t.j. winick. >> reporter: they are hundreds strong. protestors calling themselves occupy wall street, came to speak for millions. >> it is about democracy. anybody here has an opportunity to speak and be heard. >> reporter: their causes -- everything from global warming to gasoline prices to corporate greed. but all here are united by their anger over what they say is a broken system. that serves the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the rest. >> i don't care if you are rich, poor, black, white, where you live. everyone's got a financial inequity system. >> reporter: protesters getting backing of prominent celebrities and powerful labor unions. sympathetic protestors popping up in other cities including l.a., boston, and washington. >> eight out of ten americans think the country is on the wrong track. they're expressing what people have been feeling for at least a decade. >> reporter: the protesters are getting word out through social media and their own newspaper. the majority are under 30

abc's t.j. winick>> reporter: four years, that's how long amanda knox lived in this italian prison. only now are we learning what her life was really like there. according to broadcast reports she says she was sexually harassed by a high ranking prison administrator who would ask uncomfortable questions about her sexual preferences in his office alone at night. >> i think the italian courts the first time around practically made sure amanda was going to be harassed in prison. since they made her sex life so much a focus of the first trial -- they said constantly that she was a girl without morals. >> reporter: harassment allegedly stopped only when her attorney complained. according to "vanity fair" writy judy bacrac, she was also harassed by female inmate. >> they didn't go to the limit. in other words, gradually, amanda knox learned how to fend off unwanted advances from female prisoners. >> reporter: until now we have heard how amanda knox tried to productively fill her time behind bars, exercising,

t.j. winicks down the movement so far by the numbers. >> reporter: 1500 protesters showed up that very first day. outside of wall street, few noticed. saturday, 6,000 marched from wall street to times square. >> we got old out. >> reporter: and that was just new york. some 250 cities in this country have joined the protests. around the world, it's more than a thousand cities. mostly peaceful. except for this clash in berlin and rome. rome says it will cost them $1.4 million to clean up the mess. back on wall street, where it all started. they have spent $3.4 million in police overtime. occupy wall street claims to speak for 99% of americans. that top 1% now holds almost 36% of the nation's total wealth, this, as most americans struggle. the u.s. unemployment rate frozen at 9.1%. perhaps that's why 37% of americans support the protesters. they tell you they want bank reform and tax reform. press them on how to get that done, their answers are considerably more vague. one thing is clear, they're no

abc's t.j. winick came up with the big list. >> reporter: maybe you have done it on a road trip. ♪ she has a smile >> reporter: like this family from "stepbrothers." more how about the scene that made tom cruise famous. ♪ just take the old records off the shelf ♪ >> reporter: we love to belt out a good tune every now and then. but some british researchers wanted to know why certain songs inspired us to sing along more than others. ♪ don't stop believing >> reporter: scholars at university of london isolated four key elements or x factors. number one, long and detailed musical phrases. ♪ entertain us >> reporter: number two, multipitch changes in the song's hook. number three, male vocalist. ♪ brown-eyed girl >> reporter: higher male voices making a noticeable vocal effort. using this formula, a list was compiled of the top ten catchiest songs of all time. final countdown by europe made the cut. ♪ it's the final countdown >> reporter: so did theme song to "baywatch", "i am always here" by jamie jamison.

t.j. winick. >> reporter: like a lot of us, this man believes he's an expert multitasker. >> my feeling isky focus on whatever issue is at hand. i have to do things simultaneously. >> reporter: researchers put him to the test. driving a simulator while doing math problems and memorizing words. >> is eight times four plus two equal to 30? >> no. >> how? >> reporter: to solve the math problems, he mousse use this part of the brain. the memory tasks, this part. the driving, this part. we may believe we can pay full attention to a bunch of things at once, but scientists say really, that's an illusion. >> we're doing one task at a time. >> reporter: our brains strofld focus on one important task, like hunting. fast forward a couple hundred years, much more is competing for our attention. that's why an illusionist can trick you and steal your wallet, for example. how did that champion multitasker do? >> you got worse when you started to multitask. >> reporter: like 98% of us, his concentration got wors

abc's t.j. winick starts us off in hartford, connecticut, t.j., good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, david. this intersection like so many in hartford is blocked by downed branches and trees and despite warnings about live power lines on the ground, many folks are getting fed up and frustrated and are clearing these streets themselves. the nor'easter was like a sock in the jaw, seven weeks before winter. too early, too bad. in new jersey, this uprooted tree collapsed onto a home. the heavy, wet snow blanketed branches taking down power lines. here in connecticut, utility crews are racing around the state, 800,000 residents are in the dark. >> customers want to know when their power is going to be back on. >> we're encouraging our customers to prepare for worst case scenario which means some won't get restored much sooner than a week from now. >> reporter: at the height of the storm travelers were getting nowhere fast. a jetblue flight was diverted to hartford before passengers were stranded

>> t.j. winick downtown tonight, thank you so much. >>> and we do move onto to the presidential race this evening and the sharpest attacks yet by president obama against the republicans who want his job. the president asking why none of them spoke out at that recent debate when a gay soldier was booed. here's abc's david kerley. >> reporter: the election may be a year away, but candidate obama went after every republican running for president. >> we don't believe in the kind of smallness that says it's okay for a stage full of political leaders, one of whom could end up being the president of the united states, being silent when an american soldier is booed. we don't believe in that. >> reporter: that american soldier appeared on videotape at the most recent republican debate, an openly gay soldier, booed by some in the audience when he asked a question. >> do you intend to circumvent the progress that's been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military. [ booing ] >> reporter: not one of the c

>> t.j. winick leading off us. t.j., thank you so much. i want to bring in jeff smith, meteorologist with wabc here in new york. seems awfully weird we are talking snow already. driving route 81 myself today in new york and in pennsylvania, and you could see the snow, a lot of it, on the side of the highway. >> yeah, david, it was really the higher elevations that got the jackpot in terms of totals. west milford, 19 inches and berkshires, plainfield checking in with a staggering 30.8 inches. >> incredible numbers, not even halloween yet. what does it mean for the winter to come? >> doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a big winter along the east coast, however, the pattern that produced this storm is the la nina pattern and produced such a nasty winter last year and continues into this winter. >> the pattern that caused last year already set up not even halloween. >> unfortunately, yes. >> all right, jeff smith tonight, thank you. >>> hundreds spent the worst of the storm outside and by choice. occupy wall street protesters braved the

tonight, a look with t.j. winicke a lot of this, this man believes he's an expert multitasker. >> i can focus on whatever issue is at hand. i have to be able to deal with many things simultaneously. >> reporter: researchers put him to the test. >> eight times four plus two equal to 30? >> no. >> reporter: he must use this part of the brain to answer math questions. driving, this part. we may believe we can pay full attention to a bunch of different things at once, but scientists say, really -- hello -- that's just an illusion. >> we're effectively serial processors where we are doing one task at a time. >> reporter: our brains evolved to focus on one important task, like hunting. fast forward a few thousands years and there's much more competing for our attention. that's why an ill losist can trick you and steal your wallet, for example. so, how did that champion multitasker do? >> you got worse when you started to multitask. >> reporter: like 98% of us, his performance suffered. >> my confidence is absolutely shaken

abc's t.j. winick is in windsor, connecticut. which got really slammed this morning. to you. >> reporter: dan, good morning. the snow is actually quite picturesque. but looks can be deceiving. this stuff is heavy, wet and down here on the road, you can see why it's such a problem. power lines and trees down. hundreds in each town, last half-hour, we showed you the tree. power line sheered clean off. the problem with a storm this early in the season, there are still leaves on many of the trees. they catch that heavy wet snow, it snaps the branches and it takes down the power lines. the latest report we have is, about 750,000 people here in connecticut, alone, without power, as tropical storm irene is any guide, it could be about three to five days before everyone gets their power back. i asked one public safety official, he told me, so far, ice has not been a problem. dan and lara. >> incredible scene behind you, t.j. we're supposed to be racking leaves. you had a lot at your house. >> the leaves are still on the trees and that's what's making what them heavy. our light

let's kick it off with abc's t.j. winick is in one of the hardest hit spots, windsor, connecticut. t.j., good morning to you. >> reporter: dan, good morning. hard to believe, but december 22nd, that is the first day of winter, still seven weeks away, but you wouldn't know it. taking a look around, it actually quite pretty, like a norman rockwell painting. here in windsor, we have about 8 or 9 inches of snow, but it is heavy and hard to walk in. down here on the street you can see the downed trees and power lines, hundreds in each town. and up there, you can see the top of a power line actually sheared clean off. things got so bad here in connecticut yesterday, at one point it's believed in only two nument municipalities in the entire state there were no businesses or homes without power. across the northeast, near white-out conditions. roads completely shut down. and when this wet, heavy snow fell atop trees still carrying leaves, many simply collapsed. in new jersey where a tree was uprooted, it smashed into a house under t

. -- t.j. winick, abc news, new york. >>> the uc berkeley grads who had been imprisoned in iran were on capitol hill today to thank the senators who helped in their release. the trio was arrested in july 2009 for crossing in iran while hiking. iran accused them of spying. shourd was released after 14 months. fattal and bauer were freed last month. >>> meteorologist mike nicco ahead with the forecast. >> with which i had some solar panels today, tomorrow and the next day. we have warm invection clouds, warm air coming in that will boost that warming trend. we'll talk about the changes this weekend through monday >>> plus, major blackberry outage that has hit the u.s.. what users here in the bay area are experiencing. >>> the nationwide effort today to break a world record has some in the bay area doing jumping jacks. >>> the protesters, we've heard repeatedly the demonstrators support a more equitable distribution of wealth in this country. >> katie marzullo joins us with more on the many demands. >> r

t.j. winick is here. and, t.j., it appears that law enforcement officials were very familiar with the farm. >> reporter: they had been to the farm countless times because of complaints. animal experts went to the thompson farm three years ago during a cruelty to animals investigation. they found many of the cages weren't padlocked and labeled the conditions, a public safety hazard. we're getting a closer look inside the troubled life of terry thompson. seen in these 2-year-old home videos, kissing a bear. >> you silly thing, you. >> reporter: and the many exotic and dangerous animals he kept on his zanesville, ohio, farm. according to documents released friday, thompson kept a black leopard in the basement, had a lion running loose. and according to this report, several animals could get out of the cages. this past week, after thompson freed his animals just before killing himself, authorities were forced to shoot 50 of the creatures, including 17 lions and 18 bengal tigers, which are endangered. >> we los

. -- t.j. winick, abc news, new york. >>> the uc berkeley grads who had been imprisoned in iran were on capitol hill today to thank the senators who helped in their release. the trio was arrested in july 2009 for crossing in iran while hiking. iran accused them of spying. shourd was released after 14 months. fattal and bauer were freed last month. >>> meteorologist mike nicco ahead with the forecast. >> with which i had some solar panels today, tomorrow and the next day. we have warm invection clouds, warm air coming in that will boost that warming trend. we'll talk about the changes this weekend through monday >>> plus, major blackberry outage that has hit the u.s.. what users here in the bay area are experiencing. >>> the nationwide effort today to break a world record has some in the bay area doing jumping jacks. and you askh@h@h@ >>> the protesters, we've heard repeatedly the demonstrators support a more equitable distribution of wealth in this country. >> katie marzullo joins us with more on the

t.j. winick is in lower manhattan and has the details. good morning. >> reporter: bianna, good morning. more than 80 protesters arrested in new york city yesterday. i must tell you i've season weekend demonstrations get bigger and bigger over the past month, and yesterday, thousands took their message uptown to the landmark known as the crossroads of the world. occupy wall street was transformed into occupy times square late saturday. and soon the demonstrations turned disorderly. >> let them go! >> reporter: this clash with police came just hours after 6,000 occupiers flooded into the iconic intersection. >> occupy times square! >> reporter: while most of saturday's crowd was peaceful -- >> ladies and gentlemen, you have to move. >> reporter: officers took no chances as they cleared the streets at nightfall, arresting those who failed to leave. earlier in the day, 24 demonstrators were handcuffed and removed from a nearby citibank, charged with criminal trespassing. from california to florida --

made abc's t.j. winick has the story. >> reporter: maybe you have done it on a road trip.this family from the movie "step brothers." or how about that scene that tom cruise famous? ♪ just take those old crackers off the shelf ♪ >> reporter: we all love to belt a good tune every now and then. some british researchers wanted to know why certain songs inspired us to sing along more than others. ♪ don't stop believin' >> reporter: scholars at the university of london, isolated four key elements, number one, long and detailed musical phrases. number two, multipitch changes in the song's hook. number three, male vocalists. number four, higher male voices making a noticeable vocal effort. ♪ living on a prayer >> reporter: using this formula, a list was compiled of the top catchiest songs. "final countdown" by europe made the cut. so did the theme song to "baywatch," i'm always here. number two catchiest song of all time, is often acted out as much as it's belted out. "ymca." by the village people. and the number one most sing along hit, a global sports anthem, "we are the champio

abc's t.j. winick> reporter: her name conjures up the image of a domestic goddess. >> for ease of use, it's a good thing. >> reporter: s hostess with the mostest. >> it will be a hit in your home and mine. >> reporter: but in reality, martha stewart was anything but a perfect homemaker. this is a soon-to-be released book co-authored by her only child, daughter alexis. she claims the family fridge growing up was practically empty. there was never anything to eat at my house. other people had food. i had no food. there were ingredients. but no prepared food of any kind. and the same martha stewart who can show you how to make the holidays festive and fun. >> wouldn't you like to have a centerpiece like this on your table? >> reporter: could apparently care less about her family's own merriment. she would make me wrap my own presents, alexis writes. she would hand me things right before christmas and say, now, wrap these but don't look inside. as for halloween, there were no costumes. there was no anythin

t.j. winickreaks down the first 30 days by the numbers. >> reporter: 1,500 protestors showed up that very first day. outside of wall street, you noticed. saturday, 6,000 marched from wall street to times square. [ chanting ] >> reporter: and that was just new york. some 250 cities in the country have joined the protest. around the world, it's more than 1,000 cities. mostly peaceful. except for this clash saturday in berlin and rome, where rioters shattered windows, and set cars on fire. rome says it will cost them $1.4 million to clean up the mess. back on wall street, where it all started, police say they have spent $3.4 million in overtime. [ chanting ] >> reporter: occupy wall street claims to speak for 99% of americans. that top 1% now holds almost 36% of the nation's total wealth. this as most americans struggle. the u.s. unemployment rate frozen at 9.1%. perhaps that's why 37% of americans according to a recent poll support the protesters. when you are covering the rallies protestors tell y

here's abc's t.j. winick. >> reporter: this is the threat.many teenagers swarming a business. in this case, a washington, d.c. convenience store. it's called a flash rob. >> in some cases, these folks will come in, overwhelm store employees, especially at night, get in and get out very quickly. >> reporter: according to the national retail federation, flash robs were reported by 10% of the retailers it surveyed in july. with the holiday shopping season just around the corner, many fear that number could spike. >> during the holidays we see large numbers of shoppers in the store, and shoplifting can be disguised just by the volume of customers. >> reporter: the flash rob is the criminal cousin of the flash mob. spontaneous gatherings organized over twitter, facebook or texting, like this choreographed dance routine. flash robs are also an open invite not to entertain, but to break the law. that's why for the first time the retail federation is giving its members advice on how to guard against a flash robbery. first, maintain low levels of cash

well, abc's t.j. winicktory. >> a one, a two -- >> reporter: maybe you have done it on a road trip. ♪ she's got a smile that it seems to me ♪ >> reporter: like this family from the movie "step brothers." ♪ memories >> reporter: or how about that scene that made tom cruise famous? ♪ just take those old records off the shelf ♪ >> reporter: we all love to belt out a good tune every now and then but some british researchers wanted to know why certain songs inspired us to sing along more than others. ♪ don't stop believin' >> reporter: scholars at the university of london isolated four key elements or "x" factors. number one, long and detailed musical phrases. ♪ entertain us >> reporter: number two, multi-pitch changes in a song's hook. number three, male vocalists. ♪ you're my brown eyed girl >> reporter: number four, higher male voices making a noticeable vocal effort. ♪ living on a prayer >> reporter: using this formula, a list was compiled of the top ten catchiest songs of all time. "final countdown" by europ

and abc's t.j. winick is here with the details. t.j., good morning. >> reporter: good morning, dan. such a happy ending. little robert was found friday afternoon. even the professionals involved with search and rescue this past week were clearly moved. >> there is a god. he listens to prayer. and prayers were answered. >> reporter: an emotional hanover county sheriff announced what so many had hoped for over six, long days. this 8-year-old autistic boy, robert wood jr., missing since sunday, was found alive. he had survived five nights outside alone, despite no food and near-freezing temperatures. >> he's amazing. it's incredible. i think his parents, all their prayers have come true. >> reporter: roberts who is severely autistic and doesn't speak, ran away from his father during a family hike. the response from the community was immediate and overwhelming. ♪ >> reporter: driven by faith and hope, 1,500 virginians scoured railroad tracks, ponds and woods near richmond. >> because something in your gut tells you in a this is what you need to do. >> reporter: and then, at about 2:00 p

abc's t.j. winick is here with more. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, dan.to be frustrating for investigators. in the 11 days since baby lisa went missing, kansas city officials have fielded hundreds of calls about the case. but still, no real leads. friday, the fbi scoured the woods near baby lisa's home. fbi agents also combed the neighborhood with metal detectors. ending outside the family's house, from where the little girl seemingly vanished on october 3rd. investigators came up empty. lisa's parents deny having anything to do with her disappearance. but recently, deborah bradley and jeremy irwin remain out of the public eye. >> right now, they feel it's in their best interest to not say anything. >> reporter: the same anonymous benefactor that hired bill stanton is also putting up $100,000. the reward is for lisa's safe return for or information leading the the conviction of those responsible for her disappearance. >> i hope this opens up someone's heart, someone's eyes. >> reporter: earlier in the day, lisa's relatives thanked the kansas city communit

t.j. winick joining us from hartford with the latest. t.j. >> reporter: good morning. like so many in hartford is blocked by branches and trees. despite warnings about live power lines on the ground, many folks are getting fed up and frustrated and clearing these streets themselves. the nor'easter was like a sock in the jaw, seven weeks before winter. too early? too bad. in new jersey, this uprooted tree collapsed on to a home. the heavy, wet snow blanketed branches taking down power lines. here in connecticut, utility crews racing around the state, residents are in the dark. >> customers want to know when their power will be back on. >> we are encouraging customers to prepare for a week from now. >> reporter: at the height of the storm saturday travelers were going nowhere fast. the government is investigating a jetblue flight from ft. lauderdale to newark diverted to hartford before passengers were stranded on board for seven hours. >> i got a problem on the airplane. we're going to need cops on board. we have got on the ground, at 17:24 z and we have been here now f

and abc's t.j. winick is here with the details. good morning. >> good morning to you. such a great story. cheers broke out at the command post when robert was found that afternoon. and search and rescue was moved. >> there's a god. he listens to prayer. and prayers were answered. >> reporter: an emotional hanover county sheriff announced what so many hoped for for eight, long days. this severely autistic boy, robert wood jr., missing since sunday, was found alive. he had survived five nights alone despite no food and near-freezing temperatures. >> he's amazing. his parents' prayers have come true. >> reporter: robert, who is severely autistic and doesn't speak, ran away from his father during a family hike. the response from the community was immediate and overwhelming. ♪ >> reporter: driven by faith and hope, 1,500 virginians scoured railroad tracks, ponds and woods near richmond. >> you do it because something in your get tells you this is what you need to do. >> reporter: then, by about 2:00 p.m. on friday, a miraculous discovery. the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy wa

abc's t.j. winick joining us with the latest. t.j.? >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning.on. thankfully the threat has the been contained. 56 wild animals including lions, tigers, and bears, on the loose. schools in zanesville, ohio were closed for the day, area residents told to stay inside. >> scary. you don't know where they're at. >> reporter: it all began around 5:30 tuesday, authorities say terry thompson opened the gates, fences and cages at his wild animal farm, shortly before taking his own life. not long after, the 911 calls started to pour in. locals could not believe their eyes. >> it looks like a jaguar or wolf or something. soon as i opened the door it took off. >> drove by and it walked out in front of me. >> i'm at the east high school and i'm pretty sure i just saw a wolf in the parking lot. >> reporter: police teams with assault rifles set off to contain the threat. shooting and killing this lion after finding him roaming along the road. this video shows a lion as well as the a bear taken down by deputies. authorities were forced to shoot most of the anim

abc's t.j. winick is following the controversy. od morning, rob and tanya. is the behavior for which there is no excuse, domestic violence now accused in topeka, kansas? after all, the city ordnance was repealed tuesday night. it all started with a budget showdown between topeka and shawnee county. >> i am disappointed. i think it is a very sad day for topeka. and a sad day for victims. it sends i think a very bad message. >> reporter: the city blames the district attorney for handing off all misdemeanor domestic abuse cases to city. the d.a. says he can't prosecute domestic misdemeanors because the county cut his budget. the county accused the d.a. of using abused women for negotiating more money for his office. >> they wanted to remove the ambiguity of who, who is really responsible here. if you have it well then, then, we can dump it on you. simply remove that. >> reporter: domestic violence advocates are afraid the council's vote sets a dangerous precedent. >> the lives of the most vulnerable -- mostly women and children -- are

abc's t.j. winick joins us with details. t in ohio is now over. dead animals buried in the ground. people are asking how could this have possibly happened? ohio's governor has already formed a task force in the wake of the mass exotic animal escape in the city of zanesville. the state has more incidents with exotic animals than any other. its laws among the most lenient in the country. >> i am pretty sure i just saw a wolf in our parking lot. >> reporter: despite numerous past complaints about this property, the local sheriff admits he was powerless to act. after 56 animals including bengal tigers and mountain lions were let off the farm by its suicidal owner many expect changes. >> we have been there numerous times. and we have been told that he was acting under what minimal law there was at the time to be housing the animals. >> reporter: the governor's task force will reportedly seek tougher restrictions including laws that allow internet and in-state exotic animal auctions. >> there is no sensible reason for any private c