so why was she so fed up? and, at long last, the new "star wars" movie is about to hit the big screen. the world premier just hours away. will the force be with the fans good monday morning, i'm reena ninan. >> i'm richard bacon. first up, the republican presidential hopopuls lining up for tomorrow night's big debate in some unfamiliar spots. >> this morning, two new iowa polls show ted cruz surging into the lead. so donald trump will still hold the center spot. cruz will be to his right. ben carson to his left. event. and rand paul just hanging on. stephanie ramos has the story. good morning, steph. >> reporter: the horse race between the gop presidential candidates is heating up. with senator ted cruz on the fast track in iowa.

donald trump. it's a swift rise for the texas senator. a 21-point gain since october in one poll. cruz and trump up until now have played nice with each other. that all changed this weekend. in iowa, trump digging at cruz for opposing popular ethanol subsidies. >> if ted cruz is against ethanol, how does he win in iowa? because that's very anti-iowa. >> reporter: then on sunday morning shows. >> you look at the way he's dealt with the senate. where he goes in there like a -- frankly,y, little bit of a maniac. he'll never get anything done. that's the problem with ted. >> reporter: cruz, in response, tweeting this video. saying in honor of my friend, real donald trump and good-hearted maniacs everywhere. in the end, trump still wants to work with cruz. saying he sees cruz playing a part in his administration. >> we would certainly have things in mind for ted, to be honest with you. >> reporter: this back and forth kicking off after cruz could be

doors questioning trump and ben carson's ability to run the country. >> it's also a question of judgment. >> reporter: as cruz rises, and trump verbally attacks, carson is falling. >> poll numbers go up and down. i wasn't excited when they were up. i'm not excited when they're down. >> reporter: how would the republicans do against hillary clinton in the general election? we, a new nbc/"wall street journal" poll shows she would defeat ted cruz and donald trump but would lose to marco rubio or ben carson. reena? richard? back to you. >> stephanie ramos, , ank you. andd the dememrats will debate this week, too. join david muir and martha raddatz for the new hampshire democric debate. "your voice, your vote." next saturday, december 19th. 8:00, 7:00 central, right here on abc. >> all right. can't wait. parts of texas cleaning up this morning from a weekend of severe weather. >> at least three confirmed tornadoes touched down in east

where the mayor has declared a state of disaster. one twister came within feet of luke griffin's home. >> it just started back that way, toward the high school. and you can see out there in thatane where it started. it just came right through here. it was just a whw wall of stuff flying everywhere. >> i'm just thkful we were not home. i think the lord sent us away and -- he spared us. >> strong winds in lufkin, texas, threw 64 cargo train cars from their tracks on to the road below. despite all the damage, not a single injury reported this weekend. farther north and west, snow has finally arrived. across the cascade mountains. >> the latest storm system brought a solid blanket of snow for opening weekeke at the summit there. by the time it's all over, the storm system could bring up to two feet of snow to the northwest. it will also usher in colder weather across much of the

meantime, temperatures as much as 30 degrees above normal this weekend. it was so warm in washington, d.c., the nation's capital's famed cherry blossoms bloomed three months early. the national parks service says late blossoms will not affect the blossoms next spring. and here's a sight not often seen tenen days befefehristmas here in new york. people picnicking in central park. >> i saw that with my own eyes yesterday. the spring-like weather will soon come to an abrupt halt. >> accuweather's paul williams joins us now with the latest. paul, morning. >> thanks, reena, richard. i hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, here we go. it's monday all over. particularly in chicago, st. louis, little rock. over towards nashville. anywhere you see the green, look for blinding rain, scattered mother nature will not just pick on the midwest. it's going to pick on the northeast as well. that front pushes through. it will bring with it more travel delays and in the midst

downpours in the middle of december. back to you. reena? richard? >> i do like paul's passion. we turn now to new details in the investigation of the san bernardino massacre. after a three-day search, the fbi has finished dragging a nearby lake. still no word if they have found the missing hard drive belonging to syed farook and tashfeen malik. and now there are new questions about why screeners, who let malik into the country, overlooked her social medidi accounts. on facebook, she discussed how she wanted to be part of a violent jihad. the fbi is investigating vandalism at two mosques in southern california. treating them as hate crimes. both were spray-painted and a hand grenade was left in the driveway of one of them on friday. a mosque in palm springs was damaged in a fire that police say was intentionally set

well, 20 saudi arabian women will soon take up positions in their local town councils. they were elected in the election where women w we allowed to vote for the first time. the kingdom bars them from making decisisns about marriage, travel, education. even from driving. many of them took uber to cast their first ballot over the weekend. and breaking overnight, new details in the october crash of the russian airliner that killed 24 people over egypt's sinai peninsula. authorities said a bomb brought it down. this morning, the egyptians saying they have found so far no evidence of terrorism. that conclusion after a preliminary port on the crash. this is not the final word. the investigation continues. and now, today marks the third anniversary of the shooting at sandy hook elementary, which killed 20

first time the anniversary has fallen on a school day, there are no events planned at the local schools. town officials are also taking a low-key approach with no organized public remembrances. the main event will be an interfaith service tonight. at the episcopal church. anti-gun groups around the country are marking the day with ceremonies and speeches. coming up, a new study about sleep and whether too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing. > us, the outburst at t e dmv. an example of how not to behave when your number is called. and check out the working conditions this mailman has to put up with. never mind about the snow, rain,

a problem with a wing forced this emergency landing of a southwest airlines flight in san antonio. a piece of the wing that reduces drag appeared to be at an irregular angle. excuse me. the passenger who took t photos described t t flight as a nene-death experience. with other passengers screaming in panic. the plane landed safely. passengers continued their trip on another plane. >> glad they're okay. twitter sounding an alarm to somesers that their accounts may have been targeted by state-sponsored hackers. the company says a small group of accounts were targeted. there is no indication that the hackers succeeded in stealing sensitive data. google and facebook issued similar warnings about state-sponsored attacks. warning. if you're planning a trip to the post office today, expect to wait. the postal service sayaytoday will be the busiest day of thehe holiday season. based on l lt year's volume of 640 million cards, letters, and packages.

season, the postal service expects to deliver more than 15 billion items by new year's eve. what have not been heating up exactly are interest rates. many economists say don't expect that to change much this week. the fed reserve is expected to make an historic hike in the benchmark rate for the first time in nearly a decade. it's been hovering near zero since the 2008 financial crisis. but don't expect much. the fed is expected to just nudge the rate by a quarter of a percenen "the hunger games: mockingjay part 2" was tops at the box office for the fourth straight weekend. though this is likely its last time there, with "star wars" expected to crush all competition when it opens next week. "mockingjay" has made more than $245 million so far. "in the heart of the sea" debuted in second place. followed by "the good dinosaur." when we come back, a dangerous situation at a hospital. hundreds of people, many of them newborns, being

caught on camera. the fafaly of a young black k n speaking out.young man speaking out. the holidays bring many challenges to the feet. by day they must stay warm. but by night, beautiful, smoother and ready to impress the otr party animals.

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when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at a aeva.com don't tougugit out, knock it out, fafa. with abreva. oh, boy. take a look at this. thick, black smoke over portland, oregon, sunday.

veerd off the road and wept into railway cars. the truck driver did not, unfortunately, survive. now for a look at morning road conditions. slippery in the midwest andp south. a rain snow mix possible in maine. a tough travel day for flyers, delays possible in phoenix, chicago, atlanta, salt lake city, philadelphia, and new york. the l.a. sheriff's partment on the defensive this morning after a deadly shooting. deputies firing 3bullets at the suspect. >> the department releasing a video that appears to show nick lal robertson holding a gun as he laid dying. officers say they repeatedly called for him to drop his weapon as he approached a crowded gas station. >> the video indicates the suspect was looking in the direction of the deputy sheriffs

hand as he was looking in that direction. there are two people and three chirp in a c c within five feet of him at the time. >> his family returned to the gas station yesterday demanding justice in the shooting. his wife says robertson became child looing when he drank. jury le dibdeliberations expected to start today in the death of freddie gray. william poert is charged with reckless endangerment, misconduct in office. if convicted of thehe's expected to face up to 25 years in prison. hundreds of newborns and hospital staff potentially exposed to tuberculosis. all babies from that hospital be treat frd antibiotics for up to

the nurse showed no symptoms. so the risk is slim. a new study show e too much span. one of the studydy authors suggests thatleeping moree than nine hours might b b signs of a more serious health problem. or it could be that restlessness or poor quality sleep might be the reason behind the increased mortality rates. just another afternoon at the dmv. the woman giving clerks hard time. they asked a trooper to remove her. >> she had another idea. kicking, cursing, refusing to leave. the trooper arrested her smp got out of bail on $10 bond. she was charged with redissing arrest. the giants an dolphins wrap up week 14 tonight on "monday night football."

games from our favorite people at espn. >> that's jay. i'm j.a. the nba this week, over the week end, lost the unbeaten team. the golden state warrior lost. but the nfl has its. >> panthers up, 7-0. newton. ted ginn jr is really fast. ted catches ititnd just runs. that was a -- illegalalontact penalty that the panthers declined. they didn't need it. carolina up, 14-0. later, newton to get again. ginn again. ginn again. his second td of the day. here we go. the rest of the team, they all do the same thing. panthers win big, 38-0. sunday night cap. patriots and texans in houston. rob gronkowski comes back after a knee injury.

new england up, 17-6. their defensive line was a menace. they knocked brian hoyer out of the game. not before they sacked him six time a fumble lost there. patriots beat the texans, 27-6. first afc team to clinch playoff spot. >> for more, check out your live "sportscenter." first here. live. 9:00 a.m. eastern. up next, the big change if festive holiday music. and a huge night in hollywood tonight. the new "star wars" movie premiers before a star-studded audience. details, next.ills, and fever, there's no such thing as a little flu. and it needs big solution: an abtiviral. so when the flu hits, call your doctor right away and up the ante with antiviral tamiflu. prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source

from spreading in the body. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu, tell your doctororif you're pregnant, nunuing, have seriris health conditions,s, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting.

morning, "star wars" frenzy reaching a fever pitch. the premier takes place in los angeles tonight. but where is still a secret. >> fans have been gathering outside three l.a. movie theaters for more than a week. when the film opens in the public on thursday, lit show in all three. it's a good bet the premier will be at one of them. everyone can watch the festivities tonight on star wars.com. beginning at 8:30 eastern. a new shift when it comes to holiday shopping. it has to do with what we're all hearing while doing all that buying. you yeah i don't want a lot for christmas >> catchy, isn't it, richard? >> mm-hmm. >> mariah carey's hit, all i want for christmas is you.

holiday song in stores for the last 20 years. >>hat honor -- this time of year we're simply having a wonderful christmastime >> that honor now goes to the shins, with their cover of sir paul mccartney's wonderful christmas time. it's the new most played song. carey's song at number two. >> we could have called it a tie. they're both good songs. postal carriers are extremelyybusy. they don't need to be harassed. >> tell that to a group op gobble lers. every day, this mailman shows up to do his job, the wild turkeys are there to chase him down. he's forced to fend off the

making him, they're a hit on youtube. nearly 1 million views so far. snack. >> or people that view youtube have horrible taste. abc. next. i sure had a lototn my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blo clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding.

call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately

you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how ababva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva. checking our top stories, donald trump keeping his spot at center stage for tomorrow night's presidential debate. ted cruz will be right next to him after surging ahead in the most recent iowa polls. the president willake remarks about his anti-isis efforts today. he'll speak from the pentagon after meeting with his national security council. snow is finally falling in the cascade mountains. the storm systemld bring up to two feet of snow to the northwest and usher in colder weather for the western u.s. much dryer on the west

and portland. rain showers continue for the great lakes. rain from atlanta to raleigh. and finally, on this monday morning, still 11 days to go before christmas. enty of kid outs there still prepararg their listst >> we k kw that lots of members of the armed services won't be home f the holidays. some have already made it. that's when the fun starts. >> examples of some of the greatest gifts of all now from abc's john donvan. >> reporter: look at that kid's smile. there's santa claus. one of her brothers. wait, who is that guy in the back? it's the time of year for the happy prnk, when dads, long deployed in the service, pop out of costumes in gym jazz. >> i missed you, daddy. >> reporter: or hide behind santa. >> there's n words for it. i'm just very anxious to see them. >> reporter: but now this.

[ cheers and applause ] >> ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. >> reporter: where 6-year-old jordan took a moment to thank the man in red. with our face of happiness. here's what happened. rob stella, in the back row, had been gone a year in the navy and it took awhile for the kids to spot him on this day. but here's what you get. [ laughter ] >> reporter: and a reminder that happiness on the kids' face -- >> yes, i'm home for good. >> reporter: can also look like this. john donvan, abc news, washington. >> those make me want to cry. >> it's really emotional. another couple of veterans to tell you about. one of them is rocky. he's been awarded a purple heart after being injured by an ied in afghanistan. he's been treated in germany. >> his handler, andrew brown is being treated at walter reed military hospital. brown is hoping to b reunited with rocky, soon.

in high spirits, he hopes, just like he is. >> they're just as important as the folks out there as well. we're glad to see, we hope making a speedy recovery. >> interesting and good stories to end with this morning. that is what's making news in america this morning. >> stick around for "good morning america." have fantastic start of your week.look at our hd radar where we've got a rain/sleet, snow mix pushing through the region. temperatures are in the 30s for most of the map.winds are from the north and northwest and they're pretty strong between 20 and 30 miles per hour. here's the planner where the high temperature will be about 40 degrees. your full forecast is coming up - your news starts now. pushing through the region. temperatures are in the 30s for most of the map.winds are from the north and northwest and they're pretty strong between 20 and 30 miles per hour. here's the planner where the

degrees. your full forecast is coming