time. now," holiday heart ache. tornadoes blast their way across several southern states. the twisters caught on camera. the human toll and today's threat. the fighting back. the controversial political cartoon taking aim at ted cruz and his children. how this candidate is turning an insult into an opportunity. new this half hour, banned from the u.s. one family's outrage. >> the british man and family members planning to visit disneyland was their flight cancel because of their religion? and later in "the skinny," madonna's legal battle has nothing to do with her music. this is an international family dispute on christmas eve. it is thursday, december 24th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning on this christmas eve. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm kendis gibson. we'll get started on a serious

that are crossing the south. >> we're talking at least seven people who have been killed in the violent weather that stretched in arkansas to mississippi. at least 21 reports of tornadoes confirmed and twisters, as well, including this monster wedge tornado in holly springs, mississippi, that killed at least two people including a 7-year-old boy. >> we're just getting a look at some of the devastation in tennessee where two people were killed there. look at that. our coverage begins with phillip mena in memphis. day. >> oh, man. >> reporter: this massive tornado touching down in mississippi. officials telling abc news, up to 15 homes destroyed and at least seven injured. but the storms, firing up early. dumping half a foot of rain on mobile, alabama. this neighborhood underwater. the street, looking more like a river. an 1-year-old woman died after a tree crashed into this home. a baby pulled from the wreckage.

to a local hospital. the 18-year-old female was pronounced dead at the scene. >> on the other side of that storm system, heavy snow causing spinouts in wisconsin. meanwhile in the west, snow-covered roads snarling traffic in utah. while gusts over 80 miles an hour in mojave, california, toppled 15 to 20 tractor-trailers. watch as the roof of this building is ripped tourmaline off. those big rigs banned from the highway till the winds die down. >> scary. i don't liking this truck rocking. >> and these storms are still not over. the mayor of clarkesville, mississippi, calls the damage there horrific. and officials here in memphis are worried that christmas decorations could become projectiles as these storms continue to fire up. phillip mena, abc news, memphis, tennessee. >> thank you. it's been a busy christmas eve for law enforcement after those deadly storms. >> as video comes in showing how powerful these december

winds knocked over a truck on a busy interstate in mississippi. meteorologist justin povick continues our coverage from accuweather. good morning. >> reena, kendis. thanks and good morning to you, as well. thankfully good news. the severe threat that hammered the tennessee valley with all the tornadoes and the damaging winds, that is a thing of the past. there will be some showers along the eastern seaboard. out west, we're concerned about some wet and wintry weather creating some big-time travel delays from san francisco on southbound. then as we kick out east, showers on the move, but temperatures will be record-breaking warm. reena and kendis, back toe you. >> thanks to justin at accuweather. the big story is the snow in the west. avalanche warnings are posted in 11 states, in telluride, colorado it was a sea of white at the airport where a private

the snow plow operator wasn't injured. there's no word why the plane tried to land on a closed runway. it was an emergency landing for a southwest airlines flight in oakland, california. the pilots reported landing gear problems shortly after takeoff and had to remain in a holding pattern for four hours burning fuel over california's central valley. many passengers were shaken by this. the ride was touch bu leapt as the pilots tried to get the landing back up. the plane eventually landed safely. walmart truck driver facing charges in connection with last year's crash that seriously injured tracy morgan. a grand jury indicted kevin roper on first degree aggravated manslaughter. investigators found roper hadn't slept for 28 hours before the crash along the new jersey turnpike. morgan's friend was killed in the crash. the man accused of a deadly shooting at a colorado planned

ablths as his own attorney. robert dare said he won't cooperate. dear talked over his own attorney and interrupted the judge. he faces nearly 200 charges for the shooting which left three people dead. britain's prime minister is getting involved after a family's trip to the u.s. that included disneyland was spoiled allegedly by homeland security. the british family two brothers and their nine children were stopped at the airport's departure gate. they say they were the only muslim looking people for the flight from the uk to los angeles. >> we felt humiliated. the way we were dealt with was out of the ordinary. >> the family will not get a refund of their more than $13,000 in airfare and other bookings. u.s. officials say they were not denied entry because they are muslim. the british government is demanding an explanation. the race for presidency, a

drew a sharp reaction from republican ted cruz. take a look at the cartoon. cruz is defikt picketed as an organ grinder dressed as santa, and his daughters as dancing monkeys. cruz saying yesterday "don't mess with my kids, don't mess with anybody's kids." abc's jonathan karl reports. >> please read this one, daddy. >> reporter: in an "snl" style parody produced by his campaign, senator ted cruz reads conservative christmas stories with his family. his young daughters, catherine and caroline, join in. >> the whole family will enjoying reading stories like "the grinch who lost her e-mails." >> i know just what i'll do, she said with a snicker, i will use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: the ad prompted "the washington post" to run a political cartoon depicting cruz's daughters as trained monkeys. >> not much ticks me off. but making fun of my girls, that will do it. it's not complicated, don't make fun of a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl. >> reporter: cruz and his gop

>> this is off-limits, and ted cruz was absolutely right to be outraged. >> reporter: donald trump called the cartoon "bad," marco rubio called it "disgusting." the cartoonist was unapologetic, tweeting, "ted cruz has put his children in a political ad. editorial cartoonists draw them, >> dear jesus, thank you for the >> reporter: long before the christmas ad, the cruz campaign posted extensive video of the kids for future campaign ads. >> i'm ted cruz -- >> and we approve this message. >> reporter: and kids are often featured in campaigns. for example, this obama campaign video from 2012, which prompted no such political cartoon. "the post" eventually took the cruz cartoon down. the editorial page editor explaining, "post policy is usually to leave the children out of it," acknowledging they should have done that this time. cruz is now using the cartoon to raise money. "i'm sickened," he writes to supporters. "this shows you exactly how desperate the liberal media is

family." cruz has also offered up his own political cartoon, featuring what he calls hillary clinton and her lap dogs an, "the washington post" and "new york times." jonathan karl, abc news, washington. >> got to love presidential politics. the twin birth rate hit an all-time high last year in the u.s. one in about 29 babies was a twin last year. in 1980, only one in 53 babies was a twin. the increase may be due to women waiting longer to start families. the birth rates for teenagers dropped 9% frefrs 2013 to 2014. that's interesting, the grandparents took the kids to the museum today. my mother-in-law was saying how they noticed so many sets of twins, brothers and sisters or sisters and sisters. >> we all love twins. >> speaking of twins, voters in one east texas county may do a double take in the race for sheriff. >> people say all politicians

identical twins harry and barry washington are running for the office. bashry started as a teacher and a coach, then became a texas ranger. he was joined in law enforcement a few years later by his >> and despite their differences, barry says we're going to be biological brothers to the end of the world and we're going to be spiritual brothers forever. >> yeah, that's interesting they are running against each other but they do have others that are in the race, twos others that are running. a total of four candidates. >> i just vote for them because they have nice cowboy hats. >> wonder who mom would vote for. >> i bet mom stays home. i bet mom stays home. coming up in "the skinny," a big moment for beatles fans. they've been waiting for this for years. >> also ahead, waiting till the very last minute for holiday bargains. we're takin you into an iconic new york department store to show you the procrastinators. >> a consumer alert about gift cards. how thieves could make the next gift card you buy absolutely

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"love, sleep and play. pampers" well, you can now add hyatt hotels to the growing list of companies hit by hackers. it's investigating malware found on computers used to process payments. guests are advised to review credit card statements. it only affected hotels managed by hyatt and not franchised locations. >> chipotle is changing some of its cooking methods to better kill germs. more than 50 customers came down

near boston clij will reopen today after passing an inspection. two dozen patrons became ill with norovirus. >> with limited options for last minute christmas presents, gift cards are an easy option. >> although you can't give your son that. >> struggling with my son. we need to find a salvage rescue bot. >> throw it out to the university. >> you can now buy many gift cards mostly anywhere. that can be a problem since thieves are targeting the robbing their value. mara schiavocampo with more >> reporter: gift cards at the top of many a wish list. shoppers expected to spend almost $26 billion on these cash cards. >> i think they're a great clutch gift to give anybody. >> the easier choice. so you don't disappoint anybody. >> reporter: but experts warn these holiday favorites could come with a risk. >> gift cards are absolutely vulnerable to scammers. there are lots of different ways that nefarious people can get their hands on the cards and your money. >> reporter: part of the problem?

cash. requiring nothing i.d., pin number or signature, making them very alluring targets for scammers. here's how it works. before you buy the card, thieves can copy its information, sometimes using handheld skimmers, later stealing the card's value. so, experts say, look for tampered packaging, especially at the scratchoff area in the back. use the card right away. register your card. and be sure to use a reputable site if you're thinking of on an online exchange. >> the safest way to buy cards is online or from a locked drawer in the store. >> reporter: ensuring a holiday bah humbug. mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> all right. coming up, the singing superstar trying to get her son to come home for christmas. >> and sir paul's message to

live for streaming. "the skinny" up next. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations.rii,brii [male narrator] we've all heard how military veterans adjusting to the civilian world may have... certain... issues. 2... 30... 70... if only everyone had this issue. no matter what challenge they face, easter seals is here

chipt. chipotle. the big mystery on january 4th will be answered on gma. can't wait. leading the skinny, the material girl having some trouble with her teenage child. >> madonna was in a manhattan court yesterday and won a court order forcing her 15-year-old son who return home to the u.s. frfr london. according to reports she's in a custody with her ex-husband guy richie and their son rocco apparently wants to live with daddy. >> the judge told richie's lawyer if the child wants to stay with his father, he must return to his mother first. >> he's all grown up. >> he's now 15 years old. >> where did the time go? >> i know, we're old. >> i wouldn't mess with madonna. not because she's madonna but because she's mama. she's working that gown there. all righty. there has been an answer. let it stream. a huge musical milestone, the beatles music now available for

>> for many, the biggest musical stars on the planet like taylor swift and adele, the issue has been contentious. board. >> through services like spotify, apple music, title and others fans can listen to 17 beatles albums on demand. to celebrate last night sir paul here tweeting out this message wishing everyone a very happy crimbo and a peaceful new year. >> the new song is going to released we're streaming, yeah, yeah, yeah. we're streaming in music news, hip-hop star kendrick lamar is spreading holiday cheer this season, as well. the rapper who just received more grammy nominations than any other artist for his album "to pimp a butterfly," what does that mean? >> it's to kill a mockingbird.

music video or pushing a new single but by showing kids the key to success. hard work. you see kendrick with a young boy who witnesses all the love the rapper has shown but where other stars might let it go to their head, he keeps it in perspective for his young friend. >> i don't get it. >> please, i insist. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> you're most certainly welcome. >> man, anytime. >> you know who that is? kendrick lamar. >> i should have got two. >> i know. hard work. >> you need to work for that. >> come on, man, take the ice cream? >> i got to. >> my favorite flavor. i don't care. >> unique musical arrangements on "to pimp a butterfly," have made him a huge hit with critics and fans and earning him 11 nominations. >> i think "to pimp a

swing like a butterfly. >> the famous quote by mike tyson you're referring to. >> you don't even know the quote either. and finally, a holiday gift the cast of the beloved netflix series orange is the new black the retelling of a christmas tale. >> the story of santa coming to their prison. >> we sprang to our bunks as the guards gave a shout, our christmas was over, our secret was out. >> santa fled from the scene as the lockdown began. >> not the first time i've taken the rap for a man. >> i heard him explame as we ran to our cots. >> happy holidays, ladies, you're all getting shots. >> oh, that's hilarious. season 4 coming sometime next year. >> merry christmas. >> i remember now. float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> brian getting in her ear. >> no, it came to me naturally.

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here comes santa claus here comes santa claus right down santa claus lane. >> it is timeless. listen to it in march of next year. if you haven't finished your christmas shopping, you've got plenty of time. but at least you're in good company. >> there are plenty of people out there who have yet to wrap their presents and place them under the tree. trina trinh is at macy's here in new york with last minute shoppers. >> i'm here at macy's herald square the iconic store here in new york city where i'm learning when it comes to christmas shopping, there are a lot of procrastinators among us. take a look. people still out shopping on christmas eve. we've got a couple hours to go before the official day. and it's crunch time.

score those last-minute deals. maybe they were undecided about what to get for people this year. every shopper here. can i talk to you? >> hi. >> what are you in the market for? >> for shirts. >> okay. and who are you shopping for tonight. >> i'm shopping for my wife, my son, my grandmother, my grandfather, my other grandmother and grandfather, aunts and uncle pooz. >> you waited till the 11th hour to come here tonight. >> i i just came back from jersey, yes. >> why did you take you till now? you could have been a little bit more prepared. >> yes, you're right. >> what's on the list for everyone? >> i have no idea. i'm so confused. i have no idea. >> good luck. good luck. >> thank you. >> how about you? what are you here shopping for tonight? >> some cologne. >> is this really for yourself or somebody else? >> it's really for me, no, for

>> i thought so. all right. so a lot of shopping still going on here at macy's. wishing these guys a lot of luck. we'll see what happens on christmas day. back to you. >> thank you, tina. good to know. there's nothing wrong with buying a little merry merry christmas gift for yourself. >> i do it all the time. i did shopping yesterday and ended up buying a lot of stuff for myself along the way. the good thing is a lot of these stores are open overnight, toys "r" us being one of them and open till late on christmas eve. >> still got to find the rescue bot salvage. let me know, folks one thing he wanted this christmas. >> updates wnnfans.com. >> announcer: this is abc's

good morning on this christmas eve. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm kendis gibson. taking a look at some of our top headlines we're following this morning on "world news now." at least seven people are dead across parts of the south where nearly two dozen tornadoes cut a wide path of destruction across mississippi, tennessee and arkansas. more details and our accuweather forecast in a moment. the bodies of the six service members killed in afghanistan are back in the u.s. defense secretary ash cart ker honored them at a memorial ceremony at delaware's air force base. >> douglas hughes awaiting sentencing for flying a gyrocopter on to the grounds of the u.s. capital says he's going to challenge debbie wasserman-schultz for her seat in congress, the chair of the democratic national committee and christian pilgrims in israel celebrating christmas by visiting a nativity re-enactment in nazareth and church services

those are some of our top stories on this thursday and it is christmas eve, december 24th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> well, merry christmas. partner. >> merry christmas to you. >> hope you finished all your christmas shopping. >> completely done, i've got to wrap them all. clearly you got completely wrapped there in christmas. >> i wrapped up in your wrapping paper. figured you didn't need ned. >> like a hot red. >> i'll take that as a compliment. not so hot down south. violent weather, the images remarkable. some people not having a merry christmas down there. tremendous. striking parts of the south. at least seven people dead. >> not the sort of story we want to talk about going into christmas eve and christmas, as well. at least seven people are dead but at least 21 tornadoes raked across three southern states. including this monster. look at that. this is in the town of holly springs, mississippi and this is what's left behind. two people including a

the twister picked up and tossed the car the boy was riding in by relatives. by nightfall, parts of whory rubble. some people were caught on the side of the road trying to decide where to turn. >> back it up. >> no. around. >> there's a tornado in front of us. >> settle down. >> it's not over yet. tornado watches remain in effect across parts of at least four southern states. >> this violent weather couldn't have hit at a worse time as millions of americans set out on holiday travels. getting home to family has been a bit of a nightmare. brandi hitt has more. >> let the holiday travel rush begin. >> this is the worst time to travel. >> reporter: airports are packed across the country. long lines forming in chicago before 6:00 a.m. >> madness. this is crazy. >> i'm hoping i'm going catch my flight.

flight delays in new york, new jersey, and philelphia. >> we're delayed. >> on time. no, delayed. >> reporter: this southwest airlines flight was forced to return to oakland for an emergency landing after the plane suffering a mechanical problem circled for nearly four hours. >> it was going very slow because they were trying to get the landing gear up and it wouldn't go up. >> reporter: across much of the country, severe weather is impacting the roads. with snow falling at an inch per hour in parts of oregon. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: 80-mile-per-hour winds leaving damage in southern california and this tornado touching down destroying several homes in mississippi. >> if you haven't finalized travel plansest, be aware the second worst travel day is expected to be sunday. reena and kendis? >> our thanks to brandi there. the usual weather pattern could cause more travel delays in the hours ahead. >> snow in the west and

here's accuweather's justin povick. >> thanks and good morning to you, as well. these severe threat have diminished. good news after a very, very busy day yesterday with all the tornado reports and unfortunately, all the damage, as well. there will be some rain continuing for today out east. but this is the big story. temperature departures 25 to 30 degrees bob norm, record amounts of warmth. out east, we're concerned about heavy snow and soaking showers at the coast. reena and kendis, back to you. >> thank you so much. lawyers for the woman accuses of driving on a las vegas strip sidewalk says she's distraught and overwhelmed. lakeisha holloway made her first court appearance yesterday charged with murder, child abuse and hit and run and currently on suicide watch. one person was killed in the incident. the coroner says jessica valenzuela died of blunt force trauma pla.

forcefully removed from a hospital. her family blames the police and the medical hospital. we get more from linzie janis. >> >> reporter: angela donar says she watched her niece, 57-year-old barbara dawson, collapse as police hauled her out of a hospital in handcuffs. >> they didn't do what they could. >> reporter: relatives say it all started around 10:30 sunday night. dawson was rushed by ambulance to this small florida hospital, complaining of stomach pain. she was evaluated by doctors and discharged just before 5:00 a.m., but her family says dawson still didn't feel well and wanted to stay. that's when lawyers for the family say hospital staff called the police. families say nurses took her off the hospital's oxygen, and dawson complained of trouble breathing in the parking lot. this photo, taken by a family member, shows dawson where she collapsed, still in handcuffs near the police car. >> the general public should be

who is seeking medical help would end up in cuffs and end up dead. >> reporter: according to police, medical staff observed dawson had a pulse and appeared to be breathing. she was taken back into the hospital, where she died. the medical examiner telling police, dawson suffered a blood clot in her lungs. the calhoun liberty hospital saying, it can't comment on why dawson was removed, but saying, "in such cases, the safety and comfort of all patients is considered." the florida department of law enforcement says it will investigate. linzie janis, abc news, new york. at least 15 civilians are dead in a wave of attacks across iraq, most of them bombings. progress by government forces in daking back the city of ramadi. houses are booby-trapped. ramadi fell in may. the army chief of staff claims it will be back in government hands within days. british officials want

muslim family's disneyland raeks was spoiled. the two brothers and 11 children were stopped right at the boarding ramp and told they could not get on their flight to los angeles on orders from washington, d.c. they say it was humiliating and traumatic. agents say their religion had nothing to do with their decision but wouldn't elaborate. >> a black lives matter activist says the mall of america was used as a decoy to start a protest that quickly moved to the minneapolis airport. protesters are angry over the killing of a black man by police. they claim jamar clark was shot by police while handcuffs. >> the walmart truck driver who slammed into tracey morgan's limo has been indicted. he hasn't slept for 28 hours before of the crash along the new jersey turnpike. morgan was seriously injured and

former football coach jerry sandusky will be receiving a rather large pension payment next week. he's serving a prison sentence for child molestation. the pennsylvania system stopped his monthly payment the day he was convicted three years ago. a court has ruled that was illegal because he retired in 1999. he will be mailed a check for $211,000 next monday and his y benefits nearly $5,000 will resume next month. and steph curry of the golden state warriors among the big nba stars who appear in a new public service ad against gun violence. it features survivors of gun violence and families of shooting victims. it will debut tomorrow during the nba's popular christmas day schedule of games. >> the chipotle restaurant near boston college is reopening today. two dozen patrons came down with nor row vifs after eating there. it has been battered by

steps to improve food safety including new ways of preparing fresh vegetables. sales have plummeted since midsummer. >> in milwaukee, it is being called a feat of sweets. the house from the disney pixar movie "up" has been re-created into a fantastic confectionery conglomeration. this genius gingerbread house was created by an 18-year-old. as part of the milwaukee area technical college banking and pastry arts student gingerbread house competition. >> it took her more than 100 hours to create but sadly, can you believe it, didn't take the prize. how is that possible? >> what would take the prize above that. >> i like the little gum drops supposed to be the balloon out of the chimney there. >> i think they're jelly beans. that's cool. >> disney is the parent company

>> really? >> yeah. >> okay. we should know that. coming up, the social media trend that is not in the christmas spirit. how it can be harmful to kids. >> also ahead, shopping for bargains even at this hour. the early morning mad dash for christmas gifts at a new york iconic retailer. check out the scene. >> and safety on the football field. nfl players and their injuries on the field pro athletes react to the new movie called "concussion," after our forecast map. it will be warmer in new york city than los angeles on christmas eve. >> that's pretty cool. >> it's about time. >> great falls, you're stuck at 24. >> announcer: "world news now"

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valued at $600 a pair. at another store they grabbed the hottest gift of the season. >> what was it? >> hover boards. they can be seen on camera using a cart to carry out boxes of them. wouldn't it be ironic if it exploded when they used it. >> how did they not use a hoverboard to get out? >> maybe they were worried about the explosion. >> okay. so you can add hyatt hotels to the growing list of companies hit by hackers. it's investigating malwear found on computers used to process customer payments. guests are advised to review statements. the breach only affected hotels it managed by hyatt and not franchise locations. the new york giants will be without o'dell beckham for sunday night's must win game against the vikings. beckham's appeal of the one-game suspension he received for violent conduct sunday against carolina was heard at the nfl's office heren new york yesterday.

despite his beautiful blonde hair. so beckham can't even attend team meetings, much less play in minnesota. the of. >> the new look, the blonde look was pretty nice. >> it's an interesting look. nfl's week 16 begins tonight with the chargers taking on the raiders. tomorrow a movie called "concussion" premieres in theaters. >> a doctor uncovered the truth about brain damage in football players. what is the nfl saying about it right now? here's ryan smith. >> you're going to war with a corporation that owns a day of the week. >> reporter: the national football league speaking out exclusively to abc news just days before the premiere of "concussion." >> do you want fans to see this movie? if there's a benefit, we're going to elevate the conversation around the health and safety of our game. >> the trailer suggesting back then the league didn't want to

>> the nfl does not want to talk to you. >> when a movie like this comes out and fans or maybe others say this is a sign that the nfl tried to cover things up before, how do we know they're not giving us all the information now. >> take a look at what we've done. >> reporter: the league saying a lot has changed since 2005. updates to 39 rules related to health and safety in the last decade, implementing new concussion protocols and investing millions to improve equipment like special straps that aim to regulate head movement in the helmet. is this enough? the doctor telling robin roberts no matter how protect tiff the helmet it, won't stop injuries. >> look what happens to your brain when you have impact. the brain bounces around the skull. you take a padding, the padding will simulate the helmet no matter how thick it is. look at what happens. >> what difference does improving the equipment make when a head to head impact or

traumatize the brain no matter how thick the outer protection layers are? >>. >> you can improve the rules and the safety of the equipment. >> reporter: do you think we can ever stop head injuries in otball. >> probably not, but i think we can minimize them. >> ryan smith, abc news, new york. >> i thought that the interview was incredible with the nfl officials. really interesting. >> just learning a little bit about what's happening there in the nfl. coming up, teens suffering from the fear of missing out. >> the proliferation of bling on social media and how it's affecting kids that don't have their parents' money to spend. next on "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now"

abc stations. 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. it can be a place, a feeling, a state of mind. so get up.

tt2w`t2n`qd" bt@q= h tt2w`t2n`qd" "a@q-,, tt2w`t2n`qd" bm@q&' tt4w`t2n`qd"" dztq 6px tt4w`t2n`qd"" entq ft8 tt4w`t2n`qd"" gzt& _s@ tt4w`t2n`qd"" hnt& o], tt4w`t2n`qd"" iztq %4t tt4w`t2n`qd"" jntq 7d4 tt4w`t2n`qd"" lzt& /)h you're a rich girl and you've gone too far because you know it don't matter anyway >>, of course, haul and oates. money might not get you far but for kids looking to showoff it gets you followers. >> it could be affecting other kids more than you realize. here's abc's nick watt with. >> reporter: they do say if you've got it, flaunt it. >> i probably spend around $15,000 a month on just shopping. > i've been getting it since i was 14.

and boy do they want the world to know it. >> it became addictive. i posted photos of my life. >> so-called rich kids of instagram are sharing photos and videos of everything from private jets to parisian hotel suites. >> some people would take up to 30 a day and try and post them. we wanted to find out what it was that was driving this em to do this. >> reporter: director oscar hum frizz made a documentary called "rich kids of instagram." >> there's a fascination with what goes on in the worlds of the top 1%. instagram is kind of like a portal into people's lives. instagram is my canvas if i was an artist i would like to paint the picture of my life. >> reporter: some of these kids have hundreds of thousands of online foower. >>s. >> when you get a lot of attention, it can be intoxicating. >> reporter: i've no doubt will be kind to the rkoi, but is this

what are the cars, the cash doing to their followers making them feel a little disappointed in their own reality and rkoi induced fomo, that's the fear of missing out in teen speak. >> they're showing an extreme version of their lives. for children that are impressionable, this information can lead to increased risk of depression and loneliness. >> are you going to come and stop me? >> i'd like to. i think i'd like to. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> it is quite interesting actually looking at the photos. rkoi. >> unfollow. there is an unfollow button on instagram. >> but it's so interesting. a lot of scantily dressed kids there. on rkoi. let me say. coming up, last minute shopping.

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when santa claus gets your letters i really do believe, you'll head his list you won't be missed >> christmas comes once a year. for planning purposes, it's always on the same day so that it's christmas eve, and there are people who still need to shop. >> i always get the date wrong. some people do their best work under pressure. trina trinh is in macy's in new york's herald square to see what the last minute scene is like right now. >> that's right. it's christmas eve and there are still shoppers out and about. it's crunch time. and i am so surprised at how many procrastinators there are among us. we're going to try and talk to a few and see what they've got. here are some guys who i found earlier. introduce yourselves. >> i'm abraham. >> i'm jen. >> hey, guys. be honest here.

last minute like this? you had all year. >> it's a family tradition. we wait up until the last 24 hours to shop for people. >> okay. >> and you want to know what i have. you want to know what santa's got in the bag. >> what did you get? >> we've got look at there, beautiful eskimo hat. >> that looks like you got that for yourself. >> it fits me perfectly but i've got a vet -- my head fits a lot of people's heads. there is going to be for many people. it could even be for you and some jeans. 34/32. i'm not a 34. i'm a lot thinner than that. >> who are the jeans for? >> they're for my grandpa. >> he's going to be a stylish grandpa. >> buddy. ize going to love them. his favorite brand. levi's. >> okay, guys, thanks. good luck. >> merry christmas. >> they braved the crowds. there's still time if you want

and yeah, everybody's out trying to finish cross off their christmas lists. back to you guys. >> thank you, tina. >> i think they're out photobombing tina. so about 10% of people actually wait till after december 23rd. >> i remember when the clintons were at the white house, bill clinton always waited till christmas eve to go to the shopping mall. pentagon city. but you never wait. you don't take the clinton approach. >> this is really what my shopping experience looked like on wednesday. >> you're alws so thoughtful. >> my god, you should see. >> you're not a grinch. you're not a grinch, kendis gibson. merry christmas to you. >> you're expensive. >> i am expensive.

this morning on "world news now," deadly storms tearing a path across the south. >> the tornadoes caught on video sending trucks flying and leaving behind death and destruction. the heart break and the next storm threat for holiday travelers from accuweather. angry protests causing problems at the largest mall in the country. the demonstrations taking over an airport, the frustrations and the arrests. protecting the pope. new york police officers on patrol at the vatican. why these cops were sent overseas in an unprecedented move. >> and cartoon controversy. republican ted cruz and his kids portrayed in a political cartoon. the insulted candidate and how he's fighting back. it's thursday, christmas eve, december 24th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." we do say good morning to everyone on this christmas eve. i'm kendis gibson.

>> we begin with those deadly storms in the south. violent weather has cut a wide path of destruction from arkansas to mississippi up through central indiana killing at least seven people. >> there are 21 reports of tornadoes and twisters including this one. this is a monster you're looking at in holly springs, mississippi that killed at least two people including a 7-year-old boy. when the twister picked up and tossed the car that he was riding in with relatives. >>en an we're just now getting a look at the damage from another twist in como, mississippi. richard cantu starts off our coverage. >> ow, i this i that's a tornado blowing up. >> severe storms take aim at the south. >> monster tornado heading towards holly springs. >> people pulling out their cameras in mississippi. >> i can't stick around here. i'm going to find cover. >> reporter: as a massive funnel cloud tore across the state. some people caught on the side of the road trying to decide where to turn.

>> no, you ain't got time to turn around. >> there's a tornado in front of us. >> settle down. >> this couple capturing the scary moment. >> it looks like there's two. >> when one twister became two. >> oh, wow. >> reporter: in the town of clarkson dale, the storm hit so fast, one family evacuating their home had to shelter with neighbors. >> we in it but we made it. >> that family's house torn to pieces, the roof gone. but the tree and presents survived. >> thank you, jesus. >> reporter: the system sweeping the south spawning tornadoes and dumping heavy rains. >> geez louise, it's blowing. >> reporter: it's already turned deadly. >> man, a real-life tornado. >> they've got emergency folks out here videoing the damage. there's 18-wheelers blowing over. an old cotton ginn. >> parts of holly springs mississippi reduced to piles of bricks. families planning to spend the holidays at home left figuring out what's left. richard cantu, abc news, new york.

just as tens of millions of americans head out for the holidays. yesterday was the busiest travel day this holiday season. for many it's been a nightmare. airports packed with hundreds of cancellations and nearly 6,000 delays. this southwest airlines flight you're about to see was forced to return to oakland for an emergency landing. you see it there. the plane had a mechanical problem. it had to circle for nearly four hours. >> the plane was thumping and it was going very slow because they were trying to get the landing gear up and it wouldn't go up. >> if you haven't finalized travel plans yet, be aware the second worst travel day is expected to be this sunday. >> so the hours ahead could be very critical and challenging for travelers. >> after that powerful storm system that hit the south and dumped rain on the northeast, justin povick updates us from accuweather. morning to you. >> good morning. storminess out west.

damage we saw yesterday, thankfully, will not repeat itself today along the eastern seaboard. threat for tornadoes has diminished. but the threat for heavy rain and mountain snow is increasing out west. we're looking at big travel delays around san francisco with heavy snow over the higher terrain. big-time warmth on the way for the eastern seaboard. temperatures approaching 30 degrees above normal make it feel like it's in the 60s and 70s. down the road, a major storm coming up over the weekend. heavy snow also some flooding rains and more severe weather. reena and kendis, back to you. >> just a little bit west of where justin was talking about, the big concern is snow and lots of it. the danger was caught on camera yesterday, a draw theic avalanche on the cascade mountains western face in utah. no injuries have been reported but the utah avalanche center has extended its back country avalanche warning. and over in telluride,

crashed into a snow plow. the plow was clearing a closed runway when the plane hit it. the plow operator estimated the plane was going about 100 miles an hour when it struck him. amazingly. none of the seven people on board the plane were injured, as well. lawyers forhe woman accused of driving in a las vegas strip sidewalk says she's distraught and overwhelmed. lakeisha holloway is charged with murder, child abuse and hit and run. watch. one person was killed in the incident. the coroner says jessica valenzuela died of blunt force trauma. a dozen protesters arrested after two black lives matter demonstrations in minneapolis. they are angry about the police shooting of jamar clark. the rally started at the mall of america and moved to the airport. abc's alex perez is there. >> black lives matter. >> protest ares in minneapolis

shopping days of the year at the biggest mall in the country, mall of america. demonstrators vowed to bring mall traffic to a standstill. about 80 worried stores closing their doors. protesters shut down by police. then moving to minneapolis st. paul airport blocking a main entrance on one of the busiest ravel days of the year. thask snarled. many missing flights. >> it would have been upsetting to not get to see my family. >> the black lives matter protesters have been taking to the streets in minneapolis since jamar clark died november 15th after he was shot by white police officers. demonstrators say he was handcuffed when officers opened fire. authorities denied that, the police union saying clark was reaching for an officer's gun. several protesters were removed by police but they say the demonstrations will not stop till the officers involved are

those officers are on paid leave pending an independent state investigation. here an the airport the roadways are back open and the heavy police presence as authorities try to get things back to normal. alex perez, minneapolis. >> and black lives matter protesters shut down a major freeway in the los angeles area. the action started mid afternoon. this is on the 405 in englewood. demonstrators spray painted the names of black suspects killed by police in recent months. nine people were arrested. six service members killed in afghanistan by a bomber are back in the u.s. defense secretary ash carter was at dover air force base in delaware for the return of the bodies. among them was a new york city police detective and a force major believed to be the first openly gay active duty service woman to die in combat. across iraq a wave of anti-isis attacks killed at least 15 people after government offenses launched an offensive

isis is putting up a tough fight. roads are mined and homeses are rigged with bombs. snipers are also slowing the advance of the government forces. >> and isis is also causing concerns at the vatican. so get this. the new york police department is on patrol there to protect visitors during the roman catholic church's year long jubilee. it's an unprecedented move as abc's elizabeth hur explains. enjoy. >> reporter: it's a first for the nypd and the italian police, but this joint international security operation at the ran can is a sign of the times. >> in light of recent events in europe and in the united states, you know, we continue to learn and we continued to adapt. >> reporter: police from new york, spain and poland are in rome assisting with security for the catholic church's year long jubilee ef mercy. it is only the 27th time in the history of the church that there

year, italian officials say there will be increased police patrols for a good reason. explaining they cannot underestimate or ignore the ongoing threat posed by isis, especially following the recent attacks in paris. authorities say they deployed thousands of officers and soldiers from across italy and asked for help from around the world. and for security reasons, italian authorities are not revealing the exact number of officers taking part in this operation but we are told there will be visible police presence at the vatican at all times. reena and kendis. >> impressive endeavor. it's one of the holiest times of the year on the christian calendar. these are proof in nagz reth the birth of jesus christ was celebrated with the re-enactment of the nativity with special details re-creating what jesus hometown may have looked like in biblical times. actors dressed as mary and joseph, roman soldiers and

through time. it looks like a little time capsule there. >> it really does. and speaking of christmas, we all know that santa claus is gearing up for his annual be round the world trip. we're going to presume his final preparations got done somewhat early this year. >> we say that because there was santa. seen there carrying his paddle board to the ni agrag river in balmy buffalo, new york. he got in the river and paddled away. >> so all kidding aside that's john fulton the so-called surfing santa. he's taking his yearly three-mile trip down the ni agrag river. he does it to raise awareness about homelessness. >> i'm troubled there's no bag of toys following him. >> yeah, and also missing from that picture right there, the icebergs that usually gather on the ni agrag river about now. he wears a bodysuit to warm him up. this year he didn't quite need it. temperatures up in buffalo.

coming up, the school lunch lady fired for being generous. there's a breaking development "the mix." >> the political cartoon taking aim aim at ted cruz's children. how the insulted presidential hopeful is fighting back. >> and the little girl who panicked after knocking an elf off the shelf. what she did to stay off of santa's naughty list. >> look for our pictures on instagram, abcwnn. merry christmas, everyone, from "world news now." hey buddy, let's get these dayquil liquid gels and go. but these liquid gels are new. mucinex fast max. it's the same difference. these are multi-symptom. well so are these. this one is max strength and fights mucus. that one doesn't. uh...think fast! you dropped something. oh...i'll put it back on the shelf... new from mucinex fast max. the only cold and flu liquid gel that's max-strength and fights mucus. start the relief. ditch the misery.

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the man who pleaded guilty to a felony after flying a vi joe copter onto the grounds of the u.s. capitol says he's going to run against one of the most powerful democrats in congress. douglas hughes wants to take on debbie wasserman-schultz, the chair of the democratic national committee. his attorneys say that does not make him ineligible to run. what do you think? >> interesting race. to presidential politics now and some of dr. ben carson's staffers are denying a possible shake-up is about to take place inside his campaign. >> ted cruz has drawn something of a line in the political sand when it comes to his children. >> in ted cruz turns an alleged insult into ammunition. "the washington post" took down the editorial cartoon that

trained monkeys but not before cruz forwarded to supporters in a fund-raising appeal. >> folks want to attack me, that's part of the process. i signed up for that, that's fine. but my girls didn't. >> cruz calls the cartoon proof of the liberal media's desperato attack him. an editor at the post says he doesn't agree with the cartoonist that is cruz's children are fair media for scrutiny because cruz featured them in this christmas themed campaign ad. also defending against a controversial attack, hillary clinton after donald trump used aid sexually drogry term to describe her loss in 2008. despite controversy, a new national poll shows trump maintains his commanding lead in the republican race. >> i think right now the odds favor him. >> the last time a republican was this had dominant right before christmas was 1999 when george w. bush went on to win

reena, kendis? >> wow. every night we talk about how donald trump is -- >> is surging and continues to surge. his poll numbers nationally around 38% now and the next closest ted cruz about 18%. we still have about 38 days till the iowa caucuses. you have to think. >> he used a fund-raising opportunity, he even had a picture of hillary clinton lap dogs in the "new york times" and "washington post" as the dogs. do you think this helps his supporters rally even stronger behind him? >> for donald trump? >> sorry, for ted cruz. >> no, this is actually the sort of gravy he needs. the good thing for donald trump, this is what his supporters need for him to take on hillary clinton at this point, that will help his numbers i would imagine. >> okay. see what happens. >> coming up in our next half hour, gift card grinches. the most popular of gifts targeted by thieves making them worthless before you can buy

>> first a desperate 911 call made by a little girl she'll end up on santa's badside after an incident with an elf on a shelf. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. i can't believe we broke old man hennessey's window correction dude, you broke. i just threw the ball. this is really bad. what are we going to do? dude, kiss your life goodbye. let's go.

knowing you can always count on me, for sure hi knowing you can always count on me, for sure tell him it was an accident and we can fix the window. knowing you can always count on me, for sure i'll come with you. woah, that's what friends are for >> okay, people, tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m. santa's coming to town. >> santa! oh, my god! santa here? i know him. i know him. >> oh, everyone's excited for santa. >> santa. >> especially the elves.

shelf, a new jersey girl jumped into action. >> so she was trying to stay off of and that's naughty list. so of course, she had to call 911. abc'c'ron claiborne with h h story. >> reporter: twas the week before christmas, and 7-year-old izzy was playing in her family's living room. >> i was doing this and then it hit the elf. >> reporter: one of the two elves on their shelf, his name is buddy jingles, was knocked out of his stocking and onto the floor. >> ah! >> reporter: from a popular book based on an old tradition that has become a viral phenomenon. an elf is supposed to be left alone, to observe who is naughty or nice and report back to santa. an adult can touch an elf but a child, absbsutely not. so when izzy's elf plopped out, she called 911. 911. >> 911. where is your emergency? >> don't come to my house, no, i don't! >> reporter: a few minutes later. >> hello? >> reporter: it was a policeman come to check it out.

door. >> so, i said, can i help you? and he said, your daughter called 911. >> reporter: it all worked out for the best. with little izzy learning a valuable lesson. >> don't call 911 -- for only emergencies.s. that's what you do. and don't call it for nonemergencies. merry christmas, everyone! merry christmas, kids. >> reporter: the end. ron claiborne, abc news, old bridge, new jersey. >> hey, to her it was an emergency. >> absolutely. isabela. it was an emergency. that's right. that's what the police -- the police lieutenant there was saying that it was an emergency to her when she touched the elf and she thought she was going to ruin christmas. so. >> that's got to be very traumatic at that age. >> absolutely. she's on the good list still. >> coming up, little beds in odd places. christmas accommodations for guests this weekend. >> and the reason a little boy

is next. [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing]

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okay. it's time for "the mix." >> and we're going to start this with the you've got to be kiddinggme. take a look at this woman here. this is dalene bowden, a lunch lady in idaho. she seems nice enough but recently got fired because she gave a 12-year-old girl who -- a meal from the cafeteria. she's a lunch lady there at the cafeteria at the middle school and apparently the young girl was hungry and didn't have any money for the meal. this is a termination letter. but instead of praising her, the middlelechool fired her. they say for stealing. >> oh, no. come on. >> yeah. can you believe that? the supervisor actually refused to allow her to even pay for the lunch for this young lady. >> what? >> after a little bit of blow back from that, we has been

not sure if miss bowden plans to take it. >> also because my cafeteria ladies in tampa, florida,a, always gave me extra tater tots. i was a pathetic little child. >> sthoutout to lewis elementary. >> you like that. >> yes. >> a lot of people coming over whether it's grandma's house, friends house for the season. take a look at the weird places people are staying. childhood beds where adults are required to sleep in. this is hello kitty. this is like my daughter's dream bed right here. probably not an older adult's dream bed. a few years ago, he had to stay in that small little twin bed and shared his bed on social mea and wants others to share their beds, as well. >> when you go back home to your parents bed, all of a sudden you're in your spider-man pajamas and once again on the bed. >> or you have a mattress in the laundry room.

>> okay. >> but it's cozy. if you get cold, you just turn on the dryer. >> exactly. >> folks, don't do that. >> l ll you to sleep. i want to show you this wonderful wedding ceremony taking place down under. beautiful setting. a beautiful couple. you know, this is hannah and ben. they're getting married. and you know, it's just a beautiful setting for their wedding and then their 3-year-old son steps in. take a listen quickly. >> the real values in life and come back to decide what really matters. >> he says i got to poop. >> nothing about timing. but anyways, a guest swooped him up and took him off. there's actually video of what happens next to young hudson. but we're out of time.

now," holiday heartache. tornadoes blast their way across several southern states. the twisters caught on camera. the human toll and today's threat from accuweather. >> fighting back. the controversial political cartoon taking aim at ted cruz and his children. how this candidate is turning an insult into an opportunity. new this half hour, banned from the u.s. one family's outrage. >> the british man and family members planning to visit disneyland. was their flight canceled because of their religion? and later in "the skinny," madonna's legal battle has nothing to do with her music. this is an international family dispute on this christmas eve. it is thursday, december 24th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning on this christmas eve. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm kendis gibson. of course, we're going to get started on a serious note

that are crossing the south. >> we're talking at least seven people who have been killed in the violent weather that stretched from arkansas to mississippi. there have been at least 21 reports of tornadoes confirmed and twisters, as well, including this monster wedge tornado in holly springs, mississippi, that killed at least two people including a 7-year-old boy. >> we're just getting a look at some of the devastation in tennessee wherere at least two people were killed there. look at that. that car just tossededround. our coverage begins with phillip mena in memphis. >> oh, man. >> reporter: this massive tornado touching down in mississippi. but the storm dumping half a foot of rain on mobile, alabama. this neighborhood underwater, the street looking more like a river. pied spread damage across the south as storms moved through. in arkansas 60-mile-an-hour winds uprooting winds. an 18-year-old woman died after a tree crashedednto this home. an 18-month-old baby pulled from the wreckage. >> the toddler was transported

the 18-year-old female was pronounced dead at the scene. >> on the other side of that storm system, heavy snow causing spinouts in wisconsin. meanwhile in the west, snow-covered roads snarling traffic in utah. while gusts over 80 miles an hour in mojave, california, toppled 15 to 20 tractor-trailers. watch as the roof of this building is ripped clean off. those big rigs banned from the highway till the winds die down. >> scary. i don't like this truck rocking. >> reporter: and these storms are still not over. the mayor of clarkesville, mississippi, calls the damage there horrific. and officials here in memphis are worried that christmas decorations could become projectiles as these storms continue to fire up. phillip mena, abc news, memphis, tennessee. >> thank you. it's been a busy christmas eve for law enforcement and emergency management in the south after those deadly storms. >> as video comes in showing how powerful these december

winds knocked over a truck on a busy interstate in mississippi. meteorologist justin povick continues our coverage right now from accuweather. good morning. >> reena, kendis. thanks and good morning to you, as well. thankfully good news. the severe threat that hammered the tennessee valley with all the tornadoes ananthe damaging winds, that is a thing of the past. there will be some showers along the eastern seaboard. out west, we're concerned about some wet and wintry weather creating some big-time travel delays from san francisco on southbound. then as we kick out east, showers on the move, but temperatures will be record-breaking warm. reena and kendis, back to you. >> our thanks to justin there at accuweather. as you mentioned, the big story is the snow in the west. avalanche warnings are posted in 11 states, in telluride, colorado it was a sea of white at the airport where a private plane collided with a snow plow. that was trying to land the plane at the time. the snow plow operator wasn't injured.

board that plane. there's no word, however, on why that plane tried to land on a closed runway. it was an emergency landing for a southwest airlines flight in oakland, california. the pilots reported landing gear problems shortly after takeoff and had to remain in a holding pattern for four hours b bning fuel over california's central valley. many passengers were deeply shaken by this. the ride was turbulent as the pilots tried unsuccessfully to get the plane back up. the plane eventually landed safely. a walmart truck driver facing charges in connection with last year's crash that seriously injured tracy morgan. a grand jury indicted kevin roper. thee charges include first degree aggravated manslaughghr. investigators found roper hadn't slept for 28 hours before the crash along the new jersey turnpike. morgan's friend was killed in the crash. the man accused of a deadly shooting at a colorado planned parenthood clinic wants to act as his own attorney.

that he won't cooperate in a competency hearing as is in previous court appearances, dear talked oveve his own attorney andflectly interrupted the jujue. he faces nearly 200 charges for the shooting which left three people dead. britain's prime minister is getting involved after a family's trip to the u.s. that included disneyland was spoiled allegedly by homeland security. the british family, two brothers and their nine children, were stopped at the airport's departure gate. they say they were the only muslim-looking people online for the flight from the uk to los angeles. >> we actually felt humiliated, alienated because the way they were dealt with was just out of the ordinary. >> the family will not get a refund of their more than $13,000 in airfare and other bookings. u.s. officials say they were not denied entry into this country because they are muslim. the british government is demanding an explanation. the race for presidency, a controversial political cartoon drew a sharp reaction from

take a look at the cartoon. cruz is depicted as ananrgan grinder dressed as santa, and his daughters as dancing monkeys. cruz saying yesterday "don't mess with my kids, don't mess with anybody's kids." abc's jonathan karl reports. >> please read this one, daddy. >> reporter: in an "snl" style parody produced by his campaign, senator ted cruz reads conservative christmas stories with his family. his young daughters, catherine and caroline, join in. >> the whole family will enjoying reading stories like "the grinch who lost herer e-mails." >> i know just what i'll do, she said with a snicker, i will use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: the ad prompted "the washington post" to run a political cartoon depicting cruz's daughters as trained monkeys. >> not much ticks me off. but making fun of my girls, that will do it. it's not complicated, don't make fun of a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl. >> reporter: cruz and his gop

>> this is off-limits, and ted cruz was absolutely right to be outraged. >> reporter: donald trump called the cartoon "bad," marco rubio called it "disgusting." the cartoonist was unapologetic, tweeting, "ted cruz has put his children in a political ad. don't start screaming when the editorial cartoonists draw them, as well." >> dear jesus, thank you for the >> reporter: long before the christmas ad, the cruz campaign posted extensive video of the kids for future campaign ads. >> i'm ted cruz -- >> and we approve this message. >eporter: and kids are often featured in campaigns. for example, this obama campaign video from 2012, which prompted no such political cartoon. "the post" eventually took the cruz cartoon down. the editorial page editor explaining, "post policy is usually to leave the children out of it," acknowledging they should have done that this time. cruz is now using the cartoon to raise money. "i'm sickened," he writes to supporters. "this shows you exactly how desperate the liberal media is to attack and deststy me and my

cruz has also offered up his own political cartoon, featuring what he calls hillary clinton and her lap dogs, "the washington post" and "new york times." jonathan karl, abc news, washington. >> got to love presidential politics. don't you? well, the twin birth rate hit an all-time high last year in the u.s. one in about 29 babies was a twin last year. in 1980, only one inin3 babies was a twin. the increase may be due to women waiting longer to start families. in the meantime, the birth rates for teenagers dropped 9% from 2013 to 2014. that's interesting, the grandparents took the kids to the museum today. my mother-in-law was saying how they noticed so many sets of twins, brothers and sisters or sisters and sisters. >> we all love twins. >> we do. speaking of twins, voters in one eastexas county may do a double take in the race for sheriff. >> people say all politicians look alike. that's literally the case here. identical twins harry and barry

office. barry started as a teacher and a coach, then became a texas ranger. he was joined in law enforcement a few years later by his brother. >> and despite their differences, barry says we're going to be biological brothers to the end of the world and we're going to be spiritual brothers forever. >> yeah, t tt's interesting theyey are running against each other but they do have others that are in the race, two others that are running. a total of four candidates. >> i just vote for them because they have nice cowboy hats. >> wonder who mom would vote for. >> i bet mom stays home. i bet mom stays home. coming up in "the skinny," a big moment for beatles fans. they've been waiting for this for years. >> also ahead, waiting till the very last minute for holiday bargains. we're taking you into an iconic new york department store to show you the early morning procrastinnaters. >> but first, a consumer alert about gift cards. how thieves could make the next gift card you buy absolutely worthless. you're watching "world news

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"love, sleep ananplay. pampers" well, you can now add hyatt hotels to the growing list of companies hit by hackers. it's investigating malware found on computers used to process customers' payments. guests are advised to review credit card statements. the data breach only affected hotels managed by hyatt and not franchise locations. >> the embattled chipotle restaurant chain is trying to move beyond the recent outbreak of illness. it's c cnging some of its cooking methods to better kill

with e. coli in the chipotle near boston college will reopen today after passing an inspection. two dozen patrons became ill with norovirus. >> with limited options for last minute christmas presents, gift cards are an easy option. >> although you can't give your son that. >> no, no, struggling with my son. we need to find a salvage rescue bot. >> throw it out to the university. >> let m m know where i can find one, folks. >> you can now buy many gift cards mostly anywhere. that can be a problem since thieves are targeting the cards, robbing their value. abc's mara schiavocampo with more. >> reporter: gift cards at the top of many a wish list. shoppers expected to spend almost $26 billion on these cash cards. >> i think they're a great clutch gift to give anybody. >> the easier choice. so you don't disappoint anybody. >> reporter: but experts warn these holiday favorites could come with a risk. >> gift cards are absolutely vulnerable to scammers. there are lots of different ways that nefarious people can get their hands on the cards and on your money. >> reporter: part of the

cash. requiring no i.d., pin number, or signature making them very alluring targets for scammers. here's how it works. before you buy the card, thieves can copy its information, sometimes using handheld skimmers, later stealing the card's value. so, experts say, l lk for tampered packaging, especially at the scratchoff area in the back. use the card right away. register your card. and be sure to use a reputable site if you're thinking of trading in unwanted gift cards on an online exchange. >> the safest way to buy cards is online or from a locked drawer in the store. >> reporter: ensuring a holiday scam doesn't leave you saying bah humbug. mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> all right. coming up, the singing superstar trying to get her son to come home for christmas. >> and sir paul's message to fans as the beatle music goes live for streaming.

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skinny, so skinny the big mystery on january 4th will be answered on "gma." can't wait. leading "the skinny," the material girl like many parents having some trouble withler teenage child. >> madonna was in a manhattan court yesterday and won a court r forcing her 15-year-old son to retn home to the u.s. from london. according to numerous reports, madonna is in a custody bat with her ex-husband, british filmmaker guy richie and their son rocco apparently wants to live with daddy. >> the judge told richie's lawyer if the child wants to stay with his father, he must return to his mother first. >> look at him. he's all grown up. >> he's now 15 years old. >> where did the time go? >> i know, we're old. >> i wouldn't mess with madonna. not because she's madonna but because she's mama. she's working that gown there. all righty. there has been an answer. let it stream. a huge musical milestone, the beatats music now availablblfor streaming worldwide.

stars on the planet like taylor swift and adele, the issue has been contentious. now arguably the biggest band ever is on board. >> no argument there. >> through services like spotify, apple music, rhapsody, title and others fans can listen to 17 beatles albums on demandnd to celebrate lasasnight sir paul here tweeting out thisisessage wishing everyone a very happy crimbo and a peaceful new year. >> the new song is going to released we're streaming, yeah, yeah, yeah. we're streaming move on, next story. in music news, hip-hop star kendrick lamar is spreading holiday cheer this season, as well. the rapper who just received more grammy nominations than any other artist for his album "to pimp a butterfly," what does that mean? to pimp a butterfly? break that down for me. what did you say, it's to kill a mockingbird? >> but not by releasing another music video or pushing a new

key to success. hard work. in a new video on youtube, you see kendrick with a young boy who witnesses all the love the rapper has shown but where other stars might let it go to their head, he keeps it in perspective for his young friend. >> anything you want is on m m >> please, i insist. >> thank youou >> thank you. >> you're most certainly welcome. >> man, anytime. >> you know who that is? kendrick lamar. >> i should have got two. >> i know. hard work. >> you need to work for that. >> come on, man, take the ice cream? >> i got to. >> my favorite flavor. >> i don't care. >> unique musical arrangements on "to pimp a butterfly," have set him apart from his peers making him a huge hit with critics and fans and anearning

>> i think "to pimp a butterfly," sting like a bee, swing like a butterfly. >> the famous quote by mike tyson you're referring to. >> you don't even know the quote either. and finally, a holiday gift the cast of the beloved netflix series "orange is the new black" in character for the classic retelling of a christmas tale. >> the story of santa coming to their prison. >> we sprang to our bunks as the guards gave a shout, our christmas was over, our secret was out. >> santa fled from the scene as the lockdown began. >> not the first time i've taken the rap for a man. >> i heard him exclaim as we ran to our could thes. >> happy holidays, ladies, you're all getting shots. >> oh, that's hilarious. year. >> merry christmas. float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> brian getting in her ear. >> no, he didn't get in my ear. it came to me naturally.

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comes santa claus right down santa claus lane >> this is time less. >> it is time less. listen to it in march of next year. if you haven't finished your christmas shopping, , u've got plenty of time. but at least you'r'rin good company. >> there are plenty of pple out there who have yet to wrap their presents and place them under the tree. abc's trina trinh is at macy's here in new york with last minute shoppers. >> hey, guys, that's right. >> i'm here at macy's herald square the iconic store here in new york city where i'm learning when it comes to christmas shopping, there are a lot of procrastinators among us. take a look here. people still out shopping on chchstmas eve. we've just got a couple of hours to go before the official day. and it's crunch time. and people are out trying to score those last-minute deals.

what to get for people this year. every shopper here. hi, can i talk to you? >> hi. >> what are you in the market for? >> okay. tonight? >> i'm shopping for my wife, my son, my mother, my father, my grandfather, my grandmother, my grandmother and aunts and >> you waited till the 11th hour >> i just came back from jersey, yes. >> why did it take you till now? you could have been a little bit more prepared. >> yes, you're right. >> what's on the list for everyone? >> i have no idea. i'm so confused. i have no idea. >> good luck. good luck. >> thank you. >> how about you? what are you he shopping for tonight? >> some cologne. >> some cloninging? >> -- some cologne?

or somebody else? >> it's really for me, no, for my dad. >> i thought so. all right. so a lot of shopping still going on here at macy's. wishing these guys a lot of luck. we'll see what happens on christmas day. back to you. >> thank you, tina. good to know. there's nothing wrwrg with buying a little merry merry christmas gift for yourself. >> i do it all the time. i did shopping yesterday and ended up buying a lot of stuff for myself along the way. the good thing is a lot of these stores are open overnight, toys "r" us being one of them and open till late on christmas eve. >> still got to find the rescue bot salvage. got the wrong size. let me know, folks. >> your poor kid is not going too haha a happy christmas. >> he wrote a letter to santa. the one thing he wanted this christmas. >> updates wnnfans.com. >> announcer: this is abc's

insomniacs for two decades.

i'm reena ninan. >> i'm kendis gibson. taking a look at some of our top headlines we're following this morning on "world news now." at least seven people are dead across parts of t south where nearly two dozen tornadoes cut a wide path of destruction across mississippi, tennessee and arkansas. more details and our accuweather forecast in a moment. the bodies of the six service members killed in afghanistan are back in the u.s. defense secretary ash carter honored them at a memomoal remony at delaware's air force base. >> douglas hughes awaiting sentencing for flying a gyrocopter onto the grounds of the u.s. capitol says he's going to challenge representative debbie wasserman-schultz for her seat in congress. she's the chair of the democratic national committee. and christian pill grips in israel celebrating christmas by visiting a nativity re-enactment in nazareth and church services later in bethlehemem those are some of our top

is christmas eve, december 24th.ories on this thursday and it is christmas eve, december 24 >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> well, merry christmas. partner. >> merry christmas to you. >> hope you finished all your christmas shopping. >> completely done, i've got to wrap them all. clearly you got completely wrapped there in christmas. >> i wrapped up ininour wrapping paper. figured you didn't need any. >> like a hot red. >> i'll take that as a compliment. not so hot down south. violent weather, the images remarkable. some people not having a merry christmas down there. tremendous. striking parts of the south. at least seven people dead. >> not the sort of story we want to talk about going into christmas eve and christmas, as well. at least seven people are dead but at least 21 tornadoes raked across three southern states. including this monster. look at that. this is in the town of holly springs, mississippi and this is what's left behind. two people including a 7-year-old boy killed.

the car the boy was riding in by -- with relatives. by nightfall, parts of holly springs reduced to piles of rubble. some people were caught on the side of the road trying to dedede where to turn. >> back it up. >> no. you ain't got time to turn around. >> there's a tornado in front of us. >> settle down. >> it's not over yet. tornado watches remain in effect across parts of at least four southern states. >> this violent weather couldn't have hit at a worse time as tens of millions of americans set out on their holiday travels. highways and airports have been packed. getting home to family has been a bit of a nightmare. abc's brandi hitt has more. >> reporter: let the holiday travel rush begin. >> this is the worst time to travel. >> reporter: airports are packed across the country. long lines forming in chicago before 6:00 a.m. >> madness.is is crazy. >> i'm hoping i'm going catch my flight. >> reporter: one to three-hour flight delays in new york, new

>> we're delayed. >> it looks like we're on time. no, delayed. >> reporter:s southwest airlines flight was forced to return to oakland for an emergency landing after the plane suffering a mechchical oblem circled for nearly four hohos. >> the plane was thumping and going very slow because they were trying to get the landing gear up and it wouldn't go up. >> reporter: across much of the country, severe weather is impacting the roads. with snow falling at an inch per hour in parts of oregon. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: 80-mile-per-hour winds leaving damage in southern california and this tornado touching down destroying several homes s mississippi. >> if you haven't finalized your travel plans just yet, b aware the second worst travel day is expected to be sunday. reena and kendis? >> our thanks to brandi there. the usual weather pattern could cause more travel delays in the hours ahead. >> snow in the west and there could be downpours in the east. here's accuweather's justin

good morning, justin. >> thanks and d od morning to you, as well. the severe threat t s diminished. good news after a very, very busy day yesterday with all the tornado reports and unfortunately, all the damage, as well. there will be some rain continuing for today out east. but this is the big story. temperature departures 25 to 30 degrees above normal. we're talking about record amounts of warmth. out east, we're concerned about heavy snow in the higher terrain and soaking showers at the coast. reena and kendis, back to you. >> thank you so much. lawyers for the woman accuses of driving on a las vegas strip sidewalk says she's distraught and overwhelmed. lakeisha holloway made her first court appearance yesterday she's charged with murder, child abuse and hit and run. she's currently on a suicide watch. one person was killed in the incident. the coroner says jessica valenzuela died of blunt force trauma. >> there's an uproar in florida

her family blames the police and the medical center. they say the cause of her death is did i have to detect and treat. more from abc's linzie janis. >> reporter: angela donar says she watched her niece, 57-year-old barbara dawson, collapse as police hauled her out of a hospital in handcuffs. >> they didn't do what they could. >> reporter: relatives say it all started around 10:30 sunday night. dawson was rushed by ambulance to this small florida hospital, complaining of stomach pain. she was evaluated by doctors and discharged just before 5:00 a.m., but her family says dawson still didn't feel well and wanted to stay. that's when lawyers for the family say hospital staff called the police. families say nurses took her off the hospital's oxygen, and dawson complained of trouble breathing in the parking lot. thisishoto, taken by a family member, shows dawson where she collapsed, still in handcuffs near the police car. >> the general public should be

who is seeking medical help would end up in cuffs and end up dead. >> reporter: according to police, medical staff observed dawson had a pulse and appeared to be breathing. she was taken back into the hospital, where she died. the medical examiner telling police, dawson suffered a blood clot in her lungs. the calhoun liberty hospital saying, it can't comment on why dawson was removed but saying, "in such cases, the safety and comfort of all patients is considered." the florida department of law enforcement says it will investigate. linzie janis, abc news, new york. at least 15 civilians are dead in a wave of attacks across iraq, most of them bombings. they progress b b governmentt forces in taking back the city of ramadi from isis. but it's tough going. many roads and houses are booby-trapped. ramadi fell in may. the army chief of staff claims it will be back in government hands within days. british offecials want answers from the u.s. why a

vacation was spoiled. the two brothers and their 11 children were stopped right at the boarding ramp and told they could not get on their flight to los angeles on orders om washington, d.c. they say it was humiliating and traumatic. homeland security agents say their religion had nothing to do with their decision but they wouldn't elaborate. >> a black lives matter activist says the mall of america was used as a decoy to start a protest that quickly moved to the minneapolis airport. a dozen people were arrested in the two demonstrations. protesters are angry over the killing of a black man by police. they claim jamar clark was shot while handcuffed and police deny that. >> the walmart truck driver who slammed into tracey morgan's limo has been indicted. kevin rope ser charged with first degree aggravated manslaughter. investigators found that he hadn't slept for 28 hours before the crash along the new jersey turnpike. morgan was seriously injured and his friend killed in the crash.

footbaba coach jerry sandusky will be receiving a rather large pension payment next week. he's serving a prison sentence for child molestation. the pennsylvania pension system stopped his monthly payments the day he was convicted. that was three years ago. a court has ruled that was illegal because he retired in 1999. he will be mailed a check for $211,000 next monday and his monthly benefits nearly $5,000 e next month. and steph curry of the golden state warriors among the big nba stars who appear in a new public servi ad against gun violence. the spot also features survivors of gun violence and families of shooting victims. it will debut tomorrow during the nba's popular christmas day schedule of games. >> the chipotle restaurant near boston college is reopening today. after passing a food safety inspectiti. about two dozen pronz came down withorovirus after eating there. the mexican style chain has been

and taking steps nationally to improve food safety including new ways of preparing fresh vegetables. sales have plummeted since midsummer. >> in milwaukee, it is being called astounding feat of sweets. the house from the disney pixar movie "up" has been re-created into a fantastical confectionery conglomeration. this genius gingerbread house was created by an 18-year-old. as part of the milwaukee area technical college baking and pastry arts student gingerbread house competition. >> it took her more than 100 hours to create but sadly, can you believe it, didn't take the prize. how is that possible? >> what wowod take the prize above that? >> i like the little gum drops supposed to be the balloon out of the chimney there. is that gum drops or jelly breens? >> i think they're jelly beans. that's cool. >> disney is the parent company of abc news. >> really? >> yeah.

we should know that. coming up, the social media trend that is not in the christmas spirit. how it can be harmful to kids. >> also ahead, shopping for bargains even at this hour. the early morning mad dash for christmas gifts at a new york iconic retailer. check out the scene. >> and safety on the football field. nfl players and their injuries on the field, pro athletes react to the new movie called "concussion," after our forecast map. it will be warmer in new york city than los angeles on christmas eve. >> that's pretty cool. >> it's about time. >> great falls, you're stuck at 24. >> announcer: "world news now" weather, brought to you by gerber life insurance.

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it gives us chills in places we've never gotten chills before. yeah, it makes us feel like... dare to feel more with new k-y love. daring thieves caught on surveillance camera robbing stores in miami. at one location, they used a truck to splash their way in. once inside heading for

pair. they even stole two mannequins. at another store they grabbed the hottest gift of the season. >> what was it? >> hover boards. they can be seen on camera using a cart to carry out boxes of them. wouldn't it be ironic if it exploded when they used it? >> how did they not use a hoverboard to get out of there? >> yeah. maybe they were worried about the explosion. >> okay. so you can add hyatt hotels to the growing list of companies hit by hackers. it's investigating malware found on computers used to process customers' payments. guests are advised to review credit card statements. the data breach only affected hotels managed by hyatt and not franchise e cations. ththnew york giants willlle without o'dell beckham for sunday night's must win game against the vikings. beckham's appeal of the one-game suspension he received for violent conduct sunday against carolina was heard at the nfl's office here in new york yesterday. that appeal was denied. despite his beautiful blonde

so beckham can't even attend team meetings, much less play in minnesota. josh norman of the panthers by the way was also fined about $26,000 for his ugliness on the field. >> the new look, the blonde look was pretty nice. >> it's an interesting look. nfl's week 16 begins tonight with the chargers taking on the raiders. tomorrow a movie called "concussion" premieres in theaters. >> the film centered on a doctor who uncovered the truth about brain damage in football players. what is the nfl saying about it right now? here's abc's ryan smith. >> you're going to war with a corporation that owns a day of the week. >> reporter: the national football league speaking out exclusively to abc news just days before the premiere of "concussion." >> do you want fans to see this movie? >> i think that there's a benefit to this movie, it's that we're going to elevate the conversation around the health and safety of our game. >> reporter: the film's trailer suggesting back then the league didn't want to face issues concerning head trauma. >> the nfl does not want to talk

>> when a movie like this comes out and fans or maybe others say this is a sign that the nfl tried to cover things up before, how do we know they're not giving us all the information now? >> take a look at what we've done. >> reporter: the league saying a lot has changed since 2005. updates to 39 rules related to health and safety in the last decade, implementing new concussion protocols and investing millions to improve equipment like special straps that aim to regulate head movement in the helmet. is this enough? the doctor telling robin roberts no matter how protective the helmet, it won't stop injuries. >> look what happens to your brain when you have impact. the brain bounces around the skull. you take padding, the padding will simulate the helmet. no matter how thick it is. look at what happens. >> what differenceoes improving the equipmt make when a head to head impact or some sort of very hard impact

matter how thick the outer protection layers are? >> you can improve the rules and the safety of the equipment. >> reporter: do you think we can ever stop head injuries in football? >> probably not,t,ut i think we caninimize them to make the game as safe as possible. >> ryan smith, abc news, new york. >> i thought that the interview was incredible with the nfl officials. really interesting. >> just learning a little bit about what's happening there in the nfl. coming up, teens suffering from fomo, the fear of missing out. >> the proliferation of bling on social media and how it's affecting kids that don't have their parents' monon to spend. next on "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our

abc stations. there are oceans and rocks. places where fish swim and birds fly. history is mad 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. it can be a place, a feeling, a state of mind. so get up.

tt2w`t2n`qd" bt@q= h tt2w`t2n`qd" "a@q-,, tt2w`t2n`qd" bm@q&' tt4w`t2n`qd"" dztq 6px tt4w`t2n`qd"" entq ft8 tt4w`t2n`qd"" gzt& _s@ tt4w`t2n`qd"" hnt& o], tt4w`t2n`qd"" iztq %4t tt4w`t2n`qd"" jntq 7d4 tt4w`t2n`qd"" lzt& /)/) you're a rich girl and you've gone too far because you know it don't matter anyway >> of course, hall and oates. money might not get you far but for kids looking to showoff it gets you a lot o o fofoowers. >> ch kids flaunting wealth i i annoying but it could be affecting other kids more than you realize. here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: they do say if you've got it, flaunt it. >> i probably spend around $15,000 a month on just shopping. >> i've been getting it since i was 14.

to know it. >> it became addictive. i kept posting photos of my life. >> so-called rich kids of instagram or rkoi are sharing photos and videos of everything from private jets to parisian hotel suites. >> some people would take up to 30 a day and try and post them. we wanted to find out what it was that was driving them to do thth. >> reporter: so director oscar humphries made a documentary called "rich kids of instagram." >> there's a fascination with what goes on in the worlds of the top 1%. instagram is kind of like a portal into people's lives. instagram is my canvas if i was an artist i would like to paint the picture of my life. >> reporter: some of these kids have hundreds of thousands of online followers. >> when you get a lot ofof attentntn, it can be intoxicating. >> reporter: i've no doubt santa will be kind to the rkoi, but is

doing to their followers making them feel a little disappointed in their own reality and rkoi induced fomo, that's the fear of missing out in teen speak. >> they'y' showing an extreme e version of their lives. for children that are impressionable, this kind of information coming at them constantly can lead to an increased risk of depression and loneliness. >> if i'm showing up, what are you going to do about it? are you going to come and stop me? >> i'd like to. i think i'd like to. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> it is quite interesting actually looking at the photos. rkoi. >> unfollow. there is an unfollow button on instagram. >> there is an unfollow button but it's so interesting. a lot of scantily dressed kids there. on rkoi. let me say. coming up, last minute shopping. >> tina trinh is at macy's to

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letters i really do believe, you'll head his list you won't be missed >> christmas comes once a year. fortunately for planning processes, it's always on the same day. so that on christmas eve, there are people who still need to shop. >> i always get the date wrong. some people do their best work under pressure. tina trinh is in macy's in new york's herald square to see what the last minute scene is like right now. hey, tina, what's up? >> that's right. it's christmas eve and there are still shoppers out and about. it's crunch time. and i am so surprised at how many procrastinators there are among us. we're going to try and talk to a few and see what they got. here are some guys who i found earlier. introduce yourselves. >> i'm abraham. >> i'm jen. >> hey, guys. be honest here. why are you out shopping at the last minute like this?

>> it's a family tradition. we wait up until the last 24 hours to shop for people. >> okay. >> and you want to know what i have. you want to know what santa's got in the bag. >> what did you get? >> we've got, look at this. beautiful eskimo hat. >> that looks like you got thaha for yourself. >> it fits me perfectly but i've got a very, you know, my head fits a lot of people's heads. there is going to be for many people. it could even be for you and some jeans. 34/32. i'm obviously not a 34. i'm a lot thinner than that. >> who are the jeans for? >> they're for my grandpa. >> he's going to be a stylish grandpa. >> buddy. he's going to love them. his favorite brand, levi's. >> okay, guys, thanks. good luck. >> merry christmas. >> there you have it. they braved the crowds. there's still time if you want

and yeah, everybody's out trying to finish, cross off their christmas lists. back to you guys. >> thank you, tina. >> i think they're out photobombing tina. so about 10% of people actually wait till after december 23rd. >> i remember when the clintons were at the white house, bill clinton it seemed always waited till christmas eve to go to the shopping mall. it was pentagon city. you're familiar with that one. that one. but you never wait. you don't take the clinton approach. >> this is really what my shopping experience looked like on wednesday. >> you're always so thoughtful. >> my god, you should see. >> you're not a grinch. you're not a grinch, kendis gibson. merry christmas to you. >> you're expensive. >> i am expensive. that's the news for this half hour. >> merry christmas, everybody.

this morning on "world news now," deadly storms tearing a path across the south. >> the tornadoes caught on video sending trucks flying and leaving behind death and destruction. the heartbreak, and the next storm threat for holiday travelers from accuweather. angry protests causing problems at the largest mall in the country. the demonstrations taking over an airport, the frustrations and the arrests. protecting the pope. new york police officers on patrol at the vatican. why these cops were sent overseas in an unprecedented move. and cartoon controversy. republican ted cruz and his kids portrayed in a political cartoon. the insulted candidate and how he's fighting back. it's thursday, christmas eve, december 24th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." we do say good morning to everyone on this christmas eve. i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm reena ninan.

storms in the south. violent weather has cut a wide path of destruction from arkansas to mississippi up through central indiana killing at least seven people. >> there are 21 reports of tornadoes and twisters including this one. this is a monster you're looking at in holly springs, mississippi that killed at least two people including a 7-year-old boy. when the twister picked up and tossed the car that he was riding in with relatives. and we're just now getting a look at the damage from another twist in como, mississippi. richard cantu starts off our coverage. oh, i think that's a tornado brewing up! >> reporter: severe storms take aim at the south. >> monster tornado heading towards holly springs. >> reporter: people pumming out their cameras in mississippi. >> i can't stick around here. i'm going to find cover. >> reporter: as a massive funnel cloud tore across the state. some people caught on the side of the road trying to decide

>> no, you ain't got time to >> there's a tornado in front of us. >> settle down. >> this couple capturing the scary moment. >> it looks like there's two. >> when one twister became two. >> oh, wow. >> reporter: in the town of fast, one family evacuating neighbors. >> we in it but we made it. >> reporter: that family's house torn to pieces, the roof gone. but the tree and presents survived. >> thank you, jesus. >> reporter: the system sweeping the south spawning tornadoes and dumping heavy rains. >> geez louise, it's blowing. >> reporter: it's already turned deadly. >> man, a real-life tornado. >> they've got emergency folks out hereideoing the damage. there's 18-wheelers blowing over. an old cotton n. >> reporter: by nightfall, parts of holly springs, mississippi, reduced to piles of bricks. families planning to spend the holidays at home left figuring out what's left. richard cantu, abc news, new york. >> those storms are striking

holidays. yesterday was the busiest travel day this holiday season. for many it's been a nightmare. airports packed with hundreds of cancellations and nearly 6,000 delays. this southwest airlines flight you're about to see was forced to return to oakland for an emergency landing. you see it there. the plane had a mechanical problem. it had to circle for nearly four hours. >> the plane was thumping and it was going very slow because they were trying to get the landing gear up and it wouldn't go up. >> if you haven't finalized travel plans yet, be aware the second worst travel day is expected to be this sunday. >> so the hours ahead could be very critical and challenging for travelers. >> after that powerful storm system that hit the south and dumped rain on the northeast, justin povick updates us from accuweather. morning to you. >> good morning. we're looking at some more storminess out west. all the tornadoes, all the damage we saw yesterday, thankfully, will not repeat

seaboard. threat for tornadoes has diminished. but the threat for heavy rain and mountain snow is increasing out west. we're looking at big travel delays around san francisco with heavy snow over the higher terrain. big-time warmth on the way for the eastern seaboard. temperatures approaching 30 degrees above normal make it feel like it's in the 60s and 70s. down the road, a major storm coming up over the weekend. heavy snow also some flooding rains and more severe weather. reena and kendis, back to you. >> just a little bit west of where justin was talking about, the big concern is snow and lots of it. the danger was caught on camera yesterday. a dramatic avalanche on the cascade mountains western face in utah. no injuries have been reported but the utah avalanche center has extended its back country avalanche warning. and over in telluride, colorado, a twin engine plane

the plow was clearing a closed runway when the plane hit it. the plow operator estimated the plane was going about 100 miles an hour when it struck him. he was uninjured. amazingly. none of the seven people on board the plane were injured, as well. lawyers for the woman accused of driving in a las vegas strip sidewalk says she's distraught and overwhelmed. lakeisha holloway is charged with murder, child abuse and hit and run. she's currently on suicide watch. one person was killed in the incident. the coroner says jessica valenzuela died of blunt force trauma. a dozen protesters arrested after two black lives matter demonstrations in minneapolis. they are angry about the police shooting of jamar clark. the rally started at the mall of america and moved to the airport. abc's alex perez is there.

>> reporter: protesters in minneapolis disrupting one of the biggest shopping days of the year at the biggest mall in the country, mall of america. demonstrators vowed to bring mall traffic to a standstill. about 80 worried stores closing their doors. protesters shut down by police. those protesters then moving to minneapolis/st. paul airport blacking a main entrance on one of the busiest ravel days of the year. traffic snarled. many missing flights. >> it would have been upsetting to not get to see my family. matter protesters have been taking to the streets in minneapolis since a young black man, jamar clark, died november 15th after he was shot by white police officers. demonstrators say he was handcuffed when officers opened fire. authorities denied that, the police union saying clark was reaching for an officer's gun. several protesters were removed by police but they say the demonstrations will not stop till the officers involved are charged.

pending an independent state investigation. here at the airport, the roadways are back open and the heavy police presence as authorities try to get things back to normal. alex perez, minneapolis. >> and black lives matter protesters shut down a major freeway in the los angeles area. the action started mid afternoon. this is on the 405 in englewood. demonstrators spray painted the names of black suspects killed by police in recent months. nine people were arrested. six service members killed in afghanistan by a bomber are back in the u.s. defense secretary ash carter was at dover air force base in delaware for the return of the bodies. among them was a new york city police detective and air force major believed to be the first openly gay active duty service woman to die in combat. across iraq a wave of anti-isis attacks killed at least 15 people after government offenses launched an offensive

fight. roads are mined and homes are rigged with bombs. snipers are also slowing the advance of the government forces. >> and isis is also causing concerns at the vatican. so get this. the new york police department is on patrol there to protect visitors during the roman catholic church's year long jubilee. it's an unprecedented move as abc's elizabeth hur explains. >> good to see you. enjoy. >> reporter: it's a first for the nypd and the italian police, but this joint international security operation at the vatican is a sign of the times. >> in light of recent events in europe and in the united states, you know, we continue to learn and we continued to adapt. >> reporter: police from new york, spain and poland are in romessisting with security for the catholic church's year long jubilee of mercy. it is only the 27th time in the history of the church that there has been a holy year, and this year, italian officials say there will be increased police

explaining they cannot underestimate or ignore the ongoing threat posed by isis, especially following the recent attacks in paris. authorities say they deployed thousands of officers and soldiers from across italy and asked for help from around the world. and for security reasons, italian authorities are not revealing the exact number of officers taking part in this operation but we are told there will be visible police presence at the vatican at all times. reena and kendis. >> impressive endeavor. it's one of the holiest times of the year on the christian calendar. in nazareth the birth of jesus christ was celebrated with the re-enactment of the nativity with special details re-creating what jesus hometown may have looked like in biblical times. actors dressed as mary and joseph, roman soldiers and others took visitors on a trip through time.

capsule there. >> it really does. and speaking of christmas, we all know that santa claus is gearing up for his annual be round the world trip. we're going to presume his final preparations got done somewhat early this year. >> we say that because there was santa. seen there carrying his paddle board to the niagara river in balmy buffalo, new york. he got in the river and paddled away. >> so all kidding aside that's john fulton the so-called surfing santa. he's taking his yearly three-mile trip down the niagara river. he does it to raise awareness about homelessness. >> i'm troubled there's no bag of toys following him. >> yeah, and also missing from that picture right there, the icebergs that usually gather on the niagara river about now. he usually wears a body suit to warm him up. this year he didn't quite need it. temperatures up in buffalo.

coming up, the school lunch lady fired for being generous. there's a breaking development "the mix." also ahead, the political cartoon taking aim at ted cruz's children. how the insulted presidential hopeful is fighting back. and the little girl who panicked after knocking an elf off the shelf. what she did to stay off of santa's naughty list. and remember, look for our pictures on instagram, abcwnn. merry christmas, everyone, from "world news now." abcwnn. merry christmas, everyone, from "world news now." hey buddy, let's get these dayquil liquid gels and go. but these liquid gels are new. mucinex fast max. it's the same difference. these are multi-symptom. well so are these. this one is max strength and fights mucus. that one doesn't. uh...think fast! you dropped something. oh...i'll put it back on the shelf... new from mucinex fast max. the only cold and flu liquid gel that's max-strength and fights mucus. start the relief. ditch the misery.

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the man who pleaded guilty to a felony after flying a vi -- a gyrocopter on to the grounds of the u.s. capitol says he's going to run against one of the most powerful democrats in congress. douglas hughes wants to take on debbie wasserman-schultz, the chair of the democratic national committee. his attorneys say that does not make him ineligible to run. what do you think? >> interesting race. to presidential politics now, and some of dr. ben carson's staffers are denying a possible shake-up is about to take place inside his campaign. >> ted cruz has drawn something of a line in the political sand when it comes to his children. >> reporter: ted cruz turns an alleged insult into ammunition. "the washington post" took down the editorial cartoon that

trained monkeys but not before cruz forwarded to supporters in a fundaising appeal. >> folks want to attack me, knock yourself out. that's part of the process. i signed up for that, that's fine. but my girls didn't. >> reporter: cruz the cartoon proof the liberal media's desperation to attack him. an editor at the "washington post" says he doesn't agree with the cartoonist that is cruz's children are fair media for scrutiny because cruz featured them in this christmas themed campaign ad. >> 'twas the night before the shutdown, and all through the house -- >> reporter: also defending against a controversial attack, hillary clinton after donald trump used a sexually derogatory term to describe her loss in 2008. despite controversy, a new national poll shows trump maintains his commanding lead in the republican race. >> i think right now the odds favor him. >> the last time a republican was this dominant right before christmas was 1999 when

the nomination. reena, kendis? >> wow. every night we talk about how donald trump is -- >> is surging and continues to surge. his poll numbers nationally around 38% now and the next closest ted cruz about 18%. we still have about 38 days till the iowa caucuses. you have to think. >> he used a fund-raising opportunity, he en had a picture of hillary clinton with lap dogs in the "new york times" and "washington post" as the dogs. do you think this helps his supporters rally even stronger behind him? >> for donald trump? >> sorry, for ted cruz. >> no, this is actually the sort of gravy he needs. the good thing for donald trump, this is what his supporters need for him to take on hillary clinton at this point, that will help his numbers i would imagine. >> okay. see what happens. coming up in our next half-hour, gift card grinches. the most populararargifts targeted by thieves making them worthless before you can buy

a consumer alert. but first, a desperate 911 call made by a little girl she'll end up on santa's bad side after an incident with an elf on a shelf. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. i can't believe we broke old man hennessey's window correction dude, you broke. i just threw the ball. this is really bad. what are we going to do? dude, kiss your life goodbye. let's go.

knowing you can always count on me, for sure hi knowing you can always count on me, for sure tell him it was an accident and we can fix the window. knowing you can always count on me, for sure i'll come with you. woah, that's what friends are for >> okay, people. tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m. santa's coming to town. >> santa! oh, my god! santa here? i know him. i know him. >> oh, everyone's excited for santa. >> santa. >> especially the elves.

into action. >> so she was trying to stay off . -- stay off of santa's naughty list, so of course, she had to call 911. abc's ron claiborne with her story. >> reporter: 'twas the week before christmas, and 7-year-old izzy was playing in her family's living room. >> i was doing this and then it hit the elf. >> reporter: one of the two elves on their shelf, his name is buddy jingles, was knocked out of his stocking and onto the floor. >> ah! >> reporter: from a popular book based on an old tradition that has become a viral phenomenon. an elf is supposed to be left alone, to observe who is naughty or nice and report back to santa. an adult can touch an elf but a child, absolutely not. so when izzy's elf plopped out, she called 911. >> 911. >> 911. where is your emergency? >> don't come to my house -- no, don't. [ knocking ] >> reporter: a few minutes later. >> hello? >> reporter: it was a policeman come to check it out.

>> so, i said, can i help you? and he said, your daughter called 911. >> reporter: it all worked out for the best. with little izzy learning a valuable lesson. >> don't call 911 -- for only emergencies. that's what you do. and don't call it for nonemergencies. merry christmas, everyone! merry christmas, kids. >> reporter: the end. ron claiborne, abc news, old bridge, new jersey. >> hey, to her it was an emergency. >> absolutely. she's still talking right now, isabella. it was an emergency. that's right. that's what the police -- the police lieutenant there was saying that it was an emergency to her when she touched the elf and she thought she was going to ruin christmas. so -- >> that's got to be very traumatic at that age. >> absolutely. she's on the good list still. coming up, little beds in odd places. places. christmas accommodations for guests this weekend. and the reason a little boy interrupted a wedding, "the mix"

is next. [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing]

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okay. it's time for "the mix." >> and we're going to start this with the you've got to be kidding me. take a look at this woman here. this is dalene bowden, a lunch lady in idaho. she seems nice enough but recently got fired because she gave a 12-year-old girl who -- a meal from the cafeteria. she's a lunch lady there at the cafeteria at the middle school and apparently the young girl was hungry and didn't have any money for the meal. this is a termination letter. but instead of praising her, the middle school fired her. they say for stealing. >> oh, no. come on. >> yeah. can you believe that? the supervisor actually refused to allow her to even pay for the lunch for this young lady. >> what?

back from that, she has been offered her job back. not sure if miss bowden plans to take it. >> also because my cafeteria ladies in tampa, florida, always gave me extra tater tots. i was a pathetic little child. >> shout out to lewis elementary. >> you like that? >> yes. well, want to show you -- a lot of people coming over. whether it's grandma's house, friends house for the season. take a look at the weird places people are staying. childhood bedshere adults are required to sleep in. this is hello kitty. this is like my daughter's dream bed right here. probably not an older adult's dream bed. a few years ago, he had to stay in that small little twin bed and shared his bed on social media and wants others to share their beds, as well. >> when you go back home to your parents bed, all of a sudden you're in your spider-man pajamas and once again on the bed. >> or you have a mattress in the laundry room. >> that's kind of awkward.

>> but it's cozy. if you get cold, you just turn on the dryer. >> exactly. >> folks, don't do that. >> lull you to sleep. i want to show you this wonderful wedding ceremony taking place down under. beautiful setting. a beautiful couple. you know, this is hannah and ben. they're getting married. and you know, it's just a beautiful setting for their wedding and then their 3-year-old son steps in. take a listen quickly. >> the real values in life and come back to decide at really matters. >> he says, "i got to poop!" >> nothing about timing. but anyways, a guest swooped him up and took him off. there's actually video of what happens next to young hudson. but we're out of time. can't show you that. >> come back to decide what

making news in america this morning, deadly storms, tornadoes tearing through the heartland flipping a tractor trailer on a highway and ripping homes and buildings apart. the new video just in and where the severe weather is heading on this christmas eve. new controversy shaking up the race for 2016. ted cruz taking aim at a newspaper after his kids are used in a cartoon. the republican breaking his silence and donald trump weighing in. a helicopter trying to land suddenly hurtling towards tourists, the dramatic crash caught on camera. and christmas surprise, a happy holiday for a woman in tears, so what's the gift that got this reaction? and we do say good morning to you on this christmas eve. we're going to get started with

>> incredible. at least eight people are dead. nearly two dozen tornadoes cut a wide path of destruction across mississippi, tennessee and arkansas including this twister caught on camera in mississippi. >> it eventually crossed interstate 55 tossing a tractor trailer onto its side and reducing homes to rubble. we're not out of the woods yet. >> looking at the massive system on satellite still raking across a wide swath of the southeast. abc's kenneth moton leads us off with our coverage this morning. >> reporter: caught on camera overnight. >> oh, i think that's a tornado blowing up. >> reporter: a strong line of powerful and deadly storms churned up tornadoes from the midwest to the south last night. indiana, iowa, mississippi and tennessee survived nearly two dozen confirmed twisters that left 8 people dead and 40 more injured. >> i can't stick around here. i'm going to go find cover. >> reporter: in holly springs, northern mississippi, a 7-year-old boy was among the dead. drivers were caught on the roads trying to figure out how to escape.

>> no. you ain't got time to turn around. >> there's a tornado in front of us. >> settle down. >> reporter: in tennessee, the work to clear vital roads began overnight after those strong winds threw vehicles around, ripped down power lines and destroyed homes. tornado damage here, but out west, more severe weather. the roads were a snowy mess in utah impacting traffic. 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts in mojave california tore the roof off this building and toppled tractor trailers on this major freeway. >> it's scary. i don't like this truck cking. >> reporter: big rigs were banned from that california highway until the winds died down. back in the midwest and south there are states of emergency as residents try to pick up the pieces on this christmas eve. kenneth moton, abc news, washington. >> and our thanks to kenneth moton there. this outbreak of violent weather couldn't have come at a

holiday travelers. >> in fact, yesterday was the biggest travel day of the holiday season as tens of millions of americans jammed highways, train stations and airports, but the weather turned the journey home for one family into a nightmare with hundreds of flight cancellations and nearly 6,000 delays. >> flight is delayed. >> delayed. 20 minutes delayed. >> madness. this is crazy. >> and if you haven't finalized your travel plans yet, be aware the second worst travel day is expected to be sunday. okay, so it's not just the eastern part that's facing weather miseries. in the west it's all about snow and lots of it. >> accuweather's justin povick joins us now with the latest. good morning to you, justin. >> good morning, reena, kendis. we're looking at some more storminess out west, and speaking of the storminess, all the tornados that we saw yesterday will thankfully not repeat itself today along the eastern seaboard so the threat for tornadoes has

heavy rain and mountain snow is increasing out west. we're looking at some big travel delays around san francisco with some heavy snow over the higher terrain. big-time warmth on the way for the eastern seaboard. temperatures approaching 30 degrees above normal. and that's going to make it feel like it's in the 60s and the 70s, and then down the road we've got to talk about this, a major storm coming up over the weekend, heavy snow, also flooding rains and more severe weather. reena and kendis, back to you. >> justin, thank you. now to the race for president. some sharp words from senator ted cruz in reaction to a controversial political cartoon. the cartoon you see here depicts cruz as an organ grinder dressed as santa and his daughters as dancing monkeys. it followed cruz's campaign ad in which his girls appeared and read part of a conservative themed story. cruz saying yesterday, quote, don't mess with my kids. >> not much ticks me off, but making fun of my girls, that'll do it and, listen, i mean, all of us learned in kindergarten, don't hit little girls. it's not complicated.

girl and a 7ear-old girl. >> republican front-runner donald trump added his support to cruz calling the cartoon inappropriate. other republicans also criticized it. the cartoon has been pulled from "the washington post's" website. lawyers for the woman accused of driving on a las vegas strip sidewalk says she's distraught and overwhelmed this morning. lakeisha holloway made her first court appearance yesterday. she's charged with murder, child abuse, as well as hit-and-run. she's currently on suicide watch. one person was killed in that accident. the coroner says jessica valenzuela died of blunt force trauma. a black lives matter activist says the mall of america was used as a decoy to start a protest that quickly moved to the minneapolis airport. a dozen people were arrested in two demonstrations. protesters are angry over the killing of a black man by police there. they claim jamar clark was shot while handcuffed. police deny that claim. the six service members killed in afghanistan by a suicide bomber are back in the

defense secretary ash carter was at dover air force base in delaware for the return of their bodies. among them was a new yorcity police detective and an air force major who's believed to be the first openly gay active duty service woman to die in combat. the british prime minister is getting involved after a family's trip to the u.s. that included a stop at disneyland was spoiled by u.s. homeland security. the british family, two brothers and their nine children, was stopped at the airport's departure gate. they say they were the only muslim-looking people on that line for the flight from the uk to los angeles. >> we actually felt humiliated, alienated because the way we was dealt with, it was just out of the ordinary. >> well, the family is now out more than $13,000 just in airfare alone plus other bookings. u.s. officials say they were not denied entry into this country because of their religion, but the british government is demanding an explanation. well, around the world christmas celebrations are getting under way.

christ was celebrated with a reenactment of the nativity with special details recreating what jesu hometown may have looked like in biblical times. pretty impressive. an olive tree there. >> they even have the authentic olive tree there. all right, well, still ahead, another major hotel chain investigating a hack on its payment systems. and caught on camera, a helicopter trying to land in windy weather. something crashing in front of stunned tourists. plus, christmas emergency. a little girl calls 911 over an incident with her family's elf on the shelf. i was out in the dining room, you know, meeting the residents and i had a gentleman stop me and ask me if i made his dinner. he had lost his wife recently, but i didn't know that. he made a remark to me about not sure he wanted to be there anymore, but he said something to me that has stuck with me to this day.

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of a tangle between a small plane and a snowplow on an airport runway in telluride, colorado. the snowplo operator estimates the plane struck him while going 100 miles an hour. unbelievably, he is okay. as are the seven people who were on board that plane. no word on why the plane was trying to land on a closed runway at the time. former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky will receive a rather large pension payment next week. sandusky is serving a lengthy sentence right now for child molestation. the pennsylvania pension system stopped his monthly payments the day he was convicted. that was three years ago. a court ruling now that was illegal because sandusky retired in 1999. sandusky will be mailed a check for $211,000 next monday, and his monthly benefits, nearly $5,000, will resume next month. restaurant chain is trying to move beyond the recent outbreak of illness. it's changing some of its cooking methods to better kill germs.

with e. coli, and the chipotle near boston college will re-open today after passing a health inspection. about two dozen patrons became ill with the norovirus there. and you could add hyatt hotels to the growing list of companies hit by hackers. it's investigating malware found on computers used to process customer payments. guests are advised to review credit card statements for unauthorized charges. the data breach only affected hotels managed by hyatt and not franchise locations. last month hilton and starwood hotels said their payment systems were also breached. your wish is answered. columbia house is getting a relaunch, but there is a little bit of a twist. "the wall street journal" reports the new owner wants to revive the mail order company with vinyl records. john lipman purchased the company at auction for $1.5 million, but it is unlikely that the 12 lps for a penny model, that that is coming back. >> okay. >> we'll take it. >> we'll take it, huh.

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call your doctor right away and up the ante with antiviral tamiflu. prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source and helps stop it from spreading in the body. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamifland call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in partilar may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu. recapping our breaking news,

21 tornadoes slammed across several southern states, and it's not over yet. tornado watches remained in effect into this morning across parts of at least four southern states, and a flood watch continues from atlanta to asheville, north carolina, which can see an additional 2 inches of rain today. yeah, the latest weather radar shows that system marching across the east stretching nearly 1100 miles. it's huge, from the gulf coast into western new york, and another giant system is swirling over northern new england. now for a look at your morning road conditions, flooding conditions across the south up the ohio valley and into the northeast. roads slippery across the inner mountain west and wet up and down the west coast. if you're flying, airport delays are possible in new orleans, atlanta, charlotte, washington, d.c., new york and san fransco. well, this morning tre is an uproar in florida over a woman who died after she was forcibly removed from a hospital. >> barbara dawson's family blames the police and the medical center. the 57-year-old woman had gone to the hospital complaining of stomach pain.

released her, and when she refused to leave called police. she was arrested and taken outside. >> the general public should be strongly concerned that a person who is seeking medical help would end up in cuffs and end up dead. >> the hospital says the cause of her death, a clot, is very difficult to detect and treat. dawson's family is considering whether to sue the hospital, the police or both. a walmart truck driver is facing charges in connection with last year's crash that seriously injured comedian tracy morgan. a grand jury indicted kevin roper. the charges include first degree aggravated manslaughter. investigators found that roper hadn't slept for 28 hours before the crash, all of this along the new jersey turnpike. morgan's friend was killed in that crash. well, a vacation in paradise took a dangerous turn when a helicopter landing went all wrong. the chopper with seven people on board was landing at a resort in fiji, but as soon as it touched down, it dramatically lurched forward causing panic.

came to rest next to a pool. miraculously, no one on board was seriously hurt. well, in miami thieves caught on surveillance camera robbing stores. at one location you see here they used a truck to smash their way in. once inside heading for designer jeans, the jeans valued at $600 a pair. they even stole two mannequins. at another store they grabbed the hottest gift of the season, hoverboards. they can be seen on camera using a cart to carry out boxes of them. >> a $600 pair of jeans. wow, all right. the new york giants will be without star receiver odell beckham jr. for sunday night's must win game against the vikings. beckham's appeal of the one-game suspension he received for violent conduct last sunday against carolina was heard at the nfl office here in new york city yesterday, that appeal denied, so beckham will not be playing against minnesota. josh norman, by the way, of the panthers was fined $26,000 for his role in sunday's ugliness.

and the raiders. >> and don't forget the nba. we get last night's highlights from our guys at espn. >> happy holidays. welcome to our "sportscenter" set here in los angeles. he's neil everett, i'm stan verrett. the cavaliers and the warriors are going to meet on christmas day, so let's show you what they did leading up to it. >> look at this. oh, tommy, okay, we'll make sure i show the tie when the highlight is over, very christmassy. steph curry, get dizzy with it. get dizzy with it. andrew bogut looked good. you know, the warriors, you know, listen, i watched this game, listen, because you are listen because i'm speaking but -- >> you w't. >> really but people are going, turn the channel. >> what were you saying about the warriors? >> no, they just -- it wasn't fancy, buttill i mean they won by 18, and it's nolike utah is that bad a team. they're just rolling. >> all right, so the warriors are ready. what about the cavaliers? >> yeah, they're ready.

carmelo anthony out with an ankle injury in this one, but it was tougher than you think for cleveland. lebron james, lebron james finishes there and then kristaps porzingis thought better of that one. >> oh. >> he was about to get his stocking stuffed, and so he just rolled on by. james, 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists as the cavaliers take it, 91-84, so on to christmas, they're part of the christmas quintuple header here on abc and also espn. check your local listings for times in your area. i've always wanted to say that. >> there are five games. >> look at this tie. >> there's no green in here. >> no, but this tie looks christmas -- >> christmas is green and red. >> this looks holiday, right? >> back to you. >> he's wearing purple. he's not even wearing red or green. >> it looked like a scottish holiday. >> it does for them. let's hope they're wearing something underneath. well, up next "the pulse," christmas surprise, one woma

nativity scene going viral. i sure had a lot on my mind when iot out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily...

seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me.

when heartburn hits fight back fast tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum smoothies! only from tums topping our look at "the pulse," stories, ocourse, we hope you'll be talking about today like the elf on a shelf. >> oh, there he was in a stocking, we're told, to see who's been naughty and who's been nice. the elf then fell on the floor and this 7-year-old new jersey girl knew this was a crisis and what do you do in an emergency? >> you call 911 bringing a police officer to the door and a valuable lesson to the girl. >> don't call 911 for only emergencies.

and don't call it for nonemergencies. merry christmas, everyone. merry christmas, kids. >> well, that's good. it's like a public service announcement for christmastime. the elf on a shelf tradition comes from a children's picture book of the same name. it was published in 2004, and the book comes with this elf doll in a box. you should put it around your house, and kids try to find out where the elf is. >> is that what the deal is? >> yeah, it's called elf on a shelf. >> while kids aren't allowed to touch elf, they can tell it what they want for christmas, so you can understand why she was so freaked out by this. >> i think that was a pretty big crisis but maybe not 911-worthy. next up, quite a surprise for a woman who didn't know that she was already a grandmother. >> she lives in indiana, but her son and daughter-in-law, they live in hawaii, and they had started the process of adoption but didn't tell anyone when their daughter was bora few weeks ago. >> okay, so check out grandma's early christmas surprise. >> my gosh. my gosh. >> i've been dreaming that it was a girl. >> what everyone wants for

grandchild, right, a lot of people or a puppy, one or the other, i would say. >> yes. >> it's a christmas surprise that no one in the family will ever forget. oh, this is just incredible. >> it's great. >> so happy. >> her initial reaction where she's all like in tears and jumping up and down is just great. she still has not let go of he grandchild, by the way. >> something tells me she's going to spoil this baby rotten. >> absolutely. well, a goat stole the show during a live nativity scene at a dallas church. >> at one point the goat perhaps he wanted a bigger role in the production hopped into the mangeorge and didn't stay long, quickly hopped back out. >> the improv moment gave the audience and even the actors a laugh. by the way, there was no baby inside the manger. >> that's a relief.

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my sister raves about her toothpaste and mouthwash all the time. i'm like, huh? aren't they all the same? you know, i had to see for myself. so i went pro. with crest pro-health advanced. advance to a healthier, stronger, cleaner mouth from day 1. this toothpaste... ...and mouthwash make my whole mouth feel amang. and my teeth stronger. crest pro-health advanced is superior in these 5 areas dentists check. this is gonna go well, for sure. advance to a healthier stronger, cleaner mouth from day 1. great check up. my sister was right. top stories this morning, violent weather raking parts of the south spawning nearly two

least eight people. those storms carved a wide path of destruction reducing dozens of homes to rubble, uprooting trees and knocking over tractor trailers. tornado watches remaining in effect well into this morning across parts of at least four southern states. and it definitely will not be a white christmas for much of the eastern u.s. it feels more like christmas in florida with temperatures in the 70s from washington to new york and 60s in new england. >> a live picture there of new york city. looking at the map showing the rest of the country, more strong storms in the south with rain stretching up into the northeast. more rain along the west coast, as well. beautiful in dallas, 74. and finally on this christmas eve morning, maybe you're one of those serious procrastinators who leaves all the christmas shopping till the very end. we do mean very last minute. your time, well, it's now. >> why were you looking at me? >> because you are one of those. your poor son. >> gift cards are an easy way out for those last-minute presents, of course, but as mara

with a certain amount of risk. >> reporter: gift cards at the top of many a wish list. shoppers expected to spend almost $26 billion on these cash cards. >> i think they're a great clutch gift to give anybody. >> the easier choice so you don't disappoint anybody. >> reporter: but experts warn these holiday favorites could come with a risk. >> gift cards are absolutely vulnerable to scammers. there are lots of different ways that nefarious people can get their hands on the cards and on your money. >> reporter: part of the problem, cards can be as easy to use as cash requiring no i.d., p.i.n. number or signature making them very alluring targets for scammers. here's how it works, before you buy the card, thieves can copy its information, sometimes using handheld skimmers, later stealing the card's value. so experts say, look for tampered packaging, especially at the scratch-off area in the back, use the card right away, register your card, and be sure

if you're thinking of trading in unwanted gift cards on an online exchange. >> the safest way to buy cards is online or from a locked drawer in the store. >> reporter: insuring a holiday scam doesn't leave you saying, bah humbug. mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. and, folks, we should mention happy news. >> breaking news. >> santa is well on his way delivering those presents. >> yes, a short time ago, norad started tracking santa. you know it's almost christmas in some parts of the world, so he has a long journey ahead. >> and i have a long day of shopping ahead. i need to find a hot patrol -- no, a rescue bot. >> santa is bringing that. >> oh, santa, sorry. thats's what's making news in america this morning.

making news in america this