diana alvear, abc news, los angeles. >> of course, diana mentioned the volt. there's so many questions about how will it run? how long will it run? they say on electric power, it runs for 40 miles. people out there afraid that the electric cars will break down on them, they're

diana alvear has the details. good morning, diana. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning.this particular case is about so much more than just children and violent video games. in fact, it's one that everyone in the entertainment world is following very closely, because they know whatever the court decides it will have wide-ranging implications. does banning the sale of violent video games protect children or violate freedom of speech? that's the question before the supreme court. justices are debating the constitutionality of a california law that made it illegal to sell or rent these kinds of games to minors. the law's supporters say these games could cause psychological harm and encourage aggressive behavior. so far, it's been struck down by two lower courts. >> the court has to decide does it really want to be in some ways a nanny for things like video games or newly emerging technologies and internet sorts of expression. and i think the court in prior cases signaled it really would not like to be in that position. >> reporter: tuesday some justices expressed concern ov

here's diana alvear. >> reporter: what does it take to survive 69 days deep underground?p at a time to outrun fate. i was running to show that i wasn't just waiting around. i was running to be an active participant in my own salvation. i also wanted god to see that i really wanted to live. the chilean miner ran five to six miles a day, sometimes in the dark. but he was never alone. he had the king to keep him company. ♪ this morning he brought my letter back she wrote upon it return to sender address unknown ♪ >> reporter: his inspiring story has brought him to the big apple. as a guest of the new york city marathon. >> it's incredible. >> reporter: pena says he plans to run all 26.2 miles, no matter how long it takes him. and promise me, members of the press, that you won't rip me apart if i can't take the pain in my knee. show me some mercy, guys. what matters, he says, is that he finishes what he starts. pena's adventures don't stop there. next january, he'll be a guest at graceland. he'll help celebrate the birthday of elvis presley. diana alvear, abc news, los angele

diana alvear, abc 2 news. >>> football players during a bar fight, it happened early sunday morning near university of southern mississippi in their campus in hattiesburg. all three players are expected to be okay. the police say it's possible the shooting was gang related. >>> a tactic from a car sales manager is stirring up some controversy. after 33 years nick gee a net a admits to a gimmick or two. but if you buy a truck you get a vouch are for an ak-47. that's right, buy a truck and get a gun. >> ak-47s have a connotation in people's minds so i came up with that to be a little controversial, to cause a little buzz, i think i've accomplished that. >> put them in the rack in the back window. he says his sales pitch has triggered a flood of phone calls, 30% of them negative. if they don't want a gun they can pick up a $400 cash check. >>> indiana university is home to one of the oldest and largest college fraternity systems in america. but first there is the openly gay fraternity. infrastructure members say organizations like this are a safe eh convenience for young gay men bullied in

diana alvear has the story. >> reporter: she awoke to a cold knife on her throat. elizabeth smart told jurors she thought she was having a nightmare. mark connolly testified about what happened next. she said drin david mitchell took her to a campsite, where her wife, wanda barzee forced her to strip. i did everything i could to stop him. i pleaded with him not to touch me. i toiled him, i was just a little girl. a 14-year-old girl against a grown man doesn't even out so much. she would not come home to her family for nine more months, during which she said, she was forced to perform sexual acts on mitchell, watch pornography and drink alcohol. elizabeth's disappearance dominated the headlines. a fact mitchell's attorney cited in their request to move the trial out of utah. an appeals court ultimately rejected that request. they say mitchell's mental health was deteriorating at the time of the abduction. smart's mother rejected that argument. at the time she hired mitchell to work on her home, he showed no signs of mental illness. mitchell never heard her testimony

diana alvear is live in los angeles. >> reporter: after the tootsie roll, the jive, and the paso doblet. in the end, it was jennifer grey, whose impeccable moves made her the champ in this season's "dancing with the stars." this time around, most of the drama happened after dancing was done. week after week, bristol palin was in the bottom two. but always managed to get enough votes to survive. in contrast, disney star, kyle massey, got consistent praise from the sxwrujs and jennifer grey, one perfect score after another. bristol's presence in the final three prompted accusations, the voting must be rigged. and that supporters of her famous mother, sarah, were behind it all. >> jennifer and derek. >> i don't know. it couldn't be much sweeter. i don't know how thing feels sweeter than this. >> reporter: more than 23 million americans watched monday's show. and so many people voted. abc's system was temporarily overwhelmed. during the finale, all the contestants got one last chance to twirl and tango. of course, the last dance belonged to jennifer grey, the new champion of "dancing with

diana alvear has the details. >> reporter: it's a royal engagement eight years in the making. prince william and his middle-class love, kate middleton, wearing his late mother's ring. >> it's my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement from the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together. >> reporter: the young couple met while studying in scotland, forging a strong friendship that soon blossomed into love. their close bond is clear as they share laughs over his cooking. >> i would say i'm getting better cooking. kate would say i'm getting a lot worse. >> reporter: and whether kate did have a picture of william on her dorm wall. >> no, i had the levi's guy on my wall. no, not a picture of william. >> reporter: amid the laughs the couple admits the strains that accompany royal life can be a struggle. it's for that very reason they chose to take their time. >> i wanted to give her a chance to see and back out if she needed to. before it got too much. i'm trying to learn lessons from the past. >> reporter: for years kate's every m

diana alvear, abc news, los angeles. >>> the obama administration is pleased with general motors' rapid comeback but sales figures released by the government show that taxpayers are still less than halfway to the break-even point to recover the $50 billion federal investment. analysts are looking for gm shares to increase in value by 47% before the automaker breaks even. >>> the house ethics committee will discuss possible punishments for congressman charlie rangel today. the veteran new york democrat was found guilty by the committee earlier this week. rangel could now face a house vote deploring his conduct, a fine, or the loss of certain privileges. >> alaska senator lisa murkowski is celebrating a rare victory this morning. she is the first senator to win a write-in campaign in more than five decades. the republican incumbent returned to anchorage to finally declare victory in the race. her tea party challenger joe miller who was backed by sarah palin has not yet conceded but party leaders are calling on him to do so. >>> when the next congress begins in january the gop will be in c

diana alvear has more. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning. we are learning so much more about what elizabeth smart was forced to endure. she took the stand again on tuesday and spoke openly about being assaulted, of having to wear veils and disguises, and even about one close encounter with a police officer that nearly resulted in her rescue. his attorneys say brian david mitchell is mentally ill. on tuesday, elizabeth smart testified otherwise. she told jurors mitchell was planning another abduction. elizabeth watched him pack his bags with the same rope and knife he'd used to kidnap her. he said that he was going to try the same way he kidnapped me, she said, and that he would take her back up into the canyon. the attempt was unsuccessful, as was a later one in san diego. elizabeth calmly explained how mitchell raped her repeatedly, forced her to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. they made several trips into salt lake city to go to a rave party, to steal from stores, and on one occasion, to visit the library. it was the closest she said sh

diana alvear is in l.a. with the details. morning, diana. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning. what an epic finale we had to "dancing with the stars." you had the sassy dancing, you had the sparkly outfits, and best of all, a whole lot of scandal. ♪ >> reporter: after the tootsie roll, jive, and paso doble, there were three dancers left. the mirror ball trophy up for grabs. in the end it was jennifer grey whose impeccable moves made her the champ of this season's "dancing with the stars." this time around, most of the drama happened after the dancing was done. week after week, bristol palin was in the bottom two but always managed to get enough votes to survive. in contrast, disney star kyle massey has gotten consistent praise from the judges. and "dirty dancing's" jennifer grey, one perfect score after another. bristol's presence in the final three prompted accusations the voting must be rigged. and that supporters of her famous mother sarah were behind it all. >> jennifer and derek! >> i don't know, couldn't be much s

diana alvear has more on this from los angeles. orning, diana. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning. michael jackson is proving to be as prolific an artist in death as he was while he was alive. in fact, he has not one but two songs making the rounds and making major waves in the entertainment world. ♪ >> reporter: the voice is unmistakable. michael jackson singing "hold my hand," a duet with rapper akon. ♪ hold my hand >> reporter: originally recorded in 2007, it's the first single released from his new album "michael" since the king of pop's untimely passing in june of last year. ♪ >> reporter: another song "breaking news" was leaked a few weeks ago and immediately sparked controversy. was it really michael jackson singing? ♪ >> reporter: even members of his own family had doubts. tmz caught up with jackson's sister la toya. >> i listened to it. it doesn't sound like him. >> okay, thank you. >> reporter: still, it's listed as a track on the new album. an album entertainment insiders say could be a monster seller. >> sales for

diana alvear, abc news, los angeles. >>> tensions between the north and south continue to escalate.ered security around the island beefed up and the north is warning of more retaliation if provoked. the worsening tension between north and south korea is likely to occupy at least part of the president's holiday today. mr. obama is expected to phone the chinese president over the crisis. the u.s. wants china to rein in north korea after an attack of a south korean island tuesday. south korea's president says security around that island again is being beefed up. >>> former house majority leader tom delay could spend the next couple of decades in prison. a texas jury found delay guilty of money laundering. he was charged with illegally funneling corporate money to texas political candidates in 2002. delay calls his conviction a miscarriage of justice and says he'll appeal. >>> the first family is spending thanksgiving at the white house, but they passed on a juicy bird that could have made quite a main course today. keeping with a long-standing white house tradition, president obama spa

. >> as diana alvear reports, the initial public offering could wind up as the biggest in history. >>e history on wall street. the automaker's initial public offering, or ipo, sold $20 billion worth of shares at $33 a pop. investors can start trading them on the new york stock exchange on thursday morning. >> it's incredible levels of demand. we are seeing almost daily increases in how many shares are going to be selling. >> reporter: it's a major turnaround for a company that recently went through bankruptcy. >> this is a fundamentally different company than what it was two years ago. the cost structure is radically lower. it used to be general motors would break even in the united states if they sold 4 million cars a year. now they'll break even if they sell 2 million cars a year. >> reporter: a far more efficient gm unveiled new models at the los angeles auto show and the company is making money again. analysts say the ipo could raise up to a record $23 billion if every share offered is snapped up. that will go a long way toward reimbursing the $50 billion taxpayers invested in the

diana alvear, abc news, los angeles. >>> in other news this morning, wikileaks plans to release more few days. and the whistleblower site says the u.s. is already briefing allies on what those documents might say. the diplomatic cables are expected to include allegations of corruption by politicians not only in russia but also in afghanistan and other central asian countries. it could cause some pretty serious embarrassment. >>> south korea says it's hearing artillery fire near the southern island devastated by an attack by north korea. the north is lashing out, warning this weekend's joint military drills by the u.s. and south korea is pushing the peninsula to the brink of war. alex marquardt is following the developments from seoul. >> reporter: the bodies of the two civilians killed in the island attack arriving on the mainland for burial. arriving amid an escalation of force and rhetoric. south korea's president ordered more troops and equipment to the maritime border with north korea, including the island that was hit. a warning that another attack could be imminent and calling

diana alvear has the latest. good morning, diana. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning.of the buzz was about general motors' ipo. it's a clear sign the big three are on the road to recovery, and perhaps even profit. with the sound of a cacaro engine revving, general motors celebrated what may become the largest initial public offering in history. at $33 a share, the ipo could raise $23 billion. >> we're a public company again but we have an obligation to perform and perform well, and i know we're up to it. >> reporter: they say the chevy volt is proof. the electric car has won several awards, including "motor trend" r of the year. not bad for a once-bloated, debt-ridden automaker which declared bankruptcy less than two years ago. industry insiders say it's all thanks to the federal government's $50 billion bailout. >> american taxpayers are now positioned to recover more than my administration invested in gm. and that's a very good thing. >> reporter: chrysler is back from the brink as well. having cut costs, and merged with italian automaker fiat. >> they were able to a

diana alvear is in san diego waiting for them. good morning, diana. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning. i bet we've never seen a group of passengers happier to see dry land than those aboard this voyage. these poor people have been camping on what should have been a luxury cruise. it's something that carnival is well aware of. the cruise to nowhere is headed to port. not a minute too soon. considering this dream vacation has turned out to be anything but. >> it's just gross everywhere. anything that's in closed doors smells just like rotten food. just like a -- the lowest grade of living available, pretty much. >> reporter: joey noriega is on board with his new bride stacy. they were married on the beach. then joey, stacy and their guests embarked on carnival's "splendor" voyage, a honeymoon marred by an engine fire early monday morning. joey spent his first few days of married life cleaning out the toilet to keep the couple's room from stinking. >> conditions on the ship have been challenging. and we are very, very sorry fo

diana alvear has the latest now from san diego. ana. >> reporter: rob and mike, good morning. at long last, those poor passengers can finally enjoy things like working toilets, warm showers, even hot food and coffee, imagine that. a much-needed reward for having survived one heck of a trip. it's not your average vacation home video. the sights consisting of the "uss ronald reagan" and coast guard cutters. shot from a cruise ship passenger's point of view. these memories and others made for an unforgettable trip aboard the carnival "splendor" voyage. >> there was people getting sick, vomiting in the food area. >> we cacabeat anybody's bad honeymoon story. we got it beat. except for the honeymooners who were on the boat with us. >> reporter: what a honeymoon it was. discovery of a working toilet was cause for celebration. >> i ran out in the hall, "the toilet flushed!" people are like, "are you kidding?" people running into their cabins so they can go to the bathroom. >> reporter: the only thing missing was gilligan and skipper. ♪ the

. >> diana alvear is joining us this morning with more on the opening day of the trial against brian. we heard some very graphic testimony from elizabeth smart on monday. she described in detail how brian david mitchell assaulted her repeatedly and how she would have to pray herself to sleep. throughout it all, elizabeth appeared remarkably cool and collected. she awoke to a cold knife on her throat. elizabeth smart told jurors she thought she was having a nightmare. smart calmly testified about what happened next that night in 2002. she said brian david mitchell took her to a campsite where his wife, wanda barzee, forced her to strip. she said mitchell entered, said a few words he said would make her his wife, and proceeded to rape her. "i did everything i could to stop him," she told the court. "i pleaded with him not to touch me. i told him i was just a little girl. a 14-year-old girl against a given man doesn't even out so much." >> it's time for her to come home. >> reporter: she would not come home to her family for nine more months. during which she said she was forced to perf

diana alvear has more from los angeles. >> reporter: for the first time we're hearing the quaids telln't understand it, why, why would somebody want to do this to me? >> reporter: randy quaid says he and his wife are seeking asylum in canada. in an exclusive interview with "good morning america," they say they fear for their lives. >> we are refugees. i mean that's essentially what it is, hollywood refugees. >> yeah, basically. >> seeking to be left alone by the criminals in america. >> we didn't -- >> reporter: the real criminals are the quaids, police say. in the last couple of years, they have been arrested for breaking into and trashing someone else's home and skipping out on several hotel bills. the quaids claim it's all part of a conspiracy to have them murdered. >> who would be trying to kill us? an estate planner who created a living trust in a county that could cash randy's royalty stream forever. >> they follow us. they tail us. they tag our cell phone. they hack our computer. >> reporter: who are "they?" a group they call star whackers blamed for the deaths of heath ledger