making news in america this morning. judgment day. >> the verdict in the amanda knox case could be handed down at any hour. after four years, will amanda finally go free? up in the air. the race for the republican nomination as unclear as ever. what does the president think about his possible opponents? and monumental task. the team making sure that the monument is safe. good morning, everyone. i'm rob nelson.

>> and i'm tanya rivero. a crucial day for amanda knox and her family. >> an italian jury expected to decide if she can go free or remain in prison for the rest of her life. lama hasan joins us with more. >> reporter: the day of justice reads one of the local papers. amanda knox has arrived in court. she's been doing so in the last ten months during this appeal. she's described as looking tense and serious today. her defense team has begun their final rebuttal. followed by a statement from her then boyfriend raffaele sollecito. he's also convicted of murdering amanda's roommate in 2009.

following that, amanda knox is expected to stand up in court, make a statement. statement in italian. she's been working on the the statement for several months. she'll express deep sorrow to the kercher family for losing their daughter. but she'll say she's not guilty. the jury will go and deliberate. it's two judges and six jurors. five women and won man. that's why, we think, the verdict will come within hours. they've been talking about the case throughout the appeals case. back to you. >> as today unfolds, what are the scenarios we could see as today moves forward? >> reporter: well, there are several options. likely scenarios, if you like. the judge might come out and uphold the current sentence, the current conviction, which is 26

years. she's already served four. or she could be acquitted. that means she would be freed immediately. just matter of hours. formalities to go back to the prison. or she may just stay overnight. the third scenario is that the judge will come out and say that a lesser crime has been committed, which means her sentence will be reduced drastically. she'll be freed, taking into account the four years she's already spent behind bars. all eyes on the courtroom today. >> thank you, lama. >> stay tunes to abc news throughout the morning. we'll have more from italy coming up on "good morning america." you can get the latest at abcnews.com. after a week of gripping testimony, the manslaughter trial of michael jackson's doctor continue this is morning.

the emergency room doctor who said jackson had no pulse when he arrived to the hospital will return to the stand. >> she's expected to say with whether dr. murray said he gave jackson propofol. it turns out, al qaeda's top bomb maker in yemen was not killed on friday. it did kill anwar al awlaki. it was thought ibrahim al hasiri was there, but he was not. leon pan neetta saysize reas becoming increasingly isolated. the unusually blunt comments come ahead of his planned meetings this week with israeli

and palestinian leaders. flood woaters with just beginning to recede in the philippines. two typhoons hit the island in the last week. hurricane ophelia is racing north, packing win ining winds 0 miles an hour. the storm is pounding newfoundland this morning. tropical storm philippe is not expected to hit land at all. for this morning's weather from around the country, chilly in the northeast, a chance of afternoon showers from new england to washington, d.c. popup showers in florida. thunderstorms in colorado, new mexico, arizona. a wet day along the pacific coast from northern california to seattle. >> phoenix is just shy of the

100-degree mark. dallas, 87. kansas city, 79. 59 in new york. 54 in baltimore. 78 in new orleans. after delivering nearly 1100 commentaries, andy rooney has wrapped up his 33-year run on "60 minutes." >> he'll continue to make occasional appearance on the show. because as he says, once a writer, always the writer. he insists that the limelight is not for him. >> i spent my first 50 years trying to become well known as a writer. and the next 30 trying to avoid being famous. i walk down the street now or go to a football game and people shout, hey, andy, and i hate that. >> he added despite his grumpy demeanor, he appreciates the positive feedback. if you see him as a restaurant, "please just let me eat my

dinner." >> don't call out, hey andy. his essay sunday was the 1,097th essay for the program. >> an impressive run. he's been with cps since 1949. talk about tv legends, that is one of them. >> indeed. coming up, the race for the gop presidential nomination is heating up. why it's looking like another roller coaster week for investors ahead on wall street. and how this airplane got stuck in a ferris wheel.

welcome back, everyone. time now for a check of markets overseas. tokyo's nikkei average lost more than 150 points today. hong kong's hang seng plunged hundreds of points, heading for its lowest close since 2009. in london, the ftse opened sharply low person on wall street, the dow gained last week. the nasdaq lost 67 points. one of the big worries for investors is greece. they will not meet the 2011-2012 deficit targets imposed by international lenders. other european nations try to keep the greek economy afloat. the bad economy is really making people sick. a study analyzed compared

foreclosure rates and emergency room visits. well, all the wands, spells, and curses that harry potter's world could muster are not enough to get the e-books moving. they were expected to be distributed on friday. dolphins top lions. we're not topping football. "dolphin tale" was the nation's number one movie this weekend. taking in $14.2 million. "moneyball" was number two. last week's top film, the rereleased "lion king" was third. >> you loved it. >> i did. it was fun. why the demonstrators protesting on wall street are not going anywhere any time soon. and the unbelievable goal scored over the week friend 60 yards out. [ female announcer ] this is kim.

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honey bunches of oats. an investigation is now under way in australia, after a small plane slammed into a ferris wheel while two kids were still on the ride. authorities had to rescue the 13-year-old and her brother. amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. >> a lucky bunch there. for a load at morning road conditions, wet along i-95 from maine to philadelphia. i-9 on from boston to buffalo. i-80 from new york to pennsylvania. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays possible in d.c., philly, new york, boston, and san francisco. the republican race for president could undergo a dramatic reshuffle this week in

the new jersey governor decides to run. >> there are questions as to whether he could stand up to the intense scrutiny and the rigorous campaign schedule. john hendren joins us with more. >> reporter: good morning, rob and tanya. sarah palin and donald trump have not ruled out running in to 12. but all the excitement in the gop campaign seems to revolve around the one new jersey governor who has said repeatedly he'll not run. if chris christie is joining the republican presidential roster, he's still not talking. >> if he wants to come and play, we'll be glad to have him come. >> reporter: those close to the new jersey governor say he'll decide within days. one potential opponent went on the attack, accusing rick perry of racial insensitivity. >> it shows a lack of sensitivity for a long time of not taking that word off of that rock and renaming the place.

>> reporter: perried that rock painted over years ago. cain said he and other gop candidates should have spoken up when some in the audience booed a gay soldier in a recent debate. >> yes, that would have been appropriate. >> you want to be commander in chief, you can start by standing up for men and women who wear the uniform of the united states. even when it's not politically convenient. >> reporter: the president got support from a surprising source. >> we should honor every manned an woman serving in the military. and in no way treat them with anything but the highest regard. >> reporter: if perry becomes the nominee, cain says he will not support him. he says the two are just too far apart ideologically. >> thanks, john. justices on the supreme court begin their term today, facing some of the most crucial

issues in years. the court has been asked to rule on president obama's health care plan. that decision will almost certainly affect the 2012 race. other high-profile cases concern immigration and affirmative action. hot button issues at any time, and more so in an election year. the protesters who have taken up residence in a park near wall street say they're not going anywhere any time soon. 700 arrests took place this weekend after a march across the brooklyn bridge. they say they're the 99% demonstrating against the greed of wall street's 1%. if your baby is set to undergo surgery, you'll want to hear this. infants repeatedly exposed to anesthesia before the age of 2 are at an increased risk for learning disabilities. one surgery does not boost the risk.

pro football fans were seeing pink yesterday. pink towels, gloves, even shoes on display at stadiums across the country. it was the start of the nfl's annual campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer. martina mcbride sang the national anthem flanked by dozens of survivors. staying with sports. a look at sunday's highlights. here's the gang at espn news. good morning, cole wright here with your ennews update. the yankees looking to take a 2-0 lead on the tigers. two-run job. the tigers lead 2-on. bottom nine. yanks down, 5-3. jose valverde gets him to get out. game two, d-backs and brewers. let's get after it. bottom one, one on, ryan braun.

he went to the u. that ball smoked. 436 feet to the big field, brewers up, 2-0. bottom six, it's 8-4. braun, doing work again. singling to the big field. one run scores. brewers score five runs in the sixth. time for cliff lee, and phillies. john jay. singles to left. her comes ryan theriot. just a bit high. he's safe, grahame square, 4-4. top seven. runner on third. the machine singles to left off lee. aaron craig, he scores. cardinals win, 5-4. they're tied, 1-1. that will do it for your espn news update. for the latest on the sports scene, tune in to the highlight express. and a little known norwegian soccer player is now an internet

sensation. a play believed to be the longest header ever. >> he drove the ball 62 feet into the wide open net, securing the win for the team. he said he wasn't trying to score. and he didn't know the goalie was nowhere near that net. >> hail mary pass. >> that kid has a good head on his shoulders. >> that's right. coming up next, "the pulse." why some nurses want to be called doctor. and which popular show is now coming back to tv. the bluth family is making a comeback. can go up when you're on the road to recovery. proper nutrition can help you get back on your feet. three out of four doctors recommend the ensure brand for extra nutrition. ensure clinical strength has revigor and thirteen grams of protein to protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. and immune balance to help support your immune system.

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the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. ♪ all right. time for "the pulse" the stories you'll be talking about on this monday morning. the battle lines are being drawn in the medical field. >> thousands of nurses are earning ph.d.s, along with the right to be called doctors. by krutics say that that will confuse patients. >> several states have forbidden nurses from calling themselves doctor unless they immediately identify their profession. >> i could see how it would be confusing. by they earned the right. they have to keep it clear.

>> if i'm in the hospital sick and you're your job is to save my life, i don't care what you call yourself. help me out. and will the latest fat-fighting effort in europe spread here. denmark has imposed a tax on butter and oil. a hamburger will cost an extra 15 cents and a package of butter is up 40 cents. they say they're the first country in the world to introduce a tax. >> not a bad idea. i think we have found the solution to american debt. >> wipe out the debt. fans mourng the demise of "arrested development" have a reason to celebrate this morning. >> the creators say it will come back to tv in a limited run as a prequel to a movie. jason bateman says it's true. they'll shoot for a release in

early '13. very excited, as are all the fans out there. >> a cool show. glad they're coming back. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> we'll be right back for everyone else. coupons? coupons. coupons? next, you convert coupons to tokens. tokens? then you trade tokens for credits. and then i get the cash? then you call back. bye bye. peggy? hello? what just happened? want rewards that make sense? switch to discover. america's #1 cash rewards program. it pays to discover.

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later this morning, engineers are set to resume inspects the washington monument for damage from the august earthquake. >> inspections were delayed after a strong wind gust knocked a team member off the wall. >> awe-inspiring. >> reporter: more people have walked on the moon than the washington monument. >> i'm hit with a sense of history and culture. >> reporter: emma is one of five members of an engineering team that has been rappelling down the sides of the monument. >> it's amazing. >> reporter: armed with cameras and ipads, they assess the damage from the earthquake in august that left some cracks and broken pieces of stone. >> we started with a visual assessment to see what the conditions are we're looking for draks, we're looking for displacements. signs of distress. and then documenting that with

digital frachs on the ipads. >> reporter: the team uses soft cameras to test the stones. they collect any loose pieces. >> we're sounding the stone the listen for any hollow areas. that is indicative of a failed spot in the stone. >> reporter: being the center of attention dangling 50 stories high, they may have the coolest jobs in the world. >> it hasn't hit us yet. i think after we're off the building and able to sit back and think about it and writing the report, i think we'll realize that point that this was something pretty import. >> reporter: while it looks like fun, it can be tiring. >> we're starting to drag. it's physically demanding. there's the sense of what we're doing, what building we're on and all of the buzz that goes along with that kind of keeps you going. >> reporter: delayed by the weather, the outside work will continue a few more days. tom guisto, abc news, in