i'm karen brown in los angeles. coming up, we'll explain. >>> closing arguments are set to begin today in the trial of the michael jackson doctor. the jury of seven men and five women will hear from prosecutors and defense attorneys who will summarize their cases after 22 days of testimony. karen brown reports now from los angeles. >> reporter: the prosecution will go first and have the final word after the defense. the state argues that dr. conrad murray's reckless and negligent care directly led to michael jackson's death. they say dr. murray should have never been using the anesthetic propofol in a home setting, didn't properlily monitor his superstar patient, and never told emergency responders he gave jackson the powerful drug. a defense witness even admitted dr. murray violated standards of occasions but his lawyers argue nothing the cardiologist did or did not do was criminal, and that it was jackson, desperate for sleep who caused his own death when he self- administered the lethal dose. >> what has the last

karen brown talks to survivors about a new symbol of hope. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with russ mitchell. >> mitchell: and good evening. the white house tonight is calling on the congressional super committee to do its jobs and produce a deficit-cutting plan by the wednesday deadline. that's easier said than done because signs of progress are virtually non-existent tonight. while the sounds of partnership are mounting to a roar. whit johnson in washington is tracking the debate. >> reporter: staring down another congressional failure. >> i think we're deep into the fourth quarter, but there's still time on the clock. >> super committee members seem resigned to their opportunity. >> it's not entirely too late. it's still possible to reach an agreement, but it's going to be tough given where the clock is. >> reporter: after ten weeks of closed-door meetings, the bipartisan group tasked with reducing deficits by $1.2 trillion over ten years, came up empty. committee co-chair democratic senator patty murray blamed

karen brown, cbs news, los angeles. >> again, dr. murray could receive a four year jail sentence and lose his medical license if found guilty. >>> coming up on 9news now at noon, a high speed chase unlike anything most of us have seen. a car versus a plane. >>> plus, a basketball court turns into a dance floor for lsu fans. we'll have details on these stories and more when we come back. >>> six meanie emergencied from a -- men emerged from a capsule today they've been living in for nearly 18 months. in moscow, it was part of a simulated mission to mars. the international team of mars 500 is receiving some medical checkups today and one man says he can't wait to get to the beach. >>> from brazil, it looked like something out of an action movie. police rammed a plane that was attempting to take off with smuggled electronic goods. the left wing of the plane was badly damaged. the aircraft spun to a stop. the police jumped out of their car with guns drawn and arrested the suspects smugglers. >>> from louisiana, a lottery winner who is $1

as karen brown reports, jurors heard two very different versions of the case during closing arguments. >> reporter: before the jurors got the case, prosecutors had the final fiery word. >> because of the bizarre, grossly negligent, criminally negligent actions of conrad murray that caused the death of michael jackson. >> they want you to convict dr. murray for the actions of michael jackson. >> reporter: but the defense claims michael jackson killed himself with the fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol and that dr. murray is only on trial because of his superstar patient. >> if you're going to hold dr. murray responsible, don't do it because it's michael jackson. >> now, the cameras may be here because of michael jackson, but we are here because of the actions of conrad murray. >> reporter: the jury is made up of seven men and five women. professionally, they range from the unemployed to a partner in a management consulting firm and a handful of them have said they are fans of michael jackson's music. what kind of factor do you think it's going to be, the fact that michael jackson wa

karen brown on whether the celebrity factor will factor into what they eventually decide. >> before theors got the case, prosecutors had the final fiery word. >> because of the bizarre, grossly negligent, criminally negligent actions of conrad murray that caused the death of michael jackson. >> they want you to convict dr. murray for the actions of michael jackson. >> but the defense claims michael jackson killed himself with the fatal dose of the anesthetic, propofol and dr. murray is only on trial because of his superstar patient. >> you're going to hold dr. murray responsible, don't do it because it's michael jackson. >> the cameras may be here because of michael jackson, but we are here because of the actions of conrad murray. >> the jury is made up of seven men and five women. professionally, they range from the unemployed to a partner in a management consulting firm. and a handful of them have said they are fans of michael jackson's music. what kind of factor is going to be? the fact that michael jackson was such a huge celebrity? >> i think it's going to be a double edge sword in

reporting live in downtown los angeles, i'm karen brown. back to you, lesli. >> a lot to consider there. karen, thank you. >>> three weeks away from thanksgiving. already local food banks are worried though more families than ever could be left in need. though they got a little more help today, check this out. united food and commercial union workers union delivered 30,000 pounds of high protein foods. the food bank will deliver those to homeless veterans and military families. we want to remind you, we are part of food drive 9 yet again this year. >> yes, we are looking for your donations. right now, you can go to wusa9.com and find donation links to the capital area food bank as well as other food charities all across our area. now, we also want to mention that 9news now is teaming up with the boy scouts to make the donating of the food as easy as possible. on saturday, tomorrow, scouts will drop off empty bags at homes all across the region and then one week later those scouts will be back to pick up the bag hopefully full of food. >> tha

karen brown reports from los angeles. >> reporter: the fate of dr. conrad murray is in the hands of the jury. >> it is up to all of you and you alone to decide what happened. >> reporter: seven men and five women must decide if michael jackson's personal physician is to blame for the singer's death. >> michael jackson trusted conrad murray. he trusted him with his life. he paid with his life. >> reporter: during closing arguments, the prosecutor repeatedly called dr. murray's actions bizarre and said there was no precedent for the cardiologist giving the singer propofol to help him sleep. but the defense fired back telling jurors once again it was jackson desperate for sleep who injected the fatal dose of the anesthetic after he had taken took sedatives on the day he died. >> they want you to convict dr. murray for the actions of michael jackson. this is not a reality show. it's reality. >> reporter: the defense also criticized the prosecution for playing off michael jackson's celebrity and for tugging on the jurors' emotions by talking about his thr

karen brown, cbs news, los angeles. >>> and a very close encounter off the coast.ay area surfer almost ended on the lunch menu for a hump back whale. wait until you see what happens. >>> and adding an extra year of school. why kids will have to repeat a grade. >> dr. kim then, dr. kim now. 30-pounds lighter. the menu behind her cave man diet. >> you can eat all you want whenever you want. >> why you don't have to count ca,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, thing you could ever encounter on the open water? thing you could ever encounter on the >>> what's your idea of the scariest thing you could ever encounter in the open water? how about this. you're probably thinking shark, right? wrong. a surfer and a couple kayakers were paddling just off the coast of santa cruz when this happened. yeah. a pair of humpback whales burst to the surface, mouths wide open hunting anchovies. those are some amazingly huge whales. they don't usually get that close to shore, but they are hungry and that's where the food is right now. >>> bay area school districts are trying to figure out how to introd

karen brown, cbs news, los angeles. >>> and a very close encounter off the coast. a bay area surfer almost ended on the lunch menu for a hump back whale. wait until you see what happens. >>> and adding an extra year of school. why kids will have to repeat a grade. >> dr. kim then, dr. kim now. 30-pounds lighter. the menu behind her cave man diet. >> you can eat all you want whenever you want. >> why you don't have to count calories. coming up next. [ dennis ] allstate wants everyone to be protected on the road. all you have to do is call. [ female announcer ] call allstate now and you'll get a free lifetime membership in good hands roadside assistance. [ dennis ] shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. [ female announcer ] and if you call now, your first tow in good hands roadside assistance is free! simply get a quote on any allstate insurance policy. that's a free lifetime membership in good hands roadside assistance just for calling, and a free tow just for quoting. thing you could ever encounter on the open water? thing you could ever encounter

in los angeles, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> and if convicted, the judge will decide dr. murray's sentence, which could range from probation up to four years behind bars. >> police arrest a teenager connection with a murder at a chinese carry-out restaurant. 17-year-old mar kel jones is charged with fatally shooting a customer on monday in waverly. detectives say jones was turned in by family members. police are still searching for two other suspects in the killing of 52-year-old army veteran freddie jones. a man is found dead in a burning garage in northwest baltimore tonight. wjz has learned the victim's identity. family members tell us alvin whitehead has died in the fire. investigators are now trying to figure out. how it started. >> america's unemployment rate has improved but not much. unemployment is down slightly to 9%. but the economy added just 80,000 jobs last month. and the federal reserve doesn't expect the unemployment rate to go any lower this year. and that, of course, is bad news for the 14 million americans who are still without a job. >>> well, finally,

karen brown reports for wjz in the courthouse. >>> jurors have over 300 pieces of evidence at the testimony of 49 witnesses to consider as they deliberate the fate of dr. conrad murray. seven men and five women must decide who is responsible for michael jackson's michael michael jackson's death, his personal physician or the singer himself. prosecutors say the choice is clear. >> this is criminal negligence. criminal, gross negligence. >> they accuse dr. murray of giving jackson too much of the anesthetic propofol, failing to properly monitor him and then waiting too long before calling 911. >> if you're going to hold dr. murray responsibility responsible -- >> the defense blames jackson for giving himself for giving the lethal dose. they say murray is only on trial because jackson was a super star. >> this is not a reality show. it's reality. >> reporter: during the six- week trial, jurors listened to an interview that dr. murray gave police, but they never heard directly if the defendant because he chose not to take the stand. some legal experts believe that can have an impact. >> the tru

karen brown reports for wjz from los angeles. >> dr.onrad murray never took the stand in his own defense. >> mr. chernoff, are there any additional witnesses or evidence on behalf of the defense? >> no, judge. >> reporter: testimony ended at the manslaughter trial of michael jackson's personal physician, without dr. murray facing questions about what happened to the pop singer. jackson died from an overdose of propofol. >> please be seated. >> reporter: instead, over 22 days of testimony, the panel heard from 49 witnesses, include police officers, ex- girlfriends, and medical experts. >> the final two witnesses may just be the most critical. two leading propofol experts, one for each side, with completely different theories of how michael jackson died. >> these models all are subject. >> reporter: dr. paul white, the defense witness, said the pop singer likely injected himself, with a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic to help him get to sleep. lawyers say he likely suffered from insomnia. but the state's top expert blames dr. murra

karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> and you can count on wjz to bring you the verdict in the trial ofrad murray as soon as it comes down. >>> a dangerous encounter. a new report shows just how serious the threat was to police after wild animals were set free at a private ohio zoo. >> reporter: deputies arrived at a private compound to find lions and bears charging them. according to police reports released a short time ago, one deputy shot a charging bear that shot 57 feet from him. at one point, he shot alt another lion. the animal's owner released them from their cages before taking his own life. it is still not clear why he did it. >> police have defended their decision to shoot and kill the animals, saying they were trying to protect themselves and the public. >>> police arrest three men, suspected of impersonating officers. monique grioag -- griego smoke with one of the victims. >> reporter: police say these three men, 23-year-old daunte drigs, wayne harris, and wayne casey, pretended to be police, in order to rob people at gunpoint. >> they had fake badges on. >> they had guns.

karen brown reports for wjz from los angeles.yers are preparing their closing arguments. >> reporter: dr. conrad murray will not take the witness stand in his own defense. this comes after weeks of speculation and as his defense team rested its case. >> subject to exhibits, we will rest. >> the last defense witness, analyzed charts and models, intended to explain how michael jackson died. >> these models are all subject to variability. >> reporter: white says the pop singer likely injected himself, with a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. but the state's top expert blames dr. conrad murray, who was jackson's personal physician. >> reporter: the prosecution says dr. murray gave michael jackson too much propofol in an iv drip ask left him unattended. now, the jurors have two very different theories, both from leading experts. and when they get the case, they'll have to decide which one they believe. >> reporter: on monday, the prosecutor pressed dr. white to justice why conrad murray never told emergency responders h

in los angeles, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> court will resume thursday. >>> a member of the mayor's security detail is recovering today after a car accident. the city officer was in an unmarked suv on the jfx near gilford avenue. he was on his way back to city hall, when he was struck by another vehicle. the mayor was not in the suv at the time. both were taken to shock trauma with injuries. >>> school scare. two students are taken to shock trauma after a hazmat spill. alex demetrick has more. >> two students found a bottle of the storage unit, opened it up and the fumes were so strong, they dropped it. sky eye chopper 13 was over the baltimore freedom academy on east lombard street. all students and faculty were evacuated from the three-story building. the city department says the bottle contained formaldehyde. both students were hospitalized as a precaution. and doctors checked out their eyes. the charter school with 600 students, grades 6 through 12, was evacuated for a moment. >>> fire spill. all coming up new at 5:00 and 6:00. >>> tolls are going up in maryland transpor

karen brown, cbs news, los angeles. >>> good morning, happy friday, i'm andrea roane. >> it's here, youing, i'm mike hydeck, good morning, here's monika samtani. traffic time -- >> what do you mean it's friday fun. >> got to have fun. you live for the weekend. >> finish line is right there. >> it is and we got a little bit of head wind from the north through the day. bringing the rains to southern virginia

karen brown, cbs news, los angeles. >>> and it was promoted as america's fairytale wedding, but it was more like a tv reality show. just 72 days after their marriage, kim kardashian and kris humphreys are turning to divorce court. millions tuned in to watch them tie the knot, but now the two are splitting up. in a statement, kardashian said, i had hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don't work out as you plan. we remain friends and wish each other the best. kardashian's soon to be ex said he was caught off guard by the news and is devastated. he knew. >>> coming up, in sports, goal line stands, fumbles and more. the chargers and chiefs battle tough. they take it to overtime. ers and chiefs battle tough. they take it to overtime. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is. hey babe... oh, hi honey! so i went to the doctor today, then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i

karen brown, cbs news, hollywood. >>> good morning and thank you for watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. friday we're happy to say and happy to be th

reporting live downtown los angeles, i'm karen brown. ck to you. >> thank you, karen. >>> if you're thinking about attending this year's national christmas tree lighting, you want to start thinking about opening it up online. the plan is to distribute about 14,000. time to act now. can you believe it? >> yeah. it's right around the corner. >> everything was a year when it really felt like it feel -- everything was a year when it really felt like it would feel like that. >> we'll start with temperatures. 62 downtown and also at great falls and mid-60s out here. it is average for this time of the year. 66 up in rockville and 64 as far to the west as leesburg. so not much wind, lots of sunshine, pretty nice evening if you want to take a little bit of a walk. we'll talk about your satellite picture. here is the storm. this is the same storm that produced 10 inches of snow in denver late. it's weakening as you can believe it or not. they will slide to themselves and come in tonight and we'll also see the chance, the chance of the showers as we

in los angeles, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> dr.urray faces four years in prison if convicted. >>> dramatic video is released from the deadly shooting at a nevada ihop in september. police say it shows eduardo sension, leaving the restaurant and firing his gun in the parking lot. three national guard members and one other person were killed inside that restaurant. sension was later found dead after apparently turning the gun on himself. >>> herman cain, facing a new sexual harassment allegation. a third woman said she is considering filing a complaint. cain continues to hit the air waves in his own defense. >> reporter: herman cain is considering what he calls the guilty until proven innocent of washington, d.c. the gop front runner says the sexual harassment allegations started with rick perry's campaign. perry denies it, saying, i would suggest to you there is not anybody in my campaign who knew a thing about this. romney's camp denied it also. cain's patience has been wearing thin after being asked about it in a dozen interviews

in los angeles, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> the jury heard from 49 witnesses and saw 300 pieces of evidence. >> an update on the deadly listeria outbreak. it has now killed 29 people, including one person right here in maryland. most of the deaths from listeria-tainted cantaloupes are linked to colorado, where the farm was located. the incubation period for listeria can take months. dirty equipment from jensen farms is likely the source for the outbreak. >>> worldwide economic turmoil. front and center. president obama and other world leaders are trying to figure out how to prevent another economic crisis. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> new insight into a possible motive for the deadly california hair salon shootings. court papers show scott decry and his ex-wife argued over custody of their son the morning of october 12th. he told investigators, he then took guns and extra ammunition, put on a bullet-proof vest. decry says he then decided to drive to the salon in seal beach, where he shot and killed her and seven others. >>> former survivor winner, ethan zone's cancer is back. zone's

in los angeles, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >>> stay with wjz for complete coverage of the manslaughtermurray. we'll bring you the verdict as soon as it is announced. >>> no bail for the maryland man suspected in two gruesome murders. >> curtis lopez made his first court appearance since being extradited from north carolina. he is being accused in a murder. and he is also accused in the murder of the woman's son, william mcquain, 11 years old. his body was found in a field. lopez was arrested in north carolina last month. >> prosecutors have not yet revealed a motive for the murders. >>> stunning allegations. a howard county barber is accused of sexually abusing a boy. and police fear there may be other victims. >> reporter: police say the assault happened here at the barber shop in ellicott city, where the suspect worked alon. and now -- alone. and they now believe there may be more victims. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: that was the reaction from customers today at the scissors sound hair salon in ellicott city, after they found out police had arrested the owner, 54-year-old jung gon ki

in los angeles, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> this is the fifth time lohan has been sent to jailher drunk driving arrest. >>> a pilot in poland is denying he's a hero, after he makes an emergency landing without wheels. he says it is a huge relief that everybody is safe after he is forced to bring the plane down on its belly. the safe landing brings back memories of the miracle on the hudson. and the pilot of that flight, sully sullenberger, is now offering his thoughts on yesterday's crash-landing. >> it's important to have not only flying skills, but the skills necessary to analyze a situation, develop a plan, and to lead the crew in the execution of that plan. and that's what led to this good outcome. >> reporter: and the pilot in this incident said he credits the landing to his years as a glider pilot. >>> the medical expertise of shock trauma medical center is at work in afghanistan. physician in chief thomas scallia, returned from a trip to assess the healthcare professionals get right here in baltimore. >> reporter: where shock and trauma are the norm. >> reporter: medical

. >>> karen brown went back to joplin and found a community that's busy rehealing. >> there is a methmorhhasis been lived here? >> three years. >> joe's house is one being built. >> that was the bedroom and the bathroom up up to. >> she and her son, jeff, were inside when the tornado ripped it apart. >> i thought that was pretty well going to be it. once the roof started going, i thought it was just going to completely smash us, you know? >> you thought you were going to lose your mom? >> yeah, i did. >> i am so thankful that he was here with me. i probably wouldn't be here. >> reporter: she survived in the basement. >> we come up the steps. she went like that and i grabbed her and i was like, don't you die on me now, you know? we made it. she said that's my whole life. i said you know what? it's just stuff. you're my whole life and you're alive. >> volunteers have done most of the work on joe's home and hundreds of others. >> we've had over 100,000 registered volunteers that have come to joplin. we refer to it as the miracle of the human spirit. >> reporter: city manager mark rohr took us on

karen kasler in columbus, thank you. >> brown: now, more fallout from the penn state sexual abuse >> woodruff: last night, as part of our american graduate series, we looked at the high school dropout crisis and heard suggestions from teachers in st. louis. tonight, another take on how to improve public education. it comes from indiana, where the current remedy is provide more choices when graduation rates are too low. special correspondent john tulenko reports. >> reporter: anderson, indiana- a city of 50,000 just outside indianapolis. in the 1980s, it was home to some 15,000 auto workers and their families. a general motors town, until the company folded. >> when the company left town, the whole economy went with it. >> reporter: the students left, too. felix chow is superintendent of hools in anderson. before g.m. left, anderson had 21,000 students in 33 schools. >> today, we have about 7,000 students with nine school buildings. >> reporter: as the students left, state support declined so anderson was forced to close schools and cut programs. >> we used to offer lots of programs i

brown. he was the god father. >> reporter: some of the children in the program come from a troubled family life. they're dealing with substance abuse at home. karenants them to know things will get better. >> we want them to know i am somebody. i can make a change and that i can be somebody, and no matter what your environment is, what's going on, it's going to get better. >> reporter: educators say this program is a success academically. students improve on reading and social studies and many are on the honor roll. >> it was like christmas. they showed me their report cards, and i just wanted to cry. they did wonderful. though said -- then i heard some children who tell me, miss karen. and there are children to tell me if this wasn't for miss karen and karen's fun house, i wouldn't be able to get this. >> reporter: it will always have a place in their heart long after they graduate from the program. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >> it works with several schools including baltimoredown your academy, awrlg -- arlington elementary and green spring. >>> there are several studies that show a mom's mental illness could have an impact on children. >>> ev

brown that partnered with him on that. i wonder if some of the more hawkish senators, karen, can exploit these events, if you will, as evidence of the failure to rectify the financial system. paul volcker even saying, listen, that volcker rule, that shouldn't have my name on it. do you get any sense that there's even a kabul on either party that's saying, listen, as i know that there are people that are in our government who understand what we're talking about. >> yeah. you know, more of what you're hearing, i think, at this point, because the problem is so acute. i mean, i take jimmy's point, it's incestuous, but look at what happened last week. an agreement was reached, the market went up. part of the reason why we've had quite a bit of uncertainty over the past several weeks was whether or not they could reach a deal. obviously part of the key message here at the g-20 is to get this resolved. so most of them, from the political context, i think the concern is, we've got to get this straightened out and get on sound footing, at least with regard to this issue, and then we can go back and sort of make those arguments. but i