and broadcasting, inc. right now. on america this morning, new fears of a wider conflict in the middle east as more ships come under attack in international waters. the us military taking new action. meanwhile, what israel is now claiming about its expanded ground war in gaza. >> breaking overnight, a former us ambassador now under arrest, accused of secretly working as an agent for the cuban government. the details just coming out.

>> a surprise deal in the travel industry. a major airline merger. what it could mean for consumers and how it differs from previous airline merger deals. >> a legal battle stemming from the opioid crisis and who's to blame for it? the case the supreme court hears today that could have implications far beyond the pharmaceutical industry saved by his cell phone. >> the lucky way, one man survived a shooting on the street. the uproar in college football undefeated. >> florida state is snubbed, left out of the college football playoff, while alabama with one loss made it. why why? >> and later, the latest celebrity to be hit by a flying object. the actress who got a rude surprise on stage from news in new york. >> this is america. this morning. >> good monday morning, everyone . i'm andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we begin with growing concern about a wider conflict involving the us military in the

middle east. >> more commercial ships have now come under attack and the pentagon says a us warship was forced to take action as militants supported by iran targeted vessels with alleged ties to israel. >> in the meantime, israel is ramping up its ground war in gaza now bombing southern gaza, warning more residents to evacuate. but many say they have nowhere to go. >> abc's liz landers begins our coverage starting with those ships being threatened. liz, good morning. >> andrew the pentagon is calling out iran, saying it fully enabled these new attacks on commercial ships. this this morning, a major escalation between the us and militants backed by iran and the us is being very careful not to turn the red sea into a shooting gallery. the pentagon says missiles fired by rebels in yemen hit three commercial ships in the red sea. the uss carney also shot down three drones during the hours long attack. >> it may have been that the missiles flew over the us ships on their way to the intended target, which is one of the

civilian ships. so there's a little bit of semantics here, but the important point here is that the houthis are playing with fire by launching missiles over us ships. >> no injuries are reported, but the commercial ships were damaged. the houthi rebels claim they were targeting israeli vessels in the shipping lanes between africa and the arabian peninsula for. >> but the us needs to be assured and the world needs to be assured that there's freedom of navigation and that ships could transit the heavily trafficked red sea, which so much of the world's trade goes through on its way or coming out of the suez canal. >> meanwhile, israel's military has expanded its ground war in gaza by hitting hundreds of hamas targets in the north and south. israel says it's now carried out more than 10,000 airstrikes in gaza, one this weekend. reportedly killed a hamas commander who helped carry out the october 7th attack on israel. the hamas run health ministry called yesterday one of the deadliest days of the war,

saying more than 700 people have been killed since friday when the cease fire collapsed. the cries of wounded children echoing through this hospital. this boy covered in dust, kissed his lifeless brother crying, bury me with him. the toll this war is taking on children is fueling more urgent calls from around the globe for a cease fire. but a new cease fire appears unlikely. israel has already recalled its team of negotiators claiming talks had reached a dead end. andrew. >> liz, thank you. a terrorism investigation is underway in france after a tourist was stabbed to death near the eiffel tower and two others were attacked with a hammer. video circulating online appears to show the suspect holding a hammer as he was confronted by police. investigators say he's a french national with a history of mental illness who said he's upset about muslims dying in the middle east. >> a former us ambassador has been arrested in florida, accused of secretly serving as an agent for the cuban government. sources say 73 year

old manuel rocha is due in court in miami today. rocha served as the us ambassador to bolivia and worked under republican and democratic administrations during his 25 year diplomatic career. >> we turn now to a big deal in the airline industry. another merger is being proposed. and the big question, how will it affect consumers? this morning, a surprise mega deal taking off in the airline industry. alaska airlines, the nation's fifth largest carrier, announce an agreement to buy hawaiian airlines. is the deal worth nearly $2 billion? the companies would keep the same names but operate under one ceo. our combined entity will have more than $13 billion in annual revenue, 365 aircraft and 1400 flights a day and serve 138 destinations, including 29 international and over 1200 destinations globally through our one world alliance. >> analysts say the merger would likely be a win for hawaiian

customers, with more service to north america and honolulu becoming a hub. >> the airline's loyalty program would also combine, but it's far from a done deal. jetblue last year reached a deal to buy spirit airlines, but the justice department is suing to block the merger, saying it would violate antitrust laws and drive airfares higher with fewer choices for travelers. fewer choices, critics say, because jetblue and spirit currently compete over many of the same routes. alaska airlines ceo says that's not the case between alaska and hawaiian. he says there's little overlap between them on routes. so he's confident this merger will get the green light. the deal is expected to take at least a year to finalize an accused serial killer is awaiting murder charges in southern california. >> police arrested jared powell in the fatal shootings of four people in four days. they say three of his victims were homeless in los angeles. the fourth was killed in a home invasion. investigators identified powell's car using a controversial license plate surveillance system. here's how it works. authorities enter a vehicle license plate into the

system and if that car passes a license plate reader on the street, police get an alert. powell's car was found in beverly hills, a city that uses the technology. >> we did not enter that plate into this system, this individual that we believe is responsible for at least four murders may have been out there and really offended all of us in law enforcement. look at what they're doing there. and see it as a model. if we want to reduce crime and prevent things and tragedies like this. >> well, critics have raised privacy concerns, but authorities insist the system is not broad surveillance because it only sends alerts for license plates entered into the system. as for those four murders, a motive remains unclear. >> overseas, the bodies of 11 mountain climbers have been found in indonesia. they were killed in a volcanic eruption and 12 people are still missing at mount merapi. they were among dozens stranded over the weekend. the eruption left ash covering several nearby towns. >> now to the legal battle

stemming from the opioid crisis and who's to blame for it? the supreme court hears a case today that could have implications far beyond the pharmaceutical industry. abc's derek dennis explains it's a potential watershed moment in the opioid epidemic. >> today, the supreme court will review a 6 billion bankruptcy settlement between purdue pharma, the maker of oxy contin and the victims and communities ravaged by the opioid crisis. at issue, the deal gives purdue pharma's owners the sackler family immunity, protecting them from lawsuits. >> the victims fought for this plan because they want to help people who have lost loved ones who have been affected by the opioid crisis to recover money. >> attorney edward neiger helped negotiate the settlement and wants it upheld. but the justice department is opposed, arguing there must be unanimous consent among all the claimants to give the sackler family, which made billions off oxycontin immunity. >> the sacklers may be bad

people, but they're not stupid people and they will not give any money to abate the opioid crisis or to victims to help rebuild their lives. unless they get those releases. if they really want to make a lesson of what the sacklers did, they can and should criminally prosecute the sacklers. >> ellen isaacs lost her son ryan to an overdose after he was prescribed oxycontin at 16 years old, her attorney, michael quinn, is seeking a jury trial to keep the sackler family on the hook. >> in a way, this case is about deterrence. it's about holding corporate leaders and owners accountable for their business decisions. >> if approved, the bankruptcy settlement would pay $6 billion to individual families and state health programs and native american tribes over the next 18 years. but if the deal is blocked, legal experts say it could set a precedent for how corporate bankruptcy cases are settled. andrew andrea. derek thank you. >> time now for your monday

weather. rockies are expecting heavy snow today after storms over the weekend caused hazardous conditions, including here in utah. looking at the radar, flooding is possible from seattle to portland today. an avalanche warning has been issued for the cascades range showers are possible from iowa to indiana. and northern new england gets snow checking. today's high temperatures, 50 in the pacific northwest, 30s and 40s across the plains and 50 for much of the northeast. it. coming up, an american airlines pilot suffers a seizure mid-flight. >> also heads saved by his cell phone. the stunning way a man survived a drive by shooting. >> and later, he's only 19 with his baseball player, just scored a historic big league contract

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favorite morning show. good morning america. >> more powerful earthquakes have jolted the southern philippines after saturday's magnitude 7.4 quake. at least three people were killed, including a pregnant woman. thousands of people have been forced to stay in evacuation centers. >> a medical scare in the cockpit of a transatlantic flight. an american airlines jet was approaching philadelphia from paris when the crew called the tower to report one of the pilots had suffered a seizure. >> roger, any information that you have that that you can give us? i will pass it on. i think we have a pilot that had a seizure. pilot that had a seizure? yes >> well, the 787 landed safely. american airlines has not yet commented on the pilot's condition. derek chauvin, the former minneapolis police officer who killed george floyd, has been released from the hospital after being stabbed in prison last month. chauvin is

now receiving follow up care behind bars. he was stabbed more than 20 times by another inmate. >> now to florida, where one man has his phone to thank for saving his life this morning. authorities in florida say a college athletes phone likely saved his life, serving as a bullet absorbing shield. >> it's by the grace of god that we're not discussing a serious homicide case today. authorities in martin county say the victim was walking home when there was a drive by shooting. >> he was shot three times. one bullet traveled through his index finger, hitting the phone, which he was using at the time. this is what the phone looked like after the shooting. >> it's just not just but it is a attempted homicide case. it was inches from a homicide case. >> investigators say the victim, a 20 year old college football player, was shot in the thigh and hand. they did not release his name, only saying he has no criminal history. his friends just hope he can recover. >> it's bad. i hope that the young man be okay because he's young, just starting to live. >> no arrests have been made. deputies have not said if it was

random or a targeted shooting. >> coming up, a cruise ship nightmare. the passengers say they were stranded overseas because the ship was overbooked. >> also ahead, a potentially major new benefit of the weight major new benefit of the weight loss drug ozempic ♪ ♪ ♪ we're building a better postal service. for more on-time deliveries. and easier, affordable ways to ship. so you can deliver even more holiday joy. the united states postal service. delivering for america. ♪ vicks vapostick provides soothing, non-medicated vicks vapors. easy to apply for the whole family. vicks vapostick. and try vicks vaposhower for steamy vicks vapors.

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protect yourself from rsv... ...with abrysvo, pfizer's rsv vaccine. abrysvo is a vaccine for the prevention of lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can be serious if you are 60 or older. having asthma, copd, diabetes, or heart disease puts you at even higher risk. abrysvo is not for everyone and may not protect all who receive the vaccine. don't get abrysvo if you've had a severe allergic reaction to its ingredients. people with a weakened immune system may have a decreased response to abrysvo. the most common side effects are tiredness, headache, pain at the injection site, and muscle pain. ask your pharmacist or doctor about pfizer's rsv vaccine, abrysvo. visit these retailers or find other retailers near you at abrysvo.com. [deep breath] a briceville.com. we're back with the latest. >> celebrity to be hit by a flying object. actress florence pugh was struck in the face while posing for pictures in brazil with her costars from dune part two. she joins a

growing list of stars targeted by fans, including harry styles, bebe rexha, drake and cardi b. >> more people taking weight loss drugs are reporting that it's also curbing their desire to consume alcohol, a new study found. semaglutide which is also known as ozempic and wegovy, significantly decreased symptoms in six people diagnosed with alcohol use disorder. and others are sharing how their urge to drink. also disappeared. >> drinking for me was becoming a bit of an issue and the fact that i just have no desire for it is something i didn't expect and is just an amazing side benefit. i can't even tell you larger clinical trials are now expected as more americans are looking to sail the high seas. >> cruise are in high demand these days, but that's causing a problem over booking. come seek the royal caribbean this morning. a dream vacation in the south pacific, an eight night cruise turning into a nightmare for one group of travelers. they

say royal caribbean denied them entry at their ship's port because the cruise was apparently overbooked. jai and caitlin rayner were two of the passengers left behind after paying nearly $2,000 for the trip. it wasn't until we arrived at port on the day which was what made it so such of a gut punch. they were in brisbane, australia and say just before the quantum of the seas was about to set sail, passengers showing up at the terminal were told they didn't have a cabin. >> it's devastating. like, you know, you do like the feeling as well that we got home and we have to unpack all of our bags. it's like it's so sad. >> royal caribbean says the demand for the recent november 28th cruise went beyond the rooms that were available. unfortunate efforts to accommodate everyone who wished to sail fell short for a group of our guests, and some were unable to sail as planned. the cruise line says each impacted guest was given the option of another sail date or a refund and future credit. >> like the airline industry, three cruise lines, some times

will overbook their ships, knowing that people are going to drop off, not show up, etcetera. it's a fairly common practice for that kind of booking. however, it is very uncommon for people to get bumped. the way happened in brisbane, all to protect yourself. >> experts recommend booking a specific cabin and getting the room number. good morning america. we'll have more tips later this morning. >> coming up, queen latifah and dionne warwick discuss an award like no other. plus the end of the taylor swift winning streak the taylor swift winning streak for the chiefs. [coughing] copd isn't pretty. i'm out of breath, and often out of the picture. but this is my story. ( ♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function,

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florida state fans in tally furious. that's because the seminoles, who are undefeated, failed to make the cut. alabama, which has one loss this season, got the final spot. espn's greg mcelroy says a literal bad break cost florida state a chance at the title. >> one of the criteria for that the committee has used in the past is if a great player on your team is injured and unavailable, that can potentially affect how you're ranked and unfortunately for florida state, their star player , jordan travis, broke his leg in the 10th game of the year. >> they stayed undefeated even after travis broke his leg. critics say the playoff selection process is more about ratings and revenue than records . and a shocker on sunday night football. green bay's jordan love threw three touchdowns as the packers upset the kansas city chiefs 27 to 19. >> taylor swift made the trip to cheer on travis kelce. it's the team's first loss, with swift in attendance. >> next, imagine being 19 years old and signing an $82 million

contract. >> jackson chourio just did it. the teenager from venezuela is headed to the big leagues after reportedly signing a contract with the milwaukee brewers worth 82 million over eight years, a record for a player before his major league debut. wow. a star studded celebration for the new kennedy center honorees. >> president biden held a reception last night. billy crystal, dionne warwick, queen latifah, barry gibb and renee fleming were recognized for their achievements. you know, i feel very fortunate that my music has been instrumental in making people feel good, feel happy, inspired, joyous. >> so it's okay to fail. just get back up and keep trying and go for your goals. go for your dreams and keep dreaming. >> the celebration was bittersweet for barry gibb, the only surviving member of the bee gees. the band kiss has reached the end of the road, but only in human form. >> they wrapped up their final live concert saturday and then they left the stage to be replaced by digital avatars. the company behind the technology

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tackler the perception reputation and reality of crime in san francisco go throughout today. >> abc7 is taking a full look at the true picture of public safety and what needs to happen to fix it. >> commercial ships attacked in the red sea could indicate a growing conflict in the middle east. how the pentagon is now responding and the violence in gaza showing no signs of ending. >> israel's military announcing it's expanding its ground operations into southern gaza. >> and caught on camera, a real life grinch along the peninsula taking off with the family's christmas tree. this bowl of beef only taking seconds to snatch it off