we have toil after the fact we found out the kid was in o it the teacher was trying to make a point. that got our attention. that's it for "special report" tonight. i'm shannon bream good night from washington. captions by closed captioning services >> trace: 911 calls from that deadly christmas day fire in connecticut and now we know how it started. plus, tragedy and anger in indiana: they left their little girl with the babysitter and that was the last time they saw her alive. >> her remains have been located. this is not the conclusion we hoped for. >> trace: tonight, the stunning details of what this suspect reportedly told police. casualties of christmas shopping. at least 100 sears and k-mart stores set to shut down after disappointing holiday totals. but tonight new reason to hope that things are going to get

better. but we begin tonight with the tragedy in indiana i'm trace gallagher in for shep. investigators now say that a man in fort wayne has given them all the details of how he killed a little girl whom he was supposed to be baby-sitting. and a warning, some of this is very disturbing. lemon disappeared friday from a trailer park in fort wayne, indiana. a family friend was taking care of her at the time and he initially denied doing anything wrong. but last night police say his story changed. >> after three different interviews with one of the individuals involved, he was taken into custody tonight about 9:00 p.m. and charged with murder and alanan's remains. he confessed to beating the girl with a bring right outside his home. he then admitted using a hack saw to cut her to pieces before hiding the parts in his freezer and in a dumpster.

now, that little girl's family is dealing with the reality that they will never see her again. and the question that hangs heavy in the air over the community is how could anybody do this to a helpless little girl? david lee miller is tracking developments from our new york city newsroom. and david lee, the mother trusted this guy with her daughter. >> indeed she did. you know, trace, up until the time of his arrest, the suspect michael plumbador now an alleged killer. family members saying he was a close friend. he moved from fort wayne to north carolina to help the girl's grandfather who died several weeks ago. the grandfather was a sex molester. he was not alone in that community. the family had 15 registered sex offenders as residence. he was not one of them. he as it taking care two younger sisters. mother sick was the flu. he posted a picture of the

three young children on facebook pages it had the caption the little princesses. >> trace: the suspect was in court today what happened there. >> this was an initial court appearance. we expect within 72 hours on friday most likely is he going to be arraigned. that is when he is going to have the opportunity to enter a plea. among the charges there will be murder. likely there will be other charges as well. the prosecutor in this case has said that would not comment if others might be involved. he told reporters, i'm quoting them now, nothing has been ruled out. trace? >> trace: david lee, any indication of motive of why he may have done this? >> investigators say as of now they do not have a motive. we do know he has a criminal history of assault, trespassing and forgery. police are not comment if the little girl was sexually abused. the community is shocked, outraged and perhaps more than anything else saddened by this little girl's death.

>> [inaudible] such a horrible tragic thing that could happen to a child. a child. >> children shouldn't have to go through. this children are supposed to be innocent. and she was. beautiful, loving, innocent little girl. now she is taken from us. >> making this crime even more egregious alayna had emotional problems and she was also partially blind and partially deaf. trace? >> trace: david lee miller following this story in new york. investigators now revealing the cause of the christmas day house fire that killed five members of one family. officials in connecticut say somebody threw out old fireplace embers near a first floor entryway sparking that deadly blaze. they also say it's not clear if the home had working smoke detectors, three children and their grandparents died in the fire. only the mother and a male acquaintance made it out alive. officials say it appears the grandfather who played santa claus at sak's fifth avenue in

new york died trying to save the children. we're told before retiring he worked for years as a company's safety chief. neighbors say the sounds of screaming woke them up. some of them calling 911. listen. >> 911, what's the address of your emergency. >> huge fire at the house next door. the whole house is on fire. >> what is the address, ma'am. >> we're at 2241 >> trace: the crews tried several times to reach the victims but could not get passed the flames. >> the crew lad terred the building as i said, made entrance third floor and pushed through two rooms unable to find the children. they made a very aggressive

attack on rescue. >> four firefighters were injured, including a captain, with burns to his face. well, to the economy now. and new surveys show consumer confidence in the economy hitting its highest level since april. the research firm conference board reports the consumer confidence index rose almost 10 points in december to 64.5. that's close to its highest level since the recession began and much more than analysts had expected. but despite the good news and decent sales over the holidays, some retailers are still hurting. today, word that sears and k-mart will be closing more than 100 stores for good. shares for sears holding corporation down 12.5 points or about 27% on the news. the company blaming some of its problems on k-mart's lagging sales of clothes and electronics. and industry experts say sears has been plagued by outdated stores while other chains have

spent big bucks on makeovers. the fox business network gerri willis with the news in our new york city newsroom. this was really the year for online sales. >> no kidding. if you didn't sell it online you didn't sell it. online sales on christmas day up 16% on what they're now calling mega monday yesterday almost up 30%. these numbers are astonishing. the dollar value of these sales also up. those christmas day sales the price tag on those up 173%. online is key. >> trace: what about that santa rally that stocks were supposed to see. >> rally? what rally, dow jones industrial average down two tenths of a percent today. rising oil prices and also the consumer news you mentioned at the top of this. mulling those factors, bringing stocks down. looks like santa claus may be on his way out of town. >> trace: gerri willis is part of the best team in business.

be sure to catch the willis report 5 p.m. eastern and 2 p.m. on the fox business network. thank you. >> thank you. >> trace: home sales dropping for the second month in a row according to the standard and poor's shilling index. homes of the 19 of the 20 cities it tracks. atlanta, detroit and minneapolis sharpest drops. phoenix only one of 20 cities where prices actually rose. well, fox news is america's election headquarters and one week from today tens of thousands of americans will take a major step in a months' long journey to choose the republic presidential nominee. at this time next tuesday evening folks in iowa will be just starting their caucuses. they will be getting together in locations all across the state and showing support for candidates by marking ballots. it is a tradition that political parties there were using even before iowa

achieved statehood in 1846. despite the fact that only a tiny fraction of the country's population takes part in this event, it is considered an important sign of which candidates are the strongest possibilities for president. with that in mind, the candidates are currently crisscrossing iowa looking to drum up some last-minute support. you can see all the stops they are making today alone. carl cameron is live at a campaign event for texas governor rick perry in osceola, iowa, an hour south of des moines. carl, mitt romney and newt gingrich going at it? >> you can't rule out ron paul at the top of the race. after weeks of being relentlessly positive and refraining from criticizing rivals. no question newt gingrich is going hard. he says he is doing a study in contrast between himself and the massachusetts governor.

today gingrich essentially counter attacked romney's assertion that he he is not a trust worthy and conservative leader. here is the newt gingrich retort. >> have somebody who has a massachusetts moderate, who said he did not want to go back to the reagan/bush years. voted as a democrat for paul song gus in '92. recently running for governor said i'm really a moderate pragmatic guy. who have him run a commercial that questions my conservatism? pretty tough stuff from newt gingrich. again, he says that is just simply a contrast in their two political characterization not a negative political attack. mitt romney arrives in iowa where he will be starting a bus tour across the state. any doubts about whether or not romney was going to play to win in iowa will be alayed this week. he is going to blitz the airwaves with ads. robo calls started to telephones all across the hawkeye state direct mail and

aggressive campaign schedule. mitt romney wants to win this thing after a year of saying he might not compete for the top prize. now it looks like he is going for it with little doubt. trace? >> trace: where does that leave ron paul and the rest of the field for that matter? >> well, ron paul is by all accounts positioned for a possible upset victory. he had been in a distant third place for considerable time but was thought to be a top tier candidate. ron paul could be the upset which will raise questions about whether or not iowa is reflective of how the rest of the republicans electorate in the country actually feels. on domestic fiscal conservatism, republicans in iowa love him. when it comes to foreign policy, many think he is out of step with the g.o.p. mainstream. then there are the evangelical christians who make up more than half of the caucus vote. they seem to be, evenly divided between rick perriened michelle bachmann and rick santorum. all of them are scrambling for those votes. that's part of the coalition that helped mike huckabee win the iowa caucuses four years

ago. back here at the perry event here, what you are seeing is how the caucuses are won. not about the tv ads and debating. it's about handshaking and conversations with real iowans as they try to make up their minds. seven days out and every single indicator is that one of two of the folks here have yet to decide who they will caucus for a week from tonight, trace. >> trace: "the fox report" with shepard smith will be live from des moines for the caucuses next monday and tuesday and on tuesday, january 3rd we will begin our special coverage of the caucuses themselves. the action begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern time well, right now in north korea, mourners are getting ready to say good by to their dear leader kim jong il. how they are marking the death of a dictator just ahead. plus, a soldier who survived a suicide bombing in afghanistan now fighting for his life in

california. and the man now jailed for the crime is now telling his side of the story. that's coming up on "the fox report." wait a minute...i... [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

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right now in north korea hundreds of thousands are braving low temperatures in the teens to pay tribute to the man they call dear leader. the funeral for the dead dictator kim jong il set to begin in less than an hour. insiders expect to see a spectacle worthy of the man's biography who said he was born under double rainbows. state run tv reports he had a heart attack and died more than a week ago. now his son kim jong un is poised to take over. today he was shown choking up as he he viewed his father's casket. [crying] >> as you can see it's been a long day of seemingly emotional displays. north korean tv showing long lines of mourners carrying white flowers, crying under a

smiling picture of the dear leader. but whether the weeping is genuine or staged, is anybody's guess. remember, this is a man who prided himself in total control over his people. the same man who reportedly had people shipped to did i settered islands so they couldn't taint the gene pole. film makers make his own version of godzilla. the man's biography insisted he never had to use the bathroom. greg palkot with the news live in seoul, south korea. the funeral is about to get underway. what's the latest? >> trace, it is about 45 minute away from the funeral. we are wednesday morning here in south korea. also about 120 miles south of where it's all happening in pyongyang. this is about as close as we are going to get. it is an all north korean affair. we have a pretty good idea of what the funeral will look like it is really back to the

future. the funeral of kim jong il according to the details we are getting pretty much look like kim jong jong il's father father's funeral in 1994. one last around the body display in pyongyang. that will be achieved. that walk by the son and the successor kim jong il. kim jong un then that body will be placed in a hears and that here's will be part of a motor case which will be another vehicle with an oversized portrait of kim jong il. that motorcade will take an eerie ride through the streets of that strange capital of pyongyang. we are expecting hundreds of thousands to turn out. the regime is very good at turning out the crowds. can i tell you from my experience on the ground in pyongyang and then the motorcade returns to the mausoleum after about several hours or so and gets ready for yet another memorial service tomorrow. this is a two-day affair.

now, earlier on tuesday, kim jong un had some practice at being a diplomat. so far in the last couple of days the state media has ordained him as the head of the military, workers, the communist party in south korea. he met on tuesday, monday and tuesday with the former -- a former south korean first lady and a south korean business woman both with ties to north/south korea relations. that has been as far as south korea is going to go recognizing this funeral unofficial delegates. but the folks here will be watching. we will be too. one final note i must say, trace, however, it is not wall-to-wall coverage on the morning television. as i look out on rush hour, seoul this morning. a lot of traffic. south korea getting on with its day. back to you. >> trace: greg palkot, thank you. the lawyer for a man accuse of shooting a soldier welcome home party says the suspect is the one being attacked. investigators have reportedly

charged reuben ray jerarda for allegedly shooting the afghan war veteran. he was at his welcome home party when witnesses say his brother got into a fight with jerarda. when witnesses intervened witnesses say he was shot twice. the suspect's lawyer insists that is not the whole story. >> my client sustained extensive amount of injuries prior to the alleged shooting has some facial, as well as some injuries to his ribs and his back where he had been kicked, punched by numerous people at the party. >> i don't know why he thinks he is the victim when my brother is in the hospital. when my brother can't move. >> sullivan is now in critical condition. his relatives say that he is paralyzed. well, iranian officials say they are putting an american on trial. they accused him of being a spy and if they find him guilty, it could cost him his

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>> trace: a former u.s. marine could face the death penalty if an iranian court convicts him on charges of spying for the cia. that from semiofficial iranian media the 28-year-old was born

to iranian family. state tv showed off this card which identifies him as an army contractor. but prosecutors reportedly accuse him of working as a spy and of planning to imply that he iran supports international terrorism. his family says the islamic republic is reporting positively wrong. wendell goler with the news live in d.c. tonight. what's the administration's reaction to the start of the trial? >> well, trace, the state department called on iran to release emir hekmati without delay or at least allow swiss authorities to check on him and check on his well being. the swiss tried on christmas eve. the iranians turned him away. the iranians say hekmati was trying to infiltrate their intelligence agency by offering them some bogus secrets and some genuine ones. his family says hekmati never had any intelligence training and never worked for the cia. he was arrested two weeks into a trip to iran to visit his

two grandmothers there after he allegedly went to the intelligence agency three times, trace. >> trace: wendell, this isn't the first time iran has recently accused americans of espionage. >> of course not. we remember the three american hikers arrested about two and a half years ago when they strayed across the iraq border into iran. state department spokesman mark attorney said in a statement, a written statement earlier today quote, we have seen this story before with the iranian regime falsely accusing people of being spies. and then holding innocent foreigners for political reasons. sean bauer and josh fattal were freed after iran was paid what it called a million dollars bail though it looked more like ransom. the two reunited with sarah shourd who had been freed earlier for another half million. bauer and fattal were found guilty in iranian trial which makes the idea of bail not ring particularly true, trace? >> trace: wendell goler live in d.c. tonight. thank you.

activists report that syrians army has now halted its bloody assault on protesters in one central city. but the timing could be suspect. arab league monitors just got there today. chanting] >> this amateur video said to show a huge crowd in the city of hams still calling bashar al assad to resign. this amateur video shows tanks on the way out of city. you can see them on the left-hand side of the screen. activists say a few military vehicles have stuck around and, of course, we cannot confirm any of this because syria won't let journalists in to the country. syria signed off last week on an arab league deal to send in those observers to see if assad's regime really would end the violence which the u.n. reports has killed more than 5,000 people since march. today the white house called the crackdown who are risk.

horrific. trying to find toddler for two weeks with announcement that has new tips pouring in by the minute. the desperate search for the little girl. plus, another democratic lawmaker set to step down from capitol hill. how could this change the landscape of power? as fox reports tonight. [ male announcer ] you have plans... moments you're looking forward to... what if they were stolen from you? by alzheimer's. this cruel disease costs americans

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>> trace: trace a car and freight train collide killing one person on a fox trip across america. indiana. the wreck happened about an hour east of south bend. police say the impact threw the driver from the car. she died. the crash also injured a passenger in that vehicle. minnesota. a home security system apparently wasn't enough for this couple in saint paul. you can see two men in their place before one of them saw the camera. >> we thought it was a safe place and we tried to protect ourselves with something like this. >> we try to be. these guys are out there with our stuff right now. >> the burglaring got away with $17,000 worth of stuff. texas. a 70-foot long paddle wheel party boat up in flames in austin after propane tanks on board exploded. nobody hurt. the blast and fire also

damaged two smaller vessels and a dock. investigators say they suspect arson. florida. a scuba diver finding the wreckage of a plane underwater off the coast north of miami. he says he believes it's a world war ii era dive bomber. the guy says it's about 200 feet below and that he plans to go back for another look. and that's a fox watch across america. i'm trace gallagher in for shepard smith. this is the fox report. and the game continues to change for democrats in washington. with today's announcement from nebraska senator ben nelson, it's time to move on. that straight from the mouth of the 70-year-old conservative democrat. announcing he will leave office at the end of his second term next year. and he is not the only one. 14 other capitol hill democrats making the same move for a total of six in the senate, nine in the house.

ultimately, it could all mean a big shift in the balance of power in congress. molly henneberg is live in washington. why is ben nelson leaving the senate? >> hi, trace, in part political analysts say because the moderate democrat likely would have faced a tough re-election fight in the very red state of nebraska. senator nelson was viewed as the deciding vote in 2009 that passed president obama's health care law. which didn't go over so well at home. >> there is no question that his vote for obama care sent him from the heights of popularity to the depths of unpopularity in nebraska. he has never really recovered from that vote. and it probably would have been the critical factor in the 2012 senate race. >> democrats had been pushing nelson to run again, thinking he had the best chance to retain that seat. trace? >> trace: molly, what could this mean for the balance of power in the senate. >> larry sabato says republicans now have a fair to

good chance of taking control of the senate. and nelson's seat likely is an easy pick-up for the g.o.p. democrats may try to persuade former nebraska senator bob kerrey to run for the seat. sabato says kerry may give democrats 50/50 odds in nebraska. even that may be generous. kerry said in an interview earlier this month that he wouldn't rule out a senate run but said it's, quote, highly unlikely that he would do it. trace? >> trace: molly hen werg live for us in the nation's capital. our nation's credit limit is about to max out. the obama administration now set to ask congress to raise it by $1.2 trillion. this is all part of the debt ceiling deal negotiated over the summer. and treasury department officials say we need to raise the limit now because by friday the federal government will be within $100 billion of the current limit. president obama carving out time for work during his

hawaiian vacation nominating a democrat and republic to fill two open spots on the federal reserve board. by picking a member of the opposition party the president may be trying to head off a potential senate confirmation battle. the white house has accused republics of blocking qualified fed candidates in the past. including the president's nomination of a no nobel prize winning economist the last two years. but this time around he tapped jerome powell a former treasury official during the first bush administration and jerry any stein a harvard professor who previously worked obama administration under treasury secretary tim geithner. 100 new leads in just one day as cops up the reward for a missing toddler in maine. that reward now hitting $30,000. officials say it's the largest in state history for a missing persons case. 20 month old ayla reynolds father reported her missing 10 days ago. he told police he put his

daughter to sleep at her bed in his home north and west of portland. by morning she was gone. now cops say they think somebody kidnapped little ayla. >> we are confident that ayla did not walk out of the house by herself. we believe that someone was involved i >> trace: the father's house where ayla was last seen is now sealed off with crime tape. the reason snowfall has hurt their search. despite hundreds of leads, there is still no sign of the missing girl. rick leventhal is live tonight in new york working the latest on the search. rick? >> trace, police aren't naming a suspect but say they are very confident little ayla reynolds did not leave her father's house on her own. there are new searches of the house this morning say it's just not possible that ayla could have wandered off on her own farfetched because of the

layout of the house, the sequence of events that would have had to occur, small stature and injured arm and she has just learned how to walk. who might have taken this 20 month old. the mother trista reynolds lost custody of the girl in october when she went to rehab. she filed for custody the day before trista disappeared. she publicly blamed the father who she says should have kept a closer eye on the girl. he is said to have vehicles. seized two vehicles in the driveway. one belonging to the father and another to a female friend. both parents are cooperating and authorities are aggressively following up more than 330 leads with investigators and searchers working more than 5,000 hours on the case. they are also hoping that $30,000 reward raised by private citizens and local businesses may help lead to ayla's recovery. >> i ask and i plead that the person or persons who have young ayla reynolds, that they

please keep her safe and return her safely to us. >> and there are four agencies involved here. local police, state police, the maine warned service and fbi. continue searching for that little girl outside the microscope of national media attention. trace? >> rick leventhal live for us in new york. thank you. we are also learning more about the troubled past of a man cops say dressed as santa and then massacred his whole family. it happened christmas day in a dallas area suburb. the shooter recently separated from his wife. she and the couple's two children were among the dead. we are also told the bank recently foreclosed on the shooter's home and investigators say they believe he planned the murders well in advance. on sunday, cops say the gunman showed up to a family gathering dressed in a santa costume. they say he opened fire with two guns killing six family members and then killing himself.

well, the unemployment rate for americans' veterans still much higher than the average. details on a new plan to help them find work. plus recapping some of the biggest stories of the year now ending. from the devastating tsunami in japan to the wave of uprising across the arab world. and much more straight ahead on "the fox report." it's a medie and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantiis proven to help people quit smoking. it reduthe urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking orood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reactioto it.

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>> trace: they risk their lives on the front lines and made it back alive from iraq and afghanistan. but incredibly some of those heros say surviving over there is easier than making it here in the united states. that's why a colorado lawmaker has introduced a bill to help our nation's servicemen and women find work after war. according to the bureau of labor statistics, the unemployment rate among veterans serving since the iraq war began topping 12% this year. that is higher than the national average and those

vets make up just 1% of the u.s. population. but lawmakers say the national veterans foundation could help change all of that. alicia acuna is live for us in denver. how is this different from all of the other programs out there for vets? >> well, trace, according to the way the bill is written, the foundation would take all those other programs, state agencies, and businesses and get them talking to each other. that way when a vet goes online to look for a job they just have to go to one centralized location to see what opportunities are out there. here is the bill's author, senator michael bennet. >> the idea really came from the vets themselves who were saying that we know better than anybody else that there are plenty of people that want to help our vets. but we're not very well coordinated. >> republics on the hill are currently reviewing bennett's idea, trace? >> and it seems like a really big undertaking. how do they plan to do this exactly? >> well, there is a program

being used at the local level that the senators' office is using as a test model for use at the federal level. it's currently being used in colorado springs, which is home to five major military installations. that city has developed a large web-based resource center for its returning vets. we talked to folks who served multiple tours overseas using the site to look for jobs. the colorado springs model is still a work in progress. coordinators say is growing rapidly and they have seen some success. trace? >> alicia acuna live for us in denver tonight. thank you. an iraqi front group for al qaeda now claiming responsibility for a wave of deadly bombings that killed 69 people across baghdad last week. they were the first major attacks since u.s. troops complete add full withdrawal from iraq this month. in a statement, the group says it staked the assaults in support of jailed sunnies. and in memory of those who were executed. tensions between sunnies and iraq's majority shiites at a

breaking point last week the shiite prime minister nouri al maliki ordered an arrest warrant for the vfrpt. the country's highest ranking sunni official. well, 2011 was a remarkable year for news and some of its biggest headlines came from outside the u.s. the arab spring that sent change sweeping across the middle east and northern africa was just one of them. here now, a look back at the top international stories of the year. >> japan hit by enormous 9.0 earthquake triggering a monday store tsunami. death toll reached 16,000. 4,000 missing and the worst nuclear crisis since chernobyl. in to your knowledge civil resistance leads to the ouster of the country's prime minister and long-time president. massive demonstrations bring an end to the 30-year rule of

egyptian president hosni mubarak. protests in libya escalate into a full scale rebellion supported by nato. qaddafi captured and later killed. [chanting] >> in syria uprising erupts between bashar assad despite increasing international pressure the government's bloody crack down continued. >> who would have this woman as thy wedded wife. >> eyes on the world westminster abbey as 3 billion people watched the wedding of prince william and kate middleton. in what may be the biggest news stories of the year. >> the united states has conducted an operation that killed usama bin laden, the leader of al qaeda. >> u.s. navy seals shoot and kill the terror leader in his compound in pakistan. the managing director of the international monetary fund arrested in new york city for allegedly sexually assaulting a hotel maid. charges against dominic strauss-khan are later dropped

citing a credibility issue with the accuser. at large for 15 years, the former bosnian serb general responsible for the massacre of thousands of muslims is arrested. a deadly e.coli outbreak in europe linked to german sprouts killing about 45. after more than 50 years of struggle the republic of south sudan declares its independence, becoming africa's 54th country. british newspaper news of the world closes after allegations that journalists hacked into voice mail accounts. in norway, a man describing himself as the resistance leader bombing the government building in carrying out a shooting rampage at a youth camp killing 77. japan beats the u.s.a. becoming the first asian country troy women the if i have if a women's world cup. london suffering widespread rioting after police shooting of a young man. deadliest single loss for u.s. forces in the decades old war. chinook helicopter crashes

killing 30 service members most of them elite navy seals. more than 10 million people in east africa hit by the worst drought in six decades. somalia becoming the incenter of the famine. two american hikers arrested in 2009 in iran after being accused of spying. finally return home a year after their female friend was released. in a direct challenge to the u.s., the palestinians request statehood recognition at the united nations. anwar al awlaki, american-born senior al qaeda leader killed in yemen by a u.s. drone strike. italian jury clears american student amanda knox of murder nearly four years after she was arrested for allegedly killing her roommate in italy. [horn] >> israel releases over 1,000 palestinian prisoners in exchange for one kidnapped israeli soldier. gilad shalit. [shouting] >> powerful earthquake rocks

eastern turkey, killing about 600 people. north korean dictator dies at age 69. his son kim jong un believed to be in his 20's his success glor asked italy about concerns europe's debt crisis one of the big ones. bailout money given to some economies. the economy promises to be a major headline. greg burke, fox news. >> trace: potentially important development in the republic primaries now. the texas governor rick perry launching an effort to get his name on the ballot in a state that already said no. gee tails of the new move just ahead.

significant measure of which candidate has the most support. the challenge is getting those supporters to show up on game day. steve brown is live in des moines. steve? >> hey, trace. those tv ads, that's the air wars. we are talking about the ground game in what we have come to learn in iowa is that some campaigns have more game than others. >> you have my back on january 3rd and i'll have your back for the next four years in washington, d.c. >> building a political ground game in iowa is fishing. candidates are the bait working the crowd, volunteers and staff reigle in phone numbers and email addresses. >> as fast as you can you need to turn that over. this information from the actual event stuff you need to get it to your actual campaign office so they can have a staff follow up. >> then the barrage of contact is on.

>> you have decided who you will be supporting at the caucus. >> the caucus is expecting to be making tens of thousands of phone calls per week. >> emails we will stay in touch and give them a call and encourage them to get out on caucus tonight. >> ron paul's campaign having the best ground game here. >> ron paul has been at it for four or five years. you can't, you know, you can't -- you have got to give those guys their credit. >> now, it's not unusual for a republic household in iowa to get 6, 7, 8 phone calls a night. those phone calls coming from those campaigns that have a good ground game. now who has it? by ache claim nation immigration, paul. bachmann, romney and santorum. still questions about rom weather the romney and gingrich campaigns who appear to be in catch-up mode can put together a ground game for caucus night. trace? >> steve brown live for us in des moines, iowa.

steve, thank you. right now new video out of north korea. ahead of the state funeral for the late dear leader kim jong il. this video from north korean state television apparently showing a stream of people wailing as they pay their respects to the former dictator. as we reported before it is very difficult to make out any actual tears and everything in north korea is very tightly controlled. the funeral starts just minutes from now at 8:00 eastern time. well, new orleans saints quarterback drew brees has broken the nfl's all time single season passing records. >> touchdown and there is a record. that's unbelievable. drew brees. >> trace: happened last night with his final pass of the game as the saints routed the atlanta falcons 5084 yards. topping the record set by dan

marino back in 1984. marino tweeted congrats great job by such a special player. breeze has one more regular season game to pad his record. thanks to last night's win the saints have clinched the nfc south. he was a great charger as well. not quite a stairway to heaven some engineers in columbia from violate a pretty i didn't mean progressive outdoor escalator. is it t. stretches up through the slums here. actually made up of six different sections and hundreds of feet tall. the thing was built to be weather proof and elderly folks and the disabled say it's really going to make a things a lot easier for them to get around. in fact, we are told it cuts the 35-minute hike up the hill to about 6 minutes. well, o'connor may have just announcement about hern. very recent marriage. next.

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people loved the food... begged for the chef's recipes. but, in a twist that made history, he gave it to them to-go. real italian seasoned meat and vine-ripened tomatoes. his food became famous. and soon, so did he. hello, i am chef boyardee. [ male announcer ] and his legacy of quality ingredients and no preservatives is still in every bowl. a real gat chef. with real great food. >> trace: queen elizabeth's husband back home after a four day stay at the hospital following heart surgery. quick smile and prince philip who missed the royal family's christmas celebration for what we're told the first time in years. he went to a specialist after complaining of chest pain apparently due to a blocked coronary artery. but now he is on the mend. thanks to an emergency stent procedure.

irish singer o'connor calling it quits on fourth marriage after less than three weeks it was apparently over well before that she announced the news on her web site saying her ex's family didn't approve of her and put the kibosh on the marriage three hours after the ceremony. also blamed herself for taking him on a quote wild ride for a bit of weed on their wedding night which apparently didn't go over well with her exhuby. is he a youth substance abuse counselor. ♪ jump ♪ go ahead and jump. >> trace: is he back. van halen announcing a new tour next we're with the original singer diamond lee roth. shows diamond dave. alex van halen and eddie's son wolfgang on base. ticker at the bottom of the video reads quote van halen on tour 2012. first ticket on sale

january 10th. band signed a new record deal last month. the group has been working on its first full length studio album with roth on vocals since 1984. >> trace: cool critters now and elephant playing soccer at a festival in central nepal. check it out. the match part of the region's ongoing elephant festival to promote tourism and help conservative animals. held races for the big guys. also told there is an elephant beauty pageant. teams from several countries reportedly taking part including the united kingdom, germany, and brazil. and still more cool creditedders now. officials at a park in south china placing two tiger cubs in a custom built warm house to ride out the winter. they say it would be too cold for the 2 month old animals to stay outside. we are told the special enclosure keeps the temperature at exactly

59 degrees. updating some of our top stories tonight. police not saying what prompted a babysitter to kill and dismember a 9-year-old indiana girl. >> he is reportedly a trusted family friend. prosecutors won't say if he is the only suspect. and investigators say that disguarded embers from a fireplace sparked a deadly christmas day house fire in connecticut. couple and three grabbed children died in that -- grandchildren died in that blaze. on this day in 1932, thousands turned out for the grand opening of new york city radio city music hall. the art dzeko theater was the brainchild of john d. rockefeller jr. he built it as the corner stone of rockefeller complex in a formerly run down manhattan neighborhood. more than 700 films premiered on the stage setting sun. the