windy high: 40-46 >> reena fell asleep. making news in america thi morning, heated debate.( the gop candidates with a fiercely combatiti tone. donald trump, jeb bush squaring off. >> he's a chaos candidate, and he'd be a chaos president. >> let's see. i'm at 42, and you're at 3. >> complple analysis and a live report. the most talked about moments on top. runway scare. a plane rolling off course right into a ditch. the passengers forced to evacuate and talking about the ordeal this morning. caught on camera, he really got the scoop. a reporter putting down the microphone and calling 911 after spotting a bank roery suspect. >> right. and no spoilers, but thehe reviews from critics are just in for "star wars: the force

five stars or a big bust. hey, everyone, good wednesday morning. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm richard bacon, and we begin this morning with the aftermath from last night's presidential candidates debate. >> t nine top candidates there on the stage in las vegas. most of the action was right there at center stage involving donald trump, senator ted cruz and jeb bush. >> bush and trump squaring off several times but shaking hands after the debate was finished. abc's stephanie ramos has the details live from washington. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: g gd morning to you, richard and reena. well, this final debate of the year focused on national security and terrorism, and the verbal punches came out swinging almost immediately. post-gop presidential debate, donald trump sympathizing with his competition. >> i like jeb. i think jeb is a nice man. i really do, but, you know, i think i'd do the same thing if i were him, i'd be attacking me.

coming off. >> you're a tough guy, jeb. >> we need to have a leader that is -- >> you're tough. >> you're never going to be president of the united states by insulting your way -- >> you're real tough. >> reporter: jeb bush and donald trump wasting no time to spar over foreign policy. >> he gets his foreign policy experience from the shows. >> come on. >> that is nct a serious kind of candidate. >> i know you're trying to build up your energy, jeb, but it's not working very well. >> one at a time. >> reporter: in their fifth debate face-off, almost every question focusing on national security for the nine leading % candidates with trump's proposal to ban muslims from entering the u.s. at the forefront. >> we're not talalng about religion. we're talking about security. our country is out of control. >> reporter: marco rubio and ted cruz also clashing, first over the nsa's bulk surveillance program, then immigration. bio suggesting the two of them have similar positions on the issue. >> for marco to suggest our record is the same is like suggesting the fireman and the ararnist have the same record because they're both at the scene of the fire. >> i personally am open to

green cart. >> we will build a wall that works, and i'll get donald trump to pay for it. [ laughter and applause ] >> i'll build it. >> reporter: trump and cruz neck and neck in the polls but staying friendly throughout the debate, and governor chris christie boasting about his executive experience while jabbing at the senators. >> if your eyes are glazed over like mine, this is what it's like to be on the floor of the united states senate. >> reporter: chris christie hammering the senators there on stage, but they actually got more air time than he did. ted cruz, he spoke the most, more than 17 minutes, followed by trump and rubio. richard and reena, back to you. >> trump's comment to bush, i'm at 42%, you're at 3%, that's got to hurt, right? that's got to hurt. what did trump say about running as an independent, stephanie? >> reporter: well, this is a pledge that we've heard before, right, but last night trump said once again he will not run aa a independent. he added he's committed to the republican party and is honored to be the front-runner. >> okay, we'll see what happens.

steph, thank you for that report. >> thank you so much. in the spin room after the debate, donald trump characteristically called last night his best debate performance in the history of the world. no, he said, so far. >> one candidate who had a hard time breaking through was one time front-runner dr. ben carson. analysts say that he seemed to be a victim of circumstance in the race. >> i t`ink that probably the thing that camout of this was the continual slide of ben carson, who led at one point in time, and then afterward the tragic events in france when people started focusing more on thesesissues related to security, he startrt falling. i think during the course of this debate that fall continues and my expectation is ben carson will be in seventh or eighth place by the next couple of weeks. but dona trump out of this debate is still the dominant player in the gop. >> dowd also sayininthere were two winners in the debate, marco rubio and chris christie.

chatter on social media, as you can imagine, during the debate. >> yeah, believe it or not, he was the most searched candidate according to google trends, and he also gained the most twitter followers during the debate, and the top tweeted moment came when ump called jeb bush a tough guy. that was fun to watch. >> it was. lar -- often i think that debate is better watched through highlights, as well. i think you saw the best moments there. so later in "the pulse," the comment that had chris christie trending all night, plus live team coverage later on "good morning america." and be sure to watch the democratic debate this saturday night hosted by abc's david muir, martha raddatz. coverage begins at 8:00 eastern. >> it'll be great. ahead of that debate front-runner hillary clinton is providing nedetails about her plan to battle isis. speaking to an audience in minneapolis, clinton said the u.s. needs a 360-degree strategy to prevent domestic terrorism. she positioned herself as the more serious and experienced candidate compared to her

>> it is not enough to contain isis, we must defeat isis, break its momentum and then its back. >> what they are saying -- >> democratic rival bernie sanders says he intends to question clinton about foreign policy during the debate including her votes in favor of the iraq war when she was a u.s. senator from new york. about 650,000 students in los angeles will be back in class today after an unscheduled day off. that's because of a terror threat. that threat was e-mailed to a school board m mber promising an attack with guns and bombs. administrators admitted that following fears from the san bernardino attack influenced the decisiono close the schools. schools in new york were open yesteteay despite the school superintendent receiving almost the same exact e-mail that was sent to l.a. the e-mail was declared a hoax. new york's police commissioner said the type of threat it contained was similar to recent episodes of the showtime drama "homeland." and breaking overnight, a

launched in arizona after the crash of a medical helicopter. the chopper went down in the superstition mountains about 60 miles east of phoenix. officials say that the cra te is located in very rugged terrsin. there's no word on the condition of the three people on boardrdr the cause of the crash. severe weather in denver, a snowstorm dumping nearly a foot of snow over some areas also forced flit delays and cancellations. ththshutdown -- and it shut down highways, as well. just over 6 1/2 inches of snow was officially recorded at denver international airport. mounting snow totals were in the one to two-foot range. the latest weather radar shows that same storm system moving eastwardringing snow to the plains and upper midwest. the heaviest hit arere are likely to be from the northeast colorado into west central minnesota dumping at least 6 to 12 inches of snow through the night. and on the back side of that

as 40 miles an hour across south dakota, nebraska and iowa. still ahead, "star wars: the force awakens," we have seen it overnight. >> she fell asleep. >> no, t t first official reviews from t t critics. >> yeah, they are. they're out. and new this morning, a plane slides off the runway injuring passengers. details just in. plus, caught on camera. a wall collapses crashing onto a sidewalk trapping people walking by. she sees the world a little differently. and, by some miracle...she actually said "yes." to me. tell her everything you love about her with charmed memories. at kay... ...the number one jewelry store in america. and she will be the best mom...ever. every kiss begins with kay. it's the kay jewelers save the best for last event! with up to 30% off storewide... ...now is the time to find her the best gift at an incredible price. so hurry in...

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a warm sun. lots of water. nutrient rich soil. that's how you grow the best, tastiest vegetables. and that's how you make it progresso. debris spilled from a cargo ship o o san francisco is still washing up on beaches.

ship during a storm this weekend. some are still floating offshore waiting to make landfall. there's an agreement in congress on a major spending bill meaning no government shutdown at the end of the year. it reportedly extends a series of tax breaks for both businesses and individuals. passage is expected by the end of the week, but the government spending authority runs out tonight, so they'll try to pass another stopgap bill right away.% and if you haven't yet filed for obamamare, you have a little more time. the government says there was, quote, unprecedented demand yesterday, unprecedented demand on the heathcare.gov website and the deadline is now the end of the day thursday. the penalty for not being sured jumps to nearlz $700 next year. all eyes are on the federal reserve today, which wraps up its last meeting of the year. the central bank is expected to raise short-term interest rates, the first increase in nearly a it's unlikely, thougug to have mumu impact on consumer loans. it's not beginning to look a lot like christmas in the

and that's bad news for some businesses. chief among them clothing and retailers, manufacturers, they stocked up on winter gear, and we're stl wearing our fall clothing. me retailers plannininbig discounts, but even that might not help some of the shakier stores. when we come back, state of emergency ncerns in an american town because of the amount of lead in its water. and a reporter turns crime fighter on live tv spotting a

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this was the scene yesterday just north of denver in broomfield, colorado. a preholiday wintery storm dumping nearly a foot of snow on parts of denver and up to 15 inches in the colorado rockies making just getting around treacherous. now for a look at morning road condition, roads will be across the southeast and up into the ohio valley. snow will make things slippery upper midwest into the great if you're flying airport delays possible in minneapolis well, new overnight a very tense end to a flight in nashville. >> yeah, take a look at the incredible images. a soutest airlines jet running off the runway ending up in a ditch. the plane resting in the dirt. emergency slides deployed and passengers described the moments of panic.

runway andndll of a sudden it felt like it hit a pothole or a speed bump, and i was like, well, that's kind of rough and then all of a sudden you realize you're going down into something. you don't know what. >> the fun part is at least i got down to slide down the little slide. we're all pretty safe so fortunate for that. a little holiday surprise, if you will. i guess that's my christmas gift from southwest is sliding down the slide. >> i enjnj his understated talk. the plane from houston javy was completely full. eight passengers were taken to the hospital andater released. there is an emergency in flint, manager. the lead levels are too high. it affects the city's children in particular because lead can cause mental retardation. it began after the city began taking its water from the flint river. the mayor wants federal disaster relief. well, north of boston five people including a motheand her baby were suddenly trapped under a temporary construruion wall.

gust of wind happened on a sidewalk in the city of malden. dozens of people rushed to their aid. the baby was in a stroller at the time which may have just saved his life. luckily the viviims suffered onon minor injuries. a suspected bank robber in rochester, this is a remarkable story, in minnesota, who returns to the scene of the crime, first mistake, was probably not expecting live tv cameras. it happened yesterday as a local reporter just started his live shot right outside the bank when he was interrupted by a bank employee. >> tyler just 24 hours ago this bank in -- >> that guy right there. >> what? >> that's the robber. >> oh, that's the robber. this is live tv, folks. that's the robber just went by cording to the bank k ployee, so i got to go here and call 911. i'll talk to you later. >> bank robbers have said it before and i'll say it again, you've got to check your local news feed before returning to

>> i thought the guy running was e robber, but what robber shows up in a tie? >> that isisdam sadler and called 911 and the 36-year-old suspect was obviously arrested. >> oh, my god. how do you -- anyway, how about we talk about sport, huh? >> yeah, we'll talk to our friends at espn. >> yeah, we'll start with a surprise from college basketball. bo ryan has stepped down as coach at the university of wisconsin effective immediately. >> ryan coached the badgers for 14 full seasons and led them to the ncaa tournament of the year during his tenure. the surprise was the timing. ryan had said he would coach one as for last ninit's sports hihilights we go to those guys, the great guys, our favorites at >> good morning. set here in los angeles. along with neil everett, i'm stan verrett. the warrior streak is over but patrick kane's streak still >> it was, it was.

patrick kane looking to extend his poinx streak to 27. he's got the american born record. he's got the blalahawk record. the record is 51 by a guy named gretzky. kane going against colorado. colorado was up to the task, n. they had some dudes who had some speed, and all good things must come to an end and so does kane's streak and for the avalanche, they win the game, 3-0.0. cavaliers and celtics, you remember they play ded in the playoffs last year. another cool thing off the court. special olympics athlete before tip-off and once theheame started, james. >> and then he gave his shoes to the kid afterwards. >> oh, yeah. >> yeah. >> and those shoes helped help do that. all right, you remember kevin love and kelly olynyk made that play that hurt love and took him out for the rest of the playoffs last year.

5 assists, spend ging a lot of time guarding himimnd look at jajas. jerebko can't do much. james did plenty, 24 points and 7 rebounds. >> yeah, warriors are playing wednesday. >> yep. >> back to you. >> thank you, guys, at espn. >> you like them. >> a lot. up next in "the pulse," last night's big debate. why chris christie was trending all night and the persistent cough coming from a candidate who wasn't. and weave seen it and so have the critics. the first reviews, the embargo ended one hour ago, the first reviews are in for the "star wars: the force awakens." stay with us.l it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could hehe your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com@

knock it out, fast. with abreva. i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also hadsignificantly 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.

or abnbnmal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleedidi to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or denta procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blolo clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it' right for you. all right, it's time for "theulse" and starting with a bit more from the republican debate.

christie taking some heat for one of his comments where ristie said he'd be usted by king hussein of jordan for his strategy to defeat isis. the only problem is the king of jordan, king hussein died in 1999. abdullah ii is jordan's current living king, ouch. >> plenty of commenting online about which candidate was coughing. during the debate, ben carson's campapan says he's been struggling to get over a cold, and all the coughing was from him. he himself is a physician. >> this picture from afterwards. wayne newton hananng out with donald trump. remember the debate was in las vegas, of course. and the official u.s. opening for "star wars: the force awakens" is this friday but the reviews already out. >> they are. the embargo ended an hour ago, we've seen it ourselves last night. "the new york times" says it delivers the thrills with a touch of humanity and the big news is that the movie is good. >> the film opens today in itain and "the times of london" and britain's "daily telegraph" both gave it five stars. >> but it's not all good reviews actually. the "los angeles times" says

starts. >> and the "chicago tribune" says it is good but not great. still it says that's much better than not bad. "star wars" like abc is part of disney. >> i think it does deliver. last scene that got me and then i thought, oh, why did j.j. abrams do that to us. when is the next one -- >> oh, whyid i fall asleep during the film, which you did. >> jusfor a second. was a little tired.. this early shift can be tough on a gal. >> and missed the dramatic twist because you were looking at the back of your eyelids. but t u know what it does s ally well, although there are funny lines in it, it takes the story have to do for a film like that to really work. >> it was a compelling story. >> yeah, it was. and i think that they play again on the father/son reretionship. there are lots of nods to the old films but also they press the same emotional buttons and they dc it well. >> well said.

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checking our top stories, donald trump and jeb bush clashing several times during last night's republican debate. nearly every question the top nine candidates faced dealt with foreign policy. ted cruz spoke the most, john kasich the least. jury deliberations resume in the first freddie gray trial. but the jurors say they are deadlocked. gray died last spring from injuries suffered a police van. six cops have been charged in his death. secretararof defense ash carter has arrived in baghdad where he'll meet with u.s. troops and top iraqi leaders. he's also speak with u.s. military commanders about ways to step up the battle against isis. and today's weather, heavy rain for the northwest, snow over the upper midwest, rain blanketing the southeast up into the ohio valley. and perhaps you've noticed everyone is talking about "star wars: the force awakens."

work for abc, another part of disney, abc's -- she fell asleep. abc's chris connelly talked to the creators of this long awaited sequel. >> reporter: monday night in hollywood, the world premiere of "star rs: the force awaken" >> give it erything you got. >> reporter: it's action and humor. it's new characters and lightsabers.s. >> it ends up being a story of adventure and loyalty and shock and surprise and uses this amazing and precious thing called the force that tells us that we're all someheh connected. >> camera, action! >> reporter: so much of it the work of producer kathleen kennedy and director co-writer j.j. abrams, a veteran of "alias," "lost," "migsssion impossible 3" and the "star trek" series. >> fire everything. >> reporter: and now 49-year-old abrams was brought onto the "star wars" franchise by kennedy, for decades a top producer on steven spielberg's

>> i did pose this provocative idea who is luke skywalker that that would be something that was said by one of our characters. >> why was who is luke skywalker such a fascinating question? >> i guess because it spoke to a new generation. it was that idea that there would be young people for whomom luke skywalker was essenenally a myth. >> reporter: abrams hoping this film will have the same emotional punch that the 1977 one had on him as a child. >> the thing i felt when i was a kid when i left that theater was the world was huge and to have people, especially kids, go to see the movie and see themselves in it and feel like, i'm capable of something extraordinary, that would be the greatest gift of all. >> we're home. >> reporter: i'm chris connelly in los angeles. >> that j.j. abrams, he's got a bright future ahead d him. >> listen, it's wonderful, and it's thrilling and it's