this morning on "world news now," breaking news from the middle east. what a u.s. official calls a direct hit on the isis terrorist known as jihadi john, the man wanted for allegedly beheading americans and hostages from other countries as well, now presumed dead. live coverage straight ahead. also ahead, widespread protests on college campuses across the country. students angry about how racist incidents are being treated, now speaking out. and a big change at the university of missouri, now under new leadership. and now in half hour, a goodfella goes free. a reputed mobster walks out of court after being acquitted with connect with one of the most infamous heists in u.s. history. part of his defense straight out of an episode of "seinfeld." and what's in a name? not much apparently when the guy we all got to know on "baywatch"

wants to change. well, it's sort of a hassle with the hoff. it's friday, november 13th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> well, good friday morning. we begin with the breaking news months in the making. the likely death of the terrorist known as jihadi john. the masked man, a british citizen seen in videos beheading u.s. journalists steven sotloff, james foley, and a number of over hostages. >> jihadi john, his real name mohammed emwazi, he was tracked by the u.s. for months. he was targeted in a u.s. drone strike as he left a building and entered a vehicle in the isis stronghold of raqqah. that is in syria. one official telling abc news it was a 100% direct hit, and that jihadi john basically evaporated. >> new details about the killing are still coming in this morning. abc news investigative producer james meek has been working his sources and joins us live. james, jihadi john was not the head of isis, but the u.s.

military really wanted to get him. how long were they tracking him, and how does his death impact isis? >> well, good morning, reena. they've been tracking jihadi john. his real name is mohammed emwazi. he was unmasked finally in a series of leaked news reports early in the winter of this year after presiding over the video beheading of a number of u.s., british, japanese aid workers and journalists. they've be tracking hi quite a long time. and the intelligence agencies of the u.s. finally zeroed in on his location. and got the green light to attack him with a drone strike in raqqah, syria. as he was exiting a building, a drone missile hit the vehicle he was in. and as one official said to me, evaporated. and on the impact, leaving his car in flames. >> okay, so james, we're getting that from one official. but will the u.s. ever have 100%

confirmation that he is dead? and how will they possibly try to confirm this? >> well, they may not ever 100%, but they can come close, because they will be looking -- they'll be listening to the chatter of isis operatives, as well as social media and other chatter, cell phones of people in the vicinity of the strike will be talking to each other. the group may acknowledge, it's possible, jihad john's death. by the way, he was called jihad john because some of the hostages called several british captors who were particularly brutal to them the beatles, sort of a way to identify them. and he was known as john amongst the so-called beatles of these isis hostage takers. >> and you also spoke to the mother of murdered journalist james foley just a short time ago. he was seen with jihadi john just before his execution. what was her reaction to all of this, james? >> well, the foley family has been anticipating the

possibility of the man who at least on video presented himself as their son's killer. journalist james foley. what diane foley told me tonight is she said, you know, if only so much effort that was undertaken to find and kill jihad john had been undertaken to find and rescue her son and the other hostages who were subsequently murdered by isis in a very high profile way over the past 14 or 15 months or so, that would have been something she said was very small solace to learn that jihad john had been killed in an air strike. and she said, you know, the government just doesn't get it. it doesn't bring them their son back. that was their point. and they are -- i don't think they're going to miss jihad john, but i think they would have preferred to get jim back alive. >> and that's so understandable. one mother's grief and several other families who likely very much feel the same way. james meek, part of our brian ross investigative unit. james, thank you so much for

your time this morning. and that major strike on a member of isis coming just hours after isis claimed carried out deadly attacks in lebanon. at least 43 people were killed in twin suicide bombings in beirut, one of the deadliest terror attacks in recent years. it would be especially ominous if those claims are true since isis has not recognized affiliates in lebanon before. well, students at more than 100 college campuses nationwide staged walkouts and rallies to show their solidarity with protesters at the university of missouri. >> it was called the million student march, and it was planned before tensions erupted at missouri. but protesters say they used the opportunity to speak out against overt and subtle forms of racism that they say pervades most campuses. >> escalating complaints about race issues has prompted yet another resignation. the dean of students at claremont mckenna college in southern california has stepped down. and threaten is a new man in charge at the university of

missouri, at least for now. as abc's elizabeth hurd reports, he says he is ready to work with activists on campus to resolve racial tensions. >> reporter: the university of missouri wasting no time meeting their new interim president, michael middleton, a long-time law school professor. >> we all know that the university has faced its share of troubling incidents, and we recognize that we must move forward as a community. >> reporter: it was just on monday that now former president tim wolfe and the university chancellor announced their resignation, bowing to mounting pressure from students and faculty, protesting what they call racial injustice on campus. >> this is what democracy looks like! >> really what is at question is the racial climate on campus. >> reporter: raising concerns, and some already getting results. >> i committed to them that we will work to make this the best yale it can be. >> reporter: yale devoting $50 million to increase faculty diversity and ithaca creating a new chief diversity officer

position. but back in missouri, the situation still tense, with the legion of black collegiates tweeting this photo of a vandalized sign outside the black culture center. and social media pictures showing nearly empty lecture halls after two missouri college students posted threats online against black students. both students were arrested, and yesterday 19-year-old hunter park was in court and denied bail. prosecutors say he told investigators he had a, quote, deep interest in the oregon mass shooter. kendis and reena, back to you. >> elizabeth, thank you so much. the student protesters are getting no sympathy from the republican presidential front-runners. donald trump blasted the campus demonstrators, calling their demands crazy. and he slammed the former university of missouri president chancellor for stepping down. >> i think it's disgusting. i think the two people that resigned are weak, ineffective people. i think that when they resign

that they set something in motion that is going to be a disaster for the next long period of time. >> we're being a little bit too tolerant, i guess you might say accepting infantile behavior. i don't care which side it comes from. >> ben carson added that the two sides need to sit down and have an open discussion. >> okay. so speaking of charm, he also had some explosive words for carson about his self-proclaimed troubled youth. trump poked fun at carson's account of trying to stab as friend as a teenager, showing supporters in animated fashion you might say that a belt buckle couldn't stop a knife. and he likened carson's past temper to a child molester. >> if you're pathological, there is no cure for that, folks. okay? there is no cure for that. and i did one of the shows today. and i don't want to say what i said. but i'll tell you anyway. i said that if you're a child

molester, a sick puppy, you're a child molester, there is no cure for that. there is only one cure. we don't want to talk about that cure. that's the ultimate cure. >> well, trump also told the crowd at a rally in iowa that carson went into a bathroom and came out religious. then he said don't be fools. it doesn't happen that way. the coast guard is searching overnight for a cruise ship passenger. the woman was a passenger on the norwegian pearl and jumped from the ship about 20 miles off the coast of cuba. the pearl is chartered for an electronic dance music cruise. and a mexican caribbean resort. she is the second cruise ship passenger to go overboard this week. okay. we're going to switch our gears right now. in last ght's nfl game, it looked like christmas came a little bit early. the jets were in all green, and the bills were in all red. >> it was the start of the league's color rush experiment which will continue on thursday nights. as for the game, the bills

scored nine points in nine seconds, thanks to field goal and a fumble return for a touchdown. buffalo led from there. and despite a jets comeback, rex ryan and the bills win it, 22-17. >> so it's not unusual actually for people to look future that one unique thing that sets them apart from everyone else. >> from kenichi ito of japan, that unique thing is running on all fours. at the 11th annual guinness world records day in tokyo, ito ran 100 meters in just 15.71 seconds, shattering the world record. >> wow. the fastest man on all fours says he spent nine years studying how monkeys move to improve his technique, hence his nickname monkey man. saying hussein bolt has nothing to worry about from that guy. coming up, we're going to wrap our continuing coverage of shia labeouf's movie watching. >> this is your favorite story. >> it was of the week, by far. plus, the alleged wiseguy who will be home for the holidays now that he has been cleared of a crime made famous

in the movie "goodfellas." and in "the skinny" this is something i cannot wait for, new albums today for justin bieber and one direction. but first, do you know the guy that puts together this map every day, max colombo? today it's his birthday. >> happy birthday day. >> take a look at his work. >> "world news now" weather . brought to ymucinex dm. broug. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry scratchy thing going on. guess what? it works on his cough too. cough! guess what? it works on his cough too. what? stop! don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm relieves both wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with two medicines in one pill. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this.

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it's a pleasure gel that magnifies both our sensations. it gives us chills in places we've never gotten chills before. yeah, it makes us feel like... dare to feel more with new k-y love. we're tracking breaking news overnight. the isis terrorist known as jihadi john believed to have been killed in a u.s. drone strike in syria. he of course is a masked man seen in gruesome videos beheading hostages, including the u.s. reporter james foley.

sources tell abc news that it was a 100% direct hit, and that jihadi john basically evaporated. in the meantime, here at home, a stunning verdict has been reached in an organized crime case that has captivated the nation for nearly four decades. >> an aging mobster here in new york has been acquitted of charges he helped plan the legendary lufthansa heist in 1978 that inspired the hit film "goodfellas." wjac's n.j. burkett has the details. >> reporter: 80-year-old vincent asaro was triumphant and astonished. amid the bewildering crush of reporters and photographers, he said not even john gotti got this much coverage. freedom he said felt good. >> i'd like the thank my two lawyers. without them, i wouldn't be here now. and i would like to thank the u.s. marshall service for treating me great. >> now i think mr. asaro intends to go home and spend thanksgiving. >> i've had two years here and i

intend to go home. a reputed mobster from queens, charged with helping plan to 1978 lufthansa heist at kennedy airport. at the time, the largest heist in american history. just over $6 million in cash and jewels. some of the robbers were killed off, and others testified against asaro. but the defense raised doubts about their motives and their credibility, saying the case was just a lot of yada yada yada. >> the key to winning the case is that our client is innocent of the charges. >> reporter: the verdict here was a major blow to the prosecution. the fbi and the u.s. attorney's office spent years building this high profile case. to many, asaro seemed destined to die in federal prison. that clearly will not happen. >> okay, so that was actually a big heist back in the day, 1978. it was $6 million heist. if we adjusted it for inflation, that's about $21.5 million today. >> that's a lot of money.

>> it was really a huge heist there. when we come back, the big announcement from actor david hasselhoff. and it's a big day today for both justin bieber and one direction. "the skinny" is next. justin bieber and one direction. the skinny is next.

♪

♪ ♪ skinny, so skinny okay, topping the headlines this morning, a big announcement from david hasselhoff. >> the 63-year-old actor took to youtube and twitter, announcing that he has made a major change in his life. we'll leave it to him to explain. >> i've been wanting to drop the hassle from my life for years. now have i made it official. david hoff. >> yeah, well it turns out however the name change appears to be just a publicity stunt for his new show "hoff the record." it's airing in the uk. hasselhoff rep tells page 6 it's part of an ad campaign that launches in australia this weekend. >> oh, like off the record. >> yeah. get it? >> all right. next up. let's move on to this wonderful day that it is. friday the 13th. but we're all lucky. justin bieber and one direction with new albums. >> both acts are dropping new albums today. but at least one critic from "the new york times" is referring to them all as joyless boys. >> what? >> i know. blasphemy. bieber's purpose he writes is

less of a contribution to popular music and more of a plot point in bieber's ongoing narrative of himself. did you get that? the theme of the entire album that a pseudo sort of outlook. get it? >> i think that writer is just sour. >> yeah. >> in the meantime, british boy band, and they are a band, one direction is also releasing its new album today. but maybe being seen as more of a place holder. in march they tragically lost zayn malik when he left the band. in august they announced it would go in hiatus next year. critics say it shouldn't affect their music sales because one direction has always been less of a musical proposition than a marketing one. i think those people are thinking way too deeply about these groups. come on. next to a boy that is full of joy this morning. >> daniel radcliffe is now officially among the stars on the hollywood walk of fame that is, honored with the walk's 2,565th star. he shaved his head. the 26-year-old who captured the world's hearts at the tender age

of 11 as boy wizard in the harry potter films. >> he still captures a lot of people's hearts. >> he does. radcliffe has since earned his stripes ineveral other movies and broadway plays. his latest film victor frankenstein in which he plays an assistant to a mad scientist will hit theaters on november 25th. >> we'll have to look out for that. finally, an update on our continuing coverage that we've had over the last few days. we've had a number of crews on another hollywood star. >> shia labeouf. >> yes. >> your guy. he has been camped out since tuesday inside new york's angelica film center, live streaming himself watching all 27 of his movies in reverse chronological order. it's apparently finally ended. his cinematic marathon with his debut in disney's "even stevens". >> disney is our parent company. labeouf called it all my movies project for nearly three solid days. he was glued to that seat that you see there. he didn't shower, except for ten-minute breaks. i went down there to kind of check it out. the line was so long, one person saw him and said it was

unimpressive. >> oh.

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for better results, use finish jet-dry. ♪ well, topping our headlines this morning, the death of jihadi john, the mass executioner who became the symbol of isis. a u.s. official now presumes he has been killed in a drone strike. >> it caps off another busy week here at home of racial tensions, crime, and political theater. here now is our weekly friday rewind. >> we got frustrated with each other. and that is why i stand before you today and i take full responsibility for this frustration. and i take full responsibility for the inaction. >> it's really just about getting fairness, not just about tim wolfe resigning, but getting equal rights. >> the mizzou community for one of the first times i've ever seen stand together united. >> nothing is more important than this badge that we wear in

our uniform. tonight that badge has been torn. >> i mean, just smile and bust out laughing at the sky like he is almost talking to god. >> was heard in the last second of the recording. >> this is a bomb by affiliate isis. in the sinai isis has fully eclipsed al qaeda as the gravest terror threat in the world. >> you knew they were guilty during the olympics? >> i was aware that it was a very, very, very, very, very high possibility. >> the burden of proof is not going to be on me to corroborate everything that i've ever talked about in my life. we have much more important things to do. >> if you try and hit your mother over the head with a hammer, your poll numbers go up. i never saw anything like it. >> ronald reagan. >> ronald reagan walked away at reykjavik. he walked away. he quit talking when it was time to quit talking. >> can i finish with my time?

can i finish with my time? >> why does she keep interrupting everybody? >> and we're going keep investing in the facilities and the physicians and the staff to make sure that our veterans get the care that you need when you need it. >> hope is not lost today. >> i sort of feel like when he is revealed to us, like he will be the luke skywalker we know and love. that being said, if he is evil, i think that would be so interesting and so fascinating. >> oh, so many people waiting for that one. >> yeah. an eventful week ahead, of course. >> yeah. the president heads to turkey, malaysia, and the philippines this weekend. >> and a big trip. and we should point we're just hours away from hearing whether russian athletes will get banned, some of them will get banned from next year's olympics in rio. >> and don't miss our updates on facebook. wnnfans.com. >> this is abc's "world news now," informing i

making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, the terrorist known as jihadi john targeted in a u.s. air strike, the knife-wielding masked man, a symbol of isis believed to be dead. live team coverage with the late breaking details. trump's tirade. the republican candidate going off mocking ben carson, his book and stabbing incident plus the candidates weighing in on the university of missouri protest, critical of the protesters. caller rush. the nfl debuting new uniforms for thursday night football and a lot of fans are not happy with them. and pull over, google's driverless car getting a lesson in the rules of the road. on this friday morning we