right now on america this morning, the severe weather threat unfolding right now, wind gusts topping 60 miles an hour in the northeast and heavy rain causing flash flooding. the number of power outages growing by the hour in freezing

temperatures. there goes a tornado. storms turning deadly in the south and a plane carrying vice president harris forced to divert in the storm. >> the chaos in ecuador after alleged gang members unleash a series of attacks, including gunmen storming a tv studio, a major u.s. airlines now taking action, canceling flights to the south american country. as fears grow, the violence could spread. breaking news overnight involving former first lady melania trump announcing the passing of her mother. >> what we're learning. plus the wild scene inside a new york city synagogue. >> police clashed with worshipers after the discovery of a secret underground tunnel drink up the new concern about water inside plastic bottles and baby yoda headed to the big screen. the major star wars news just announced overnight. it's wednesday, january 10th. >> from abc news in new york

this is america this morning. >> good morning everyone. i'm andrew dymburt and i'm rhiannon ally. >> we begin with the major impacts of that deadly storm now pushing through new england. >> that's after bringing heavy rain and flooding to several northeastern states. some areas could get up to five inches of rain in just a matter of hours. the same system also wreaking havoc in parts of florida and elsewhere in the southeast. this morning, hundreds of thousands of americans left in the dark as a massive storm system sweeps across the country. >> power's out. >> two people have been killed by falling trees, including a 78 year old man crushed while he was driving near atlanta, georgia, when i saw the car, my heart sank. claremont, north carolina one person dead and two critically injured as winds tore through this mobile home park. a tornado also confirmed in bamberg, south carolina, where the front of this building was ripped off farther south, there goes a tornado. tornadoes also pummeled florida's panhandle, at least four touching down in the area. this video shows the widespread damage in panama city

beach. the power of those winds knocking this oceanfront house off of its foundation. >> you can see a tilted to the side, leaning onto the neighboring house in marianna, florida. >> multiple homes were destroyed , with entire rooms visible from above. beverly gray says she, her three kids and her sister's family took cover in her bathroom. >> i just put all the kids in the bathtub overnight. >> gusting winds and flooding rains pounding the northeast, causing flooding in new york city, more than 400,000 homes reported outages across new york, new jersey and pennsylvania. >> we could see winds to 60 miles an hour. so anybody that lives in the northeast needs to be ready for the potential of their power going out. >> the severe weather canceled more than 1000 us flights yesterday. the powerful winds in the washington area forced vice president kamala harris's plane, air force two, to divert to dulles international instead of joint base andrews. the massive system also brought blizzard conditions from new mexico to iowa, creating widespread whiteout conditions. schools and

highways closed in multiple states. another storm is expected to bring more snow to the midwest later this week. we'll take a closer look at the forecast coming up. >> breaking overnight, the us helping foil a complex attack in the red sea. the pentagon says u.s. fighters from the aircraft carrier eisenhower and three us destroyers shot down 18 drones and three missiles, all launched by houthi rebels in yemen. iran backed houthi rebels have been attacking commercial ships in the red sea in a show of support for hamas in its war with israel. >> the situation in the middle east, taking place as the pentagon reveals defense secretary lloyd austin was treated for prostate cancer. president biden found out about the diagnosis yesterday, more than two weeks after austin went under anesthesia for a surgical procedure. austin remains in the hospital after he was readmitted for complications. the pentagon is promising to fix the botched notification process. >> we recognize that we have to do a better job in terms of the timeliness and the transparency when it comes to, especially the

secretary, his health. and again, we're committed to making sure that we don't do this again and that we do a better job. >> the white house has ordered a review of notification protocols for all cabinet members. austin's doctors say he is expected to make a full recovery, and his cancer prognosis is excellent. >> now to the chaos unfolding in ecuador, where police say criminals unleashed a wave of attacks, including storming a television studio while they were live on the air. us flights to ecuador now face challenges as the security crisis deepens. this morning, major us airlines are canceling some flights to ecuador, including american united, jetblue and spirit. after the south american country declared an internal armed conflict yesterday, armed gunmen stormed a live television broadcast in the port city of guayaquil. gunshots ringing out as masked men brandish apparent

explosives while flashing hand signals at the camera holding the tv staff hostage for at least 15 minutes. with the nation watching. policia. >> policia police surrounded the studio, freeing the hostages and arresting 13 people involved in that attack. >> three journalists from the station thanking police, adding it's not possible living like this. we wish for things to get better. 28 other buildings were also attacked yesterday in guayaquil, where authorities say eight people were killed and three more injured. the violence erupted across ecuador on monday when the president declared a nationwide state of emergency after a high profile gang leader escaped from prison along with dozens of prisoners connected to criminal organizations, police have now set up checkpoints in guayaquil and the capital quito. >> ecuador's president is calling the perpetrators of the violence terrorists. >> the state of emergency will last 60 days. >> sad news for former first

lady melania trump announcing overnight that her mother has died. malia canavese passed away in florida after a long health battle with trump, paid tribute in a post calling her a strong woman who was devoted to her family. canavese was born in slovenia and became a us citizen in 2018, along with her husband. she was 78. the iowa caucuses are now five days away, but former president trump spent the day in a washington, d.c, courtroom at a panel of judges greeted his claim of absolute immunity with skepticism. meanwhile, nikki haley is closing the gap with trump in new hampshire. abc's em nguyen joins us now with all the latest. good morning m andrew good morning. >> election 2024 is in high gear . and as donald trump's republican rivals fight to make a mark in his commanding lead, he's spending a day in court this morning with the iowa caucus. just days away and president biden back at the white house after several campaign events, former president trump was in a courtroom looking on as his legal team sought to convince a

skeptical panel of judges that he should be immune from prosecution for his actions taken during office. >> the president ordered seal team six to assassinate a political rival. that's an official act in order to seal team six, he would have to be and would speedily be, you know, uh, impeached and convicted before the criminal prosecution. >> trump's lawyers argued his federal election subversion indictment should be dismissed, but the prosecution fired back, warning immunity would be scary if there were no criminal charges against someone trying to usurp election results from the former president standing by his assertion after the proceedings, the president has to have immunity on the campaign trail. former new jersey governor chris christie knocked trump on his time spent in court. >> the place he spends more time in than actually iowa or new hampshire. >> trump's other gop rivals in iowa, where snow is blanketing parts of the state, businessman vivek ramaswamy joining a campaign stop via ipad. former

un ambassador nikki haley thanking supporters for showing up in the weather while making her closing arguments to voters. >> the only way we're going to win the majority of americans is if we go forward with a new generational leader. that leaves the negativity and the baggage in the past. >> and governor ron desantis splitting from trump after the former president predicted the economy would crash, suggesting he wanted it to happen this year if the economy crashes, people would get thrown out of work, businesses would go under for i don't want to see that happening . new hampshire's first in the nation primary is in just two weeks. a new cnn poll shows haley cutting into trump's lead there, now just seven points behind the former president, with 32% of the vote to santos plummeting to just 5. andrew am thank you. >> boeing's ceo says the company is acknowledging boeing. its mistake as the investigation into last week's alaska airlines blowout gate moves forward, the focus is on whether bolts meant

to hold the door plug the part that flew off the plane after it left portland, oregon, were properly installed more than 170 boeing max nine jets with door plugs will remain grounded until faa mandated inspections are completed. the specific mistake boeing is acknowledging at this point is unclear. >> time now for a look at your morning weather. >> good morning. a wet and windy start to the day today from new york city up the coast. the rain and wind could be heavy, especially in new england with snow in the interior northeast, but it's really about the rain. that's going to be a big problem for us through today. the combination of snow melt and heavy rain inches of rain into this morning, roadways underwater, there have been water rescues. we have to be safe out there. meantime, as this storm winds down in the northeast, another one ramps up in the northwest with snow and rain. in seattle, i'm accuweather's meteorologist kevin cochran.

>> coming up, what's really inside your bottled water? >> also, i had a growing number of officials targeted in swatting incidents. who's the latest victim? >> and the major changes on instagram and facebook aimed at keeping teens safe

what would you give for a child you loved, to make their wish come true? to help them fight a critical illness, just imagine what you'd do. every single one of us can make the stars align.

because when we come together, hope and joy will shine. ♪ ♪ morning america, we're right here. >> and we got you. we got you, we got you as the race for the white house heats up, the political climate is becoming more dangerous. >> a growing number of officials are being targeted in swatting incidents, false threats that could create chaos and put lives at risk. here's abc's lionel moise this morning. >> steven dettelbach, director of the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms, is the latest public official to fall victim to swatting. that's when someone prank calls law enforcement to draw response to a location. sources say it happened over the holidays with local law enforcement and the atf security detail engaging,

ultimately determining there was no threat to the director. but this comes as officials are warning americans to remain vigilant to threats to democracy, adding they are confident the u.s. will have a safe and secure election and they're ready to contest any type of adversary that's going to try to interfere or influence our elections. >> this is what we've done in 18 and 20 and 22, and what we'll do in 24 as well. >> fbi director christopher wray, also speaking at a cybersecurity conference yesterday, telling americans to do their part with four nations looking to cause chaos through misinformation, saying we need to be more thoughtful and discerning. but as officials focus on foreign threats ahead of the 2024 election, security of elected officials continues to be a major concern. atf director steven dettelbach swatting incident is not isolated, sources say. special counsel jack smith, who is investigating former president trump's handling of classified information, and dc federal judge tanya chutkan, who's

overseeing trump's election subversion case, were also victims of swatting. and representative marjorie taylor greene posting on x that she was swatted eight times with her family targeted, saying she is introducing legislation to track down and prosecute perpetrators. these latest swatting incidents join a growing list of officials on both sides of the aisle targeted the fbi is also investigating recent fake bomb threats to secretaries of state and capitol buildings nationwide , from maine to south carolina. law enforcement sources saying some of those threats originated overseas. rhiannon andrew lionel , thank you. >> the parent company of facebook and instagram has announced plans to do more to protect young people. meta will begin hiding content that it deems inappropriate for teenagers. that includes posts about suicide, self-harm and also eating disorders, and a new study finds bottled water may contain up to 100 times more microscopic plastic particles

than previously thought. researchers found an average of 240,000 nanoplastics per bottle. scientist aren't sure whether the particles are actually harmful to our health. in a statement, an industry trade association says the study lacks standardized methods. coming up next, the wife accused of poisoning her husband with tainted soup. >> also ahead, several people arrested for brawling with police after officers found a secret tunnel under new york city (vo) if you have graves' disease, your eye symptoms could mean something more. that gritty feeling can't be brushed away. even a little blurry vision can distort things. and something serious may be behind those itchy eyes. up to 50% of people with graves' could develop a different condition called thyroid eye disease, which should be treated by a different doctor. see an expert. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com

♪3, 4♪ ♪ ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪ ♪are you ready♪ ♪are you ready♪ sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire

mike had a heart attack a year ago. matching but he's stilliption. living in the red. with a very high risk of another attack. with his risk factors his recommended ldl-c level should be below 55. find out if you're living in the red. learn how to get a free ldl-c test. (♪) (♪) (♪) sir... would you like a menu? >> we are back now with the death of adan canto, the mexican born and texas raised actor died on monday from cancer of the appendix. canto began acting as a teenager. he is best known for his roles in designated survivor , the cleaning lady and x-men days of future past. adan canto was just 42 years old, and he leaves behind his wife and two children. >> some wild scenes playing out here in new york city after clashing with police inside a

brooklyn synagogue. nine hasidic jewish men were arrested. authorities were on the scene because of a secret tunnel that had been built into the historic house. worship. its construction was blamed on a group of extremist students who hoped to expand the synagogue. >> this is a site that's of great importance for jews all around the world. we're looking forward to the decorum and sanctity to be restored, and the synagogue is temporarily closed while its structural integrity is inspected. >> a pair of court cases more than a thousand miles apart, have a common thread poison. >> both of them sound like something you'd hear in a tv plot. one of them even includes a soap opera reference. here's abc's andrea fujii this morning. >> a grand jury has indicted a minnesota doctor of first degree murder after prosecutors say he poisoned his wife in august. doctor conner bowman is accused of killing betty bowman. investigators say the drug colchicine, which is used to treat gout, was found in her

system. but prosecutors say betty never had gout. >> one morning there was a bunch of their dogs were barking over their whole bunch, and i might have heard a bit of shouting or something while we were sleeping, but yeah, and then sure enough, the cops kind of came soon after. >> police say bowman, who was a mayo clinic pharmacy resident and poison control specialist, researched the drug and what a lethal dose would be for someone of his wife's weight. court documents say the couple had a rocky marriage and bowman was in severe debt with prosecutors alleging he told a friend he'd receive a large payout from betty's life insurance policy. meanwhile, in massachusetts, another spouse accused of poisoning their significant other, roxanne doucet, is charged with attempted murder after police say she tried to poison her husband by giving him tainted soup. i did not try to poison my husband, investigators in townsend say in early december, the 64 year old received a text message from a person claiming to be soap opera star thorsten kaye from the bold

and the beautiful. >> they were saying that they loved me and they wanted me to leave my husband. >> the person telling her, you have to get rid of your husband, honey, i need you so much. doucet then writing, making an amazing soup. special potion. he will be hungry when he gets back. just enough for him. then hubby got back not feeling well. maybe i can collect life insurance hours later. investigators say doucet called 911, saying her husband was unresponsive. he was taken to the hospital, with doucet blaming the episode on his cardiac history. her husband survived, telling police he ate the soup, which tasted bitter. roxanne doucet's daughter, says she was the one who called police after finding those text messages on her mom's phone. doucet is scheduled to be in court tomorrow. as for doctor bowman, he is set to be arraigned next week. rhiannon andrew. >> andrea. thank you. coming up, when baby yoda is expected to hit the big screen. >> plus those new mints to help >> plus those new mints to help you get through dry january

♪ stay ahead of your moderate—to—severe eczema, and show off clearer skin and less itch with dupixent. the number one prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, that helps heal your skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. ( ♪ ) feel the power of osteo bi-flex®. taken every day, it's clinically shown to improve joint comfort in 7 days, with significant improvement over time. ( ♪ )

♪ making your way in the world today ♪ ♪ takes everything you've got. ♪ ♪ you wanna be where you can see... ♪ ♪ troubles are all the same. ♪ ♪ you wanna go where everybody knows your name. ♪ they're grrreat! honey... honey... nyquil severe honey. powerful cold and flu relief with a dreamy honey taste. nyquil honey, the nighttime, sniffing, sneezing, couging, aching, fever, honey-licious, best sleep with a cold, medicine.

morning america, we're right here. >> and we got you, we got you, we got you. >> time to check the pulse. we begin with baby yoda making the jump to the big screen. >> star wars fans rejoice. our parent company, disney, just announced a new star wars film featuring the fan favorite. the debuted in the mandalorian back in 2019. >> the movie is called the mandalorian and grogu, and will be directed by series creator jon favreau. production is expected to get underway maybe this year, with a potential release date in 2025. stay tuned . all right. next, a little something for those doing a dry january. >> i'm doing dry january, but i don't know about this. what do you think, miller? light mints. they're said to have the same great taste as the miller lite. only without the beer. that light says there's also a hint of spearmint in there as well. they go on sale on friday online. five bucks for a ten of

40. it really is less filling. >> next to a fan a night. >> one la lakers fan will never forget he was the big winner at last night's game. >> fidel olmos had one shot from half court to win $100,000. it's up and it's good, fidel says he's only hit two other half court shots ever. the 34 year old says he plans to pay off debt with some of that money. >> congrats to him. finally, an extreme form of team building colleagues at a workplace in kentucky took part in a game of human whac a mole. >> one worker tries to hit his colleagues with the foam noodle while preventing them from grabbing the plastic balls. his grabbing the plastic balls. his team bladder leak underwear has one job. i just want to feel protected! especially for those sudden gush moments. when your keys are in the door and your body's like, “it's happening”! if you're worried about your protection, it's not the right protection. always discreet protects like no other. with double leak guards that help prevent gushes escaping from the sides. and a rapid dry core that locks in your heaviest gush quickly for up to zero leaks. and it contours, to everybody.

now this, is protection! always discreet- the protection we deserve! type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration,

which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. long after guests leave, viruses and bacteria linger. air fresheners add a scent. but only new lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize. lysol can. did you know you waste 200 hours a year hand washing dishes? switch to your dishwasher and cascade platinum plus. all you have to do is scrape, load, and you're done! cascade platinum plus. dare to dish differently. plus dare to

i couldn't get my hair done. then psoriatic arthritis. cosentyx works on both for me. people with psoriasis on the scalp have a 4 times higher risk for psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that look like eczema, and an increased risk of infections, some fatal, have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to, or if ibd symptoms develop or worsen. still workin' for me. ♪see me.♪

[narrator] covered california is a free service from the state that's already helped millions of people like you get and pay for health insurance. with financial health to lower the cost of health coverage, you could get a quality health plan for less than $10 a month. every plan covers preventive care, doctor visits, emergency care, and more. if you have questions, we're here to help every step of the way. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by january 31st at coveredca.com.

fallen oakland police officer twan lay one last time. now at five, the procession and ceremony planned for this morning. >> a battle brewing in oakland over the direction of the city. we're hearing from supporters of mayor shengtao after critics began a recall effort and boeing dealing with backlash over the safety of its planes, how the company plans to win back the public's trust. >> good morning w