freestylelibre.us ♪ >> gio: good morning, america. ♪ it's our second hour. super soaker. california bracing for more dangerous high surf, waves could reach as high as 40 feet as the damage and devastation from that rogue wave comes into focus. all fueled by a massive storm system, the very latest on all that rain and high winds still in the forecast. >> whit: holiday travel rush. millions on the move hitting the roads and taking to the skies but have crowds hit a peak or

will the weekend be even busier? >> gio: "gma" health alert. flu and covid numbers on the rise. dr. darien sutton is live with what to know before your new year's gathering. ♪ and you're gonna hear me roar ♪ >> stephanie: and roar into 2024. all weekend. "gma" taking you high above times square going inside the last-minute preparations, and from the biggest blockbusters. >> hi, barbie. >> hi, ken. >> stephanie: to taylor and beyonce making music at the multiplex. >> you are the visual, baby. >> stephanie: the most memorable moments from the year that was as we say, good morning, america. ♪ hear my voice, hear that sound ♪ >> whit: good morning, america. so great to have you with us. excited to have stephanie ramos back at the desk with us this morning, and we have a special surprise as we ring in the new year. i believe we have a photograph here, celebrations under way here at "gma."

our very own janai norman sending us this photo. >> gio: so beautiful. >> whit: she and her husband recently welcoming their third child. so congratulations to them. we'll talk more about the exciting moment coming up later in the show. >> gio: we are so excited for her and we just love seeing that. the countdown is on for 2024 taking you high above times square just hours before the ball drops and somara theodore, look at her there with that coat pulling double duty finding out about all the festivities and tracking your holiday forecast coming up. >> stephanie: she's got a great view for it all. view. we start with the weather out west and that powerful storm threat and abc's will carr is in california where the state is bracing for more high surf after a rogue wave already causing a lot of damage and some injuries. good morning, again, will. >> reporter: good morning, stephanie. we're inside the inn on the beach here in ventura which backs up right against the ocean, and that rogue wave swept

through this building and check out what came with it. you can see the destruction inside of the bathroom here. the inside of this hotel room quite literally brought the ocean with it. you've got all the sand and dirt and we're expecting another day of extreme weather. >> oh, no. oh. >> reporter: this morning, california bracing for another round of storms as waves up to 25 feet and coastal flooding remain a threat for a large part of the state. officials racing to protect hopes and businesses, building massive sand berms, after that terrifying rogue wave swept through ventura thursday. >> we're ready for the heavy surf advisory that's going to be going on through saturday and high tide should be coming in right around 10:00. >> reporter: waves smothering judy thomas' inn in sand and mud. >> i mean, the whole first floor

is destroyed. >> reporter: the wall of water sweeping people off their feet, damaging cars, this garage crushed. authorities shutting down the entire coastline in ventura county after more than a dozen rescues including this one caught on camera. two people racing to save a lifeguard from the power of the water. at least eight people rushed to the hospital. amazingly, nobody was killed. >> things can be replaced. things can be rebuilt, but people can't. >> reporter: here in southern california, we are expecting a high surf warning through the rest of the day and in northern california, we're expecting massive waves. there could be isolated waves up to 40 feet tall. gio. >> gio: all right, will, thank you so much. now to the big holiday return. millions of travelers on the roads packing airports making their way home this weekend. let's go back to abc's reena roy at laguardia airport, with what to know about that travel rush. good morning again, reena.

>> reporter: hey, gio. good morning you it. aaa is predicting this will be the busiest holiday season ever. you can see why at the airports. the tsa says 2.4 million passengers or more have been screened every day since the 20th. a lot more than last year. the busiest airports are atlanta, denver and dallas-fort worth. american airlines alone says they're offering over 110,000 flights from the 20th until january 8th. now, despite these massive crowds, overall things have been pretty smooth. but, unfortunately, some have been dealing with delays today. and if you're hitting the road traffic is picking back up ahead of new year's eve, more than 100 million people getting behind the wheel during the holidays, and today is supposed to be one of the most congested days. if you're traveling through places like denver, minneapolis and d.c. you'll definitely want to give yourself extra time because they are expected to see a lot of traffic. whit. >> whit: reena, thank you so much. now to a "gma" health alert and respiratory illnesses

including the flu and covid on the rise. abc news medical correspondent dr. darien sutton is here to break it all down for us. dr. darien, good morning. always great to have you. we're seeing this rise. what has you concerned? >> overall on the trends when looking at forecasts and models across the united states, we see the highest rate in patients coming in with flu or flu-like symptoms, fever, cough or sore throat, in the southern states, states like georgia, mississippi, alabama and extremely in high rates in western states, nevada and coastal states like california. so if you're in some of these states you have to pay attention wearing that mask, making sure you're updated on vaccines. as far as individual virus, in terms of rsv in some states we've seen a decrease which means we've seen the peak already. however, for covid and the flu, we're still seeing an increase and the rise for covid, seven weeks increasing. thankfully the numbers are lower than yesterday but flu continuing to see increases, people coming in with cough, sore throat, chills and their

children, unfortunately, so it's just a reminder take advantage of those interventions, make sure you're up to date on your vaccine and grab that high-quality mask. >> whit: so, we still have a ways to go through winter. with all these things going around we've seen a lot of people sick with the sniffles and whatnot. at what point are you okay to come back to work or go socialize, go to a new year's eve party? >> you know, i wish i had an easy answer to this. the short and simple when you're most symptomatic you are most infectious. the number one rule, if you have a fever you have to stay home. that is when you're the most infectious and remind patients even if you're taking fever reducing medication like acetaminophen and tylenol or motrin and feel better, you're still infectious. typically it seems as though the most infectious period is five to seven days when you first have symptoms but for some it can extend. at the minimum those five to seven days practice isolation, wear that high quality mask and then after that i would continue wearing that mask for 10 to 14 days just to be safe. >> whit: some of these bugs that kids are getting.

my daughter, i feel like she was sick three months with a runny nose. >> so many patients are saying that. when children come in with constant symptoms it's more a review of different types of colds. like one cold and then the next. >> whit: we'll have to leave it there. dr. sutton, thanks so much. gio, over to you. >> gio: important conversation there. coming up in our "gma morning menu," a closer look at alzheimer's affecting the hispanic community. >> stephanie: also ahead, ready for your next getaway? "gma" is charting course for the hottest destinations in 2024, all at some really good prices. >> gio: it's the great christmas cleanup. the helpful holiday hack to keep your ornaments organized. we'll be right back on a saturday morning. keep your ornaments organized. we'll be right back on a saturday morning. ng downhill. because just one sip of this delectable silky chicken ramen noodle soup will put an end to your drive-through dinner rituals. it's time to bring out the cook in you

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♪ >> stephanie: back now with our "gma" cover story and according to the alzheimer's association,

there's more and more data about how the disease disproportionately affects specific communities, including older black americans, think about twice as likely to have alzheimer's compared to their white counterparts. >> gio: this morning right here we are taking a closer look at the effects on the hispanic community and how improving health can still honor your heritage. melissa adan is in los angeles with this story. good morning, melissa. >> reporter: gio, good morning. our health is everything for ourselves and our aging relatives. and it really can hurt to see a family member who was once the head of a family begin to struggle with things like memory loss. well, these complex challenges are facing more than 6 million americans, currently living with alzheimer's disease, many of them latinos. it's a disease affecting 13% of hispanics who are 65 and older. alzheimer's disease and related dementias. the cognitive disorder affects memory, thinking and behavior, and hispanic are 1 1/2 times

more likely to be diagnosed compared to their white counterparts. along with age and family history various health factors can play a part in the disease's development. among them, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. dr. cid says missing early signs can be attributed in part to the hispanic community tending to normalize symptoms. >> the hispanic community as a culture minimizes the way that we kind of address symptoms of memory loss. the symptoms are so mild, the person's living their day-to-day life. they're working. they're driving, et cetera, and they are ignoring their symptoms because the culture says it's okay, it's normal. it happens to everyone as we age. >> reporter: by 2060, an estimated 3.2 million hispanics and latinos will be living with alzheimer's disease, and other related dementias.

doctors encourage family members to pay close attention. >> when our older adult, when they develop symptoms, memory loss and stop socializing, when they have difficulty in conversations and finding the right words then we tend to not necessarily address it with memory disorder specialists. there's a delay in really addressing the problem. >> reporter: experts say early detection is key. >> particularly hispanics that are middle-aged paying attention to our brain health and really understanding that alzheimer's disease is a brain disease. it is not normal aging. the brain is an organ like any other organ that might experience symptoms of a disease. >> reporter: some warning signs of alzheimer's disease to watch out, needing memory aids subpoena as lists to recall dates or information you that used to remember easily. losing track of a conversation as you're having it and also struggling to find words or names. so if you have concerns about yourself or a loved one get evaluated. it may seem scary, but help in dealing with alzheimer's is out there. gio. >> gio: it is such an important story. thank you, melissa. i got to tell you my abuela had alzheimer's and for a long time

they just didn't address it. it wasn't addressed. they didn't look into it so she didn't get the information she needed. she didn't get the treatment she needed so i'm so glad we're talking about this here. >> whit: that early detection is so important. >> gio: that's what's so important. all right, stephanie. >> stephanie: glad we're paying attention to this disease. thank you, gio. thank you, melissa. turning to travel in 2024 and the hot destinations around the world that you can find for pretty cool prices. pauline frommer is the editorial director of "frommer" and she is here with some of her top spots. welcome. >> thank you. >> stephanie: so you've put together this fabulous list of places to visit. >> yes. >> and you've got a spot that's perfect for families. it's right up my alley. >> well, national parks. what is better for families than our national parks and we are celebrating one that is celebrating its 100th anniversary. i'm talking about craters of the moon national monument in idaho. it's one that people don't know about and yet it looks totally

like the moon, in fact, in 1969 nasa trained the apollo 14 astronauts there so i'm talking lava fields, soaring peaks, there's going to be all kinds of special events for the 100th anniversary and because this is idaho, the cost of living is low, which translates to the cost of travel being low. it's about 30% lower than, say, new york or california. so a very affordable place to go. great for the kids. and let's celebrate it. >> stephanie: absolutely. idaho, would have never thought. it's been on my list, though, idaho, south dakota, that whole area, beautiful landscape. you talked about cost and if you're traveling with your family, you obviously want your dollar to go a long way. so you've got more affordable places to visit as well. what's on your list? >> this is an exotic one. we're saying go to the cook islands this year. >> stephanie: affordable and exotic.

incredible. >> for the first time in 30 years there are direct flights there from the united states. and when you get to the cook islands, which is an island grouping in the pacific between new zealand and hawaii, it looks exactly like hawaii but hawaii of 100 years ago. >> stephanie: before the tourism. >> before the tourism, before the development and high prices, so much more affordable than a hawaiian vacation and you can finally get there easily. >> stephanie: i love, thank you so much. idaho and the cook islands. we'll be there. all right. now to serving up kindness and a little boy making a big difference in his brooklyn community. abc's morgan norwood has the story. good morning, again, morgan. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you, stephanie. you know, first it was the pandemic, right? and inflation came in with the one-two punch and the most vulnerable americans into the crisis. while nonprofit organizations have worked to meet the needs they've had a hard time finding hands to help. well, 6-year-old harry simmons is stepping up and inspiring

other kids to get involved too. at just 6 years old harry simmons is passionate about giving back. he gets it from his mom candace who says the generosity is generational. >> i grew up with a mom who said all the time that service is the rent we pay for living in this world. >> reporter: with that wisdom from her mother she encourages harry to give back to their local brooklyn community. >> i enjoy donating my clothes and toys because it's fun. >> i'm really fortunate to have him in organizations and community organizations that also have giving back as part of their mission statement. >> reporter: but finding volunteers like candace and harry has become harder for organizations across the country. according to the census bureau and americorps, the number of volunteers dropped by about 7% between september 2020 and september 2021. that's when only 23% of americans formally volunteered

with an organization. >> we're obviously concerned about the decline in volunteering and the decline in donor participation. but i do think it's important to understand that donation trends and volunteer trends do ebb and flow over the course of time and also that the pandemic really changed a lot of things. >> reporter: that same study found parents with children under 18 formally volunteered at a higher rate and that kids 16 and 17 had the highest volunteer rate of all age groups. digital platforms like give as we grow teaches families how to cultivate a culture for serving through a play-based learning game connected to real nonprofits. >> in the game kids are volunteering with nonprofits that exist in real life so they are learning about giving back to organizations in their community and they're able to see the impact in that virtual environment, but our hope is that it doesn't stop there. we want parents to see what their kids are doing in the app and then help your kid translate that into real-life impact. >> talk about people who are

suffering, talk about our power to help them out in the smallest actions of our everyday lives. it gives children a sense that they can really make a difference starting really young. >> reporter: and at 6 years old, harry simmons is proof. >> please volunteer. >> reporter: you heard it there from my friend harry. and experts say that it's important parents lead by example. when you're generous they'll naturally take to it. another thing you can do, get to know their interests, right? for example, if they're into animals perhaps getting involved with a local animal shelter. whit, i know that's something you and your family also do, fostering animals, so you're serving as an example as well. >> whit: thank you very much. we love animals. lead by example. we try our best although sometimes as parents we feel like we fail plenty of times. thank you so much, morgan. we appreciate it. back to somara theodore in times square with a check of the weather.

good morning. >> somara: good morning, whit. here on the east coast it's really cold but it's dry, not the same story for our friends out west. out in california they've been dealing with powerful waves that have led to dangerous rip currents. they are still actually in effect for high surf alerts right now. as we head through the day, we are anticipating the wave heights to decrease so that's good news while they have seen 20 to 40-foot waves we could look at 10 to 15 this afternoon. meanwhile, on the east coast, we are tracking this area of low pressure. this disturbance dips through the great lakes and brings the threat for snow showers, maybe even a few sprinkles of rain in new york city so if you're headed to see the ball drop keep that in mind. a little bit of rain is possible and nothing to worry about. across the country things look quiet. temperatures in new orleans in the low 50s. that's a look at your forecast across t

>> whit: now to this weekend's trail mix, taking you on the campaign trail, ahead of the 2024 presidential election and team of abc news 2024 campaign embeds, hitting the road in iowa this holiday week. take a look. new year's isn't the only countdown. the iowa caucuses are just over two weeks away. >> we're saving the life of this country. >> reversing biden's executive orders, yes, day one, gone, in the trash can. >> whit: and as 2024 rings, in, voters are voicing the issues that matter most to them in the new year. >> i think we need a more secure border. i don't think we can sustain allowing thousands and thousands of people coming across the

border illegally every day. >> for sure anyone talking about the climate is very important to me, abortion rights like i said, the economy, those are all three things i would say that i'm looking for in a candidate. >> i don't know if most could change because we're getting down to the wire. >> whit: as the holiday season wraps up our reporters asking if politics was on the menu at family gatherings. >> we definitely had conversations and quite a few people are interested in nikki. >> god bless you. thank you so much. >> we do not discuss politics among family. >> yeah, we can talk politics, it's not a big deal. just put our thoughts on the table and hash it out. no one is flipping tables or anything like that. it always goes well. >> whit: always good when nobody is flipping tables, of course. our thanks to our embed team for those conversations with voters and the iowa caucuses a couple weeks away. >> gio: anything could happen. >> stephanie: they'll be busy the next couple of months. >> whit: absolutely. >> gio: coming up here, get organized with top tips for cleaning up after the holiday. we'll be right back. you're watching "gma." get

organized with top tips for cleaning up after the holiday. we'll be right back. you're watching "gma."

gold patrol car and another vehicle flipped on its side. the suv appears to be a government vehicle. the accident happened on keith street and quesada avenue. it's unclear what caused the crash, and we don't know if anybody was hurt. we are waiting for an update from san francisco police. now let's get a preview of your weather with lisa. arjun. good morning. lisa. >> hey gloria. good morning to you. some pretty good downpours here in the east bay. going in closer to 580. oakland and alameda. we've got the rain pushing from west to east. further south and we're looking at the showers becoming more scattered as you get to the south bay. but redwood city highway 82 pretty wet out there. and we'll dry out this afternoon. thank you, lisa, and thank you for j

♪ say you'll remember me standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset, babe ♪ ♪ say you'll remember me standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset, babe ♪ >> gio: back now on "gma," and "wildest dreams from the "time" magazine calls the main character of the world. taylor swift closing out the year on a high note. reclaiming the number one spot on billboard's album chart earlier this weekend. coming up in "binge this," much more. you know there's much more on swift's era on top. >> whit: i heard stephanie's

voice there, too. you were singing along. >> stephanie: just a little bit. they're catchy. she's on top of the world for a reason. >> whit: stephanie can actually sing. look it up. google it. all right. looking forward to that. but first, let's take a look at the top headlines we're following right now. ohio's republican governor mike dewine vetoing a bill passed by his own party that would want ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. he says it suggests the governments know better than parents. the bill would ban transgender athletes' participation in girls and women's sports. >> gio: a new recall alert for a toy that may pose a choking and injury risk. at issue are thousands of high-powered magnetic balls sold through walmart. the relax 5 millimeter science kit features more than 200 multicolored balls. the safety commission says it

exceeds standards. products for magnetic strength and could clump together to block parts of the digestive system. there have been no injuries reported, thank goodness. >> stephanie: and save the date. weddings in las vegas could break a record tomorrow. that's because new year's eve date, 12/31/23 makes the pattern 1-2-3-1-2-3. >> whit: oh. >> stephanie: had you noticed that. >> gio: that's cool. >> whit: it took me a minute. i was told there would be no math. now i got it. >> stephanie: specialty dates are traditionally a big draw for brides and grooms since the date lands on a holiday they're expecting a surge of couples to descend on sin city to say "i do." the number to beat is 4,492. that's the single day record set on july 7th, 2007. >> gio: elvis was busy. >> whit: yes. sure was. easy date to remember for the anniversary too. >> gio: yeah. >> stephanie: there you go. >> whit: we turn to the christmas cleanup unwrapping helpful holiday hacks to keep your lights and tinsel organized. kathryn snearly runs a do it on

a dime youtube channel and joining us with her tips. kathryn, good morning to you. it's great to have you. >> good morning. i'm so glad to be here. we'll keep this fun this morning. >> whit: let's do it. so, let storage be the bad guy. that's something that you say. what does that mean? >> i love this one. so if you're like me and you love holiday decor and you're struggling to fit it back into all of those bins, what i like to do is make the bin the bad guy. i don't need to buy more, i need to eliminate some of what i already have. and if you love holiday items, start with the things that you didn't put out this year and see if you can eliminate by just 20%. and think of it this way, i'm giving myself a gift next year of fewer distractions. besides, when you donate this, somebody who can actually use it who enjoys it. >> whit: i like that one. when it comes to storage solutions, so what's your favorite holiday hack? >> i think these are my complete favorite because you probably

already have it at home. run out to your garage and grab an old tackle box. this is one of my favorite ways to store all of my ribbons, bows. i can put extra pens and tape in here so i'm already for my wrapping next year. and 'tis the season. now there are so many sales, go out and get some extra ribbon that you've got on clearance and grab an old broomstick. you can also find these at the dollar store. your ribbon rolls fit on top and what's more, i can stick this in the back of my closet. >> whit: perfect. >> i know, my friend, you probably have some extra cups in your pantry from the party that you hosted and i know you probably got all those boxes you need to break down. this is one of my favorites for ornament storage. all i'll do is take a hot glue gun and put some on the bottom

and glue cups on top. if you have a lot of sentimental ornaments this is a nearly free way to store them. i have them in layers just like this. >> gio: wow. >> look how easy it is to get out next year and didn't cost me a dime. >> whit: incredible. very impressive. all right. we got more here. christmas lights, always difficult to store. what is your solution for that? i've got a ton of these at home. >> listen, and you probably already have a ton of these at home, too. old hangers. you can just take your christmas lights and wrap these around. sometimes i like to put a tag on where these go in the house. great low-profile storage and you are not going to have the headache when you take them out next year. >> whit: great. how about containers? what do you recommend for that, all sorts of things out there. what's the best one? >> so, i really aim for visual storage. i can't remember what i'm putting away from last year so i really like these giant bags. i just get them from the dollar store. it's really easy for me to see everything that i have. and another secret that i have is to grab these linen totes.

this is typically used for your bed sheets. but i can see everything right through the front. they're super easy to tote around for bottle brush trees, all of my garlands and i'm all about the visual storage. any time i can see what i have, i'm in the gold. i really like this organizer. i got it for less than 20 bucks online. and here i just have an old shoe organizer, i cut out some of the bottoms. this is so easy for my wrapping paper storage and so affordable. >> whit: this last tip helps you remember what you packed away the previous year. tell us what that is about. >> so get out your smartphone and take a picture from above of everything that's in your storage containers. put it on a folder in your phone and that way you can pull it up next year and remember everything that you have. you want to keep the holidays magical. >> whit: love that idea. kathryn, you would be disturbed if you saw my basement and garage about this time of year so thank you. i need the help. appreciate it, kathryn.

>> stephanie: really great tips. i'll take some of those. i like the cups and ornaments. >> whit: with the layers in the box. >> gio: and all those red cups you have hanging around. >> whit: i have a lot of red solo cups in my house. >> stephanie: you are using them. coming up, the countdown to 2024 is on, and we're taking you high atop times square to find out all about the show and safety plans that is taking place there on new year's eve. we'll be right back. >> whit: don't make me explain myself on those cups. [ laughter ] we'll be right back. >> whit: don't make me explain myself on those cups. [ laughter ] and a lot going on. that's why i take kesimpta. kesimpta is the only b-cell treatment for rms you can take at home, once-a-month. and it was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses vs aubagio. for me, a once-a-month treatment just works for my schedule. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can cause serious side effects, including infections. while no cases of pml were reported

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>> gio: we are back now with 100 wishes. >> gio: we are back now with 100 wishes. disney and make a wish teaming up to make wishes come true for kids battling serious illnesses and for wish number 79 we meet 9-year-old arthur, a cancer patient from the uk with a wish to go to disneyland paris. take a look. >> arthur carries a gene which makes you much more susceptible to cancer, and arthur said, i've got a bit of a pain in my leg and sure enough, the next day she called me and she said, i'm really sorry. i think he's got bone cancer. so we were offered a wish during arthur's treatment.

so straightaway, arthur said disneyland, i want to go to disneyland. >> three, two, one. open the box. >> you're going to disneyland paris. >> yay. >> always front and center and could just enjoy it. there was none of the usual struggle that comes with being in a wheelchair. >> i didn't have to cue for anything. i was being taken through the secret doors. it makes me feel like i'm a celebrity. >> it's not going to be remember the year that arthur lost his leg. it'll be remember that year we went to disney. >> definitely the most magical weekend of our lives. >> well, arthur, you are a celebrity and arthur said the highlights were seeing all the disney characters and going on the rides over and over again. you just can't beat that. all right, let's go back to somara at the new year's ball for another check of the weather. hey there, my friend. >> somara: hey, oh, my goodness. you guys, we're getting ready to ring in 2024.

this will be my year. i say this every year with the same delusional confidence. let's go ahead and take a look at your forecast. coming down in times square for the ball drop, temperatures will be in the upper 30s, but it's going to feel much colder. if you are the prepared friend make sure you stop at the store and get the hand warmers and bring the scarfs, bring the gloves, layer up. know you're going to have a ball. maybe a little bit of drizzle bu >> somara: all right. so, like i said, i'm so excited. 2024 is right around the corner. i'm here with jeff straus, the president of countdown entertainment, i've got a few questions for you. first of all, are we ready to get the party on the road?

any new updates we have? give it to us. >> oh, my god. please. i've been waiting all year for this and now today we have a final rehearsal with the star of our show, the times square ball, largest crystal ball in the world. 12 feet in diameter, nearly 6 tons of fun. we're going to be practicing going up, counting down, we'll be ready for the big year. and new this year, the ball getting a little dapper. it's got a new bow tie pattern thanks to our friends at fountainbleu. people don't remember, it used to be a bow tie. it's two triangles coming together at 45th street in the shape of a bow tie. >> somara: i love that. we got l.l. cool j. >> thanks to abc we have l.l. cool j, tyla, sabrina carpenter, jelly roll and here in times square you will get flo rida, you get young lucas, maria becerra, an eclectic mix of entertainment from all over the world. but the best part, paul anka, is

taking his classic "my way" he's added new lyrics special for times square new year's eve. goes right into "imagine." it'll bring everyone to their feet though they'll be standing already and bring in the new year. >> somara: i love that. we got to bring it in with lots lots of unity, right? >> my favorite time of the year with no moment like it where the whole world is doing the same thing at the same time as we count down together those final seconds filled with hope and filled with joy for the new year. >> somara: you know, it's important that we're also safe and i know whit, whit, you've got it lined up. what do you got, whit? >> whit: jeffrey, asking about the safety question. what are you and the team and the police department doing to prepare for security concerns? >> well, you know, thanks to the mayor's office and, of course, the best police department in the world, nypd and all the new york agencies, i don't have to worry about that. i'm just putting on a show so we got all the rehearsals and

everything like that but they do this every year and i've been doing it for 29 years, amazing how nypd makes it safe, fun and friendly for the revelers around the world to make this pilgrimage to times square to celebrate the new year. we are ready to go. >> somara: whoo! >> gio: jealous of that hat. >> whit: somara, i'm jealous of those glasses. if you got extra send them our way. gio is ready. for all of us all morning long go warm up and times square new year's eve kicks off with the lighting and raising of the ball tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. eastern. >> gio: all the things, all the things. coming up here, the year's best in "binge." how barbie and beyonce slayed on the silver screen. >> whit: slay the day. that's what my daughter says. ♪ deep in love ♪ best in "binge." how barbie and beyonce slayed on the silver screen. >> whit: slay the day. that's what my daughter says. ♪ deep in love ♪ special too bec, discover is giving me cash back on debit.

not just credit. actually, discover gives cash back on debit... to everyone. everybody? everybody. if you could just tap... what about debbie johns? all those years that i couldn't find my bike, it was in her garage. like she gets it? if she has discover cashback debit then...yeah. introducing discover cashback debit: a checking account with cash back for everyone. test. test. test. test. test. test. test. test. test. test. test.

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my purina. your pet. our passion. one app. the target clearance run is on. dash in now for savings up to 50% on select clothing and shoes for everyone, plus beauty and personal care and their favorite toy brands. don't miss the target clearance run. >> stephanie: hey, back now on "gma" with "binge this" and the biggest movies and musical moments of 2023 from barbie to

beyonce, this man right here, will ganss has us covered. welcome, will. nice to see you, my friend. >> will: nice to see you. >> stephanie: you're starting off with that double feature, right? that ruled the summer. >> will: we're talking about it still, the cultural phenomenon that blew up the box office, barbenheimer as they're available to stream from the comfort of your own mojo dojo casa house, the unlikely pair of pictures broke several records when they dropped them on the same day in july, teaming up for the highest grossing box office weekend in american history for nonsequel films. now as we gear up for awards season, my favorite season, by the way, "barbie" has nine nominations followed by "oppenheimer" with eight and most film fans, myself included, suggest watching "oppenheimer" first and then chasing it with "barbie," like the hot pink. >> whit: a pick-me-up. >> will: that's right. that plan as ken would say, sublime. >> gio: yep.

who are these artists we've never heard of like i don't know who are they. tell us about them. >> will: repeat after me. taylor swift, all right. the soundtrack. taylor swift and beyonce's tours setting records for live nation who said concert attendance hit a record in the third quarter of this year boosting revenue by 32%, to 8.3 billion, with a "b" for that period alone. with those two combined four concerts and now you can score front row seats to both of those tours with "eras" available to stream at home and "renaissance" world tour, still in theaters this weekend. no word yet when it comes to streaming services. and taylor's movie, by the way, is like going to the concert. same vibe, same energy, all of the content coming from her show. beyonce, more like a documentary and concert showcasing queen bey as a mother, wife, director, dancer and superstar.

>> whit: so good. so with new year's eve tomorrow we do have something special here for us. anyone getting ready to rock into 2024. dick clark's new year's rockin' eve, that is, with ryan seacrest. and here's that special message. >> hey, guys, it's ryan seacrest inside, but soon, we'll be outside for hours for new year's rockin' eve. >> reporter: excited to see you all there. please watch as we drop the ball on some of the biggest names in music from the year and go global all across the country. happy new year. >> stephanie: right there with you. >> whit: so, now we have special horns that, like, communicate to wild animals. what else can we expect, will? >> will: can you believe this is ryan seacrest's 19th year hosting. >> gio: 19. >> will: by rita ora and brace yourself for 5 1/2 hours of special guests and musical performances from green day, bebe rexha, janelle monae and soon to be big star renee rapp. if you don't want to listen to them we'll be hear playing the -- ♪ >> whit: i feel like we should be at a soccer game.

or something like that. >> gio: everybody is instantly turning off the tv. >> stephanie: it's horrible. >> whit: something special to talk about next. we'll be right back. please stay with us.

man, i am just loving being mom at home right now. you know, i'm just soaking up all of the love and the snuggles and, oh, these cheeks.

the cheeks on this little guy are unreal. >> gio: the cheeks, oh, baby. janai shared that message with us. she and her husband recently welcoming their third child, a baby boy. congratulations, janai. we're just so happy for her. and look at that. >> whit: come on. >> gio: look at the cheeks. >> whit: for 40 days she went down, wasn't communicating. sending her text messages testing her willpower. she was not responding. so now what an amazing surprise. >> stephanie: well, i didn't know about the 40 days. i was texting her. huh-uh. is she ignoring me? such a bonding experience. >> whit: congratulations. >> gio: see you tomorrow. >> whit: congratulations. >> gio: see you tomorrow.

the death of an oakland police officer, a 36 year old tom lee had worked for the department for four years. officer lee was part of a team responding to a pre-dawn burglary on the embarcadero yesterday, when he was shot. the fbi is involved in the investigation as the oakland police department deals with its first line of duty death in more than a decade. so many people tell us that he was committed to keeping oakland safe and that losing him is heartbreaking. and it should be a bit drier today. after the bay area got drenched yesterday. still, the stormy weather didn't stop families from heading to downtown san jose last night. this is the final weekend to catch the holiday displays at christmas in the park. let's get a check of your forecast for today with lisa. arjun. good morning lisa. >> good morning to you, gloria. hi everyone. we're in the east bay. live doppler seven picking up on the rain. east of 580 here at golf links road, lake chabot road and further to the south

around san lorenzo. a moderate rain here this will continue as most of the rain is on the peninsula to the east bay. we are on the peninsula now from palo alto and looking at stanford. the late shower activity and further to the south. so marin and sonoma getting less rain. this level one system last into the next couple of hours. so we'll get the scattered showers. we still have a high surf warning, a coastal flood warning right on through 2:00 in the afternoon. there's a look at the oakland airport where we're in the mid 50s right now. so this is winding down, but still pretty slick out there. gloria. >> lisa. thank you. up next, a look back at the first year in office for san jose mayor matt mehan. he sat down with abc seven news to talk about successes and challenges. abc seven news at 9 a.m. is next at

is still on this morning for the people involved in the death of an oakland police officer. what we're learning about that officer from community members, and we're looking at the aftermath from yesterday's storms. the major damage impacting parts of the bay area. and right now we're getting a live look outside from our golden gate bridge camera. san francisco is set to host its annual