making news this morning, solid ground. >> new polls showing that romney's firm footing, as the national front-runner, as the mood in iowa reaches a fever pitch. just four days to go. wild weather making a mess of roads. fog blamed for a 40-car pileup, while wind pushed trucks right off the roadway. and the cringe-worthy rescue. a team tried to save this dog, plucked off a cliff. saying he would go through it all over again. good friday morning. i'm sunny hostin. >> and i'm dan koeffler, in for rob nelson today. four candidates are on a mad

dash across iowa today. >> with a whole of host in his favor, all eyes are on mitt romney. >> tahman bradley is tracking the latest for us from washington. tahman, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, sunny and dan. this weekend, it's the final push for the republicans in iowa. there will be plenty of campaign events and plenty of negative ads. all while mitt romney, the new front-runner in iowa, tries to come up with a strong finish. the republican presidential candidates will spend new year's weekend hunting for votes. mitt romney is riding high. >> i feel like breaking in the 76 trombones. i will not do that right now. >> reporter: the latest gallup poll shows the former massachusetts governor leads the poll marbly. newt gingrich is following in four points. romney is up 5%. gingrich, down 14%. romney's trying to close the deal in iowa by arguing he's the best candidate to defeat

president obama. >> the american ideals of economic freedom and opportunity need a clear and unapologetic defense. and i intend to make it because i have lived it. >> reporter: a cnn/"time" magazine poll found 41% of americans say romney has the best shot of winning the general election. two candidates seem to be with romney in iowa. there's ron paul, a libertarian who has energized young voters. then, there's rick santorum, garnering big support from christian evangelicals. >> this is an election where i believe the future of america hangs in the balance. >> reporter: santorum's rise has made him the target of rick perry. >> which republican running for president voted for the bridge from nowhere earmark? yes. suzy from dedes moines. >> rick santorum? >> reporter: they will be campaigning until tuesday. >> you mentioned that gingrich's

numbers are down 14 points nationally. what's he doing to turn things around? >> reporter: well, newt gingrich is trying to stay positive and trying to focus on the economy. he's even going so far as to tell iowa voters he shouldn't vote for a candidate that's running negative ads. that's a unique strategy. but gingrich has suffered from being bombarded by countless negative ads by romney, and supporters of romney and other candidates. >> tahman bradley, live in washington for us. thanks. >> don't go for the negative. new proof that the campaign is certainly a family affair. mitt romney's sons all worked the phones in new hampshire yesterday, before that state's primary, on january 10th. and the gingrich campaign, trying to show a softer side of the former house speaker. posting this youtube video of daughters, kathy and jackie, sharing stories about their dad. we'll have more on this campaign weekend, a little later on "good morning america." new evidence this morning on

the standoff between the u.s. and iran in one of the world's most important oil routes. iranian forces took these images of the u.s. air force carrier during training drills in the stwrat of hormuz. iran is threatening to close the strait, through which 20% of the world's oil travels. but analysts say that's virtually impossible. russian officials say no oil has leaked. the sub was undergoing repairs when the fire broke out yesterday. but was still burning today. all the missiles had been removed and the reaeshgt was shut down before repairs started. state side, now. traffic is flowing again on a busy interstate in new orleans, after a massive, deadly pileup in heavy fog. the scene, horrific. 40 twisted cars, trucks and suvs. and injured drivers and passengers screaming for help. more, now, from abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: the pileup left a

mangled mash of metal and bodies. more than 60 injured, 22 hospitalized and 2 people dead. the crippled cars and trucks sprawled over a half-mile of interstate 10. suvs pancaked under tractor-trailers. sedans sliced in half. investigators said a low-rolling fog made it impossible to see the road. fog-related incidents are the most deadly type of accidents. the world's biggest pile-up in dubai 3 years ago, 277 cars, was also caused by fog. >> people wouldn't think twice about not driving when there is a terrible snowstorm. and yet, fog can cause many of the same types of problems. >> reporter: so, if you find yourself in a dense fog, crack the window and listen for traffic. don't stop in the traffic lanes. and most importantly, don't pass an exit. use the off-ramp to get off the main road and away from trouble. matt gutman, abc news, miami. and more wicked weather.

powerful winds are kicking up again today across colorado and wyoming. gusts as high as 102 miles per hour flipped over semitrailers and forced other truckers to pull off the highway. conditions were so dangerous, parts of i-25 was eventually closed to trucks. and in denver, the strong winds brought down a number of huge trees. >> what a situation out there. well, time, now, for the weather across the nation. up to two feet of snow in the cascades and northern rockies. rain from seattle to portland and boise. snowshowers around the twin cities, green bay and northern michigan. rainy in chicago, indianapolis, cleveland and lexington. and moving into cincinnati, cleveland and buffalo. >> 50 right here in new york. and near 60 in atlanta. 70s from miami to dallas. kansas city gets up to 54. and chicago, 44. 52 in billings. 57 in salt lake city. and 73 in phoenix. >> 73. 77 looks beautiful this time of year. >> yeah. >> not too bad. coming up next, new outrage by verizon customers over a

controversial, new fee. and it's a busy week at the nation's theme parks, with some turning people away. and an action-packed game. washington and baylor, in one of the highest-scoring bowl games ever.

verizon wireless customers have a new complaint this morning. the company plans to charge a $2 fee if you pay your bill with a credit or debit card. there are ways around this fee. you can pay directly from your

bank account with an e-check or paper check, even cash. verizon customers are outraged, especially after this month's network outages. next month could be a good time to start looking for a job. economists expect nearly 200,000 jobs will be created every month next year. a total of 2 million for the year. the experts also predict a stronger u.s. economy in 2012. but they also warn all this could change if your debt crisis workens or americans stops spending. the good news in the u.s. translates to good news in the overseas markets this morning. tokyo's nikkei average was up 56 points today. hong kong's hang seng picked up 36 points. in london, the ftse also opened higher. on wall street, the dow did gain 136 points yesterday, the final trading day of the year. the nasdaq index also in the positive, up 24 points. but american airlines' stock is about to be grounded. the new york stock exchange is delisting amr, the parent

company as of next week. that's because its shares are below a dollar for a month. amr stock fell to 30 cents after that announcement. there's a new sign the economy is improving at theme parks. many central florida attractions, as well as california's disneyland had to turn away visitors this week because they were just overcrowded. the week between christmas and new year's is always a good one for theme parks. but attendance is up this year. >> can you imagine the heartbreak, being turned away from disneyland? >> i know, for children. >> it makes sense to get everyone in there. coming up next on this friday morning, a major marijuana bust involving hundreds of teens on a holiday trip. it is a lesson they will not forget. and that incredible cliff rescue. we'll hear from the teen, plucked to safety. [ female announcer ] splenda® no calorie sweetener is sweet...

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you're looking at a giant

sinkhole that swallowed up two cars at a florida rest stop. one car was quickly pulled out. but it took crews a few hours to remove the other one. both cars belong to a single family heading home from disney world. >> that's a bit of a buzz kill right there. now, for a look at road conditions. plenty on i-5, from seattle to portland. snow and ice in the rockies. icy and wet on i-9 4 from minneapolis to detroit. rain dompening i-70 from indianapolis to pittsburgh. >> if you're flying, a couple of weather-related airport delays are possible. in chicago and detroit. this story, amazing. firefighters being hailed for a dramatic rescue near los angeles. >> it involved a dog doing what it's supposed to do and a human doing something he shouldn't. for everyone watching, it was surely a cliff-hanger. abc's clayton sandell was there. >> reporter: it started as a normal family hike that in an

instant plunged 19-year-old ivan salas into a nightmare. ivan was hiking along this ridge with his brother and father when his dad threw a bottle over the edge of a 300-foot drop. that's when lola, a year old german shepherd mix, fetched. she slid down the side of the ravine, 150 feet from the bottom. ivan tried to rescue her. then, needed his own rescue. >> the terrain is very steep. >> reporter: 35 firefighters responded as the 2 dangled, as rescuers inched closer on an instable hillside. they wanted to use a helicopter to hoist them out. but the winds from the rotor blades forced them to plan b. >> we were able to make members from the top of the ridge top, rappel down, secure the victim, along with his dog and lower them to safety. >> reporter: finally, rescuers were able to get a harness and leash on lola. then, ivan and a rescuer slowly rappelled down. they were unhurt. we met ivan at the bottom of the ravine. how long were you up there? >> like, for two hours. >> reporter: two hours. how scary was it?

>> it was very scary. >> reporter: what do you think of these firefighters who came to rescue you? >> they helped me. i appreciate it. >> reporter: two hours later, ivan was back in the arms of his family, no worse for the wear. ivan tells us he wants to treat those firefighters to dinner. he also says he'll be back in these hills soon to hike. that's how he gets his daily exercise. he says if he had to do it again, go over the edge to rescue his dog, he'd do it. clayton sandell, abc news, los angeles. >> plenty of dog owners would do the same thing. much more on "gma." we'll hear from ivan and two of the heroes who saved him. a nevada police chief is turning a marijuana bust into a teachable moment. the drugs were found on buses carrying 250 teenagers to a ski resort. instead of trying to sort out what belonged to whom, the chief gave them a choice. keep the pot or spend three days in juvenile detention.

the kids, obvious, opted to give up the drugs. the chief gave them a good talking to. and many of the teens thanked him for that lesson. here in new york city, the mayor says there's no chance that the national september 11th museum will open on time. and mayor michael bloomberg adds that construction of the museum at ground zero has been halted because of a money dispute. the foundation are at odds. the museum is supposed to open next september 11th. turn, now, to sports and an extraordinary record college football bowl game. >> good morning. and welcome to your espn news update. the alamo ball. robert griffin iii, return to baylor. the other question, would the scoreboard explode. baylor up 14-7. the heisman trophy winner, the stiff-arm off the defender. 21-7, baylor. second quarter, all knotted up at 21-21.

keith price, washington's quarterback, a gem of his own. flushed out of the pocket. pump fakes. runs 15 yards. and over for the touchdown. take one more look. baylor defenders bit on that pump fake. terrance ganaway who was the star for the bears. takes it up the gut 89 yards to the house. he had 200 total in the game. baylor received. they got a field goal. they're down three. ganaway again, as baylor knocking on the door. griffin under center hands it off. one yard later, 53-49 bears. price, used his feet quite a bit on thursday. he also used his arm. tremendous effort. gets the end zone. let's take one more look. he's able to keep his knees off the ground.

remains in possession inbounds. knocked down. gets the ball over the plane. it would be reviewed. washington, ganaway again for one of his five scores. baylor wins, 67-56, the final. and that is your espn news update. i'm zubin. have a good day. a cool scene at the home of the boston red sox. >> the ice will host high school and college hockey games. fennway doubled as a rink two years ago for the nhl winter classic. >> double-purpose. dual purpose. very cool. coming up next, divorce drama making news around the world. the husband demanding it is 99 years old. >> wow. stay with us. "the pulse" is next. [ female announce] the healing power of touch

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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. time to check "the pulse," the stories that you'll be talking about today. after nearly eight decades, eight decades of marriage, an italian couple, calling it quits. >> yes. the man is 99. his wife is 96. well, why are they divorcing? the husband recently found out -- found a letter from his wife's old flame. turns out she had an affair 60

years ago. >> the wife tried but failed to convince hiv to stick around. after 77 years, 5 kids, 12 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, the couple is done. >> why not just stay together? why did she admit to that? >> i stick with him 100%. at 99, a lot of people would say, let's let bygones be bygones. a cool story. the people of the south pacific nation of samoa. this is the day that will never exist for them. >> that's because the calendars of samoa and one of its neighbors are going from the 29th to new year's eve. they're crossing over the international date line and therefore losing a day forever. >> the move is being made to align samoa with their trading

partners, especially australia and new zealand. >> they lost a whole day, though. especially a friday. >> don't hit it at the end of the week. naming your baby, one of the most important decisions a parent can make. why do celebrities seem to have a hard time with it. >> we're going to introduce the worst baby names of 2011. top honors go to alicia silverstone for her child's name, bear blu jarecki. and not far behind, mariah carey, who named her son moroccan. >> and bryan adams. >> on that list, pink, naming her daughter willow spade. >> i do like monroe. >> moroccan, there might be identity issues. >> i went with paloma for my daughter. >> very nice.

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updating the day's top stories for you. just four more days before the iowa caucuses. and a new national poll showing mitt romney in the lead, followed by newt gingrich. north korea's two weeks of mourning for leader kim jong-il are over. the country issued a warning to the world that its policies will not change. verizon wireless customers have a new reason to be angry. the cell phone company will be charging a fee if they pay their bills with a credit or debit card. heavy snow in the cascades and northern rockies. rain from seattle to boise. light snow from minnesota to michigan. showers elsewhere in the midwest. well, for many people, new year's eve means times square. >> yeah. >> right here in new york. >> absolutely. and for the past 40 years we've

been celebrating, of course, with dick clark. abc's bill weir got a preview from co-host, ryan seacrest. >> reporter: in the beginning, the ball had a few dozen 25-watt bulbs. a bit dimmer than the 2,000 l.e.d.s in waterford crystal. and dirk clark's first rockin' new year's eve, blood, sweat and tears were the headliner. they tried to create a hipper version of guy lombardo's show on cbs. you get pit bull. a little justin bieber and carlos santana. and at midnight, lady gaga. ♪ i was born this way >> reporter: it's stunning to think about how much has changed over 40 years of countdowns and party favors. >> i remember as a kid, standing in my living room. and i was allowed to stay up and

watch dick clark, with the headset and the microphone and the big abc logo. >> dick clark with you, live. >> reporter: long before "american idol," there was this guy. a consummate pro. with a teenager's soul. >> i was impressed how he could make you so comfortable. you'd watch at home and you felt like you were part of the party. >> reporter: the man in charge is now 82. it's been seven years since a stroke that changed his beloved broadcast. how's he doing? >> good. he's excited about this year. he gets excited every year. looks forward to this. >> reporter: will he make an appearance? >> he will. he'll be on. are you kidding? he still runs the show. >> reporter: can we go see the actual -- >> yeah. you want to go upstairs? >> reporter: the ball? can you get me up there? >> don't break anything. when i saw it on tv, i thought it would be bigger. >> reporter: i thought the same about yo