making news this morning, mitt romney in the driver's seat. despite new attacks by newt gingrich, romney appears to look to win in florida today. ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ a good reason to have cereal the morning. milk does brain some good. and the world record attempt, 145 water-skiers and just one boat. good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. paula faris is off today. florida voters heading to the

pols are expected to hand mitt romney an easy victory today. it's "your voice, your vote." and the first winner take all contest. tahman bradley is tracking the candidates from washington. he has more. hey, tahman. >> reporter: hey, rob. mitt romney wakes up this morning expecting a win. mitt romney peoples so good he's signinging. ♪ america america >> reporter: polls show he's the heavy favorite to win today. >> speaker gingrich is not feeling excited these days. i know, it's sad. he's been flailing around bait. >> reporter: if romney cruises to victory today, it doesn't mean the race is over. newt gingrich pledges to fight

on. >> we're just getting started. >> reporter: romney mocked gingrich's vow to keep fighting. >> that's usually an indication that you think you're going to lose. when you say i'm going to go on no matter what happens. that's not a good sign. >> reporter: polls show conservatives want republicans to elect someone other than romney. >> other here, the george soros candidates. romney, obama. here, the american people's candidate, newt gingrich. >> reporter: gingrich is not the only romney rival staying in the race. rick santorum was back on the trail in minnesota after his daughter's health scare. ron paul plans to spend the day in colorado. >> if romney does win tonight, how do the other candidates stop him? if they can? >> reporter: ron paul is focused on caucus states.

the next two contests in early february are caucuses. paul plans to make his stand there. newt gingrich will continue to hammer away at romney's conservative credentials. he's got rick perry and herman cain out there for him. the strategy is to keep things going until the august convention and have the party get together and pick the nominee. >> if mitt doesn't win, maybe "american idol" could be next. abc has the florida primary covered. diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos will have it all tonight. donald trump is still exploring a presidential run, as an independent. his top political adviser tell us abc news that he's been talking to people on trump's behalf. he says trump's real preference

is to back a candidate. we could have more information on the homecoming of jessica buchanan. so far, they're being very tight lipped. diane sawyer talked to jessica's father yesterday. >> it's okay. she's got some issues. nothing life-threatening at this point. they moved very frequently. she's into natural foods, a vegetarian. i understand her primary diet was animal milk and goat meat. >> asked what he wanted to say ho 'tis daughter the most, he could tell her he loved her. joe biden now admits he was against the navy s.e.a.l. raid that killed osama bin laden. the only person in the room to give support was then cia director leon panetta. the president left the meeting after hearing everyone out and

he left saying he would make the final decision. the big blue tarp was the answer from occupy washington protesters. they were told to leave. police only reminded demonstrators it's illegal to sleep there. no one was arrested. on capitol hill, a massive infrastructure bill begins working its way through the house today. it would provide money to maintain the nation's bridges, transit systems. it would give states greater power over how federal transportation aid is spent. and in las vegas, the bug that causes legionnaire's disease was found in a hotel, the luxor. a texas community that has

another problem with water. they're out of it. they're trucking water into the town of spicewood beach. that's because the town's main well has dried up. time for the weather from across this country this morning. it will be spring like in the eastern parts of the country. some thunderstorms around new orleans, houston, dallas. a dusting of snow in northern minnesota, millichigan, and ida. 71 in phoenix. kansas city up to 60. chicago, 51. a middle 56 here in new york. 78 in miami. well, disappointment for early tax filers. some refunsd will be late this year. we'll explain. plus, the giants get to indianapolis. one giant shares his extreme excitement on twitter.

plus this morning, bueller is back. one of many commercials for the super bowl already out. that's all ahead in "the pulse."

welcome back, everybody. carnival cruise line is revising its forecast for 2012, after the fallout caused by the "costa concordia" cruise ship accident earlier this month. they're expecting losses of 48 to 51 cents a share. that's an annual loss of up to

$395 million. facebook is expected to be valued at $100 billion. it would take until may before facebook stock begins trading on the stock exchange. tokyo's nikkei average logged its best january performance in 13 years. hong kong's hang seng up 230 points. on wall street, the dow lost 6 points yesterday. the nasdaq finished right where it started. and coffee giant starbucks has unveiled a plan to open 50 stores in india. they currently operate 17,000 stores worldwide and is betting indians will want to experience the latte lifestyle. if you filed your federal tax return early this yooer, you'll have to wait a week longer. the delay is due to new safeguards installed on the irs computer system.

this is only for those that filed before january 26th. all ten of you. up next, we know about milk being good for your bones. it's also good for your brain. changes coming to the kennedy family's famous home on cape cod. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! what do you do when you can no longer get around like you used to? when you fear losing your independence? who do you call? call hoveround now, to see if you qualify for

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parts of central new york are covered in up to 2 1/2 feet of to show. right now, a heavy band of lake-effect snow sat over the city of fullton for hours. it made it tough for drivers. that snow won't stick around for too long. temperatures in the area hit the 50s tomorrow. for a look at this morning's road conditions. slick on i-95 north of both on the maine. icy on i-84 and 90 in the cascades. rain soex i-5 from seattle to

redding, california. if you're flying today, a few airport delays. possible in houston and new orleans. in other news this morning, a woman in colorado has lots of questions to answer after abandoning her children last weekend. 25-year-old sarah hatfield left her 4 and 2-year-old sons in a gas station. they were find when the van was about to ghettoeded. her husband said handgun was missing from her house. she was found 12 hours after walking off about a dozen miles away near a denver hospital. she was arrested. we turn to maine and the case of a little girl missing since september. the idea she was abducted from her father's home is not supported by evidence. they believe the adults in the house know a lot more than they're letting on. scott goldberg has more. >> reporter: in the basement of the home where ayla reynolds was

last seen, they found blood that ble longs to the 1-year-old who is missing for six weeks. >> it wasn't a small amount. so -- it's really scary. >> reporter: her mother says police told her it's more than a small cut would produce. it turns the spotlight to justin dipietro. he reported her missing one morning. >> i can't comp hnd it like i -- i don't want to it be real. >> reporter: just this weekend, ajyla's parents were seen together for the first time. dipietro didn't want to talk. >> i'm not here to answer questions. i'm here to show support for the community -- >> for ayla. >> reporter: he's not been named a suspect. a state police spokesman said they have not found one piece of evidence that supports abduction.

day don't believe dipietro, his mother, and one other adult there at the home at the time she disappeared don't have more information. >> it was amazing to have him by my side. >> reporter: she's trying to stay opt misic. >> i really miss her. >> reporter: anyone with information is urged to come forward now and unburden yourself of the truth. scott goldberg, abc news, new york. in massachusetts, an iconic piece of kennedy family history could be soon open to public. the main house on the compound at hyannisport the run by a outside organization. they plan to open the estate to

visits by the public. other homes remain property of the family. statins work just as well for women as men. a new study shows it could reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in both sexes by 20%. some prior studies showed that it was not as successful for women. it looks like milk can boost your brain power. a study from the urt of maine found that people that consume dairy products almost daily perform better on memory tests than people that don't. it's media day in indianapolis at the giants and the patriots prepare for sunday's super bowl. one of the giants, linebacker and cancer survivor tweeted this -- two years ago i was told

i might never walk again. just walked off the plane in indy to play in the superer bowl. take that, cancer. and he included an expletive for good measure. let's start off in l.a. three former rookies of the year met up. blake griffin, kevin durant, chris paul. thunder and clippers. durant with the three. the clippers go off at the end of the half. mo williams, three. chauncey billups will dial up long distance. this is the play of the nba season so for. blake gruffen, dunks all over kendrick perkins. per kins is 6'10", 270. in the business we call that nasty. clippers win it, 112-100. how about the bulls taking

on the wizards. derrick rose at the cup. nifty move. bulls up 14-8. third quarter. rose. in the lane. bulls up 70-49. how about rose again. this is the derrick rose highlights. 35 points for him. the bulls win it by ten, 98-88. dwight howard and the struggling magic on the road taking on the sixers. third quarter, iguodala. a season-high for him. the sixers out shot 21-9 in the third. that ast williams putting the circumstances up 12. how about evan turner. 12 points off the bench. sixers win, 74-69. they're 11-2 at home on the season. check out the highlight express on espn news. 11:00 p.m. eastern every night. coming up next, "the pulse."

and a look at some of the new super bowl ads. and the video you have to see. 145 water-skiers and just one boat. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. for our free usaa retirement guide, call 877-242-usaa.

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time to check out "the pulse" this morning, the stories you'll be talking about today. first up, that appearance by a different ritd romney in florida. looking relaxed and very confident. the former goferer broke into song. ♪ for purple mountain aches imagi majesty above the fruited plain america america god shed his ♪ ♪ grace on thee >> nice singing voice, i guess, to some. that was "america the beautiful." and we know now for certain why ferris bueller is taking another day off. a ten-second clip that appeared on youtube this week was indeed a tease for a big super bowl ad. >> i guess i'll be okay. >> i'm calling the 1250ud yeo, matthew, you're not shooting today. >> no, people are depending on

me. movies bring so much joy. >> stop. it's done. just get some rest. diva. >> he bought it. >> good to see you again, ferris. that clip goes on for 2:00, spoofing the original film. it's all for car maker honda. we're getting a sneak peek of another super bowl ad. david beckham is promoting his body wear line. a cool record set. 145 people setting the record for the most water-skiers being pulled by one boat. they were pulled for one nautical mile, more than 6,000 feet. it took over five miles of rope for all of them. the boat had a big boom off the back. to keep it from getting tangled it was outfitted with special

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updating the day's top stories. mitt romney is taking a break from campaigns today. he's feeling so confident there in florida. newt gingrich has five events scheduled. we could learn more today about the homecoming of former hostage jessica buchanan. she was held hostage in somalia. and the florida highway patrol is under fire for reopening an interstate just before the crash that killed ten people. know in idaho, northern minnesota, and michigan. showers from little rock to cleveland. and sleet in northern new england. finally from us this morning, you have come a long way baby. it's the tupperware lady like

you have never seen her before. the number one sales person in the states is racking up sales. >> reporter: there's a bit of heavy lifting. >> this is load number six. >> reporter: and primping before bobby becomes aunt barbara. >> hi, everyone. >> reporter: at 6'5" with heels and hair, aunt barbara else is tupperware. >> this is my favorite product. >> reporter: yep, tupperware, just like your mother or grandmother bought. hosts get free items depending on sale. >> you can flip a grilled cheese. i was coming here tonight, a little eye shadow. >> reporter: spatulas, containers, cheese graters come to life. >> her honesty.

her enthusiasm. it's a complete sell. >> reporter: it's why she booked aunt barbara. >> she talks you into wants to buy more stuff. she entertains it. >> reporter: her own mom used to sell tupperware 45 years ago. not like this. >> they're usually very boring. this was far from boring. >> reporter: why did bobby, a former social worker become aunt barbara? >> times are tough. you gotta make a couple bucks these days, you know. >> reporter: and he channels his own aunt barbara for the role. he's the biggest seller in new york america. >> it's item number 1293. >> reporter: more than $250,000 worth last year. he books six months to a year in advance. each party generates many encore performances. >> a lot of them are booking parties. i'll be back in the neighborhood again. >> good to meet you, aunt barb