 11. thiago splitter, a team high 21 on 9 of 11 shooting. fourth quarter, under a minute to play, spurs up 11. danny green putting it away. 16 points for him, 5-game winning streak snapped by the thunder, 105-95. nfl free agency beginning today at 4:00 eastern. i'm chris hassel. have a good one. coming up next this morning, "the pulse" and a final farewell to one of the biggest villains in tv history. and the baseball blooper that didn't involve a player but rather a hooters girl. we'll be right back.

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[ playing the theme to "dallas" ] a blast from the past in today's "pulse." that is, of course, one of the most recognized tv theme songs ever written for the hit show "dallas." >> that's right, and now there's been a final farewell for its most recognizable characters. actor larry hagman died months ago, and now the larger-than-life character that he made so famous has also been laid to rest. in last night's episode of "dallas," j.r. ewing dies in a robbery at a hotel in mexico. >> the usually feuding family does come together along with a host of friends from past episodes to grieve the loss of the character and the man who legendarily played him.

and now we dare turn to the big tv event here on abc last night, the finale of the newest season of "the bachelor." the moment fans have been waiting for. bachelor sean lowe got down on one knee and proposed to 26-year-old graphic designer catherine. >> they are still together. and they haven't set a date for the wedding just yet. up next, the new bachelorette, she's desiree hartsock, a favorite from the just ended "bachelor" season. fans can't help but recall her brother's infamous visit at the home episode. >> i'm sure it will end happily forever. >> as they always do. >> yeah. baseball spring training in florida. a major oops, it happened while the rays were playing the phillies. >> the batter smashes a drive down the third base line, it is a fair ball, but, oh, no, there's the hooters girl who fields it and proceeds to hand it off to a fan. a major oops right there, but she did remember to take off her sunglasses for her closeup. she got that part of the play just right.

i'm sure those dudes really minded. i'm sure they really cared. and someone clearly forgot to put out the slippery when wet sign on this one. >> take a look at these adorable baby seals struggling to climb onto a surfboard. ethan janssen captured the persist sent pups with cameras mounted on his windboard. >> they were weaned recently and looking to explore their new surroundings. we're told the slip and slide continued for an entire 30 minutes. hey, they're persistent. >> wow. >> and they're, oh, so cute. >> they are cute. i'm not a big animal person but those are some pretty cute critters there. >> they look like puppies. >> they're adorable. >> you have a dog. right? >> i do, well, my parents, she's a cutie. hi, cookie. >> there you go, cookie. well, for some of you your local news is coming up next. >> i'll say hi to the hooters girl. for everyone else, what it

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good tuesday morning. 4:28. the band is all back together again this week. >> all band members. proud band members. >> did you see the fog this morning? >> no. >> i d. >> it was following you. >> we will check with our meteorologist, mike nicco and see where it is playing out. >> we have low clouds from the coast filling in the bay. they are the clouds we talked about yesterday but the radar runs we will not get any of that at novato less than quarter-mile visibility, and half a mile to santa rosa. this will hang around in napa until 10:00 and then we have sun and the temperatures will climb, upper 60's to mid-70's around the bay and low-to-upper 70's inland and coolest at the coast with upper 50's to low 60's. here is a check of traffic.

sue? >> good morning, mike and everyone, we have a live shot of walnut creek with tail lights headed to 24 and everything is light with in problems just some road work out there to be aware of. we will take you, first, to san jose, where we have closures, the northbound ramp to -- northbound 280 to northbound 280 is shut down for a little bit longer until 5:00 this morning and northbound 680 between south mission and north mission you have left lanes closed for road work. kristen and eric? >> thank you very much. it is 4:29. a historic day is underway at vatican right now where a new pope could be chosen any day. the 115 cardinals meet in a top secret session to begin the process at the end, 114 will still be cardinals and one will be the next leaders of the catholics. marcy is live in rome with the latest for us. marcy?

>> good morning, eric. the cardinals started celebrating mass in st. peter's praying for guidance with the start of the conclave just hours away. >> the morning air was thick with anticipation. 115 cardinals preparing to write history as they take pen to paper casting ballots in the papal election. >> it is always on the top of your mind, i am going to do something will not only affect my life but affect the life all over the world. >> the eyes of so many of the 1.2 billion catholics will be here on the chimney of the cistene chapel, waiting for white smoke signaling a new pope has been elected. there are no clear frontrunners, only speculation and favorites among those gathering at st. peter's. >> i love the priest that comes from boston. >> this is a decision left only to the cardinals who, today,

will enter the cistene chapel, write one name on the ballots that are counted and burned. a process will be repeated up to four time as day until someone gets two-thirds of the vote. the secretive selection of one cardinal entering the conclave today no one he will step on the balcony as the new leader of the roman catholic church. >> the cardinal whose came here from morning, from brazil, from all the way from the philippines . when they -- if one is elected pope they don't go home. they don't go home and pack up and come back dot -- to the vatican. it is done. they here. >> there will be one round of voting today. eric? >> that begs the question: is it possible they could elect a new vote after one vote dead -- vote