$12,600 puts leah wiegand in the champions wildcard semifinals. [applause] congratulations. we'll be seeing her back soon, but i hope we see you back tomorrow. join us then. ♪♪ captioned by los angeles distribution and broadcasting, inc. right now on america, this morning, flood alerts for the morning commute affecting millions this morning. the same storm system spawning deadly tornadoes in the south. hundreds losing their homes. one man describes rescuing his young son

as the tornado hit. >> a new poll shows most americans now disapprove of how president biden is handling the war in the middle east. what us officials are saying now about the civilian death toll in gaza amid scenes like this. palestinians desperate for aid, trying to climb walls for food and supplies. an arrest in the murder of a high school cheerleader in texas found dead in the bathtub of her home. >> what authorities are revealing about the suspect looked truly a miracle. >> that's what police are saying about the rescue of this woman. days after crashing down a canyon. how she was finally found. consumer alert. >> if you're shopping for gift cards this holiday season, the new warning how thieves are stealing the value of the card before you even buy it. >> and later, the 800,000 ring reported missing at a luxury hotel. it wasn't stolen after all. >> from abc news in new york this is america this morning.

>> good monday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> happy monday. i'm rhiannon ally. we want to begin with extreme weather. just in time for the morning commute in parts of the country. >> a storm system that brought deadly tornadoes to the south is triggering flood alerts in much of the northeast from new york to northern new england. and now we're learning just how destructive those storms were over the weekend. this morning, the powerful storm system that spawned deadly tornadoes across the south is hitting the northeast, dumping up to six inches of rain from new york city to boston and up to five inches of snow in higher elevations of the interior northeast in the wake of that cold air oozing in and well, that's what's going to change. >> that rain to snow for all as we go into the overnight hours or through the overnight hours. and in the wake of this storm, we'll get a little bit of lake effect in tennessee. >> at least six people are dead, including two children, a mother and her two year old son were killed when the storm hit these mobile homes at least 26 tornadoes were reported across the region saturday and sunday, packing winds up to 150mph. the

storms causing tens of thousands of power outages. this fireball erupting at a power station outside nashville and this picture shows the damage at a different substation. i heard behind me it sounded like a freight train. luke dill says a tornado approached his home in clarksville, tennessee, as he was putting his son into his car seat. >> i look up in the sky and the entire sky across the street is just spinning and i'm looking at it and the wind is picking up. i can see the debris starting to fly. i pulled my son out as fast as i could. we ran inside and my two sons and my wife and i, we jumped in the bathroom and then we just started praying to jesus more than 360 homes and buildings are badly damaged or destroyed. >> a twister slammed into this nashville church with dozens of people inside. some suffered broken bones and legs. >> i got to say good morning to our loved ones again in north carolina, a tornado tore down trees near raleigh, damaging homes in this neighborhood. >> and at the north carolina

state women's basketball game, rainwater began leaking onto the court, resulting in a 20 minute delay back in tennessee, 100 military families associated with fort campbell in neighboring kentucky lost their homes. we'll check today's forecast in just a few minutes. a new poll shows most americans decide approve of the way president biden is handling the war between israel and hamas. >> even among democrats, 38% say biden is showing too much support for israel as the humanitarian crisis worsens in gaza. abc's justin finch is here now with the details. justin, good morning. >> rhiannon good morning. israel says there are signs hamas is breaking, losing its grip on power in gaza. but civilian infrastructure may be on the brink of collapse since this morning, new videos showing the desperate situation in gaza palace estonians scaling the walls of a relief center trying to swing the doors open, people chasing a truck, distributing water bottles. an official at the world food program warns

there's not enough food. people are starving. israeli forces now claim they've killed 7000 hamas fighters since the war began. but at a heavy cost. more than 18,000 palestinian have died, according to the hamas run health ministry and nearly 85% of gaza's population has reportedly been displaced. but israel says it's doing what it can to protect civilians. but new videos are sparking criticism. an israeli soldier is seen destroying a gift shop in gaza smashed snowglobes and throwing toys as israel promising to discipline those involved. in the meantime, secretary of state antony blinken tells abc's martha raddatz the us is trying to lower civilian casualties, making sure israel follows international law. >> there's a gap between the intent and the results and that's the gap that we're trying to make sure is closed and the

us boosting support for israel in recent days, pushing through the sale of $100 billion in tank ammunition while vetoing a un resolution calling for a cease fire. >> andrew. >> all right, justin, thank you. the issue of us funding for the war in ukraine will be front and center as ukrainian president zelensky visits washington tomorrow. he'll meet with president biden and congressional leaders. funding for the war is stalled in congress as republicans demand changes to us border policies to address the migrant crisis. >> now to the race for president and the countdown to the iowa caucus is less than five weeks away. this morning, the frontrunner is making news for what he won't be doing today. here's abc's alison kosik. just because of the international reaction this morning, a reversal from former president trump abruptly canceling plans to testify at his civil fraud trial today, citing, among other things, the alleged bias of the judge. >> trump now saying he has nothing more to say. at a

fundraiser over the weekend, he addressed his previous comment that if reelected, he wants to be a dictator, if only for one day. >> and you know why? i wanted to be a dictator? because i want a wall. all right? i want a wall. and i want to drill, drill, drill. >> a new wall street journal poll shows trump not just dominated other primary candidates, but in a hypothetical match up, he also beats president biden. 47 to 43. inflation poses a major problem for biden, 46% of americans now say their standard of living is worse than their parents. polling shows biden would lose the former south carolina governor nikki haley, by an even wider margin than trump. haley, speaking to abc's linsey davis addressed whether trump is fit to be president given his legal troubles. >> i think he's fit to be president. it should he be president? i don't think he

should be president. you know, i thought he was the right president at the right time. i agree with a lot of his policies. the problem is, you see, our country is in disarray. our world is on fire. and you can't defeat democrat chaos with republican chaos. and donald trump brings us chaos with the iowa caucus is just over a month away. >> florida governor ron desantis is staking his claim as the conservative in the race. >> you have donald trump, who's obviously moved left. is not even really putting in the work to earn people's votes. and then you have nikki haley, who's appealing to even very liberal democrat donors and taking positions that are more palpable to those folks. >> yes, get a usa businessman, vivek ramaswamy, who is 38, is touting his support among younger voters, showing off his energy with a push up challenge for back to former president trump, his civil fraud trial resumes tomorrow with both sides expected to rest their case this

week. closing arguments are set for january 11th. that's four days before the iowa caucuses. rhiannon andrew allison, thank you. >> special counsel jack smith is pushing for trump's election interference trial in washington to stay on schedule for march fourth. prosecutors have revealed that they asked intelligence officials who served under trump if they knew of a single vote being flipped by a voting machine in 2020. they say every official said no. >> a suspect is now in custody in the murder of a high school cheerleader in southeast texas. the body of lizbeth medina was found in the bathtub of her family's apartment in the town of edna last week. police released surveillance images of a person of interest before arresting 23 year old rafael romero. they say he is undocumented and he's now being charged with capital murder. my head is just spinning everywhere and i just i just want answers. >> i want justice. nobody ever wants to see their child in a bathtub. the way i found her.

>> romero was arrested about 75 miles north of edna. medina's cause of death has not been released, and police have not said whether the two knew each other or whether the crime is related to a previous break in reported at her home. >> holiday travelers should expect record crowds at the airport. triple a predicts 7.5 million people will travel by air over christmas and new year's. 104 million are expected to drive by. more than half of all gas stations in the us are now charging less than $3 per gallon. >> time now for a look at your monday weather. >> good morning. it is a tough morning for the coast of new england with gusts of wind 60 to 70mph along the coastline. power outages and travel trouble are big concerns along with the drenching rain, 2 to 4in for some, the interior is going to switch over to snow. it's already happening in the mountains in the far interior and we will be dealing with accumulating snow. 1 to 3in of snow for many in the interior. 3

to 6in for other spots. you get up into the higher elevations, 6 to 12in of snow on monday. i'm accuweather meteorologist jeff cornish. >> coming up, why the future of macy's department stores is in the spotlight this morning. >> but first, the mystery surrounding the murder of a catholic priest in nebraska. >> and later, the consequences of taylor swift's fashion choice at the chiefs game

morning america. a suspect is under arrest in nebraska, accused of murdering a catholic priest. >> police say 65 year old father stephen gutsell called 911 reporting a break in at his rectory north of omaha. he was later found stabbed. a 43 year old suspect was arrested at the scene. no word on a motive. police say a previous embezzlement case against the

priest is not believed to be connected to his death. new details about a woman's fight for an emergency abortion in texas. >> in a new court filing, the texas attorney general says the woman should be ordered to carry her baby to term despite the risks involved. here's abc's derrick dennis. >> this morning, texas attorney general ken paxton doubling down in his fight to stop a dallas woman from getting an emergency abortion in a new court filing sunday. paxton argues that kate cox's fatal fetal condition does not meet the medical exception for the state's restrictive abortion law, which bans abortions except to prevent major bodily harm or save the life of the mother. >> there's no outcome here. you know that results in us taking home a healthy baby girl. >> last week, paxton won a temporary restraining order against cox, stopping her from carrying out her abortion after doctors said her 20 week fetus had a severe abnormal and virtually no chance of survival. they said continuing the pregnancy could put cox's health

at risk and prevent her from getting pregnant again. but paxton's latest filing, says cox, failed to explain why these risks require the abortion of this child, adding a fatal fetal condition does not meet the medical exception. and he suggested cox's argument about her future fertility is invalid because paxton believes it appears she will face the same risks regarding the birth of any future child. >> plaintiffs have not shown that they will suffer an immediate and irreparable injury . >> daily rallies are being held at the texas supreme court on both sides of the debate at my choice. all right. >> my choice. >> opponents of cox say the state's abortion law is the will of the voters who want the lives of babies protected. but her supporters claim attorney general paxton has no business intervening. >> time is of the essence. i mean, the clock is ticking every day that goes by the risks to her health and life and future fertility increase. >> no word yet on when the texas supreme court might rule on cox's case. there are similar

challenges to abortion laws in other states, meaning the issue could very well end up at the us supreme court. at rhiannon andrew derek, thank you. >> macy's has reportedly received a $5.8 billion buyout offer from investors looking to take the department store private. the wall street journal says two firms now value macy's at $21 per share, despite slumping sales in the past year. >> coming up, if you're buying gift cards this holiday season, we have an important new scam alert for you. >> but first, a woman missing for four days after a car crash is rescued by police. call it a miracle [♪] did you know, there's a way to cut your dishwashing time by 50%? try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. dawn powerwash has 3 cleaning boosters not found in traditional dish soaps that remove food and grease 5 times faster. and, because it cleans so well you can replace multiple cleaning products for counters, stoves, and even laundry stains. try dawn powerwash dish spray.

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>> we're back now with an amazing survival story in idaho. police near boise say a missing woman was found alive saturday after a person called police to report a car 200 yards down a canyon. while searching the area. deputies found 77 year old penny clark, who'd been missing for four days. she's being treated at the hospital. the sheriff calls her rescue a miracle. >> glad she's okay. we turn now to a new scam alert involving popular gift cards. this holiday season. there's a new way thieves are stealing your money as holiday shopping ramps up. police across the country are warning consumers about the new way thieves are draining cash from gift cards in northern california to this shoplifting suspect was tackled outside a store. authorities say he was carrying 200 stolen gift cards, but they say that's nothing compared to what they found in

his car. >> 5739 addition gift cards. >> they say he targeted dozens of stores making off with nearly $3 million in cards. and across the country, a similar crime north of philadelphia. here's how the scam works. thieves steal the cards and then remove the scratch off stickers like the one seen here. those stickers hide the code that's used to redeem the card. the scammers record that code. then replace the sticker and go back to the store. returning the cards to the shelf for shoppers to buy. some thieves, though, aren't so meticulous. >> they cut off the top. that has. remember again, this is the code. then they take the bottom half of the card, which really means nothing. now put it back into the envelope. reglue it shut. >> once someone buys the card and activates it, the scammer can use the code to redeem the card's value. 44% of shoppers are expected to buy a gift card this holiday season, meaning

scammers have lots of opportunity to protect yourself. carefully inspect any gift card before buying it. checking for abnormal wear and tear. and consider buying the gift card online. direct from the retailer . some authorities are now pushing stores to lock up those gift cards to try and stop these scams. sports a dominating win for the cowboys on sunday night football. >> dak prescott threw two touchdown passes and that was more than the eagles could handle. the cowboys also had four long field goals, including 60 yarder in their 33 to 13 win. both teams are now ten and three. >> coming up, the $800,000 ring that was lost at a luxury hotel. >> plus, the legal battle over >> plus, the legal battle over this infamous mugshot [deep exhale] ♪ trumpet music plays ♪ 579 breaths to show 'em your stuff. every breath matters. don't let rsv take your breath away.

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>> time to check the pulse and we begin with a classic case of whodunit. at one of the fanciest hotels in the world. >> a guest at the ritz in paris said she left her $800,000 diamond ring on a table in her room. she says when she came back, it was gone. she thought it was stolen when i do that. >> but the culprit turned out to be a vacuum cleaner. the six and a half carat ring turned up in the dust bag. glad it's bad. >> next, the big payday for george santos, former congressman recently joined cameo making personalized videos for people at $400 a pop in one week. >> santos claims to have made more money on cameo than his annual salary in congress, which was $174,000. next, the tailor swift effect on nfl gear. >> yeah, she was supporting her boyfriend, travis kelce and the chiefs yesterday while wearing a 90 vintage chiefs sweatshirt. and surprise prize. it's already sold out on the designer's website. >> it does look good. kelce caught a pass late in the game against the bills and threw a lateral to a receiver who appeared to score the go ahead touchdown. but there was a penalty and it was called back.

>> the receiver had lined up offside quarterback patrick mahomes was outraged, screaming at the refs despite it being a legitimate call. next the florida joker and grand theft auto. remember this guy who went viral back in 2017 as facial tattoos made him look like the joker? his name is lawrence sullivan, and he's accusing the makers of grand theft auto, six of using his likeness in the game's new trailer. sullivan is threatening to sue. finally a milestone at the box office. >> the boy and the heron made history. the coming of age story topped the weekend box office. it's the first original anime production to win the domestic production to win the domestic box office. top headlines next ♪ ♪ this year take the time to melt into your holiday moments with lindor. ♪ ♪ irresistibly smooth chocolate.

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