she is definitely going to have this morning on "world news now" -- campaign clash. no holiday truce in the trump versus clinton showdown over vulgarities and accusations of lying. the political heat and who's ahead in the polls. army sergeant bowe bergdahl seen for the first time since he was released by the taliban. he's telling his story as his legal battle begins. and new this half hour, lighting up the skies in the american southwest. >> it looked like a shooting star or meteor. the pictures coming in. and new details about what was really falling from the sky. and later, what we've just learned about steve harvey after his epic mistake on stage at the miss universe pageant. the big decision in "the skinny" on this wednesday december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news,

good morning on this wednesday. i'm reena ninan. >> and i'm kendis gibson. you really are going to want to stick around for the big news we just learned about steve harvey. it will have some of the conspiracy theorists thinking. >> i'm notsurprised, i have to say, by the steve harvey news. >> by this news? huh. all right. i'm surprised by it. >> we'll have more in this half hour. >> the timing is kind of interesting. we'll get to that later on today. but we want to get started with the race for president. donald trump trying to explain a controversial comment that he made about hillary clinton. >> yeah, trump says that when he used a specific term to describe clinton's democratic primary loss in 2008 he meant that clinton was "beaten badly." clinton's campaign isn't buying the explanation. it's your voice your vote. abc's jonathan karl reports. >> reporter: donald trump's insults are crude and personal. attacking hillary clinton using a vulgar description of the male anatomy. >> she was going to beat obiba. i don't know who'd be worse. i don't know. how does it get worse?

and she got [ bleep ]. she lost. i mean, she lost. >> reporter: he didn't stop there. trump also mocked clinton for being late to her podium. >> sorry. >> reporter: after a bathroom break during the abc democratic debate on saturday. clinton's campaign blasted trump'"degrading language" and "disgusting sexist slurs." and in iowa hillary clinton hugged this girl, who asked her about bullying. >> that was really brave. >> reporter: t tn she invoked her own experience. >> you are looking at somebody who's had a lot of terrible things said about me, and that's why it's important to stand up to bullies wherever they are and why we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. because that is not who we are as ericans. >> r rorter: accusations of sexism have dogged trumped throughout his campaign. >> you've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and

>> only rosie o'donnell. [ applause ] >> no, it wasn't. for the record, it was well beyond rosie o'dononll. >> yes, i'm sure it was. >> reporter: unhappy with megyn kelly's line of questioning, he later took aim at her. >> you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. blood coming out of her wherever. >> reporter: a few weeks later he was back at it, criticizing carly fiorina, the only female republican candidate in "rolling stone." saying "l"lk at that face. would anyonee vote for that?" >> i think women all over this country heard very clearly what mr. trump said. [ applause ] >> reporter: and through it all trump says he "cherishes women." >> i said i do cherish women. i love women. >> reporter: and on tuesday hillary clinton doubled down on her allegation that trump has become a recruititg tool foror isis. she pointed out that his words have been broadcast on arabic television and that they play right into the hands of violent jihadists who want to portray the united states as anti-muslim. but her campaign has still not

allegation that isis has shown trump's words to potential recruits. jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >> okayay one mor note on all ofthis.. there's a new poll that shows the embarrassment index of voters. if the two front-runners were elected -- so get this. 50% of those polled say they would feel embarrassed if donald trump was elected to the white house. and 35% of all voters would feel the same way if hillary clinton won the election. as for ted cruz the c cign is gegeing a boost from a new poll. he's just four points behind trump among the republicans. his biggest showing yet in a national poll, with rubio, carson, christie, and bush trailing. six republicans will be on the stage at the next debate, late next month, hosted by fox. well, the woman charged for sunday's deadly hit-and-run incident along the las vegas striri makes her first court appearance in just a few hours. lakeisha holloway is facing charges of murder, child abuse, and leaving the scene of an accident. prosecutors say they expect

as well. holloway's defense attorney says he expects holloway to plead not guilty. several people inred in the crash remain hospitalized. panickedhoppers ran for cover after gun nooir eruptfire erupted inside a mall on new york's long island. police say an armed man tried to rob a high-end watch store when a struggle ensued. his gun went off, striking a 67-year-old employee. the suspect quickly taken into custody with the help from an off-duty new york city police officer who happened to be shopping nearby. the mall employee is expected to be okay. we move on now to army sergeant bowe bergdahl, whowas held by the taliban for five years and has begun the legal process that could end with him in prison. he made his first appearance before a military judge in connection with desertion and other charges. abc's david wright reports. >> reporter: this was our first real g gmpse ofergeant bowe bergdahl since he got back on american so. clean-shaven in his army dress blues for his first appearance

quite the contrast from the last time we saw him, gaunt and dis disoriented when his taliban captors tradedd him for five high value detainees at guantanamo. the taliban had captured bergdahl in 2009, one day after he walked off his post in eastern afghanistan. bergdahl is now charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. even though he has not yet entered a plea, he is opening up on the "serial" podcdct. >> from "this american life" and wbez chicago it's "serial." >> reporter: he talks about how theybroke him down in solitary confinement. >> i couldn't see my hands. i couldn't do anything. the only thing i could do was like touch my face. and even that wasn't like, you know, registering right. >> reporter: and as he tried to save his life, what he told the taliban about why he had gone awol. >> i told them i basically was fed up with the commanders. >> reporter: if convicted, bergdahl could snd the rest of

david wright, abc news, new york. turning now to the extreme weather hitting much of the country just two days before christmas. fog is blamed on this chain reaction ten-vehicle pileup on interstate 49 that's just south of texarkana. that killed three people. at least seven other people were injured and rushed to hospitals. among the tangle of vehicles, a truck transporting glue. some of that glue spilled onto the pavement. and in the west it was powerful winds that caused this scene on highway 14 in california's mojave desert. at least half a dozen tractor-trailers were knocked over by wind gusts, some exceeding more than 80 miles per hour. no injuries were reported. >> some wild weather all over the place. >> yeah. >> and storm watches and warnings are posted coast to coast on this busy travel day. winter storms in the rockies, heavy rain from the mississippi river valley to the east coast. record warmth in the northeast. wow. region.

>> 70s in dallas and atlanta. 60s in washington, new york, chicago, and l.a. 40s and 50s in seattle, boston, detroit 30s denver and minneapolis. an interesting twist to the latest illness outbreak linked to the chipotle restaurants. for the second time people became sick after eating at a restaurant just off a college campus. this time the university of oklahoma officials with the health department have confirmed the three new cases in norman are e. coli. students at boston college were sickened by norovirus. officials anticipate additional e. coli cases will be reported in the state of oklahoma. well, starbucks expects to set a record on christmas eve. it expects to sell more gift cards than ever as last-minute gift ideas, easily beating last year's 2.5 million cards that were sold on christmas eve. more than $25 billion in cards have been sold since they dedeted 15 years ago. that's a good idea. everyone could use a little caffeine fix, right? >> and it's a very last-minute

>> so if you're getting starbucks, there was little thought put into your gift if you ended up getting one this year. >> used to be the 7-eleven gift card i would give. w starbucks. >> you'd buy lots of unlimited slurpees? >> exactly. and big gulp. they add up. this is really shaping up to be one of those seriously weird christmas in the northeast. of course you have the record high temperatures expected. and now a robotic -- >> oh, stop. >> reindeer. >> no, come on. apparently this is the work of boston dynamic, which makes robots. and these spot bots are the latest version from thee google subsidiary. santa there onl needs three of them to pull the sleigh, not eight. and you don't have to clean up after them either. >> good point. so maybe you should leave a battery charger with santa's milk and cookies this year. but you do note there is a human. mrs. claus right there. >> yeah. >> hanging out. all right. coming up in "the e inny" -- nice job on the audio cue. can you name the most overpaid and underpaid actors in

also ahead, new demands industry. what they're saying about runway models and their weight. and later, taking your dogs to yoga class. the southern california trend that could be a bonding is it really worthwhile? you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather. brought to you by united healthcare.get your ducks in a row. to learn about medicare, and the options you have. you see, medicare doesn't cover everything - only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so if 6565s around the corner, think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardid medicare supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. so don't wait. call to request your frere decision guide. and gather the information now to help you oose a plan later.

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delsym has an advanced time release formula that helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours. that's three times longer than the leading cough liquid. all night... or all day. this was the bright light spotted in the skies over the southwest last night. the fireball could be seen in las vegas, parts of southern california and arizona. nope, not santa on a practice run. instead u.s. strategic command says it was likely that space junk from a russian rocket was

so it wasn't end of days. just a rocket -- space junk. and speaking of stars, some stars on the runway are coming under fire for being too thin. france of course you know is cracking down on that. benching excessively thin models. >> spain, italy, and israel have similar laws. and now public health advocates are calling for action here in the u.s. >> reporter: they are the epitome o glamour. the models that define style and beauty. but now the fashion industry is under fire from critics who say that most models are dangerously thin. >> the modeling industry definitely encourages women, often explicitly so, to maintain extremely thin frames. >> reporter: in a strong new editorial from the american journal of public health, experts and eating disorder professionals say the industry body standard is hazardous and encouraging problems like eating disorders and bodyy dysmorphia. they write, "runway models are

necessity starving to death." they're urging the u.s. to regulate and set a standard bmi a work model must meet. just last week france passed such a law, requiring models to have a doctor's note proving that they are healthy. >> we have statistics such as 70% of adolescents report that they define the ideal body image as being what they see in fashion magazines. >> reporter: record says the average model who makes it big on the international stage has a bmi of 14, two points below the world health organization's definition of starvation. she wants the u.s. occupatatnal safety and health administration to require all models to have a bmi of 18 and above. >> a bmi of 14 or below is not naturally skinny. you are at great risk at any time of the day for cardiac arrest. >> people don't realize just how being so thin can really affect your health overall. like cardiac rest, that'ss

good to see that many countries are cracking down on it. >> it will be good to see some action here. >> yes. absolutely. well, coming up, urgent. breaking, breaking news regarding steve harvey and the miss universe pageant. brian working on it right now. >> plus the most overpaid and underprpd actors in hollywood. "the skinny"y"p next. [male announcer] if you've served in the military, certain habits

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skinny so skinny this is huge news. it is breaking. it is urgent. it is developing overnight. right now this morning according to a report, steve harvey will likely be back to host the miss universe competition. [ applause ] >> everybody wins. >> yes. you are miss universe. you are miss universe. you are miss universe. >> according to "entertainment tonight" harvey signed a multiyear contract to host the pageant just days before the live event where harvey mistakenly announced the wrong winner. earlieie in the day producers said on the jim rome show, "i definitely want him back and i would hate to see him not come back." >> and another report om "e.t." cites a source claiming harvey only went to the beginning of rehearsals, missing the last hour.

>> if only he could host the oscars and finally leo dicaprioo could win an oscar. >> oh. >> wouldn't itte nice for a minute? >> so a lot of people aren't really surprised this happened. >> i'm thinking there's a conspiracy. i'm joining that whole crew of folks -- >> intentional? >> it's kind of weird. the timing was a little awkward. they have new owners. it's on fox. you know, it just -- timing's a little odd. >> one conspiracyy theory. >> yes. >> and next, hollywood's most overpaid actor of the year. according to "forbes," that would be johnny depp. >> remember him? well, they've calculated for every one dollar depp was paid he has only returned $1.20. his filil "mortdecai," you know that one, was a huge flop. "black did better but fell outside the period "forbes" analyzed. >> and when it comes to lue, "forbes" found that chris evans offers the most bang for the buck at the box office. the "captain america" star returned on average of $181 for every $1 he was paid.

>> it's got to be the abs. >> well, next a tough question. nicki minaj or drake? >> in what -- for? i'll go with nicki. >> okay. an artist looking for a boost in listens. if nicki minaj is who you want according to a study by fivethirtyeight, songs that featured nicki were streamed on spotify 1722 perfect more times than the st's other songs. >> 172% more times than. and for drake he boosted listens 126% on tracks featuring his vocals. so even though drake may be the reigning king, nicki says herself on a track that she guest appears on you couou be the king but watch the queen conquer. >> ooh, yeah. >> that's some smack talk. the cult film "dazed and confused" appears to be getting a sequel of sorts.

day of high school in 1976 helped launch lots of big names including matthew mcconaughey and ben affleck. >> and with the success of "boyhood last year writer-director richard linklater seems to be returning to his roots. his new movie is called "everybody wants some." >> it takes place in the '80s and follows a group of college baseball players. and like "dazed" freshmen get hazed and the characters also get deep. >> what am i thinking about? >> baseball. >> having a tail. >> cereal. >> sharks. >> sharks have tails. >> good point. >> wish i had a tail. >> yeah. >> that would be awesome. >> that really is deep. far out, man. the movie, by the way-s, is set for release in april next year. >> lu go see it? >> i'm sad t t say never even saw the first one. >> neither did i. >> i didn't know that that's where ben affleck got his start. >> but they all come back full circle, don't they, kendis.

coming up. doga.

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ah, yes, barking "jingle bells" can only mean one thi. we've got some doggies for you. and to keep your pups happy they've got to be healthy and zen. >> and who better to show us this but abc's nick watt? he explores the wonderful world of dog yoga. >> reporter: yes, i am doing yoga with a dog. doga. i'm no yogi and i'm no doggie lover. >> the dogs in doga become props and they even become weights in some of the pose that's we're going to do. >> reporter: she ain't kidding. >> it's been very powerful for both me and peanut butter.

and everything that breathes can use a little healing. >> they're going to feel the energy. when we're calm and relaxed, they are. >> reporter: some purists say it's denigrateing an ancient art. others that maybe the dogs don't like it. but this is now a thing, a growing thing. and nash does seem rather yoga chill. but if you're a little more outdoorsy/traditional -- >> exhale up, inhale down. >> reporter: there's also feet and paws fitness, a daybreak boot camp for human plus canine. nice workout gear. >> motivate those dogs. be excited. who's excited to be here? >> reporter: tracy is a certified fitness trainer and dog trainer. >> try to keep that butt nice and steady. low to the ground. >> dogs do nothing. >> you definitely work up a sweat, but more importantly you get to spend time with your dog. >> reporter: it's about teaching obedience as well. sit. sit.

i think doga is actually more my thing. >> pretty impressive, huh? >> reporter: if even i am a convert i predict this might catch on. >> place your left hand on your dog. an you're going to just take your right hand up and over. >> reporter: nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> so does a dog do downward dog? >> yeah. i guess so. >> pose. huh. you're into yoga and dogs, ght? >> i prefer pilates. but whenever i go to the country club i always take my beagle. >> biffy. >> biffy. is that a beagle or is that -- what kind of dog is that? >> i don't know. >> dachshund. >> is it a dachshund? >> i take my dakz sxundchshund and my cocktail fork. >> and yourtea. >> and my tea. >> don't miss our updates. >> announcer: this is abc's

insomniacs for two decades. good morning. i'mm kendis gibson. >> and i i reena ninan. here are some of t t top headlines we're followi this morning on "world news now." holiday tral warning. on one of the busiest travel days of the year. 40 million americans are in the storm zone, facing flash floods, high winds, feet of snow, and even the threat of tornadoes. details straight ahead. army sergeant bowe bergdahl held by the taliban for five years after vishing from his st has made his first appearance before a military judge. he did not enter a plea on desertion as well as other charges. his next courtroom appearance is in january. donald trump says he meant hillary clinton was beaten badly when he used a vulgar description of male anatomy to describe her campaign loss in 2008. without naming trump at an event in iowa clinton s sd no one shshld be allowed to bully his way to the presiden.

coast to nevada and arizona saw this mysterious bright light in the sky last night. was it a christmas miracle? experts say no, it was lely a piece of space junk from a russian rocket. those are some of our top stories on this wednesday. it's december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now." good day, everybody. we're going to start this half hour with the record-breaking weather. colliding with a record-breaking travel holiday. >> more than 40 million americans are in the storm zone. the holiday travelers faced hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of delays. our coverage begins with abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: for some drivers hitting the road it's no holiday. gas prices are down this season, but the number of drivers and headaches are up. near mojave, california winds gusting 80 miles an hour ps

in arkansas a ten-vehicle chain reaction crash killed three people. police blamed the pileup partly on heavy fog. in the west they're dealing with snow measured in feet. parts of utah getting 24 inches in 24 hours. abc's neal karlinsky is in washington state. >> here in the mountains east of seattle they've gotten 12 feet of snow just thisonth. it's created all kindsds of problems for holiday travelers as they've had to intermittent shut down these roads for accidents and avalanche control. >> reporter: in san francisco -- >> it was awful. it was awful. >> reporter: bad weather canceled dozens of flights. and in the next few days travelers will be jamming into airports like this one here this dallas, and just one weather hiccup c c send shock waves through the system just in time for christmas. clayton ndell, abc news, at the dallas-ft. worth airport. >> clayton, why are you going backwards on that escalator? i'm concerned about safety. can somebody e-mail him not to do that again? >> i was a little worried about him going backwards. >> airport hubs across the country could see delays in the

>> and this is why. take a look. especially in the southeast, where a storm is bringing dopourur and gustyty winds to a wide area. our coverage continues right now with accuweather's paul williams. good morning, paul. >> thanks, kendis, reena. exceptional warmth overtake the ohio valley region. the mid-atlantic down toward the deep south and even to the northeast still remaining very mild. not christmas-like but more spring-like. but christmas willl actually arrive on time. and the western part of the country throughout the dakotas, minnesota, over toward wyoming, colorado, and into idaho. but for the deep south, texas, the mississippi valley region and the east, snow's just not happening. nowhere soon and no time soon. and we're looking for rain to return way with a vengeance of sorts for the east and northeast. low pressure system will form sliding toward the east and as it tracks to the east and northeast it will bring with it another wave of rain until friday. kendis, reena? >> paul, thank you so much.

sandy hook school shootings victims will each get $94,000. a settlement ofheir lawsuit against the estate of the shooter's mother has been finalized. they'll split $1.5 million from her homeowner's insurance. the families argued adam lanza's mother should have better secured the guns that he used to kill 20 children and six staffers. a state known for its wide-ranging gun rights is tightening one of its gun laws. as of february 1st virginia will no longer recognize concealed handgun permits from 25 other states. the decision was made by the state attorney general, a democrat. he says the concealed carry laws in those 25 states are too lax to meet virginia's standards. robert durst will return to los angeles for trial on murder charges. the real estate heir is accused of killing a writer to k kp her from cooperarang with an investigation into the disappearance of his wife. his attorneys say he didn't kill the writer and doesn't know who did.

l.a. after his trial on federal weapons charges is wrapped up in louisiana. well, panicked shoppers ran for cover when gunfire erupted at a high-end mall on new york's ng island. police say a suspect tried to watch a luxury watch store when a struggle broke out. his gun went off, striking an employee. but when people heard that shot, they worried that it might be a terror attack. >> it was like pure pandemonium. everybody was running. to tell you the truth, once i see everybody running i started running. >> the suspect quickly taken into custody with the help of an off-f-ty new york city police officer who happened to be shopping nearby. to las vegas now and a defense attorney for the woman charged with sunday's deadly hit and run along the strip says his client will plead not guilty. she begins facing justice this morning when she makes an initial court appearance. abc's cana whitworth r rorts fromom vegas. >> reporter: charges filed against the 24-year-old who police say incontinuationly drove onto a las vegas sidewalk

celebrating her ten-year anniversary and injuring dozens of others. >> why did she turn into people and run over a lady and drag that lady for many, many feet while her husband was running after her, banging on the window of the car, beggingng for her to stop? >> reporter: in addition to the charge of murder with a deadly weapon, lakeisha holloway now charged with child abuse and neglect and leaving the scene of an accident. holloway was convicted of driving without a license in oregon in 2011, but just one year later she was awarded for turning her life around by a program helping -risk youth there. >> i beat the odds and was the rst in my immediate family and circle to graduate high school. >> reporter: in the police affidavit holloway told authorities she was stressed, she was trying to rest inside her car but kept getting run off by security. she ended up on the strip, a place she did not want to be. if holloway is convicted of murder, she could face life in prison, and the districtt attorney tells me he's confident

including attempted murder. kayna whitworth, abc news, las vegas. well, police in pasadena, california are stepping up security ahead of the rose bowl and rose parade. spectators can expect to see more security from surveillance in the sky to officers on the ground. cops are also warning spectators to stay vigilant, and they d d't even think -- don't even think about bringing a drone. leave your umbrellas and selfie sticks at home as well. okay. in bay county, florida sheriff's deputies aren't handing out tickets. they're handing out $100 bills. it's all thanks to a secret santa who donated $2,000 hoping deputies could spread a little holiday cheer. so they're stopping safe drivers, in particular those who they think could really use the cash. not sure how they determine that. >> exactly. >> at least one driver was moved to tears. that's great. >> that is nice. we love it when the force gives back. >> yes. bay county around the panama city area. >> got to take a drive downn there. > well, it was bells,

new york's stock exchange. yep. there they are. the harlem globetrotters. handles franklin and ceo kurt schneider rang the opening bell. why are you laughing at me? >> you pronouncing those names. it's like you need barbara billingsleyyo help out from "airplane." i iis one of many stops -- nice job on the hoops there. for the barnstorming basketball team as they celebrate their 90th year. the team tips o its world tour the day after christmas with some 300 games in more than 200 cities. >> did i not get the handles franklin mooseweeks? >> i like that name. you brokeke down and start ughing at me. >> loved it. his hair is pretty interesting too. >> good hair. coming up, the biggest heroes and heroines of the past 12 months. what a memorable year. >> also a special report on care then and now. the organization that started feeding the hungry after world war ii has a brand new mission.

ththugh a busy airport l le nobody's business. just one part of our special segment, "this happened." that's after today's forecast map, that can only be described in meteorological rms as a hot mess. >> announcer: "world news now" weather, brought to you by mucinex. seriously? where do you think you're going? to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. you're not coming.g. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. oh, right then i'll swing by in like 4 hours. forget the tacos! one pill lasts 12 hours. i'm good all day. wait! your loss. i was going to wear a sombrero. only mucinex has a bi-layer tablet that starts fast, and keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 full hours. start the relief. ditch the misery.

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60 hours after being buried by a mudslide. this is in chichina. rescuers say the man was able to give his name before being rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery. 70 people still missing following the landslide that was so powerful it collapsed buildings. >> incredible images. this time of year a care package can mean many different things to many people but you might not know that the tradition started 70 years ago this month. >> who knew? and now the original care package has been reinvented to

make it through their winters. globe tv correspondent mike siray has the story. >> i was one of the very first care package recipients. and having just grown up and not having had any food, we were just emaciated. i mean, really thin. >> reporter: renata center remembers the first care packages of powdered eggs, corned beef and fruit preserves she received as a young german refugee at the end of world war ii. as if they were manna from heaven. >> when i came home to my mother i said the americans did this. it left such an imprint. how americans can d this to the enemy. you know, i just said, wow. >> reporter: for a $10 donation to care back in december 1945 americans could buy and ship boxes of surplus army rations to post-war europe that could feed ten people during one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century. >> the care package to me is an icon of american generosity.

impulse to do something directly for one person to help another person. >> reporter: flash forward to the greatest refugee crisis in europe and the middle east since world war ii. more than 4 million displaced people and counting. the majority of them without any source of income living on their own outside of traditional refugee camps. and it's winter. >> this could be described as a new care package. it's an electronic voucher. >> reporter: the food vouchers work like any other debit card but have a monthly limit per family and can only be used to buy food, hygiene, and household essentials. new credit is added monthly with funding from the u.n. and international aid organizations. it's faster, better, and cheaper for delivering essential food and clothing andeing than shipping, storing, and delivering care packages. >> from syria. >> reporter: care's relief workers in turkey, many of them syrian refugees themselves, make sure the voucher cards get to

like this extended family of 13, living in an abandoned warehouse just across the turkish border from syria. care is also giving families a one-time winterization voucher card to buy heaters and coaoa and blankets to get them through this winter. >> by getting the voucher rather than getting a set kit of in-kind donations, it enables the family to choose what's right for them and to meet their own needs better. >> reporter: these food vouchers started off with a value of $30 per month per person until a shshtfall in intntnational funding forced the u.n. to twitter nearly a quarter million refugees their vouchers are being cut off. today in turkey this voucher is worth about $18 per month per person. that means 60 cents a day for food. >> world spends more on bubble gum than we do on our broader humanitarian responses. we have a historiri moment in time, and in another generation we want to look back and we want

generous at this moment in time as we were, for instance, after world war ii. >> reporter: like the original, these new care packages still depend on public donations. on the turkey-syria border mike cee reporting for abc news. >> i like the fact that it doesn't feel like a handouou that they're able to pick what they want to make a difference in tir lives and families. >> we should point out it really is a big need there because you have about 2 million registered syrian refugees living in turkey alone. 4.3 -- >> and that's only the documented ones. >> exactly. >> they expect significantly more than that undocumented. so we should mention that care usa has set up a designated f fd for its syrianefugee program. my.care.com. dot org. excuse me. dot org. coming up, the year in hereos. >> the people we admire most in 2015.

now." her nurse. her personal assistant. her housekeeper. her cook. her accountant. when i starled taking care of mom, i didn't realize the challenge of playing so many roles. but above all, i'm still... hehedaughter. [announcer] visit t rp.org/caregiving to connect with experts and other caregivers. together we can better care for ourselves, and the ones we love. today, 1 out of every 4 american kids is hispanic. that means many of the future doctors who will care for us, the engineers who will build our cities, the scientists and entrepreneurs of our country can be your kids. we all know how hard it is for you to send them to college. this is why we want you to know you are not alone, and every day, more people support you to make it happen. many support you, and the hispanic scholarship fund helps you prepare, plan, and pay for your kids' college education.

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just for one day it is alwayay great to look back at people and events that shaped our world. >> we've had lots of ups and downs, and some of the most inspiring people have risen above unthinkable tragedy. here's abc's robin roberts with this retrospective. >> reporter: this year there were no shortages of heroes or shall we saysheroes. >> the u.s. wins the 2015 women's world cup! >> reporter: from the soccer field to center stage. women inspired us all. the u.s. men's national soccer team showed us all that teamwork and determination can lead to greatness. >> u.s. women's soccer team kicked some a. this was the year of the woman. >> i think that was a nice example of what society ca as a whole if we started maximizeing the potential in each other and stopped being divisive and keeping each other a. >> viola davis, "how to get away with murder." >> reporter: with her win, viola

african-american woman to take home the emmy in the drama category. for her lead role in "how to get ay with murder." >> we won because i did my job. >> when you're a kid sitting the watching tv, whether you're black or brown or of any color, and you see someone who looks just like you, then you believe all things are possible. >> the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. >> viola davis is proof that talent really does win out in the end. >> reporter: off the stage and field there were so many heroes among us. the families of the charleston church shooting victims taught us heroism comes from the heart when there is room for forgiveness. speaking directly to the killer in court, they showed incredible strength in the wake of tremendous grief. >> we have no room for hate.

>> i will never talk to her ever again. but i forgive you. we shall >> they taught us a lesson, didn't they? on how to live on and not let the killer claim even more lives, the lives of the living. >> reporter: in a year with so much darkness a beautiful lesson from all of these heroes on how to view the world. >> that was one of my favorite momonts, the u.s. women's soccer team winning. but it was -- robin's right. it was a year of a lot of heartbreak but a lot of people who rose above it all. powerful moments. >> and you forget how powerful the moment was with those folks and just days after the shooting in charleston to forgive. and by doing that forgiveness they achievedchange.. the flag coming down. >> that's a very good point. coming up, animals in airports and giant horns in parking lots. >> all of these things also

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well, hello there. it's time again for those special stories where we can only really say "thi happened." >> startingith a coyotee at the baggage claim. this is -- take a l lk at myrtle beach international airport. it's in south carolina. the coyote-u, you see there? spotted in a terminal. the animal eventually ran across the ticket check area and toward the tsa checkpoint, which is where the coyote was subdued by animal control. who knew animal control is part of tsa. >> but just proof once again that nototng gets past the tsa. because that's where he opped. >> buck stops at tsa. >> yes. it was coyote ugly after that. next up, the apparent war on christmas continues with a teacher from maine forced to remove her hello kitty pink

catherine gordon has been teaching at t school for 30 years and says she's always decoratete her classroom without issue. she argues that thee decorations do not include symbols. the principal is the one who told her to take it down. miss gordon noted that there used to be full-size tes in classrooms and the front office when she first started teaching. >> that is true. you know, we've gone down on the christmas tree in schools. and we've also gone down clearly on hellokitty. whatats this world coming to? >> i know. seriously. >> what is happening in the world? >> there needs to be more love for hello kitty. >> and how about some music to get us back into the spirit? check out this. it's a musician. we don't know his name. but we do know that he's a player of the alp horn. did you know this existed? the alp horn? >> ricola. >> very good. he got out of his car. he was pleasantly surprised by the acoustics of the parking garage. so what do you do when you like the acoustics in a parking garage?

for a jam. >> all of them were thrilled. all five of his audience there. >> that's what you call thrilled? >> look at them. can we move now, move our car? for an encore ann instrument better suited for the plains than the alps. the trombone. take a look. dark farmer. dirk clingenberg of kansas playing the imperial march until the cows hopefully come home. and itworked. >> nono they come toward him? >> maybe he had better look turning away from the dark side than playing the main "star wars" theme. but look at that. they're all coming that way. >> and yes, folks, all of this actually did happen. and that does it for this half hour. and all of the news did happen too.

>> that was good. this morning on "world news now" -- extreme weather impacting 40 million americans. >> nasty conditions causing fatal crashes just before one of the busiest holidays of the accuweather's tracking storms from coast to coast. facacg a judge. the woman accused of intentionally smashing herar into las vegas crowds. the serious charges she faces in court this morning. and fearing the worst at one of the busiest shopping centers in the northeast. the gunshots, the evacuations, and how police responded. and later, he said/she said. the tense exchange of words between the presidential mpaign front-runners where donana ump's remas about hillary clinton vulgar? what he's saying now on this wednesday, december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news,

good morning, everyone, on this wednesday. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm reena ninan. we're going to start with the holiday travel. big story here. and there's actually a warning fofo millions of americans set t t hitthe roads day. >> 40 million americans are in the storm zone across a wide swath of the country as severe weather triggs hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of delays. abc's brandi hitt leading us off. >> reporter: a wet and soggy start to a busay travel week. >> you just have toace it. >> reporter: moree than 100 million travelers are expected to hit the road. the most ever. and severe weather isn't helping. fog may have led to chain reaction crashes on interstate 49 in arkansas, killing at least three people. and across parts of the west it's slow going in the snow. so much has fallen in washington state, rescue teams have been searching for m msing skier monty busby since saturday. >> oh, my -- >> reporter: dangerous winds are

california. and taking down one tree after the next, keeping utility crews working around the clock. >> we have another tree down. we're going to have to go respond to. >> reporter: more than 38 million travelers are also expected to fly throuou january 3rd. the busiest airports, atlanta, los angeles, and chicago. where weather could cause flight delays wednesday. meantime, historic heat in the northeast. 77 degrees forecasted in washington, d.c. christmas eve. 71 thursday in new york city. >> now, today is expected to be the busiest travel day on the road. families are takinggdvantage of lower gas prices. below $2 a a gallon in most states. reena and kendis. >> our thanks to brandi there on the west coast. and as the west coast gets hit again, the east is in for a soaking. >> as a huge spring-like storm makes its way east from the mississippi river valley, our coverage continues with accuweather's paul williams. hi, paul. good morning. >> thanks, kendis, reena. the northwest still being socked

region with rain and then very windy conditions pulling in very quickly and sticking around. mother nature giving the gift that won't stop giving. more snow and rain in the northwest and snow dipping into a good portion of idaho going into the extreme western slice of montana. gusty winds for the deep south and throughout the entire mississippi vallele region, gusts overer 30 miles per hour for us on wednday. so staying very windy for the east. exceptional warmth will surge from the south but still very mild and general and that will actually set the stage for more rain to stick around because we'll have so much warmth in place. and for christmas not a white christmas for the east coast, but to the west a bit snowy. kendis, reena? >> paul, t tnks so much. the woman now chargrg for sunday's hit-and-run crash along the las vegas strip begins facing justice today. lakeis holloway will be in court this morning. she's facing charges of murder, child abuse, and leaving the scene of an accident. prosecutors say they expect "a great number of additional

as well." >> why did she turn into people and run over aady and drag that lady for many, many feet while her husband was running after her, banging on the window of the car, begging for her to stop? >> holloway is expected to plead not guilty. surveillance video of the incident has not been released. prosecutors do not plan to present it in court today. a lawsuit stemming from the mass shooting in newtown, connecticut has beeee finalized. 16 of the 2 2 families will split $1.5 million from the estate of the gunman's mother. the money comes from her homeowner's insurance policy. three years ago this month adam lanza killed his mother, then walked into the sandy hook elementary school and killed 26 people. other lawsuits are still pendinin frientdingng ingfrightening momentstsor shoppers inside one of new york's biggest mas. gunfire at a high-end jewelry store sent people running and screaming. it turned out to be a botched robbery. but shoppers didn't know that at first. abc's richard cantu has the

>> i came to the mall to do some last-minute shopping. there's shooting in there. >> reporter: last-minute shopping turned chaos. >> i heard like three sounds that sound like gunshots. >> reporter: the sound off gunfire. the scream of police sirens. and crowds of people running and hiding. >> it was like pure pandonium. everybody was running. >> to tell you the truth, once i seen everybody running, i started running. >> reporter: police responded in force, quickly arriving at the roosevelt field mall on long island. officials say an armed robber walked into a towerneau star targetinin the high-end watch section. a bullet from his gun hitting one person. >> the shot left the store and struck a mall employee in the mall. 67-year-old male. >> reporter: police took the suspect into custody, escorting him away in handcuffs. officials say it was an off-duty nypd officer just out doing his own shopping responsible for the takedown. >> i'm pretty sure something drastic had to happen. >> reporter: while all that was happening, many shoppers werer hiding, often in back rooms, inside other stores. some waited up to an hour and a

>> the first thing that we thought was terrorism. >> reporter: local officials changed protocols for calls like these after the recenterror attacks in paris and san bernardino, treating each call as an active shooter situation. everyone breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn't a mass shooting. >> people are still in the mall. they are still going to shop no matter what. new york don't hold back for nobody. >> reporter: richard cantu, abc news, new york. now to a high-profile murder trial that's on the docket for this summer in los angeles. real estate heir robert durst will return to the west coast after a federal weapons case in louisiana is settled. durst is accused of kililng a friend to prevent her from aiding an investigation into the disappearance of his wife. the 72-year-old's trial is likely to attract worldwide headlines. army sergeant bowe bergdahl has made a brief courtroom appearance before a military judge. he was clean-shaven and in his dress blues.

we've had of bergdahl since he was handed over in a controversial prisoner swap with the taliban. he'd been held captive for five years after walking away from his unit. he did not enter a plea and makes another court appearance next month. one other embarrassing incident for the secret service. a member of the presidential protective division had his gun, badge, radio, and handcuffs stolen from his personal car. the car was parked not far from secret service headquarters in washington. the agency has struggled lately to overcome issues with agent behavior and security breaches at the white house. a hacker to the stars has been busted in new york for trying to sell movie scripts, personal information, and sexually explicit videos of celebrities. the 23-year-old bahamas-based hacker was arrested after trying to sell to undercover agents. things like scripts. hackers are a common sight on the streets of new york, but in this case u.s. immigration agents stepped in after getting a tip from an unnamed radio host. security's being stepped up

the rose bowl as well as the rose parade. visitors can expect more security from surveillance in the sky to even officers on the ground. pasadena police are even gearing up with these new utility terrain vehicles. cops are also warning spectators to stay vigilant and don't even think of bringing a drone. >> this year drones are a very popular item. i understand that they're one of the most popular items for christmas. but given the faa fly regulations, the parade and the rose bowl game will be a no-drone zone. >> so keep your new christmas presents at home. spectators are also being asked to leave their umbrellas and selfie sticks at home as well. no selfie sticks at the rose bowl parade. >> it's okay, folks. you'll survive. you'll survive without that stick. >> it will be like the rose bowl parade 2000. >> pretend like it's 2000. >> exactly. well, ernie smith of iowa is just two yearsrs high of 100 on monday he celebrated his birthday with a flight piloting a plane.

oldest active pilot in the u.s. he's been flying for nearly 75 years. he takes to the skies a few times a week in order to keep flying. every two years he must pass an aviation medical exam. smith says that he plans to celebrate his 100th birthday the same way he did monday, with a flight. and next year united airlines going to sign him up. >> he says people ask him all the time what attracts him about flying, and he said that one just needs to look at the sunrise over the horizon to have your answer. that's a good deal, right? >> would you let him pilot your ane? >> no. coming up -- >> no doubts about it. >> how to avoid hurt feelings if you open a gift you that just don't like. >> also ahead, danger falling from the sky. on the ski slope the frightening scene as a drone narrowly misses a championshipathlete. >> ernie, i've got to say you can pilot the plane anytime.

over vulgararies, campaign claims and sexism. trump and clinton going head to head. >> tell us what you think on facebook. wnnfans.com. and twitter @abcwnn. you're watching "world news

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but this run is special because of that. wow. austria's marcel hersher on a slalom run yesterday was nearly struck by that drone that fell out of the sky. it was actually carrying a tv camera and was being used for the race broadcast when it crashed on the snow. hersher wasn't affected by it, but afterward called the incident horrible. >> wow. can you imagine? just a couple seconds' difference there. hmm. well, the nfl is denying a report that it's backed out of funding a study about brain injuries. espn had quoted sources reporting the league is withholding millions of dollars of funding for research being done at boston university. according to the rept the nfl had raised concerns about the objectivity of a professor who would be leading the research. but a new statement says the nfl is willing to pay $16 million for the study. the league has been criticized for its handling of concussions. well, now to the race for president. donald trump says the word that he used to describe hillary clinton's primary defeat in 2008

trump says what he meant by using the word was that clinton was beaten badly. >> at the campaign yesterday in iowa clinton said, "we shouldn't let anybody bully his way to the presidency." it's your voice, your vote. abc's bati kinani has more. >> reporter: on the trail in iowa hillary clinton says donald trump's language is helping terrorists recruit. >> it is playing into the hands of the violent jihadists. >> reporter: the democratic front-runner refusing to respond directly to trump's latest attack involving a sexually derogatory term to describe how she was beaten by barack obama in 2008. >> she bought [ bleep ]. she lost. >> reporter: trump's fury sparked by an unsupported claim clinton made in her last debate. trump now mocking that claim. >> donald trump is on video and isis is using him on the video to recruit! >> reporter: a new quinnipiac university poll shows trump may

else. ted cruz is catching up. now just four points behind trump nationally. the texas senator still careful not to criticize his gop rival when asked about trump's disparaging slam on clinton. >> i don't need to be another political pundit. i'm going to let donald trump speak for himself. i'm going to speak for myself. >> reporter: but carly fiorina has a warning for trump. in a radio interview saying she also has been called derogatory names. >> we cannot have candidates who insult women beat hillary clinton. >> reporter: that new poll also found 50% of americans said they'd be embarrassed if trump were president and that figure is even higher among women. reena, kendis? >> well, you know, the campaigns are kind of on pause mode because the holidays are coming up. so this is kind of one of the last things that are lingering out there. >> yeah. and it's interesting, though, she points out that poll saying that 50% of americans would be embarrassed if he became president.

still would not be embarrassed if he became president. so those numbers are a little skewed i guess there. >> there are a lot of republicans who also feel like he doesn't necessarily represent the conservative movement. there was an interesting poll looking at the breakdown of economics and how it impacts people who support trump. it found that those who were highly educated, maybe had a college degree, tended to support other republicans like ted cruz or jeb bush or marco rubio but people without a degree were more likely to support trump. >> that said, on another note, about 30% of americans in that same poll said they'd be embarrassed if hillary clinton became president. >> there you go. well, coming up, in our next half hour, body image and health. while some models may have the ideal figures for fashion, their measurements may prove to be extremely unhealthy. the new law bang ultra thin models and the growing calls for similar regulations. but first a new kind of space race taking tourism to new heights. the connection between reusable

now." there are oceans and rocks. places where fish swim and birds fly. history is made. art is created. things happen that should always be remembered. heroes emerge. a woman sets people free. a man makes light. a leader steps forward.

a feeling, a state of mind. so get up. get out there, and find your park. ah, for all of you rocket men and women we have some hopeful news today. the private company spacex is celebrating the launch and successful landing of an unmanned falcon 9 rocket. >> it really was cool. so what does this milestone mean for the future of space travel?

>> reporter: this is spacex's return to flight after its last rocket blew up. [ cheers and applause ] >> main engine cutoff. >> reporter: but this mission was to prove more than delivering 11 small satellites to space. this was about returning the main rocket, the first stage, to earth and land it to be reused. >> the first stage is returning to land. >> reporter: finally, spacex workers at the california headquarters and at cape canaveral could see it returning. [ cheers and applause ] >> the falcon has landed. >> reporter: spacex ceo and tesla electric car magnate elon musk called the reusable rocket one of the keys to going to mars. he got an up-close look shortly after the falcon 9 first stage landed. but musk is not alone. there is a new space race, a private company space race under way. call it the battle of the billionaires. a month ago this blue origin rocket stage landed after a test

company's founder, amazon ceo jeff bezos. at the time musk needles bezos, tweeting congratulations but adding there is a "difference between space and orbit." the back and forth continued with bezos offering congrats to musk but then adding "welcome t the club." so the battle continues. but for the first time rockets are reusable, making reaching space even more affordable. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> just absolutely amazing what they were able to accomplish. >> it's a big deal. >> yeah. >> but not as big of a deal as you and i. >> oh. that would be -- >> what we achieved. >> that would not be a good thing. >> on an overnight spacex mission. >> would you be the captain and i would be tenille? >> oh. there you go. i like how you think, kendis gibson. >> i would be scared to see you in the driver's seat there. >> i would too. especially with sleep deprivation. the study we did yesterday about people who work the overnights and drive. coming up, what women are paying and why they're paying more than

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and now it's time for "the mix." we spent practically a month purchasing items for the holiday season, right? only to figure out that women have been paying more than men. >> this again. >> yeah. this again? this is news to me. the new york city department of consumer affairs. look at this. the pink scooter you see on the right, $49.99. the red scooter for boys, $24.99. >> well, pink paint is more expensive, as was pointed out. >> oh. come on. take a look at photo number two. disposable razors. the male razors on the left are $4.99. the pink female $6.99. >> why? >> and then it goes also to clothing, kendis. take a look at this one. you see the shirts? very comparable. same shirts. pink one-pocket button-up levi's shirts.

the women's version 78. >> that's insane. we're talking about the same sort of material right now. >> yeah. >> just the fact it's marketed differently. one's for a woman, one's for a man. and it's thatch more expensive. >> that's so wrong, isn't it? >> hopefully they're doing something about it. that is absolutely wrong they do that. >> you need a blue light special. >> yes. for women. okay. so you know you get that gift from that one person or your aunt that you really, really don't like? >> yeah. >> so how exactly do you react to it? well, a bunch of guys came up with different suggestions on how to react to a bad christmas gift. take a look. >> loving it. loving it. >> [ laughing ]. >> refuse to say thank you. >> thanks. >> you guys. oh, my god. this is exactly what i needed.

>> you try to get emotional. you just really, really cry and just pretend as if you like it. you try to cover your face with it. and different reactions to bad presents. >> okay. we have a guide on how to react. >> this is not what i wanted at all. >> or be honest. >> i think honesty always works. a "star wars" fan changes his name to darth vader. would you ever do this? >> if i cared enough. >> he's really passionate about the movie. cared about it a lot. but he's really a tough guy. he said that darth vader has an aura of leadership and toughness. this guy is also raising funds for a bone marrow transplant. so you've got to head over to his page and donate. it's eric welch. >> i'm sure eric's son's name is luke. speaking of "star wars," on that theme, five-second project clip here. replicate scenes from the movie using candy canes for the cane wars here. kind of cool. even chewy's in on it.

>> this morning on "world news now" -- campaign clash. no holiday truce in the trump versus clinton showdown over vulgarities and accusations of lying. the political heat and who's ahead in the polls. army sergeant bowe bergdahl seen for the first time since he was released by the taliban. he's telling his story as his legal battle begins. and new this half hour, lighting up the skies in the american southwest. >> it looked like a shooting star or meteor. the pictures coming in. and new details about what was really falling from the sky. and later, what we've just learned about steve harvey after his epic mistake on stage at the miss universe pageant. the big decision in "the skinny" on this wednesday december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." hi, everyone. good morning on this wednesday.

>> and i'm kendis gibson. you really are going to want to stick around for the big news we just learned about steve harvey. it will have some of the conspiracy theorists thinking. >> i'm not surprised, i have to say, by the steve harvey news. >> by this news? huh. all right. i'm surprised by it. >> we'll have more in the next half hour. >> the timing is kind of interesting. we'll get to that later on today. but we want to get started with the race for president. donald trump trying to explain a controversial comment that he made about hillary clinton. >> yeah, trump says that when he used a specific term to describe clinton's democratic primary loss in 2008 he meant that clinton was "beaten badly." clinton's campaign isn't buying the explanation. it's your voice your vote. abc's jonathan karl reports. >> reporter: donald trump's insults were crude and personal. attacking hillary clinton using a vulgar description of the male anatomy. >> she was going to beat obama. i don't know who'd be worse. i don't know. how does it get worse? but she was going to beat. she was favored to win. and she got [ bleep ].

>> reporter: he didn't stop there. trump also mocked clinton for being late to her podium. >> sorry. >> reporter: after a bathroom break during the abc democratic debate on saturday. clinton's campaign blasted trump's "degrading language" and "disgusting sexist slurs." and in iowa hillary clinton hugged this girl, who asked her about bullying. >> that was really brave. >> reporter: then she invoked her own experience. >> you are looking at somebody who's had a lot of terrible things said about me, and that's why it's important to stand up to bullies wherever they are and why we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. because that is not who we are as americans. >> reporter: accusations of sexism have dogged trumped throughout his campaign. >> you've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals. your twitter account --

[ applause ] >> no, it wasn't. for the record, it was well beyond rosie o'donnell. >> yes, i'm sure it was. >> reporter: unhappy with megyn kelly's line of questioning, he later took aim at her. >> you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. blood coming out of her wherever. >> reporter: a few weeks later he was back at it, criticizing carly fiorina, the only female republican candidate, in "rolling stone." saying "look at that face. would anyone vote for that?" >> i think women all over this country heard very clearly what mr. trump said. [ applause ] >> reporter: and through it all trump says he "cherishes women." >> i said i do cherish women. i love women. >> reporter: and on tuesday hillary clinton doubled down on her allegation that trump has become a recruiting tool for isis. she pointed out that his words have been broadcast on arabic television and that they play right into the hands of violent jihadists who want to portray the united stes as anti-muslim. but her campaign has still not

allegation that isis has shown trump's words to potential recruits. jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >> okay. one more note on all of this. there's a new poll that shows the embarrassment index of voters. if the two front-runners were elected -- so get this. 50% of those polled say they would feel embarrassed if donald trump was elected to the white house. and 35% of all voters would feel the same way if hillary clinton won the election. as for ted cruz the campaign is getting a boost from a new poll. he's just four points behind trump among the republicans. his biggest showing yet in a national poll, with rubio, carson, christie, and bush trailing. six republicans will be on the stage at the next debate, late next month, hosted by fox. well, the woman charged for sunday's deadly hit-and-run incident along the las vegas strip makes her first court appearance in just a few hours. lakeisha holloway is facing charges of murder, child abuse, and leaving the scene of an accident. prosecutors say they expect additional charges to be added

holloway's defense attorney says he expects holloway to plead not guilty. several people injured in the crash remain hospitalized. panicked shoppers ran for cover after gunfire erupted inside a mall on new york's long island. police say an armed man tried to rob a high-end watch store when a struggle ensued. his gun went off, striking a 67-year-old employee. the suspect quickly taken into custody with the help from an off-duty new york city police officer who happened to be shopping nearby. the mall employee is expected to be okay. we move on now to army sergeant bowe bergdahl, who was held by the taliban for five years and has begun the legal process that could end with him in prison. he made his first appearance before a military judge in connection with desertion and other charges. abc's david wright reports. >> reporter: this was our first real glimpse of sergeant bowe bergdahl since he got back on american soil. clean-shaven in his army dress blues for his first appearance at his court-martial in north carolina.

time we saw him, gaunt and disoriented when his taliban captors traded him for five high value detainees from guantanamo. the taliban had captured bergdahl in 2009, one day after he walked off his post in eastern afghanistan. bergdahl is now charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. even though he has not yet entered a plea, he is opening up on the "serial" podcast. >> from "this american life" and wbez chicago it's "serial." >> reporter: he talks about how they broke him down in solitary confinement. >> i couldn't see my hands. i couldn't do anything. the only thing i could do was like touch my face. and even that wasn't like, you know, registering right. >> reporter: ands he tried to save his life, what he told the taliban about why he had gone awol. >> i told them i basically was fed up with the commanders. >> reporter: if convicted, bergdahl could spend the rest of his life in prison. david wright, abc news, new

turning now to the extreme weather hitting much of the country just two days before christmas. fog is blamed on this chain reaction ten-vehicle pileup on interstate 49 that's just south of texarkana. that killed three people. at least seven other people were injured and ruhospitals. among the tangle of vehicles, a truck transporting glue. some of that glue spilled onto the pavement. and in the west it was powerful winds that caused this scene on highway 14 in california's mojave desert. at least half a dozen tractor-trailers were knocked over by wind gusts, some exceeding more than 80 miles per hour. no injuries were reported. >> some wild weather all over the place. >> yeah. >> and storm watches and warnings are posted coast to coast on this busy travel day. winter storms in the rockies, heavy rain from the mississippi river valley to the east coast. record warmth in the northeast. 68 in d.c. wow. and severe weather in the gulf region. downpours and gusty winds in the pacific northwest. >> 70s in dallas and atlanta.

chicago, and l.a. 40s and 50s in seattle, boston, detroit 30s denver and minneapolis. an interesting twist to the latest illness outbreak linked to the chipotle restaurants. for the second time people became sick after eating at a restaurant just off a college campus. this time the university of oklahoma officials with the health department have confirmed the three new cases in norman are e. coli. students at boston college were sickened by norovirus. officials anticipate additional e. coli cases will be reported in the state of oklahoma. well, starbucks expects to set a record on christmas eve. it expects to sell more gift cards than ever as last-minute gift ideas, easily beating last year's 2.5 million cards that were sold on christmas eve. more than $25 billion in cards have been sold since they debuted 15 years ago. that's a good idea. everyone could use a little caffeine fix, right? >> and it's a very last-minute gift that you can do. >> so if you're getting

thought put into your gift if you ended up getting one this year. >> used to be the 7-eleven gift card i would give. now starbucks. >> you'd buy lots of unlimited slurpees? >> exactly. and big gulp. they add up. this is really shaping up to be one of those seriously weird christmas in the northeast. of course you have the record high temperatures expected. and now a robotic -- >> oh, stop. >> reindeer. >> no, come on. apparently this is the work of boston dynamic, which makes robots. and these spotbots are the latest version from the google subsidiary. santa there only needs three of them to pull the sleigh, not eight. and you don't have to clean up after them either. >> good point. so maybe you should leave a battery charger with santa's milk and cookies this year. but you do note there is a human. mrs. claus right there. >> yeah. >> hanging out. all right. coming up in "the skinny" -- [ jingle bells ] nice job on the audio cue. can you name the most overpaid and underpaid actors in hollywood? the list is out.

industry. what they're saying about runway models and their weight. and later, taking your dogs to yoga class. the southern california trend that could be a bonding experience. is it really worthwhile? you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather. brought to you by united healthcare. brought to you by united healthcare.get your ducks in a row. to learn about medicare, and the options you have. you see, medicare doesn't cover everything - only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so if 65 is around the corner, think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. so don't wait. call to request your free decision guide. and gather the information now to help you choose a plan later.

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delsym has an advanced time release formula that helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours. that's three times longer than the leading cough liquid. all night... or all day. this was this was the bright light spotted in the skies over the southwest last night. the fireball could be seen in las vegas. parts of southern california and arizona. nope, not santa on a practice run. u.s. strategic command says it was likely that space junk from

through. >> all right. so it wasn't end of days. just a rocket -- space junk. and speaking of stars, some stars on the runway are coming under fire for being too thin. france of course you know is cracking down on that. benching excessively thin models. >> spain, italy, and israel have similar laws. and now public health advocates are calling for action here in the u.s. >> reporter: they are the epitome of glamour. the models that define style and beauty. but now the fashion industry is under fire from critics who say that most models are dangerously thin. >> the modeling industry definitely encourages women, often explicitly so, to maintain extremely thin frames. >> reporter: in a strong new editorial from the american journal of public health, experts and eating disorder professionals say the industry body standard is hazardous and encouraging problems like eating disorders and body dysmorphia. they write, "runway models are by definition and professional

they're urging the u.s. to regulate and set a standard bmi a working model must meet. just last week france passed such a law, requiring models to have a doctor's note proving that they are healthy. >> we have statistics such as 70% of adolescents report that they define the ideal body image as being what they see in fashion magazines. >> reporter: record says the average model who makes it big on the international stage has a bmi of 14, two points below the world health organization's definition of starvation. she wants the u.s. occupational safety and health administration to require all models to have a bmi of 18 and above. >> a bmi of 14 or below is not naturally skinny. you are at great risk at any time of the day for cardiac arrest. >> people don't realize just how being so thin can really affect

serious stuff we're talking about. >> it is. good to see that many countries are cracking down on it. >> it will be good to see some action here. >> yes. absolutely. well, coming up, urgent. breaking, breaking news regarding steve harvey and the miss universe pageant. brian working on it right now. >> plus the most overpaid and underpaid actors in hollywood. "the skinny" up next.he skinny" up next. [male announcer] if you've served in the military, certain habits

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skinny so skinny this is huge news. it is breaking. it is urgent. it is developing overnight. right now this morning according to a report, steve harvey will likely be back to host the miss universe competition. [ applause ] >> everybody wins. >> yes. you are miss universe. you are miss universe. you are miss universe. >> according to "entertainment tonight" harvey signed a multiyear contract to host the pageant just days before the live event where harvey mistakenly announced the wrong winner. earlier in the day one of the shoes producer show's producers said on the jim rome show, "i definitely want him back and i would hate to see him not come back." >> and another report from "e.t." cites a source claiming harvey only went to the beginning of rehearsals, missing

>> can't skip out. >> if only he can host the oscars and finally leo dicaprio could win an oscar. >> oh. >> wouldn't it be nice for a minute? >> so a lot of people aren't really surprised this happened. >> i'm thinking thers a conspiracy. i'm joining that whole crew of folks who think like -- >> you think it was intentional? >> it's kind of weird. the timing was a little awkward. they have new owners. it's on fox. you know, it just -- timing's a little odd. >> one conspiracy theory. >> yes. >> and next, hollywood's most overpaid actor of the year. according to "forbes," that would be johnny depp. >> yes. remember him? well, they've calculated for every one dollar depp was paid he has only returned $1.20. his film "mortdecai," you know that one, was a huge flop. "black mass" did better but fell outside the period "forbes" analyzed. >> and when it comes to value, "forbes" found that chris evans offers the most bang for the buck at the box office. the "captain america" star returned on average of $181 for every $1 he was paid.

>> it's got to be the abs. >> well, next a tough question. nicki minaj or drake? >> in what -- for? i'll go with nicki. >> okay. an artist looking for a boost in listens. if nicki minaj is who you want according to a study by fivethirtyeight, songs by artists that featured nicki, they were streamed on spotify 172 perfect more times than the artist's other songs. >> 172% more times than any other artist. and for drake appearances he boosted listens 126% on tracks featuring his vocals. so even though drake may be the reigning king, nicki says herself on a track that she guest appears on you could be the king but watch the queen conquer. >> ooh, yeah. >> that's some smack talk. the cult film "dazed and confused" appears to be getting a sequel of sorts.

day of high school in 1976 helped launch lots of big names including matthew mcconaughey and ben affleck. >> and with the success of "boyhood" last year writer-director richard linklater seems to be returning to his roots. his new movie is called "everybody wants some." and the trailer was just released. >> it's based in the '80s and follows a group of college baseball players. and like "dazed" freshmen get hazed and the characters also get deep. >> what am i thinking about? >> baseball. >> having a tail. >> cereal. >> same as sharks. >> sharks have tails. >> good point. >> wish i had a tail. >> yeah. >> that would be awesome. >> that really is deep. far out, man. the movie, by the way, is set for release in april next year. >> will you go see it? >> i'm sad to say i never even saw the first one. >> neither did i. >> i didn't know that that's where ben affleck got his start. >> but they all come back full circle, don't they, kendis.

coming up, doga. or doga.

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ah, yes, barking "jingle bells" can only mean one thing. we've got some doggies for you. and to keep your pups happy they've got to be healthy and zen. >> and who better to show us this but abc's nick watt? he explores the wonderful world of dog yoga. >> reporter: yes, i am doing yoga with a dog. doga. i'm no yogi and i'm no dogi lover. >> the dogs in doga become props and they even become weights in some of the poses that we're going to do. >> reporter: she ain't kidding. >> it's been very powerful for both me d peanut butter. she has allergies and a little

and everything that breathes can use a little healing. >> they're going to feel the energy. when we're calm and relaxed, they are. >> reporter: some purists say it's denigrating an ancient art. others that maybe the dogs don't like it. but this is now a thing, a growing thing. and nash does seem rather yoga chill. but if you're a little more outdoorsy/traditional -- >> exhale up, inhale down. >> reporter: there's also feet and paws fitness, a daybreak boot camp for human plus canine. nice workout gear. >> motivate those dogs. be excited. who's excited to be here? >> reporter: tracy is a certified fitness trainer and dog trainer. >> try to keep that butt nice and steady. low to the ground. >> dogs do nothing. >> you definitely work up a sweat, but more importantly you get to spend time with your dog. >> reporter: it's about teaching obedience as well. sit. sit. sit.

i think doga is actually more my thing. what do you think, nash? pretty impressive, huh? >> reporter: if even i am a convert i predict this might catch on. >> place your left hand on your dog. and you're going to just take your right hand up and over. >> reporter: nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> so does a dog do downward dog? >> yeah. i guess so. >> pose. huh. you're into yoga and dogs, right? >> i prefer pilates. club i always take my beagle. >> biffy. is that a beagle or is that -- >> i don't know. >> dachshund. >> is it a dachshund? >> i always take my dachshund to the country club. >> and my tea. >> don't miss our uptes. on facebook at wnnfans.com. >> more news coming up on abc.

good morning. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm reena ninan. and here are some of the top headlines we're following this morning on "world news now." holiday travel warning. on one of the busiest travel days of the year. 40 million americans are in the storm zone, facing flash floods, high winds, feet of snow, and even the threat of tornadoes. details straight ahead. army sergeant bowe bergdahl held by the taliban for five years after vanishing from his post has made his first appearance before a military judge. he did not enter a plea on desertion as well as other charges. his next courtroom appearance is in january. donald trump says he meant hillary clinton was beaten badly wh he used a vulgar description of male anatomy to describe her campaign loss in 2008. without naming trump at an event in iowa clinton said no one should be allowed to bully his way to the presidency.

this mysterious bright light in the sky last night. was it a christmas miracle? experts say no, it was likely a piece of space junk from a russian rocket. those are some of our top stories on this wednesday. it's december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now." good day, everybody. we're going to start this half hour with the record-breaking weather. colliding with a record-breaking travel holiday. >> more than 40 million americans are in the storm zone. the holiday travelers faced hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of delays. our coverage begins with abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: for some drivers hitting the road it's no holiday. gas prices are down this season, but the number of drivers and headaches are up. near mojave, california winds gusting 80 miles an hour plus taking down more than a dozen big rigs.

reaction crash killed three people. police blamed the pileup partly on heavy fog. in the west they're dealing with snow measured in feet. parts of utah getting 24 inches in 24 hours. abc's neal karlinsky is in washington state. >> here in the mountains east of seattle they've gotten 12 feet of snow just this month. it's created all kinds of problems for holiday travelers as they've had to intermittently shut down these roads for accidents and avalanche control. >> reporter: in san francisco -- >> it was awful. it was awful. >> reporter: bad weather canceled dozens of flights. and in the next few days travelers will be jamming into airports like this one here in dallas, and just one weather hiccup can send shock waves through the system just in time for christmas. clayton sandell, abc news, at the dallas-ft. worth airport. >> clayton, why are you going backwards on that escalator? i'm concerned about safety. can somebody e-mail him not to do that again? >> i was a little worried about him going backwards. >> airport hubs across the country could see delays in the hours ahead. >> and this is why. take a look.

where a storm is bringing downpours and gusty winds to a wide area. our coverage continues right now with accuweather's paul williams. good morning, paul. >> thanks, kdis, reena. exceptional warmth overtaking the ohio valley region. the mid-atlantic down toward the deep south and even to the northeast still remaining very mild. not christmas-like but more spring-like. but christmas will actually arrive on time. and the western part of the country throughout the dakotas, minnesota, over toward wyoming, colorado, and into idaho. but for the deep south, texas, the mississippi valley region and the east, snow's just not happening. nowhere soon and no time soon. and we're looking for rain to return with a vengeance of sorts for the east and the northeast. low pressure system will form sliding toward the east and as it tracks to the east and northeast it will bring with it another wave of rain until friday. kendis, reena? >> paul, thank you so much. thfamilies of some of the

victims will each get $94,000. a settlement of their lawsuit against the estate of the shooter's mother has been finalized. they'll split $1.5 million from her homeowner's insurance. the families argued adam lanza's mother should have better secured the guns that he used to kill 20 children and six staffers. a state known for its wide-ranging gun rights is tightening one of its gun laws. as of february 1st virginia will no longer recognize concealed handgun permits from 25 other states. the decision was made by the state attorney general, a democrat. he says the concealed carry laws in those 25 states are too lax to meet virginia's standards. robert durst will return to los angeles this smer for a trial on murder charges. the real estate heir is accused of killing a writer to keep her from cooperating with an investigation into the disappearance of his wife. his attorneys say he didn't kill the writer and doesn't know who did. but he will be extradited to

weaponcharges is wrapped up in louisiana. well, panicked shoppers ran for cover when gunfire erupted at a high-end mall on new york's long island. police say a suspect tried to watch a luxury watch store when a struggle broke out. his gun went off, striking an employee. but when people heard that shot, they worried that it might be a terror attack. >> it was like pure pandemonium. everody was running. to tell you the truth, once i see everybody running i started running. >> the suspect quickly taken into custody with the help of an off-duty new york city police officer who happened to be shopping nearbrb to las vegas now and a defense attorney forhe woman charged with sunday's deadly hit and run along the strip says his client will plead not guilty. she begins facing justice this morning when she makes an initial court appearance. abc's kayna whitworth reports from vegas. >> reporter: more charges filed against the 24-year-old who police say intentionally drove onto a las vegas sidewalk killing a mother of three celebrating her ten-year

of others. >> why did she turn into people and run over a lady and drag that lady for many, many feet while her husband was running after her, banging on the window of the car, begging for her to stop? >> reporter: in addition to the charge of murder with a deadly weapon, lakeisha holloway now charged with child abuse and neglect and leaving the scene of an accident. holloway was cvicted of driving without a license in oregon in 2011, but just one year later she was awarded for turning her life around by a program helping at-risk youth there. >> i beat the odds and was the first in my immediate family and circle to graduate high school. >> reporter: in the police affidavit holloway told authorities she was stressed, she was trying to rest inside her car but kept getting run off by security. she ended up on the strip, a place she did not want to be. if holloway is convicted of murder, she could face life in prison, and the district

including attempted murder. kayna whitworth, abc news, las vegas. well, police in pasadena, california are stepping up security ahead of the rose bowl and rose parade. spectatorsrsan expect to see more security from surveillance in the sky to officers on the e ground. cops are also warning spectators to stay vigilant, and they don't even think -- don't even think about bringing a drone. leave your umbrellas and selfie sticks at home as well. okay. in bay county, florida sheriff's deputies aren't handing out tickets. they're handing out $100 bills. it's all thanks to a secret santa who donated $2,000 hoping deputies could spread a little holiday cheer. so they're stopping safe drivers, in particulul those who they think could really use the cash. not sure how they determine that. >> exactly. >> at least one driver was moved to tears. that's great. >> that is nice. we love it when the force gives back. >> yes. bay county around the panama city area. >> got to take a drive down there. well, it was bells, dribbles, and no-look shots at new york's stock exchange.

there they are. the harlem globetrotters. handles franklin, moose weekes, and ceo kurt schneider rang the opening bell. why are you laughing at me? >> you pronouncing those names. it's like you need barbara billingsley to help out from "airplane." it is one of many stops -- nice job on the hoops there. for the barnstorming basketball team as they celebrate their 90th year. the team tips off its world tour the day after christmas with some 300 g ges in more than 200 cities. >> did i not get the handles franklin, moose weekes? >> moose weekes. i like that name. >> you broke down d started laughing at me. >> loved it. his hair@is pretty interesting too. >> good hair. coming up, the biggest heroes and hernes of the past 12 months. what a memorable year. >> also ahead a special report on care packages then and now. the organization that started feeding the hungry after war ii has a brand new mission today. and later a coyote dashing

nobody's business. just one part of our special gment, "this happened." that's afteroday's forecast map, that can only be described in meteorological terms as a hot mess. >> announcer: "world news now" weather, brought to you by mucinex. seriously? where do you think you're going? to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. oh, right thenen'll swing by in like 4 hours. forget theheacos! one pill ltsts2 hours. i'm good all day. wait! your loss. i was going to wear a sombrero. only mucinex has a bi-layer tablet that starts fast, and keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 full hours. start the relief. ditch the misery.

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dramatic images as a man is pulled from the rubble 60 hours after being buried by a massive mudslide. this is in china. rescue workers say the man was able too give his namam before being rushed to the hospitit, where he underwent surgery. 70 people still missing following the landslide that was so powerful it collapsed buildings. >> incredible images. this time of year a care package can mean many different things to many people but you might not know that the tradition started 70 years ago this month. >> who knew? and now the original care package has been reinvented to help syrian refugees so they can

cerre has the story. >> i was one of the very first care package recipients. and having just grown up and not having had any food, we were just emaciated. i mean, really thin. >> reporter: renata senter remembers the first care packages of powdered eggs, corned beef and fruit preserves she received as a young german refugee at the end of world war ii as if they were manna from heaven. >> when i came home to my mother and showed her, i said the americans did this. it left such an imprint. how the americans can do this to the enemy. you know, i just said, wow. >> reporter: for a $10 donation to care back in december 1945 americans could buy and ship boxes of surplus army rations to post-war europe that could feed ten people during one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century. >> the care package to me is an

it sort of encapsulates the impulse to do something directly for one pers to help another person. >> reporter: flash forward to the greatest refugee crisis in europe and the middle east since world war ii. more than 4 million displaced people and counting. the majority of them without any source of income living on their own outside of traditional refugee camps. and it's winter. >> this could be described as a new care package. it's an electronic voucher. >> reporter: the food vouchers work like any other debit card but have a monthly limit per family and can only be used to buy food, hygiene, and household essentials. new credit is added monthly with funding from the u.n. and international aid organizations. it's faster, better, and cheaper for delivering essential food and clothing than shipping, storing, and delivering care packages. >> new arrival from syria. >> reporter: care's relief workers in turkey, many of them syrian refugees themselves, make sure the voucher cards get to the neediest. like this extended family of 13,

just across the turkish border from syria. care is also giving families a one-time winterization voucher card to buy heaters and coats and blankets to get them through this winter. >> by getting the voucher rather than giving a set kit of in-kind donations, it enables the family to choose what's right for them and to meet their own needs better. >> reporter: these food vouchers started off with a value of $30 a month per person until a shortfall in international funding forced the u.n. to twitter nearly a quarter million refugees their vouchers are being cut off. today in turkey this voucher is worth about $18 per month per person. that means 60 cents a day for food. >> the world spends momo on bubble gum than we do on our broader humanitarian responses. time, and in another generation we want to look back and we want to be able to say we were as

world war ii. >> reporter: like the original, these new care packages still depend on public donations. on the turkey-syria border mike cerre reporting for abc news. >> i like the fact that it doesn't feel like a handout, that they're able to pick what they want to make a difference in their lives and families. >> we should point out it really is a big need there because you have about 2 million registered syrian refugees living in turkey alone. 4.3 -- >> and that's only the documented ones. >> exactly. >> they expect significantly more than that undocumented. so we should mention that care usa has set up a designated fund for its syrian refugee program. my.care.com. dot org. excuse me. dot org. coming up, the year in heroes. >> the people we admire most in 2015. you're watching "world news

now." her nurse. her personal assistant. her housekeeper. her cook. r accountant. when i starled taking care of mom, i didn't realize the challenge of playing so many roles. but above all, i'm still... her daughter. [announcer] visit aarp.org/caregiving to connect with experts and other caregivers. together we can better care for ourselves, and the ones we love. today, 1 out of every 4 american kids is hispanic. that means many of the future doctors who will care for us, the engineers who will build our cities, the scientists and entrepreneurs of our country can be your kids. we all know how hard it is for you to send them to college. this is why we want you to know you are not alone, and every day, more people support you to make it happen. many support you, and the hispanic scholarship fund helps you prepare, plan, and pay for your kids' college education.

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back at people and events that shaped our world. >> we'e' had lots of ups and downs, and some of the most inspiring g ople have risen above unthinkable tragedy. here's abc's robin roberts with this retrospective. >> reporter: this year there were no shortages of heroes or shall we say sheroes. >> the u.s. wins the 2015 women's world cup! >> reporter: from the soccer field to center stage. women inspired us all. the u.s. women's national soccer team showed us all that teamwork and determination can lead to greatness. >> u.s. women's soccer team kicked some a. this was the year of theoman. >> i think that was a nice example of what society can be as a whole if we started maximizing the potential i other and stopped being divisive and keeping each other apart. >> viola davis, "how to get away with murder." >> reporter: with her win, viola

african-american woman to take home thehemmy in the drama category. for her lead role in "how to get away with murder." >> we won because i did my job. >> when you're a kid sitting there watching tv, whether you're black or brown or of any color, and you see someone who looks just like you, then you believe all things are possible. >> the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. >> viola davis is proof f at tatant really does win out in the enen >> reporter: off the stage and field there were so many heroes among us. the families of the charleston church shooting victims taught us heroism comes from the heart when there is room for forgiveness. speaking directly to the killer in court, they showed incredible strength in the wake of tremendous grief. >> we have no room for hate. so we have to forgive.

but i forgive you. we shall >> they taught ua lesson, didn't they? on how to live on and not let the killer claim even more lives, the lives of the living. >> reporter: in a year with so much darkness a beautiful lesson from all of these heroes on how to view the world. >> that was one of my fafarite moments,s,he u.s. women's soccer team winning.. but it was - -robin's right. it was a year of a lot of heartbreak but a lot of people who rose above it all. powerful moments. >> and you forget how powerful the moment was with those folks and just days after the shooting in charleston to forgive. and by doing that forgiveness they achieved change. the flag coming down. >> that's a very good point. coming up, animals in airports and giant horns in parking lots. >> all of these things also happened in 2015. we'll explain.

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well, hello there. it's time again for those special stories where we can only really say "this happened." >> starting with a coyote at the baggage claim. this is -- take a look at myrtle beach international airport. it's in south carolina. the coyote, you see there? spotted in a terminal.l. the animal eventually ran across the ticket check area and toward the tsa checkpoint, which is where the coyote was subdued by animal control. who knew animal control is part of tsa. >> but just proof once again that nothing gets past the tsa. because that's where he stopped. >> buck stops at tsa. >> yes. it was coyote ugly after that. next up, the apparent war on christmas continues with a teacher from maine forced to remove her hello kitty pink miniature christmas tree from

catherine gordon has been teaching at the school f f 30 years and says she's always decorated her classroom without issue. she argues that the decorations do not include symbols. the principal is the one who told her to take it down. miss gordon noted that there used to be full-size trees in classrooms and the front office when she first started teaching. >> that is true. you know, we've gone down on the christmas tree in schools. and we've also gone down clearly on hello kitty. what is this world coming to? >> i know. seriously. >> what is happening in the world? >> there needs to be more love for hello kitty. >> a a how about some music to get us back into the spirit? check out this. it's a musician. we don't know his name. but we do know that he's a player of the alp horn. did you know this existed? the alp horn? ricola >> very good. when he got out of his car, he was pleasantly surprised by the acoustics of the parking garage. so what do you do when you like the acoustics in a parking

you bust the out the old alpine horn for an impromptu jam. >> all of them were thrilled. all five of his audience there. >> that's what you call thrilled? look at them. can we move now, move our car? for an encore an instrument better suited for the plains than the alps. the trombone. take a look. darth farmer. dirk klingenberg of kansas playing the imperial march until the cows hopefully come home. and it worked. >> no. they come toward him? >> maybe he had better luck turning away from the dark side than playing the main "star wars" theme. but look at that. they're all coming that way. >> and yes, folks, all of f is actually did happen. and that does it for this half hour. and all of the news did happen too.

>> that was good. this morning on "world news now" -- extreme weather impacting 40 million americans. >> nasty conditions causing fatal crashes just before one of the busiest holidays of the year. accuweather's tracking storms from coast to coast. > cing a judge. the woman accused of intentionanay smashing her car the serious charges she faces in court this morning. and fearing the worst at one of the busiest shopping centers in the northeast. the gunshots, the evacuations, and how police responded. and later, he said/she said. the tense exchange of words between the presidential campaign front-runners. were donald trump's remarks about hillary clinton vulgar? what he's saying now on this wednesday, december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everyone, on

i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm reena ninan. we're going to start with the holiday travel. big story here. and there's actually a warning for millions of americans set to hit the roads today. >> 40 million americans are in the storm zone across a wide swath of the country as severe weather triggers hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of delays. abc's brandi hitt leading us off. >> reporter: a wet and soggy start to a busy holiday travel week. >> you just have to face it. right? >> reporter: more than 100 million travelers are expected to hit the road. the most ever. d severe weather isnsn helping. fog may have led to chain reaction crashes on interstate 49 in arkansas, killing at least three people. and across parts of the west it's slow going in the snow. so much has fallen in washington state, rescue teams have been searching for missing skier monty busby since saturday. >> oh, my -- >> reporter: dangerous winds are overturning semi trucks in california.

the next, keeping utility crews working around the clock. >> we have another tree down. we're going to have to go respond to. >> reporter: more than 38 million travelers are also expected to fly through january 3rd. the busiest airports, atlanta, los angeles, and chicago. where weather could cause flight delays wednesday. meantime, historic heat in the northeast. 77 degrees forecasted in washington, d.c., christmas eve. 71 thursday in new york city. >> now, today is expected to be the busiest travel day on the road. families are taking advantage of lower gas prices. below $2 a gallon in most states. reena a a kendis? >> our thanks to brandi there on the west coast. and as the west coast gets hit again, the east is in for a soaking. >> as a huge spring-like storm makes its way east from the mississippi river valley, our coverage continues with accuweather's paul williams. hi, paul. good morning. >> thanks, kendis, reena. the northwest still being socked

region with rain and then very windy conditions pulling in very quickly and sticking around. mother nature giving the gift that won't stop giving. more snow and rain in the nortrtest and snow dipping into a goododortion of idaho goin into the extrere western slice of montana.. gusty winds for the deep south and throughout the entire mississippi valley region, gusts over 30 miles per hour for us on wednesday. so staying very windy for the east. exceptional warmth will surge from the south but still very mild in general, and that will actually set the stage for more rain to stick around because we'll have so much warmth in place. and for christmas not a white christmas for r e east coast, t to the west a bit snowy. kendis, rerea? >> paul, thahas so much. the woman now charged d r sunday's hit-and-run crash along the las vegas strip p gins facing justice today. lakeisha holloway will be in court this morning. she's facing charges of murder, child abuse, and leaving the scene of an accident. prosecutors say they expect "a great number of additional charges to be filed against her

>> why did she turn into people and run over a lady and drag that lady for many, many feet while her husband was running after her, banging on the window of the car, begging for her to stop? >> holloway is expected to plead not guilty. survrvllance video of the incident has nototeen released. osecutors do not plan to present ititn court today. a lawsuit stemming from the mass shooting in newtown, connecticut, has been finalized. 16 of the 26 families will split $1.5 million from the estate of the gunman's mother. the money comes from her homeowner's insurance policy. three years ago this month adam lanza killed his mother, then walked into the sandy hook elementary school and killed 26 people. other lawsuits are still pending. frightening moments for shoppers inside one of new york's biggest malls. gunfire at a high-end jewelry store sent people running and d screaming. it turned out to be a botched robbery. but shoppers didn't know that at first.

details. i came to the mall just to do some last-minute shopping. there's shooting in there. >> reporter: last-minute shopping turned chaos. >> i heard like three sounds that sound like gunshots. >> reporter: the sound of gunfire. the scream of police sirens. and crowds of people running and hiding. >> it was like pure pandemonium. everybody was running. >> to tell you the truth, once i seen everybody running, i started running. >> reporter: police responded in force, quickly arriving at the roosevelt field mall on long island. officials say an armed robber walklk into a tourneau stata targeting the high-end watch ction. a bullet from his gun hitting one person. >> the shot left the store and struck a mall employee in the mall. 67-year-old male. >> reporter: police took the suspect into custody, escorting him away in handcuffs. officials say it was an off-duty nypd officer just out doing his own shopping responsible for the takedown. >> i'm pretty sure something drastic had to happen. >> reporter: while all that was happening, many shoppers were hiding, often in back rooms, inside other stores. some waited up to an hour and a half for the all clear.

thought was terrorism. >> reporter: local officials changed protocols for calls likeke these after the recent terror attacks in paris and san bernardino, treatingach call as an active shooter situation. everyone breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn't a mass shooting. >> people are still in the mall. they are still going to shop no matter what. new york don't hold back for nobody. >> reporter: richard cantu, abc news, new york. now to a high-profile murder trial that's on the docket for this summer in los angeles. real estate heir robert durst will return to the west coast after a federal weapons case in lolosiana is settled. durst is accused of killing a friend to prevent her from aiding an investigation into the disappearance of his wife. the 72-year-old's trial is likely to attract worldwide headlines. army sergeant bowe bergdahl has made a brief courtroom appearance before a military judge. he was clean-shaven and in his dress blues. this is the first good look that we've had of bergdahl since he

controversial prisoner swap with the taliban. he'd been held captive for five years after walking away from his unit. he did not enter a plea and makes another court appearance next month. wewe, anothermbarrassing incident for the secret service. a member of the presidential protective division had his gun, badge, radio, and handcuffs stolen from his personal car. the car was parked not far from secret service headquarters in washington. the agency has struggled lately to overcome issues with agent behavior and security breaches at the white house. a hacker to the stars has been busted in new york for trying to sell movie scripts, personal information, and sexually explicit videos of celebrities. the 23-year-old bahamas-based hacker was arrested after trying to sell to undercover agents. things like scripts. hackers are a common sight on the e reets of new york, b b in this case u.s. immigration agents stepped in afafr getting a titifrom an unnamed radio host.

pasadena, california, ahead of the rose bowl as well as the rose parade. visitors can expect more security from surveillance in the sky to even officers on the ground. pasadena police are even gearing up with these new utility terrain vehicles. cops are also warning spectators to stay vigilant and don't even think of bringing a drone. >> this year drones are a very popular item. i understand that they're one of the most popular items for christmas. but given the faa fly regulations, the parade and the rose bowl game will be a no-drone zone. >> so keep your new christmas spectators are also being asked to leave their umbrellas and selfie sticks at home as well. no selfie sticks at the rose bowl parade. >> it's okay, folks. you'll survive. you'll survive without that stick. >> it will be like the rose bowl parade 2000. >> pretend like it's 2000. >> exactly. well, ernie smith of iowa is

on monday he celebrated his monday he e lebrated his birthday w wh a flight piloting a plane. >> smith ibelieved to be the oldest active pilot in the u.s. he's been flying for nearly 75 years. he takes to the skies a few times a week in order to keep flying. every two years he must pass an aviation medical exam. smith says that he plans to celebrate his 100th birthday the same way he did monday, with a flight. and next year united airlines going to sign him up. >> he says people ask him all the time what attracts him about flying, and he said that one just needs to look at the sunrise over the horizon to have your answer. that's a good deal, right? >> would you let him pilot your plane? >> no. ming up -- >> no doubts about it. >> how to avoid hurtrteelings if you open a gift you that just don't like. also ahead, danger falling from the sky. on the ski slope the frightening scene as a drone narrowly misses a championship athlete. >> ernie, i've got to say you

and also, a political battle over vulgarities, campaign claims and sexism. trump and clinton going head to head. >> tell us what you think on facebook. wnnfans.com. and twitter @abcwnn. you're watching "world news now." >> fly me to work, ernie, tomorrow.d twitter @abcwnn. you're watching "world news now."

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it's not often we show a lot ofoflpine skiing on "world news

but this run is special because of that. wow. austria's marcfl herscher on a slalom run yesterday was nearly struck by that drone that fell out of the sky. it was actually carrying a tv camera and was being used for the race broadcast when it crashed on the snow. herscher wasn't affected by it, but afterward called the incident horrible. >> wow. can you imagine? just a couple seconds' difference there. hmm. well, the nfl is denying a report that it's backed out of funding a study about brain injuries. espn had quoted sources reporting the league is withholding millions of dollars of fundingngor research being done at boston university. according to the report the nfl had raised c ccerns about the objectivity of a professor who would be leading the research. but a new statement says the nfl is willing to pay $16 million for the study. the league has been criticized for its handling of concussions. well, now to the race for president. donald trump says the word that he used to describe hillary clinton's primary defeat in 2008

trump says what he meant by using the word was that clinton was beaten badly. >> at the campaign yesterday in iowa clinton said, "we shouldn't let anybody bully his way to the presidency." it's your voice, your vote. abc's bazi kanani has more. >> reporter: on the trail in iowa hililry clinton says donana trump's language is helping terrorists recruit. >> it is playing into the hands of the violent jihadists. >> reporter: the democratic front-runner refusing to respond directly to trump's latest attack involving a sexually derogatory term to describe how she was beaten by barack obama in 2008. >> she got [ bleep ]. she lost. >> reporter: trump's fury sparked by an unsupported claim clinton made in her last debate. trump now mocking that claim. >> donald trump is on video and isis is using him on the video to recruit! >> reporter: a new quinnipiac university poll shows trump may need to take aim at someone else. ted cruz is catching up.

trump nationally. the texas senator still careful noto criticize his gop rival when asked about trump's disparaging slam on clinton. >> i don't need to be another political pundit. i'm going to let donald trump speak for himself. i'm going to speak for myself. >> reporter: but carly fiorina has a warning for trump. in a radio interview saying she also has been called derogatory names. >> we cannot have candidates who insult women beat hillary clinton. >> reporter: that new poll also found 50% of americans said they'd be embarrassed if trump were president and that figure is e en higher among women. reena, kendis? >> well, you know, the campaigns are kind of on pause mode because the holidays are coming up. so this is kind of one of the last things at are lingering out there. >> yeah.

that 50% of americans would be embarrassed if he became president. but a majority of republicans still would not be embarrassed if he became president. so those numbers are a little skewed i guess there. >> there are a lot of republicans who alal feel like he doesn't necessarily represent the conservative movement. there e s an interesting polol looking at the breakdown of economics and how it impacts people who support trump. it found that those who were highly educated, maybe had a college degree, tended to support other republicans like ted cruz or jeb bush or marco rubio but people without a degree were more likely to support trump. >> that said, on another note, about 30% of americans in that same poll said they'd be embarrassed if hillary clinton became president. >> there you go. well, coming up in our next half hour, body image and health. while some models may have the ideal figures for fashion, their measurements may prove to be extremely unhealthy. the new law banning ultra-thin models and the growing calls for similar regulations. but first a new kind of space race taking tourism to new heights. the connection between reusable rockets and stellar airfares. you're watching "world news s

now." there are oceans and rocks. places where fish swim and birds fly. histis made. art is created. things happen that should always be remembered. heroes emerge. a woman sets people free. a man makes light. a leader steps forward.

a feeling, a state of mind. so get up. get out there, and find your park. ah, for all of you rocket men and women we have some hopeful news today. the private company spacex is celebrating the launch and successful landidi of an unmanned falcon 9 rocket. >> it really was cool. so what does this milestone mean for the future of space travel?

return to flight after its last rocket blew up. [ cheers and applause ] >> main engine cutoff. >> reporter: but this mission was to prove more than delivering 11 small satellites to space. this was about returning the main rocket, the first stage, to earth and land it to be reused. >> the first stage is returning to land. >> reporter: finally, spacex workers at the california headquarters and at cape canaveral could see it returning. [ cheers and applause ] >> the falcon has landed. >> reporter: spacex ceo and tesla electric car magnate elon musk called the reusable rocket one of the keys to going to mars. he got an up-close look shortly after the falcon 9 first stage landed. but musk is not alone. there is a new space race, a private company space race under way. call it the battle of the billionaires. a month ago this blue origin rocket stage landed after a test launch, a victory for that company's founder, amazon ceo jeff bezos. at the time musk needles bezos,

adding there is a "difference between space and orbit." the back and forth continued with bezos offering congrats to musk but then adding "welcome to the club." so the battle cont but for the first time rockets are reusable, making reaching space even more affordable. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> just absotutely amazing what they were able to accomplish. >> it's a big deal. >> yeah. >> but not as big of a deal as you and i. >> oh. that would be -- >> what we achieved. >> that would not be a good thing. >> on an overnight spacex mission. >> would you be the captain and i would be tenille? >> oh. there you go. i like how you think, kendis gibson. >> i would be scared to see you in the driver's seat there. >> i would too. especially with sleep deprivation. the study we did yesterday about people who work the overnights and drdre. coming up, what women are paying and why they're paying more than men are.

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and now it's time for "the mix." we spent practically a month purchasing items for the holiday season, right? only to figure out that women have been paying more than men. >> this again. >> yeah. this again? the neneyork city departmentntf consumer affairs. look at this. the pink scooter you see on the right, $49.99. the red scooter for boys, $24.99. >> well, pink paint is more expensive, as was pointed out. >> oh. come on. take a look at photo number two. disposable razors. the male razors on the left are $49. the pink female $6.99. >> why? >> and then it goes also to clothing, kendis. take a look at this one. you see the shirts? very comparable. same shirts. pink one-pocket button-up levi's shirts.

the women's version 78. >> that's insane. we're talking about the same sort of material right now. >> yeah. >> just the fact it's marketed differently. one's for a woman, one's for a man. and it's that muchh more expensive.e. >> that's so wrong, isn't it? >> hopefully they're doing something about it. that is absolutely wrong they do that. >> you need a blue light special. >> yes. for women. okay. so you know you get that gift from that one person or your aunt that you really, really don't like? >> yeah. >> so how exactly do you react to it? well, a bunch of guys came up with different suggestions on how to react to a bad christmas gift. take a look. >> loving it. loving it. >> [ laughing ]. >> refuse to say thank you. >> thanks. >> yououuys. oh, my god. this is exactly what i needed. >> uh-oh.

you just really, really cry and just pretend as if you like it. you try to cover your face with it. and different reactions to bad presents. >> okay. we have a guide on how to react. >> this is not what i wanted at all. >> or be honest. >> i think honesty always works. a "star wars" fan changes his name to darth vader. would you ever do this? >> if i cared enough. >> he's really passionate about the movie. cared about it a lot. but he's really a tough guy. he said that darth vader has an aura of leadership and toughness. this guy is also raising fundsds for a bone marrow transplant. so you've got to head over to his page and donate. it's eric welch. >> i'm sure eric's son's name is luke. speaking of "star wars" on that theme, five-second project clip here. replicate scenes from the movie using candy canes for the cane wars here. kind of cool. even chewy's in on it. five-second project.

>> yes, it is.it. making news in america this morning, late night rant. donald trump going off on twitter about his latest feud with hillary clinton and that sexually derogatory term blaming the media as other candidates s break their silence on the comment. we're live in n shington. wild weather on one of the busiest travel d ds of the year. heavy rain moving through the south. plus, summerlike storms shaping up. tornado warnings overnight. where the biggest risk is today. caught on camera, a bright light blazing over several states. experts this morning talking about what it likely was, and it's not a meteor. drone danger. look at this. on the slopes, a skier nearly taken out during a race.

morning, everyone. we're going to start with the race for the preredent. the front-runners in both political l rties showing no signs of blunting their attacks against each other. >> the latest volley between donald trump and hillary clinton is trump's twitter rant trying to explain what he meant when he used a sexually derogatory term while attacking clinton. >> abc's kenneth moton is following it all from washington, d.c. he's here with the details. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and reena. no surprise, donald trump is not backing down. he says the, quote, dishonest mainstream media has it wrong. donald trump fired back at the media overnight for his use of a vulgar term to describe hillary clinton's 2008 loss. >> she was favored to win and she got [ bleep ]. she lost. i mean she losos >> reporter: that bleeped word refers to the male anatomy on urban dictionary it's described as a sexually degradadg act. last night trump tweeted saying he meant clinton got beaten

he then blamed the media. >> that's why it's important to stand up to bullies wherever they are. >> reporter: clinton didn't respond directly to trump during her iowa rally but bernie sanders did. >> donald trump is very upset, it's very hard for him to deal with. i don't know what his relationship with him has been in his life but he has discovered that women go to the bathroom. >> reporter: sanders making light of trump's attack on clinton after her bathroom break during the abc news democratic debate. it's not the first time trump's comments have insultedwomen. his public battlingg with fox news host megyn kelly and gop rival carly fiorina made headlines earlier this year. >> it's the mark of a man who i believe has no respect for women, whatsoever report female supporters are sticking with trump. >> i don't think he's insulting to women. i think there's a lot of women out there that are very insulting to other women and to men out there.

poll has trump still at the top with 28% of gop voters. but quinnipiac university says six in ten women voters say they would be embarrassed to have trump as their commander in chief. reena and kendis. >> looking at that female vote very important. well, kenneth moton live in washgton, thanks, kenneth. we're going to turn our gears and switch to our other top story this morning. a record-breaking travel day colliding with record-breaking weather. >> 40 million americans are in the storm zone facing violent storms, high winds, torrential rains and feet of snow. take a look. this is what philalphia international airport looks like at this hour where dering this busy travel week, the weather has been having a domino effect canceling hundreds of flights and delaying thousands more. >> and the weather radar, take a look, shows the whole picture for the eastern half of the country. a couple of powerful fronts marching eastward. one in the midwest, the other blanketing just about everything south of pennsylvania. severe storms are hitting the deep south, even triggering

mississippi and louisiana. abc's rob marciano tracking where the severe weather is expected today. >> reporter: the severe weather threat that starts in the arklatex and expands throughout the day across the midsouth, a wide spread from new orleans all the way to indianapolis with memphis in the bull's-eye. maybe tornadoes, this is spread by extreme warmth. better above normal. 62 in chicago. that's with rain and christmas eve over 70 in new york and d.c. records are going to be blown out. the eastern half will see wet interstates, the especially will see snow covered roads so be safe and travel slow. >> thank you so much, rob. weather may have played a role in a plane crash in the san francisco bay area. officials have found the wreckage of a small plane in castro valley with a body inside, however, the terrain is too rough and the body has not been recovered. in fact, two firefighters received minor injuriesshile trying to reach the wreckage.

bowe bergdahl, the army sergeant held by the taliban for five years, made a brief appearance before a military judge. in his dress blues, this is the first look we've actually had of bergdahl since he was handed over in a controversial prisoner swap in 2014. he's facing charges of deserting his unit. he did not enter a plea and makes another court appearance next month. we're learning more about the six americans killed during a suicide bomb attack in afghanistan on monday. among those killed was major adrianna vorderbruggen, a 38-year-old gay rights activist and mother from minnesota. the others included four staff sergeants and a technical sergeant. they rank in ages from 28 to 45. the taliban n s claimed respspsibility for the attack. we're also g gting new details about the san bernardino shooters from the wife's immigration file. syed farook, we're learning, was born in chicago and fst connected with tashfeen malik on the internet before meeting farook's pilgrimage to mecca and they became engaged the day they

her file doesn't appear to support charges from some republicans that immigration officials failed to catch errors in her visa application. the woman charged in the deadly hit-and-run crash on the las vegas strip makes her first court appearance this morning. lakeisha holloway is facing charges of murder, child abuse and leaving the scene of an accident. r defense attorney says he expects her to plead not guilty. she told police she was stressed before intentionally driving onto the crowded sidewalk. juju a few years ago she was honored in oregon for turning hehelife around. several people injured in the crasasremain hospitalized. here in new york city an alleged hacker to the stars is facing disciplinary action. the 23-year-old from the bahamas was busted for trying to sell movie scripts as well as personal information and sexually explicit videos of celebrities. such script hawkers are a common sight on the streets of new york but in this case u.s. immigration agents stepped in after getting a tip from an

still ahead, another mishap for the u.s. secret service. this time items stolen from an agent's car. and falling from the describe, a drone nearly hits a world cup skier. streaking across the night sky spotted from las vegas to o southern california, so what exactly is this? automated voice: to file a claim, please state your name. carnie wilson. thank you. can you hold on? hold on for one more day really? hey, i know there's pain. why do you lock yourself up in these chains? this would be so easy if you had progressive. our mobile app would let you file a claim and help you find one of our service centers where we manage the entire repair process. things will go your way if you hold on. [ sighs ] someday somebody's gonna make you wanna turn around and say goodbye. say goodbye

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just head around the corner to walgreens when you're searching for that perfect little something. walgreens has great gifts like toys, beauty gift sets, and photo gifts, and it's all just a hop, skip, and a bark away. right now, save 50% on the gift of the week. > ople from the califofoia coast to l l vegas and arizona saw this mysterious bright l lht in the sky last night. the image going viral on social media. a christmas miracle? experts say, it was likely a piecef space jpnk fro a russian rocket. all right, another

a member of the presidential protective division had his gun, badge, radio and handcuffs stolen from his personal car. the vehicle was parked not far from secret service headquarters in washington, d.c. the agent could face disciplinary action. new census figures are out. can you guess the state with the biggest population growth? well, if you guessed in the south, you'd be wrong. north dakota is number one thanks to a booming oil industry. in fact, the population theres at an allll time high at just over 756,000. colorado, the district of columbia, nevada, florida and texas round out the top five. >> so we're moving to north dakota. >> pack your bags. the new york city department of consumer affairs finds women are paying more for everyday products, examples here from the report, this scooter, take a look, the male version, $25 less and these razors, $3.50 more for women. and the same shirt here, as well, $30 more for the female version.

price tags 42% of the time. so you need a last-minute gift? starbucks has your back. they predict to break a record and expect to sell more gift cards than ever as last-minute gifts beating last year's 2.5 million cards sold on christmas eve. more than half of us say we'd like to receive a gift card and starbucks has sold $25 billion worth of them in the past 15 years. hint, hint, papaner, on this shift. >> oh, that's no problem. >> every bit of caffeine. >> a $2 starbucks gift certificate for you. >> you can't even get a coffee for $2 there. >> true. you got to see this a college basketball player with one arm with an amazing accomplishment overnight. and miss colombia, new

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this is probably one of the last places you'd expect to see a coyote. it was spotted inside a terminal at the myrtle beach airport in south carolina, it ran across the ticket check-in area before animal control stepped in, subdued it with a taser. now for a look at your morning road conditions. roads will be wet across the pacific northwest. heavy snows will make for slippery driving across the inner mountain west and nearly the entire eastern half of the country will be blanketed by rain and even flooding conditions in the south. and if you're flying, airport delays possible in

charlotte, the district of columbia, new york -- just evevywhere. just take a look. ititl be bad. panicked shoppers ran for cover when gunfire erupted at a mall on new york's long island. >> police say the suspect tried to rob a high-end watch store at the roosevelt field mall when a struggle broke out with a security guard. the suspect's gun wentff striking an employee. when people heard that single shot, they feared a terror attack. >> it was like pure pandemonium. everybody was running. tell you the truth, once i seen everybody running, i started running. >> the suspect was quickly taken down with the help of an off-duty new york city police officer who happened to be shopping. the injured mall employee is expected to be okay. robert durst will return to los angeles this summer for a trial on murder charges. the real estate heir is accused of killing a writer to keep her from cooperating with an investigation into the disappearance of his wife. his attorneys say he didn't kill the writer and doesn't know who

federal weapons charges has to be wraraed up in louisiana. we've got some dramatic ages as a worker is pulled from the rubble 60ours after being buried by a massive landslide in china. rescue workers say the man was able to give his name before being rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery. the survivor had been trying to escape when a door panel fell creating a space for him to survive. amazing. 70 people are still missing in all of this following the landslide which was strong enough to knock over a multistory building. >> wow. well, the nfl is denying a report that it's backed out of funding a study about brain injuries. espn had quoted sources reporting that the league is withholding millions of dollars of funding for research being done at boston university. according to the report, the nfl had raised concerns about the objectivity of a professor who would be leading the research, but a new statement says the nfl is willing to pay $16 million for the study.

for its handling of concussions. okay, staying with sports i guess a little bit, it was a very c cse call for an alpinin skier duriri a race in italy. austria's marcel hirscher on the slalom there was nearly struck by a drone that fell out of the sky. look at it. >> it was carrying a tv camera and was being used for the race broadcast when it crashed on the snow. wow. hirscher wasn't affected by it afterward called the incident horrible. new york giants wide receiver odell beckham jr.'s appeal will be heard. it stems from his actions on the field against a carolina panther last sunday. as for last night college hoops action, we get the highlights now from espn. >> good morning. welcome to our "sportscenter" set in los angeles. along with neil everett, i'm stan verrett. >> yeah, he's got the better sweater. i got the better story. >> 2 chainz gave me this. >> that's cool. >> the rapper -- really, true story. >> check this kid out, zach hodskins, he was born with

basketball team. that's his first collegiate bucket. this is so great, man. ok at this smile. second year on the team. look at the fellas. see that. man, that's just awesome. prior to this he was 0 for 5 in his gator career. basket and the foul. missed thereebie. still, you'll remember that. you're getting ready to go to work and talk to the people at the water cooler and say, man, did you see that kid from florida? that's cool, man. all right, michigan state taking on oakland. oakland has a great player, kahlil felder. he can do some things. less than 30 seconds to go, oakland down four. knocks down the three. oakland down by just one, michigan state playing without denzel valentine. going to be out for a couple of weeks with a knee injury. deyonta davis with the putback. michigan state up by one. bryn forbes made sure that

state takes it, 99-93. so, they got some options you can see if -- well, valentine is out. >> yeah, and oakland is pretty good too so they gave them a good game. >> exactly. all right. that's it from here. happy holidays to you. back to you. >> how do i get my 2 chainz sweater? i like that. >> i know. he has pull somewhere i guess. by the way, the holiday spirit was lacking last night when the blues and bruins got together on the ice in boston. >> so announcer jack edwards did what he could as two players dropped the gloves. we wish you a merry christmas we wish you a merry christmas >> that's funny. >> jack edwards of the new england sports network singing along to this and kind of fits. tyler randell of the bruins battles ryan reaves of the blues. both receieid five-minute penalties for r ghting and the blues won the game, , 0. >> i guess that doesn't work when talking aboututolitics, right? can't be singing t tt between donald trump and hillary

>> nothing merry about that. coming up next in "the pulse," the new list showing the most overpaid actors. and new this morning, details emerging about steve

universe after his epic fail. all right, let's check "the pulse," shall we? and new developments in the mess at the miss universe pageant. >> well, believe it or not steve harvey is set to host the pageant for at least three more years. "entertainment tonight" says he signed the contract a few days before his embarrassing mistake when he crowned the wrong winner. >> signed it beforehand.

miss colombia is weighing in on being miss universe for only a few minutes. she thahaed people for their messages of support andnd says the goof hasrought atttttion to her country,y,oh, and she says, quoting here, her deep thoughts, life continues and in the future we will find out why things happen the way they happen. >> i love that. you know, i said this yesterday, i thought both handled it with such grace, these right. great thing, spotlight is still on her. great things will happen for her. >> perez hilton said the things we didn't see off camera, she was a diva. >> yeah and that she was giving the side eye to her translator throughout the entire evening throwing serious shade -- >> i have faith in those two women. johnny depp being considered the most overpaid actor in hollywood according to forbes list of overpaid movie stars based on the magazine's calculations, the actor's movie returned $1.20 for every dollar he was paid.

office gold as captain jack sparrow in "pirates of the caribbean" franchise but in recent movies not so much. >> followed by denzel washington. heherought in $6$60or every $1 he was paiai and coming in thirdrd is funnyny manill ferrell. >> all ght. d jennifer lawrence the most derpaid actress out there. this is shaping up to be one seriously weird christmas in the northeast. record high temperatures and now robotic reindeer. >> the work of boston dynamic which make robots. it's the latest from the subsidiary. santa only needs three of them to pull the sleigh not eight and you don't have to clean up after them either. >> maybe you should leave a battery charger with santa's milk and cookies. >> those just look odd. which one is rudolph? >> i think the last one with the red nose. >> more news after this. i'm mary ellen, and i quit smoking with chantix.

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our top stories, donald trump says he meant hillary clinton was beaten badly when he used a derogatory term for her campaign loss in 2008 without mentioning trump by name clinton told iowa voters it's important to stand up to bullies. army sergeant bowe bergdahl held by the taliban for five years has made his first judge. he did not enter a plea on desertion and oer charges. one of the busiest travel days of the year. nearly half the nation blanketed under two storm systems bring heavy rains, flooding and in the south the threat of tornadoes. looking at today's weather across the nation, feet of heavy snow for the inner mountain west and from eastern texas to maine, heavy rains with floodinggn the south, somereas could see 7 inches of rain. on what wa one of the longest nights of the year, the skies lit up over florida with a milestone for private space travel. >> you might say one small step for man, one giant leap towards the stars. abc's david kerley has the

>> two, one. zero. we have liftoff. >> reporter: this is spacex's return to flight after its last rocket blew up but this mission was to prove more than delivering 11 small satellites to space. this was about returning the main rocket, the first stage, to earth and land it to be reused. >> the first stage is returning to land. >> reporter: finally spacex workers at the california headquarters and at cape canaveral could see it returning. >> the falcon has landed. >> that was so awesome. >> reporter: spacex's ceo and tesla magnate elon musk called the reusable rockets one of the keys to going to mars. he got an up close look shortly after the falcon 9 first stage landed. but musk is not alale. there is a new space race,, a ivate company space race under way call it the battle of the

a month ago this blue origin rocket stage landed after a test launch. a victory for that company's founder, amazon a jeff bezos. at the time musk needled him tweeting congratulations but adding there is a, quote, difference between space and orbit. the back and forth continued with bezos offering congrats to musk adding welcome to the club the battle continues but for the first time rockets are reusable making reaching space even more affordable. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> very big accomplishment. >> yeah, billionaires and their toys. >> well, that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america."