this is "world news." and tonight, the tragedy on the track. dan wheldon dies today in a fiery crash. his fell local drivers honor him. the risky rescue under way at the bottom of the world. the woman at the south pole believed to have suffered a stroke. what she sent us this evening and why this mission is filled with danger for her, as well as her rescuers. political tight rope. how to relate to the unemployed. the candidates and their wives words under scrutiny. what rick perry's wife said to this man out of work. second act. the rust belt city ravaged by job loss, revived tonight. there's a real hollywood ending. can you tell which city this is? and a marilyn moment. the song lady gaga changed for president clinton. and hillary and chelsea were there for every word. good evening on this sunday night.

and we do begin here with that breaking news out of las vegas. tragedy at the racetrack. many of you were watching right here on abc, driver dan wheldon, at first we thought he was seriously injured in that massive 15-car wreck at the las vegas indy 300. a short time later, it was announced he had died. caring went flying through the air, including wheldon, leaving debris everywhere. and cars strewn across the track. wheldon was air lifted by helicopter to a hospital. the other drivers clearly shaken. they honored him this evening just before we came on the air. and we are joined this evening by espn's scott goodyear, a former indycar driver himself. scott, to watch the other drivers put their heads down, honoring him with the laps around the track was really something. >> it really was, david. and i will tell you, as a past driver, there are many times that are difficult in your career. i always say that motor racing has the highest highs and the lowest lows. i can assure you in the tribute lap, the five laps they did,

going around the racetrack, in a tribute to dan, were the toughest five laps they've ever done, with tears coming out behind their visors and it's something that you couldn't ever experience, you don't want to experience. tough day here today. >> scott, we can see the tears. dan was immensely popular in the racing world. he also had a wife and two young children. >> he did. and he loved his family. and with his wife, i mean, they just started their family. they live in southern florida. and for him, motor racing was his life. but also was his family. and because he drove part-time this year, he won the indianapolis 500 and only did a couple of races late this season. he spent an immense amount of time with his family. he told me it's been a season he's cherished because as drivers, we are always on the road, always doing promotion and testing. so, for dan, this was a season that he absolutely loved because he got to spend a lot of time with his new family. >> scott, you are a former driver yourself. there had been reports that some of the drivers were concerned about the speeds reached on this track, that during practice

runs, some were reaching speeds of 225 miles per hour. >> and that's what we do, david. we get into these cars and we know we risk our life, whether it's a test or a race. and this track is very fast here at las vegas motor speedway, but it's a mile and a half track, much like other ones we have driven, and the speeds are high. you go the length of a football field in less than a second. but unfortunately when things happen in front of you, and you don't have reaction time, bad things can happen. and the sport has become safer over the years, not only with the cars but the safer walls that are not only used here in indycars, but also in nascar, which was devised by the indianapolis motor speedway. the sport is continually getting safer. but with a car going up into the catch fence, unfortunately that was something that i don't think we could prepare ourselves for. it's been a very, very rough day here. >> i know it's been a difficult day for you, both as an announcer and a former drive yourself. espn's scott goodyear, appreciate your insights. dan wheldon dying on the track there today, leaving behind his

wife and two children. the racing world mourning the loss tonight. we move now to the other story unfolding at the bottom of the world tonight. the woman stranded at the south pole, desperately seeking help after suffering what she believes was a stroke. at last word, the plane was about to arrive. we've been in contact all day with the woman who has been literally been standing outside in the life threatening cold, more than 70 degrees below zero, watching, waiting, praying for help to arrive. but even when the wait ends, the changers will not. this is a mission filled with risks for her and her rescuers. the cargo plane that will carry that nuclear engineer, renee-nicole douceur, away from the south pole to the doctors waiting for her, is now closer than ever. flying in originally from chile, the plane made it to antarctica, but stopped short, landing at a research center five hours away. tonight, she e-mailed abc news, sends us this image, writing, "last picture inside my dorm room. leaving now to go outside to

wait for plane to land. cheers, renee." and so, tonight, the new hampshire woman is expected to finally leave the south pole. two months after what she believes was a stroke. telling abc news she needed to get out, that her speech and vision is already impaired. you can hear it in her strained voice. >> as i'm just sitting here waiting, who knows what's going on inside me. >> reporter: she is 58 and works at the national science foundation's research station. >> i am very concerned about my health and the possible ramifications and consequences for staying here. >> we're assuming it was a stroke because that seems to be the most likely diagnosis. but they didn't have all of the modern equipment down there. they don't have the an mri scanner. i don't even think they have a ct scanner. >> reporter: when the plane does reach her and pick her up, there will be a stopover before arriving to new zealand, the closest hospital with mris and ct scans. and there is enormous concern over the flight itself, given the cabin pressure and oxygen levels. >> first available aircraft which is unpressurized. so, this increases the potential risk to her. >> reporter: there have been similar rescues before.

in 1999, jerry nelson fitzgerald was the only physician at an isolated south pole research station, when she diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer, performing a biopsy on herself, using only ice and a local anesthetic. she waited months before she got out, administering her own chemotherapy while waiting. tonight, renee-nicole douceur's family is waiting to hear if that flight has taken off. "she's been lucky so far," they write. "but it's impossible to tell how much danger she is in until she gets to the hospital." again, it is believed the plane will have a stopover before its final designation in new zealand, where doctors are waiting. we're going to turn to the images coming in from all over the world, as the protests against wall street, the big banks, corporations, keep growing. this weekend, demonstrators surged into times square. and overseas, they headed straight for the barricades in berlin. and these images from rome, where they set countless fires. it's now been a month since this began and so, tonight, abc's t.j. wink with a look at the protests by the numbers, and we ask here, what is the end game?

>> reporter: 1,500 protesters showed up that very first day. outside of wall street, few noticed. yesterday, 6,000 marched from wall street to times square. and that was just new york. some 250 cities in this country have now joined the protests. around the world, it's more than 1,000 cities. they have been mostly peaceful, except for this clash in berlin and rome saturday, 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've already spent $3.4 million in 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, according to a recent poll, support the protesters. >> and t.j. is with us here on the desk in new york. you've been out covering these protests for weeks in downtown manhattan. what do they tell you when you ask what is the end game here? >> reporter: when you talk to the protesters, they'll tell you they want bank reform, tax reform. when you press them on how to make that happen, their answers are more vague. but one thing is clear, these folks are not going away any time soon. >> so more to come this week. t.j., thank you. we turn now to your voice, your vote and the race for the white house. a comment by rick perry's wife that's generating a lot of attention this evening. what she said to a man who is out of work. this, as we gather the new numbers tonight. which candidate is leading the race in campaign cash? abc's david kerley is in washington. >> reporter: rick perry may have fallen like a rock in the polls, but he's the top fund-raiser, raking in $17 million, $3 million more than the front-runner, mitt romney. >> 9-9-9.

>> reporter: while herman cain is soaring in the polls, he's raised less than michele bachmann. but he says that's changing. >> within the last two weeks, we've raised $2 million. so, in other words, our fund-raising is now beginning to pick up. >> reporter: but while cain and others are pickling up donations, they are also gaining criticism, of being out of touch with 14 million unemployed americans. >> if you don't have a job and you are not rich, blame yourself. >> reporter: the latest example, from rick perry's wife, who, in an effort to show compassion to an unemployed man, compared his situation to her son. >> our son hasn't found his job, because of the federal regulation that washington has put on us. he was out of his job two weeks ago. >> reporter: but griffin perry was not laid off. he quit his job at a big bank to go campaign for his father. >> some of these republican candidates, you know, are not using the common touch right now and you're seeing the reactions of it from some people that say,

these guys just don't get it. >> reporter: every one of the leading republican candidates is worth at least a million dollars. and calling for self-reliance, blaming the government, plays to the conservative base. but that will make it more difficult to attract those who are struggling in this weak economy. herman cain has moved up in the polls with his 9-9-9 plan, but today, cain admitted that some americans, under his proposal, will pay more daxes. david? >> thank you so much, david. i want to bring in our senior washington editor rick klein now. as you heard david report, who tops the list in campaign cash, i wanted to show you this. this was this morning on "this week" with christiane amanpour. david axelrod. and though there are several with campaign cash, they seem to be zeroing in on one candidate in particular. here's what he said about mitt romney. >> he's been running for office for 20 years. for snore and governor of massachusetts. then he was a pro-choice, pro-gay rights,

pro-environmental candidate for office. then, he decided to run for president, did a 180 on all of that. so, time and time and time again, he shifts. and you get the feeling there is no principle too large for him to throw over in pursuit of political office. >> was this a hint at the political playbook that president obama plans to use if it is mitt romney, which they seem to think is going to happen. >> reporter: that's right, david. the obama team thinks that mitt romney is likely to be the nominee, and they do not want to give him a free ride in the primary. that's why that are testing campaign strategies already. they want to soften him up now during the primaries and set the stage for the fall. david, if obama's top aides get their way, they are going to transform mitt romney into a republican version of john kerry. all the flip-flops to make that case. >> all right, rick klein in washington, as always, we appreciate your insight. president obama spent this sunday in washington at a poignant ceremony, honoring a

man who officially joined the ranks of the american heroes honored with memorials. reverend martin luther king jr. and here's abc's ron claiborne. >> reporter: they gathered by the thousands at the monument to the man who dreamed of just this kind of america. comfortable with its diversity. >> in this place, he will stand for all time. among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it. >> reporter: at the ceremony today, many too young to have lived through the tumult of the civil rights moment. >> this is a way for me to be able to experience him and see what he was about. >> this is something no one ever actually thought would ever be able to be done. >> reporter: there were veterans of the movement and king's own children. >> free at last, free at last. >> reporter: during his lifetime, martin luther king was a controversial figure to some. >> he went from being perhaps the most hated man in america, to the most loved man, and revered man, in america. >> reporter: the 30-foot tall, granite monument is not without controversy itself. some say the demeanor is too stern.

others question the choice of a chinese sculptor instead of an african-american. and more recently, there's been criticism of one of the quotations on the king memorial's wall. >> i was the drum major for justice, peace and righteousness. >> reporter: king actually said, "if you want to say that i was a drum major" -- >> if you want to say that i was a drum major, say that i was a drum major for justice. say that i was a drum major for peace. >> reporter: the poet maya angelou says dropping the "if" makes king seem arrogant. but on this day, at least, that argument was set aside, by those who came to celebrate the man and his dream. and martin luther king's is the only nonpresident on the washington mall. as president obama put it, king is there because he saw what we might become. >> and you mention that the words could change.

that key word that maya angelou points out, the "if." makes a big difference. >> reporter: it makes a big difference in what he meant. and the national park service says they are reviewing it. look for that to be changed. >> powerful day in washington. ron, thank you. still ahead here on "world news" this sunday night, one of those rust belt towns here in america, tonight with a hollywood ending. how did they bring their town back? and then later here, lady gaga with her own marilyn moment. a special tribute to president clinton this weekend. which song did she change, and what did hillary and chelsea think of it? and later here, the boxer in prison for nearly 30 years, a crime he did not commit. this weekend, the triumph he waited decades for. decades for. one works. ooh, the price sure doesn't. i'm tired of shopping around. [ sigh ] too bad you're not buying car insurance. like that's easy. oh, it is. progressive direct showed me their rates and the rates of their competitors.

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abandoned buildings, so gary is renting out its ruins, as ready-made sets. >> why not take lemons and make lemonade? why not squeeze a little economic value out of these structures while they're still here? >> reporter: this old cement plant becomes chernobyl, after the meltdown, in "transformers: dark of the moon." hollywood directors love buildings like this, gary's city methodist church. once a magnificent cathedral, now, a perfect backdrop for scenes of decay and destruction. in the new thriller "altered," a killer priest lurks here, dispatching his victims in the old chapel. >> this would cost hundreds of thousands or potentially even millions to recreate in a city. >> reporter: so from low-budget zombie flicks to multimillion-dollar blockbusters, filmmakers are flocking to gary's picturesque decline. >> industrial decay, i find, has a certain, for lack of a better

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and finallnight he and finally tonight here, he is the ultimate comeback kid. not really a kid. dewey bozella is 52 years young. but he spent half of his life in prison, falsely convicted. all that time he dreamed of freedom. but he had another dream, too. he walked out to that boxing ring for a match he had been preparing for for nearly 30 years. 52-year-old dewey bozella, with just one wish, to box and to win as a free man. >> my worthy cause was my freedom. >> dewey's whole life has been spent escaping the injustices he witnessed. at 9 years old the boy from brooklyn, new york watched his father beat his mother to death. he then lost his brother, who

was killed in a violent fight. at 17 dewey bozella moved to upstate new york hoping for a fresh start. within months he was arrested, accused in the brutal killing of a 92-year-old woman, the only evidence, two local criminals who swore dewey did it. he got 20 years to life. >> i'd die before i tell you i did it. >> reporter: for years in prison, dewey swore his innocence, and it was in the prison's boxing program he discovered the strength to fight for his freedom. >> that was my peace. >> reporter: he would spend his days in the prison's gym. he met a visitor to the prison he would befriend and fall in love with. she was the woman he would marry. he earned his g.e.d., his bachelor's and his masters in theology. >> dewey never gave up. even though dewey was behind bars, he woke up every day loving life. >> reporter: the innocence project found dewey bozella a team of lawyers who would fight for him. they discovered all of the physical evidence, any link to dna, had been destroyed years ago by police. but they kept looking, finding the lead detective who is now

retired, who gave them the break they needed, the case file. and inside it, a confession, years ago, from someone else. >> all of a sudden, we had evidence showing that the people's witnesses were lying, that another suspect actually had confessed to the crime. and the prosecution had hid both pieces of information from dewey for 30 years. >> reporter: nearly 30 years later, dewey won his freedom, his conviction overturned. and last night, in front of thousands, the 52-year-old took on a boxer 22 years his junior. and dewey won. >> i would like to say that, you know, dreams do happen if you never give up hope. and to always believe in yourself. >> 30 years he waited for that victory. that is "world news" for this sunday night. we're always online at abcnews.com. diane right here tomorrow night. good night.

alan, the property manager kicked the media out, but we were able to shoot some video and talk to the public information officer. the shooting happened in the back of the parkside terrace apartments on worcester street. three officers and one reserve officer went to the property after receiving a report from someone who lives in the complex. that person reported a suspicious man with a firearm. officers say they can't go into any detail because they are still interviewing witnesses. but they say something transpired that caused one of the officers to