captioned by los angeles distribution and broadcasting, inc. >> right now on america this morning. your money. new turmoil in the middle east. hitting americans in the wallet. oil and gas prices rising as the us military takes new action against iranian backed rebels targeting ships in a key trading route on alert parts of the country. >> dig out from a blizzard. others are covered in dense fog. and now two storm systems targeting the west and east coast. >> the mystery surrounding a missing teenager in texas nine months pregnant. her family

saying she's been found dead. her boyfriend was also reported missing. what police are saying this morning. >> nearly two dozen states prepare to raise their minimum wage just days from now. how fast food chains are bracing for the higher labor costs. the workers now being laid off. >> my name is bond. james bond, plus james bond actor pierce brosnan in trouble at yellowstone national park, another streaming service announces big changes costing some customers more and later, the little boy who secretly unwrapped all his family christmas presents at 3 a.m. christmas morning. >> the reason why should make you laugh. >> from abc news in new york. this is a merica this morning. >> good wednesday morning everyone. i'm andrew dymburt i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. >> we begin with the rising cost of oil and gas as tensions escalate in the middle east, the u.s. has launched airstrikes targeting militants in iraq in recent days and now another ship

has come under attack in one of the world's most important trade routes, the red sea. all this is having consequences here at home. abc's liz landers is here with details. liz. good morning. >> good morning. andrea. despite new action to address the security concerns, militia groups linked to iran do not seem to be deterred from launching attacks. at least not yet. this morning, new tensions in the middle east hitting your wallet. oil and gas prices both on the rise after the pentagon carried out air strikes on iranian backed militants in iraq . this is the damage left behind from the latest airstrike payback for a drone attack on american troops. that left one service member critically injured. >> this is very prevalent amongst the iranians. it's how they conduct business and it's very messy because they're using forces that sometimes don't actually take direct orders, but ultimately it's to push back against the influence of the united states. >> in a statement, secretary of defense lloyd austin saying he and president biden, quote, will

not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the united states, our troops and our interests. there is no higher priority. about 3500 u.s. troops remain in iraq and syria to prevent a resurgence of isis, and since the start of the israel-hamas war, the pentagon estimates there have been roughly 100 attacks against u.s. personnel in the region, fueled by anti-israeli sentiment. and now a new attack in one of the busiest global shipping routes, the red sea. >> u.s. officials reporting what is at least the 16th attack in the red sea since the start of the israel-hamas war. >> an american led naval patrol group is now helping protect ships in the region. but the economic impact on everyday americans now becoming clear, with rising shipping costs and oil prices up more than 2% in the last 24 hours, gas prices up $0.06 per gallon nationwide in the last week, but rising as much as $0.16 in places like

florida. to show the extent of the problem, u.s. forces in the red sea say they shot down 71 drones and missiles, fired by rebels in yemen yesterday alone. andrew. >> all right. liz thank you. turning to the weather now, blizzard conditions are finally easing up in the northern plains. travel has been treacherous across parts of colorado, nebraska and the dakotas. ice is blamed for thousands of power outages. and now the concern is shifting east. heavy rain is moving into cleveland. pittsburgh and washington, d.c. this morning. the storm system will push into the i-95 corridor in the northeast this afternoon, reaching new york city tonight. dense fog remains a concern in the northeast. this was the scene in boston yesterday. the skyline barely visible. we'll check your forecast in just a few minutes. >> returning overseas is real. is expanding its ground war in southern gaza, focusing on refugee camps where hamas fighters are believed to be hiding a top adviser to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met with officials at the white house yesterday as the

us pushes for a pause in the fighting or a shift to a more targeted approach, one israeli official says the military is close to dismantling hamas. abc's britt clennett is in tel aviv. >> prime minister netanyahu, in an op ed, laid out what he called three prerequisites for peace, writing hamas must be destroyed, gaza must be demilitarized, and palestinian society must be de-radicalised. this is israel's army chief warns that the war will continue for many more months and president biden spoke with the leader of qatar yesterday in hopes of jumpstarting talks for a hostage deal. >> more than 100 hostages are being held by hamas. >> the war in the middle east is adding to security concerns. for new year's eve. more than 1 million people are expected to pack into times square, a law enforcement threat assessment warns the ball drop could draw interest from malicious actors, inspired by the conflict between israel and hamas, protesters disrupted the macy's parade on thanksgiving, so new york officials are watching for a similar attempt on new year's

eve. you have to be ready for those unpredictable circumstance aces. >> it's a real herculean task to manage that number of people without being heavy handed. but being protective of. >> important to note here, authorities say there's no specific threat for new year's eve. >> we turn now to texas, where a pregnant teenager and her boyfriend have been reported missing. days later, a major development and a growing mystery when it comes to what police will reveal this morning. what appears to be a tragic update in the search for a pregnant woman in texas, the family of 18 year old savannah soto says she and her boyfriend, matthew guerra, were found dead yesterday in a car outside of a san antonio apartment complex three miles from soto's home. but police are not yet confirming the identities of the victims. >> it appears to be a very complex crime scene, soto last seen near her home friday, was nine months pregnant and one week past her due date. >> her family says she was scheduled to be induced at the hospital saturday, but never

showed up. >> when i called her all morning, she wasn't answering it was going straight to voicemail and we went to the hospital anyways and she was a no show. and that's when i called the cops. she was so excited to have this baby. i mean, her, her, the house is already baby ready. she was so excited. she was going to be a mommy. >> officials releasing few details. also not confirming how the victims died. >> but what we're looking at right now is a very, very perplexing crime scene. and detectives right now are looking at this as a possible murder for an end. but we don't know for sure. >> officials did say the bodies appear to have been inside the car for 3 to 4 days. according to court documents, guerra was on probation for allegedly assaulting soto on christmas day last year. i wasn't fond of him because of when he put hands on my daughter, the family is familiar with heartache. soto's younger brother died in a shooting last year. her family

says soto wanted to become a nurse again. police have not confirmed the victim's identity, saying the investigation continues was an unexpected stop for migrants being flown out of texas. >> a commercial jet carrying more than 200 migrants from el paso to new york city was diverted to philadelphia due to bad weather. they were later put on busses. some advocates believe texas governor greg abbott chartered the flight. as officials struggle to cope with a record surge of migrants at the us southern border. >> the final numbers are in from the holiday shopping season and mastercard says consumer spending was up about 3% compared to last year. that's about the same rate as the current inflation rate. some experts say the fact that sales did not drop this holiday season shows a boost in consumer confidence. restaurants saw the biggest increase in spending. consumers are spending more to return gifts this year, one report found. more than 80% of retailers are now charging fees for returns due to rising costs. >> it wasn't just the weather that delayed people at airports after christmas. the tsa says.

an unusual number of sick calls in atlanta, the nation's busiest airport, contribute to the delays. nearly 7000 flights were delayed yesterday. passengers waited in line for hours. >> time now for your wednesday forecast and andrew. >> do you think we were done with the tough travel? not so fast for late week wednesday morning. we're still dealing with ice, i-94 corridor and bismarck to fargo, dealing with slick roads and slick sidewalks. even the thunder bay. and if that wasn't enough, you're still seeing snow and a rain snow mix in places like kansas city and saint louis. this is going to be to wednesday nights rain in the i-95 corridor in the eastern coast. there from roanoke, all the way into boston. but new york. i'm focusing on you because you've got the potential for urban and street flooding. basement apartments. those could be flooded. and if that wasn't enough, dense fog advisories along the new england coast back

to you, andrea and andrew >> coming up, fast food restaurants announced layoffs days before a minimum wage increase takes effect. but first, trapped for days after a crash. >> how an injured driver was finally found below a highway overpass and the man, previously known as kanye west, comes forward with a mea culpa

tonight on abc. >> new video of firefighters rescuing a man who had been trapped in his truck for days after crashing into a river in indiana. police say he may have been there for one week. two fishermen saw his truck while walking under a highway. police say the crash victim couldn'trillioneach his phone to call 911. >> kanye west is apologizing to the jewish community, posting a statement on instagram in hebrew after a series of anti-semite

remarks. the rapper, who calls himself ye, is asking for forgiveness. his apology comes just before the release of his new album from james bond, actor pierce brosnan is in hot water. he got a ticket at yellowstone national park for roaming into a thermal area that's off limits. he's reportedly been filming a movie in the area with samuel l jackson. >> we turn now to the cost of living, as you probably know, it's been skyrocketing in recent years, but this january 1st, millions of americans will get some help paying their bills. but not everyone is on board with the changes. with. a new year comes new laws and for many states, that means the minimum wage is going up. beginning january first, 22 states will see their minimum. hourly wage increase. in some states, the hike will be small, just $0.35 in ohio. but in hawaii, the minimum will rise by $2. >> impact of the increase in minimum wage. it just moves people closer and closer. to out

of poverty. >> in new york, a split the minimum hourly wage in the new york city area will rise by $1, while the rest of the state sees an 80 cent raise. but it's california that has generated the most headlines. wages there are going up by $0.50 on january 1st and then in april, fast food workers will see a far more substantial raise of $4 an hour, 557,000 people at 30,000 locations. >> this is a big deal. yeah, $20 an hour, $8. 80% of the workforce force in these fast food places, 80% are people of color. two thirds, two thirds are women. >> this is for my ancestors. this is for all the farm workers , all the cotton pickers. this is for them. >> um, but the state is already paying the consequences to large pizza hut franchises announced yesterday that they're eliminating their in-house delivery services, resulting in more than 1200 drivers being laid off. customers will now have to use third party apps like doordash for deliveries,

and chipotle and mcdonald's have said they'll be raising prices in the state to offset the higher labor costs. 20 states are still at the federal minimum wage, which has been 7.25 an hour since 2009. $1 today can buy only about 70% of what it could buy back in 2009, coming up, another health benefit of owning a pet. also ahead, a new twist in the case of disgraced attorney and convicted killer alec murdoch that could help him get a new trial i'm andrea, founder of a boutique handbag brand - andi - and this is why i switched to shopify. it's the challenges that we don't expect, like a site going down or the checkout wouldn't work. what's nice about shopify is when i'm with my family, when i'm taking time off, knowing that i have a site up and running and our business is moving forward because we have a platform that we can rely on. that is gold to us. start your free trial at shopify today.

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metamucil gummies. coursera.org coursera. >> learn without limits. breaking overnight, the south korean actor lee sung kyun has died. >> he's best known for his role in the oscar winning movie parasite police had been searching for the troubled actor he was just 48. >> a new study suggests private equity firms taking over hospitals are bringing down the quality of care. researchers found patients were more likely to fall and get infections after a private equity firm took over a hospital. they say the findings may reflect a priority for profit over safety. another

health benefit of owning a pet. a new study finds people prone to dementia may be able to delay the progression of the disease if they own a pet. that's because your dog or cat reduces loneliness, which doctors say is a risk factor for cognitive decline. >> we turn now to a new twist in the case of former south carolina attorney and convicted murderer alec murdoch, his chance of winning a new trial may have improved thanks to a scandal surrounding the clerk, who read the verdict. guilty in the aftermath of the verdict that sent disgraced attorney alec murdoch to prison for the murders of his wife and son. court clerk becky hill entered the spotlight. she co-wrote a book, behind the doors of justice the murdoch murders, promising an up close look at the trial and her personal relationship with the murdoch. but now hill is accused of playing rising, part of that book from a british reporter. >> i was shocked, i was disappointed. >> neil gordon co-wrote the book with hill. he says he found an ethical gaffe while reviewing hill's emails.

>> and i asked her if she could kind of explain. maybe what happened. and she said that she felt like she was under a lot of deadline pressure. >> hill has previously spoken openly about the murdoch trial, including on a netflix documentary. >> i had a feeling from our time together with the jury out at moselle that it was not going to take our jury long to make the decision. >> in a statement responding to the plagiarism allegations, hill's attorneys say she's deeply remorseful for this unfortunate lapse in judgment. but these developments could have consequences for murdoch as he seeks a new trial. he previously claimed that hill had tampered with the jury, a claim she denies and prosecutors insist is not credible. the plagiarism scandal could now put her credibility back in question, as the judge weighs whether to grant a new trial. >> i think it's likely that alec murdoch gets a new trial. and this is why normally, you can't get into a jury deliberation. but there's one important exception. and that's if there's

outside influences in the jury room. >> sales of hill's book were suspended as per murdoch's request for a new trial. no hearing has been scheduled yet in sports. >> it's not a record any team would want. the detroit pistons lost their 27th straight game last night, setting the record for longest single season, losing streak 76. ers still hold the overall record at 28 straight losses over two seasons. the pistons could get lost number 28 tomorrow though against the celtics who are the number one team in the east right now as well. >> coming up the $650 reservation at applebee's plus another popular streaming service, makes a big change ♪ (vo) your pet's favorite products are now packed with rewards! earn points however you shop.

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service adding ads. >> this time it's amazon prime video subscribers were warned earlier this year, and now a date has finally been set. beginning january 29th. movies and tv shows on the service will be broken up with advertising. amazon says it plans to have fewer ads than other streaming providers. ad free programing will cost an extra $3 a month. >> next, an expensive reservation at applebee's. >> how about $650 to book a table? that's the cost. if you want to hang out at the applebee's in times square during the ball, drop on new year's eve, if applebee's isn't fancy enough, look a $12,000 ticket at a lounge nearby that's worth it for the bathroom access. >> i think. >> next, some police are accused of getting too aggressive in cracking down on speeding. >> usa today is out with an opinion piece asking if aggressive speed traps are even legal. the newspaper cites the case of a small town in ohio, population 500, but local police wrote 8900 tickets and five months. a similar case was reported in a small town in

texas. >> enforcement can make the streets safer, but critics claim it erodes trust in police, and they say towns that generate a large chunk of their revenue from fines and fees raise constitutional concerns, turns everybody slow down all right. next, a little boy in north carolina who got a jump on christmas. >> the three year old decided to sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to open his gifts and everyone else's. he unwrapped every present under the tree at 3 a.m. he only woke up his parents when he needed help opening his spider-man toy. >> both of us went to sleep, uh, thinking everything was fine. everything was great. and then we were awoken, uh, with a request for scissors, which is not really how you want to be woken up at 3 a.m. it just didn't enter our heads as a possibility that someone would go down and open all the presents. >> now the son said he unwrapped all the presents to make it less confusing for everyone. mom raced to rewrap them before the other kids woke up and finally,

the grinch had a pretty rough christmas. >> he was over louisiana when his flying machine suffered a mishap, causing him to crash into the power lines. oops. turns out he ran out of gas. he says he hung upside down for about an hour but was not hurt. >> you're a mean one, mr. grinch >> you're a mean one, mr. grinch . top headlines next the all-in-one and done symptom relief of mucinex is delivered fast with doordash to the comfort of your couch. slow down!... i mean (coughs) slow down! ahh! watch it! ♪ come on! a hero will answer the call... (laughs) you just have to answer the door. oof! that was fast. ♪ mucinex available on doordash. ahh! it's comeback season. i'm steve, i lost 138 pounds in nine months on golo and taking release. since taking release, my sleep is way better. my inflammation has gone way down.

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inspection at the martinez refinery, now at 5:00. we're hearing from neighbors fed up with the laundry list of issues at the facility. plus they are all small local businesses. >> they're a big part of the community. a dozen local businesses now in ruins. >> how shop owners in los altos are planning to move forward after a destroyed christmas morning fire. >> far and away, the pandemic was our biggest challenge. >> after helping the city with its biggest challenge, he says. it is time to close out his career. we're getting perspective from a man who spent nearly two decades showcasing san francisco at its best and golden gate fields celebrating its final opening day. how